His First Bottle

I have been breastfeeding Alex ever since he was less than an hour old. He really took to nursing like a pro and I have had no need to suppliment or give him the bottle at all! I was really thrilled about this, especially since nursing Mia didn't go so smoothly.

Though breastfeeding has been a breeze with Alex, its not without its challenges. Sleep is the number one thing. Since I am the sole provider of his food, I am constantly on alert for his feedings and when I try to nap or go to bed I am constantly being woke up to feed him. At first I handled it pretty well, but after time it started to really wear on me. I think if Alex was my only child it would be easier, but chasing around a high energy 2 year old during the day, plus taking care of a newborn AND breastfeeding just became too much. My energy level was always EXTREMELY low, my mood was very bad, I was feeling overwhelmed, my post-partum depression kept rearing its ugly head, and just overall worn out. So the time finally came where an important decision needed to be made... Either I stop breastfeeding altogether, get Alex on formula and a bottle... or pump and give Alex the bottle at least once a night every other night so I can catch up on my rest (get more than two 2-3hr periods of broken sleep). Continuing like I was, wasn't cutting it and something was going to give... probably my milk supply (which was Mia's breastfeeding downfall).

So I finally decided to allow Alex to try the bottle last night with pumped breastmilk. It was bitter sweet since I have been breastfeeding for 3 full weeks now and I was proud that I didn't need to resort to the dreaded bottle, but again I had to look at the whole picture. I was beginning to be no good to either Alex or Mia... I desperately needed rest.

So during Alex's final feeding before I went to bed (10pm) I nursed him while I pumped the other side. It sounds so much easier than it actually was!!! Being able to accomplish that, in itself, was an amazing feat to pull off! I literally felt like a cow! haha Actually I am surprised in my ability to balance the two to be honest. Unfortunately, I was only able to pump 1.5 oz and we know hes up to 2 (well at least the internet said he should be up to 2) so we knew he might not get satisfied after eating... but it was the chance we were willing to take.

Once he was done I prepared the bottle for Adrian (he was on baby watch overnight). Breastmilk can be left out in the open for up to 6 hours by the way... I didn't even know that. Anyway I prepared the bottle and off to bed I went... feeling conflicted about the whole thing.

I had a pretty decent night sleep. Though I still woke up every 2-3 hours (force of habit I guess) it didn't take me long to fall back to sleep. I was later woken up by Adrian at 6am letting me know Alex was waking up and was going to be REALLY hungry. I felt pretty refreshed, although still sleepy, alot more rested than I have been in MONTHS!

I asked Adrian how the feeding went and he said really well. Although, Alex didn't quite understand how to use the bottle and was struggling at first.. once he tasted the milk he latched right on and chugged it! haha The only bad thing was, he was still hungry after the bottle was gone but was still able to fall asleep.

When I got Alex for his feeding, Adrian was right... he was hungry! He latched great (another fear of mine... that he would get nipple confusion after using the bottle) and ate good. Now hes asleep and I am here.

I am so proud of my little man, though I still feel a bit conflicted about the use of the bottle....HOWEVER you can't argue with results.. I do feel much more rested, better, and my mood is good again. Not sure how we will work in the bottle or how often we will resort to it, but so far I am happy. We will see what the next few days are like...