Breastfeeding Journey - Part 3
Things have gotten immensely better on the breastfeeding front!
Right around 6 months, we started Greyson on solids. We were ready & he was showing all of the signs of being interested so we went with it. First up - sweet potatoes. Yum! We worked into them slowly, giving them at dinner and only after nursing first. He loved to grab the spoon & put it in his mouth himself. I greatly believe that introducing the spoon & the skills required to use his tongue with the spoon helped to make him a better nurser.
At his 6 month check-up, our pediatrician informed me that he was still considered "failure to thrive" as he was still in the 0 percentile for his age on both the WHO & CDC charts. He had gained weight & it was following the curve, just sitting below it. Yet again, I got the "You should supplement with formula" speech. Yeah too bad I was pumping my life away while nursing all day as well.. He was getting the extra food & gaining weight so I knew he was doing fine & just kept doing what my gut told me.
Greyson loves bananas - & the dogs love when he feeds them to them eats them
After about 2.5 months of pumping and nursing, using some bottles or adding breastmilk to oatmeal, we were able to back off of the supplements and get back into the game of exclusive breastfeeding! I was nervous as could be - was he getting enough? Did we wean off the supplements too soon?
I had spent so much time going to have him weighed, sometimes every week, that I was getting so stressed out & not focusing on just loving my son & enjoying my time with him. So I took a break! It was so hard when Tuesdays would come. My urge to go to the breastfeeding group was so strong I had to distract myself & force myself to forget about it. Taking a trip back to the states to visit family & friends was just the thing I needed.
Hey mom! I'm ready to eat!
Exclusively nursing while travelling, in my opinion, made the whole trip so much easier! I took my pump, just in case, but never touched it in the weeks we were stateside. Greyson was nursed on the first take-off and did great the whole trip! He was such a little angel on the plane & looong car rides!
By the time we got back [& got over our stomach bugs], I hadn't had Greyson weighed in just over a month. My heart was beating when it was time to weigh him that week! And the result of our hard work - he had gained 1 lb 3 oz in 6 weeks! It doesn't sound like much, but babies his age have typically plateaued in their weight from being so active. And by the next week - 6 more ounces! I was ecstatic! I plugged all of his info into an app I was told about - 6th percentile based on weight for age!!
Greyson still wakes up several times a night to nurse, but he's so cute to I don't mind so much
We are coming up on Greyson's 9 month mark & I am so happy to be in a great place with nursing! We struggled SO much in the beginning - poor latch, nipple damage, tongue tie, supply issues, plugged ducts - and overcame all of it! We are just over 3 months away from my goal of exclusively breastfeeding for 1 year! A goal I was very unsure we would ever make it to!
I just want to help encourage & inspire any new mom who is struggling or feeling doubt with themselves in their own breastfeeding journey. With determination & a great support system, anything is possible! I wouldn't have made it this far without the help & support of my awesome husband or my constant visits [& breakdowns] with my cheerleader of an IBCLC, who makes me feel like Superwoman!
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