Family, Work and School Challenges – Ginni and Jesse

I always planned to breastfeed because of the many benefits. I dealt with engorgement and leaking, but overall it wasn't too hard. My intention was to make it to a year; I breastfed my daughter until 8 months and finally quit because I felt so tied down; I wanted to be able to go places and see people without my daughter. (I was also working outside the home at the time, which made it even more complicated.) I felt a little guilty about it, but it was what I needed to do for my mental health.

 

With Jesse, my second, I again decided to breastfeed exclusively until 6 months and then as a supplement until his first birthday. I had a lot of great support (when my doula told me "bring baby to breast, not breast to baby," it probably saved my back!).

 

He took to nursing like a duck to water. The challenge was that he wanted to nurse all the time. I already had my hands full with my daughter, work, and school; I often felt trapped, like I couldn’t go anywhere. He would scream and cry if anyone else tried to take him. He wanted only me, and when he was with me, he pawed at my chest and cried until I fed him. To top it off, some of my family members and friends were uncomfortable when I nursed around them, so I ended up spending a lot of time in a back room by myself, feeling lonely and frustrated.

 

However, we worked through it. When he started solid foods, it was easier for me to keep up with his voracious appetite. I started leaving my nursing cover at home, and not really caring about people’s opinions. 

 

I got mastitis twice, probably from trying to do too much and wearing my body down. I cried and laid in bed feeling like death, but still wasn't ready to quit.

 

As the one year mark approached, I worried that weaning would be really difficult and emotional. My daughter was fairly easy to wean; she just wanted milk, she didn't care if it came from me or from a bottle. But Jesse was really attached and loved to comfort nurse. Fortunately, the more his interest in solid food increased, the less demanding he was about nursing. By 13 months, I was confident he was ready. I just wasn't sure I was ready! He'd always been such a mama's boy; I worried that without the special bond of breastfeeding, we wouldn't be as close.

 

So far, that doesn't seem to be the case at all. The nursing photo shoot with Allison was a sweet farewell to a sweet chapter of our lives, and if I have any more children, I definitely hope to nurse them, too.