breast for success

Many Baby Bunchers will tell you that one of the hardest things about Bunching is breastfeeding.  The closer the spacing between your children, the more difficult it becomes because it is hard to get a decent feeding in for Baby #2 when Baby #1 doesn't have the attention span to finish a book or even an Elmo DVD (desperate times call for desperate measures).

I nursed my oldest for 9 months, when he decided that he'd had enough and weaned himself.  I have to credit my mom with helping me establish my awesome milk supply.  She basically insisted that I do nothing but nurse and drink water for the first weeks of his life.  As a result, I had enough milk to feed the whole neighborhood.

When my second came along 17 months later, I took it for granted that it would all be so easy again.  But it wasn't.  I partially blamed the baby and his lazy suck, but in retrospect, I really didn't do much to help us out.  I was too busy chasing after my toddler to stay home and nurse, too busy to drink water and eat well, too busy to sit still and ensure the baby got a good feeding, etc.  It just didn't work out.  I started supplementing at 3 weeks and gave up around 4 months, beating myself up about it every day.

This time around, with Baby #3 (3 years later), I am determined to make it work.  I have a MUCH greater appreciation/respect for breastfeeding for the following reasons:

• Cost - I barely bought any formula for #1.  By the time he quit nursing, we had just enough time to blow through the hospital formula samples and a few formula checks and it was time for him to switch to real milk.  With my second, who required the expensive partially-digested formula, my wallet definitely felt the pain.
• Convenience - I never appreciated this with my first.  Truthfully, I found it a pain in the neck to deal with leaking boobs and pumping.  This time around, I fully appreciate being able to go anywhere, anytime with baby without packing a giant diaper bag full of feeding materials.  I just grab my little diaper changing wallet and the baby and go.
• Cuddle - The first time around I found nursing to be a little isolating, honestly.  I was sometimes irritated that I always had to be the one to feed the baby and frequently had to sneak away from the action to find a quiet place to feed the baby where he wouldn't be distracted.  I felt like I was missing out.  This time, I am grateful for the excuse to seize quiet time with my new little one.  I have been chatting with my friends/relatives/husband, etc for a very long time and my baby will only be small for a short time.  There's nothing they're talking about that could be more interesting than gazing into my baby's precious eyes.

This time around, I am making every effort to make nursing a priority.  Having said that, my two older children are as demanding as ever, so I still face the challenge of how/when to fit it in.  Here are a few tips that I'm picking up on Round 3 that might help Baby Bunchers behind me.

• Call in reinforcements for the first few weeks with the new baby.  In our case, we had family come to visit.  In a friend's case, she continued to send her oldest to daycare in the mornings while she was on maternity leave, which allowed her to get in a few solid feedings in peace and quiet.  Have your husband take vacation time or hire a babysitter if you have to - you will appreciate the investment later.  The first few weeks are absolutely critical in establishing your supply and you have to nurse, nurse, nurse.
• Drink plenty of water. I have a 24 oz water bottle that I fill up three times throughout the day, in addition to whatever juice/milk/soda/etc. I drink at meals.  You don't have to over-drink (in fact, my most recent lactation consultant told me that over-drinking can be detrimental to your supply, which I hadn't heard before), but stay well-hydrated.  Filling up my bottle helps me keep track of how much water I've had a lot easier than drinking a million glasses a day.  If you find it hard to sip throughout the day, then chug a bottle before or after each meal.
• Feed every 3 hours religiously during the day. I have lucked out and all of my kids will go decent stretches at night as newborns (anywhere from 5 to 7 hours).  Against the doctor's advice, I let them do this, but then I make sure to feed every 3 hours like clockwork during the day.  And let them cluster feed all evening if they want to - they are filling up their little tanks to get ready to go through the night.  Just go with it - it's worth a few hours of extra sleep!
• Get a minimum of two really good feedings in.  It is hard to stay home and nurse when you have an older child to entertain.  But do yourself a favor and make sure that you get at least one very solid mid-morning or mid-afternoon feeding in peace and quiet for as long as the baby wants to eat, with no distractions.  You can skimp and do a quickie feeding for one outing a day, but you need to make a commitment to the other one.  Commit to the first morning feeding as well - it is usually easy to make this a good one because no one is awake but you and baby!  Don't count on the evening feedings to be your best - this is when your supply is typically lowest, plus you will be trying to deal with the dinner/bath/bed routine for your oldest.
• If your supply allows, pump whenever you can get away with it and stock your freezer.  The art of pumping is a great mystery to me - one that I haven't ever really mastered because I didn't go back to work full time after my kids were born.  I just have the Avent Isis hand pump, which has worked just fine for me, although my friends insist I would do even better with an electric pump.  What I have done with all three boys is take advantage of engorgement.  I would feed on one side (typically more than enough milk for them in the beginning) and pump the other and toss it in the freezer.  Even now, once my supply is established, if there is a feeding where my little one seems full/satisfied after one side, I will pump the other and store.  It may mean that he is hungry again in 2 hours instead of 3, but I have scored a small stash of White Gold in fridge/freezer for times when my supply is lagging or I need to leave food for someone else to feed him.

I know this has been a long post, but hopefully you've found some good information if you've made it to the end.  Please share your own tips for success and experiences with other Bunchers!

Comments

[TC]

This post couldn't have been better timed for me. My second is just a little over 3 weeks old (the first is 16 months) and I've been struggling with the cluster feeding. I even called the LC today to see if perhaps my milk supply was at fault. Between her reassurances and your post, I feel much better! Since I had a C-section, I haven't been able to manage Toddler at all yet so we've been calling in reinforcements to help out. But someday I'll have to be able to watch both of my kids by myself, and I'm not sure yet how that's going to work! :) I'll stay tuned for tips on how you and your family manage. Thanks!

[Linda]

Yeah, the one good feeding is great advice. My son wouldn't let me take the time to feed my daughter. I used to have the good feeds first thing in the morning when dad was still around, while older child took nap and then bedtime and then middle of the night feeding. I knew those were four really good feeds and I tried to make sure those were the longer ones no matter what.