Breastfeeding FTW!!

Am I somewhat happy about the fact that my daughter is 23 months old (today), and still breastfeeding?

No.
Not at all.

I'm freakin' ecstatic!  LOL!!  Seriously, I could dance.  I feel like we've won some kind of battle.  Little Daughter is now officially the child that has been breastfed the longest of all the kids.  Her brother was weaned at 22 months because I was pregnant with her, and it was a high-risk (no sex) pregnancy due to my history of preterm babies.

I know that for some of the moms out there, my 23 months is laughable.  For us, this is a milestone.

When she was born they scooped her up and had to take her to suction out her throat and nose with a tube-suction thing, but within a couple of minutes, she was returned to me.  Immediately I asked if someone could help me a bit, so I could breastfeed her.

The nurse (oh...she's a story for another day...) told me that it wasn't necessary.  I insisted.  She told me that she may not nurse much, but "I guess you're welcome to try."
She latched like a champ.  She knew what to do.  (Well, she knew how to do it well enough for me to be happy...for a while...let's not forget my Damaged Boobies.)  She proved the nurse wrong.

Wonderful, touching moments.  After the nightmare we lived through with the birth of our twins, and the months of tears trying to teach them how to breastfeed on my own, at home, this was a very very very welcome change!

                         

Over the past 23 months, we have had our share of ups and downs.  More than a few times she's bitten me.  Badly.  (HERE is a story about that.)  But we kept on truckin'.  She deserves nothing but the very best, and because she is the last one, will never have to be pushed off the breast for any reason.  She will get to wean on her own time.

The truth about her is that she is certainly more...attached...to her boobie than our son ever was.  By 22 months he put up no real fuss when I told him that his bubbies were all gone.  He was only nursing before bed, really, so didn't care when it was gone.  Instead of falling asleep on the boob, he'd fall asleep laying on my chest, while I lay on the couch.  But Little Daughter is still on the boob about 15 times a day.  Or more!  I'm obviously more than a milk supply...I'm comfort.  Which is why I can't see this ending any time soon.  And that's okay with me.  Like I said before, she's our last child.  She'll get all the time she needs to stop on her own.

I don't really have much more to say other than we're going to celebrate.  I'm going to sit on the couch and give her the one thing she likes better than cake.  Bubbubs.  : )
                              


xoxo  

A Boobie Post...Yes, that's the warning.

Yeah, so ignoring the fact that I may lose a couple of followers after this post, I will tell you the truth.  My boobs HURT.
It's not that "I'm-so-engorged-I-think-they-may-explode" kind of hurt.  It's the "my-baby-bit-me-and-broke-the-skin-on-my-nipple" kind of hurt.
I sometimes feel like I'm breastfeeding a piranha...or maybe a member of THIS family.  
I normally wouldn't make a whole post dedicated to the AGONY of having a bite hole in the side of my nipple, but I'm making an exception this time.

I'm preeeetty sure this is my daughter.

Baby Girl is on the boob about 30 times a day, if not more, these days.  She will hardly drink water, and completely refuses any other liquids.  I am most certainly having supply issues, but I'm working on that.  I thought maybe if I was making more milk for her, she'd get her fill and give my poor boobs a break for a few extra minutes.  I even started taking more Domperidone, just hoping for a little help until I can sprout these Fenugreek Seeds.  So far, nothing is helping.

The truth is that I know that she's teething.  Two at once, on the top.  And the gums where the bottom two haven't come in yet are super hard.  She'll get them anytime too.  She's even got a lovely rash on her face, which she's NEVER had before.  Our Realtor (a friend of the family) told me that both of her boys had the same rash when teething...but it's new for me.  And for Baby Girl.  She has my complete sympathy.  I have had too many toothaches to even count, and to be a baby with a sore mouth...I can't imagine how much that sucks for her.  I know she's nursing for comfort, and if it's all I can do to really keep her from crying, I'll do it.

On top of the damaged nipple thing, there's the issue of my boobs themselves.  Oh, I'm not going to go too into it...but I WILL say that I nursed my son for more than 16 months on one boob.  If I can nurse a 22 month old porkchop on one boob, anyone can!  I don't know how common it is, but it's like one boob just doesn't understand that it's supposed to be making milk.  Super annoying.  (I had every intention of posting a picture of something clever to go with this part of the post, and ended up seeing some of the most INSANE breast pictures EVER.  I wish I had Brain Bleach to erase the image of those Volvo-sized boobs...)

Anyways... this is more of a post to let people know that even though I'm no rookie, this isn't always easy for me either.  I think the biggest lie anyone has ever told was that breastfeeding is "always so natural and beautiful", because sometimes it is JUST NOT.  It's not always rainbows and unicorns.  There are times it's torture.  Like now.

Well, that's what it feel like!

And I'm no super-hero.  I have those thoughts I'm sure other moms have had...and it's all caused by the soft-tissue trauma going on under my shirt.  LOL  These days I sometimes wish my baby would just drink water out of that Dora sippy cup and leave my poor damaged boobie alone.  And sometimes I wish that my other boob would step it up and do what it's supposed to be doing, not just hanging around doing nothing all day.  (MOOCH!)  Oh, and then there's the times I wish my husband could breastfeed her...just a couple of times...even just one day.  Just to give my boob a break.  But noooooo....I guess I'm not married to THIS GUY.  My boob hurts so much, that guy is starting to look pretty good right now.  LOL!

But as much as I bitch (and I do), I'll keep going.  I'll keep nursing that little tooth-monster until she weans herself.  Logically I know it's what's best for her, and logic has to outweigh my desire instinct to HEAD FOR THE HILLS everytime she comes up and says "Bub bub".

Even if breastfeeding didn't have any health benefits, it makes her happy.  I knew a long time ago that I would do whatever I have to do to make sure she's happy...chewed nipple or not.    (And because there are too many health benefits to ignore, my logic-based brain has to do what needs to be done, no matter what.)

Teething can't be easy for them.  I know those teeth aren't being easy on me, and I'm an adult!  So I'm going to suck it up and continue to put her best interest before my own.  I just had to complain for a minute.  I (almost) feel better...

Ugh.  It's almost bedtime...my boob hurts just thinking about it!  >.<

This too shall pass...this too shall pass...this too shall pass...

Maybe in another post I'll tell you about the damage she did in the first week after her birth!  Aughhh!!!

*Sorry for talking about my boobs.  It could be worse, I guess.  I could have named them.  LOL

Fenugreek Seeds...My Own Personal Experience

So I bought some fenugreek seeds at the grocery store.  I went online and found this on ehow.com:

Use fenugreek to increase milk supply. Fenugreek has been shown to increase milk production in lactating women. A 2000 Swafford study found that the use of fenugreek "significantly increased" the volume of breast milk that women were able to produce. To increase your milk supply using fenugreek, take two to four 580 mg capsules of fenugreek three times per day. Fenugreek powder can also be used to increase milk supply by mixing one tablespoon powder with 1/4 cup juice three times a day.


And this, on Kellymom.com:

Suggested dosage

capsules (580-610 mg)	2-4 capsules, 3 times per day 6-12 capsules (total) per day ~1200-2400 mg, 3 times per day (3.5-7.3 grams/day) German Commission E recommends a daily intake of 6 grams
capsules (500 mg)	7-14 capsules (total) per day
powder or seeds	1/2 - 1 teaspoon, 3 times per day 1 capsule = 1/4 teaspoon can be mixed with a little water or juice
tincture	1-2 mL, 3 times per day (or see package directions)
tea	one cup of tea, 2-3 times per day

I'm  having some serious supply issues lately.  We've been through some extreme stress and sadness in our family over the past few months, and even taking four Domperidone a day, I'm barely making enough to make the baby happy, and she's only having about 4 very wet diapers a day, no matter how often I put her to breast.  (Before this, I took two pills, three days a week, and it was more than enough.)  I've had to start giving her water in a sippy cup after having her on the breast, because she's just not satisfied at all.  I know all too well that she needs to be on the boob as much as possible to increase my supply and I've tried that, but nothing is improving.  So for now she's getting boob throughout the day and during the night, and getting water when she needs it.  It's hard not to feel like I'm failing her.

Only because I am determined, because I know she deserves only the very best, I am trying something new.  I want to go to a MINIMUM of two years with her (and she just turned a year old on November 26th).  Ideally she could breastfeed as long as she'd like to, and she'd be closer to three or four before she stopped.  But at this rate, I'm afraid she won't make it to 18 months.

I've never used fenugreek seed, though I have tried that breast milk tea that has fenugreek in it.  (That tea didn't work for me, but it's probably because I couldn't get it in my mouth...my nose kept stopping me...that stuff smelled like ASS.)  I'm going out tomorrow to get myself a grinder so I can follow the instructions I saw on ehow.com, and we'll see how that goes.

This is what "Breastfeeding Online" has to say about it;

" Fenugreek seeds contain hormone precursors that increase milk supply. Scientists do not know for sure how this happens. Some believe it is possible because breasts are modified sweat glands, and fenugreek stimulates sweat production. It has been found that fenugreek can increase a nursing mother's milk supply within 24 to 72 hours after first taking the herb. Once an adequate level of milk production is reached, most women can discontinue the fenugreek and maintain the milk supply with adequate breast stimulation. Many women today take fenugreek in a pill form (ground seeds placed in capsules). The pills can be found at most vitamin and nutrition stores and at many supermarkets and natural foods stores. Fenugreek can also be taken in tea form, although tea is believed to be less potent than the pills and the tea comes with a bitter taste that can be hard to stomach. Fenugreek is not right for everyone. The herb has caused aggravated asthma symptoms in some women and has lowered blood glucose levels in some women with diabetes. "

And here's something interesting, it also says this;

"Little Known Uses

Fenugreek has an age old reputation as a breast enlarger and contains diosgenin which is used to make synthetic estrogen and has been shown to promote the growth of breast cells. You can drink fenugreek as a tea, use it in yogurt, applesauce or soups, or make a light mixture with any lotion and massage it directly into the breasts. It may also aid in increasing sexual desire in women as well as increasing breast beauty and health. Fenugreek contains choline which may aid the thinking process, and antioxidants that slow aging and help prevent disease. It is also helpful in calming PMS and symptoms of menopause. Fenugreek is also considered to be an aphrodiasiac and rejuvenator."

This post is going to be a record of my experience with it.



January 18th, 2012:

I have purchased a bud buster...I mean...a coffee grinder.  Hahahaha...Oh times have changed...

$15 at Zellers.  Pretty basic, but will work just fine to grind seeds.

January 19th, 2012:

Okay, so I put 1 1/2 tsp into a yogurt cup.  GROSSSSS!!!  I felt like I was on Fear Factor.  My BIL stood there and watched me take the first bite, and was for whatever reason, compelled to put his finger into what I had ground up, to taste it.
Oh man, I wish I'd had that on video!  Hahaha!  He spit into the sink, wiped his tongue on his sleeve, and got a drink of water.

Yeah, that shit is nasty.

So...I'm posting this HOPING some of you can give me some advice on how I'm supposed to take this when it tastes so gross.  Please comment on the wall under the link for this post.

Thank you in advance for any help!
xoxo