Biting

Ant has had some issues with biting me off and on.  Our latest episode happened about 2months ago.  It was so bad I was even considering weaning him.  Luckily for me we figured out that he just needed my attention as he nursed. 

Well now the biting is back.  It isn't as bad as it was a few months ago but he bit me several times today.  Each time he would pop off the breast and I would offer one more time.  Then as I thought he was re-latching he would bite me...OUCH.  Then of course each time I would tell him no and put him down.  Sometimes he would ask to nurse again but of course I told him no because he was biting mama. 

After re-evaluating each nursing session I saw the common link being re-offering the breast.  I guess we will see how tomorrow goes. 

Note to self: Don't re-offer unless you want to be bitten...LOL

Any advice from other mother's nursing toddlers?

Mama Q

One Year and Counting

Ant is offically a year and 2 days old.  Nursing hasn't changed drasticlly but I have noticed that he is nursing a little more this weekend.  I wonder if this is due to all the excitement?  At first when he hit a year I was worried that he would self-wean over the next couple months but now I see no reason to worry.

Currently, Ant is nursing about 6+ times a day (when I am home).  It really does depend on what is going on that day. 

I have been thinking his increased nursing has to do with the fact that he knows how to sign milk now, so he is asking to nurse more often.  To me, it is one of the cutest things to see Ant sign "milk."  How can you say no to that cute little boy asking for "Mother's Milk."

About 2 weeks ago I was trying to cut out my work pumps down to just once.  It was going great but then I got mastitis.  At that moment I realized that I love nursing Ant way to much and if I still need to keep those pumps in then it is totally worth it.  I can handle pumping till mid June if necessary. 

My only concern now is daycare.  We have a wonderful in-home provider who just loves Ant.  Her and her husband take great care of him but the self-conscious part of me thinks she thinks, I am crazy.  One thing I have learned in the past 6months is that she will do pretty much whatever I ask.  Sooo, I guess it is not up to her but me.  I really just need to get over it.

Mama Q

The First Year

Sometimes it is hard to believe the first year is almost over but I am so excited to see where we are going to go.
This first year didn't start off easy; Ant joined us via c-section. After delivery we were separated for 24hrs before we had our first breastfeeding experience (I think I am finally over this a year later). This separation was due to my high blood pressure and Ant being hypoglycemic. After the c-sec and they finally released me to recovery I insisted that a lactation consultant meet me in our room to help me start pumping. I think she thought I was crazy for wanting to pump so soon after delivery but I was determined to be successfully. The first 24hrs I pumped ever 2-4hrs and hardly slept. My poor DH had to wake up every time I wanted to pump and then wash everything after I was finished (I have an amazing DH). Due to Ant being in NICU for the first week of his life it made it hard for us to develop our breastfeeding relationship. We were tied to the NICU schedule and to the fact that they were checking his sugar levels. So, this meant I did A LOT of pumping early on. If you want to know more about our early days I will be happy to write about them later.
After we returned home we got very frustrated because Ant wasn't gaining weight. It turned out part of it was due to Ant being a lazy nurser and him burning to many calories because of how hard he had to work while he was nursing. Out of utter frustration I gave up nursing and pumped and bottle fed A for the first month of his life. My thinking was I wanted him to gain weight so the Pediatrician would back off. Luckily, my MIL was staying with us and made it possible for us to survive this first month. After she left I found an AMAZING lactation consultant who helped us latch back on. After 5 ½ months of pumping, feeding, and nursing Paul FINALLY was exclusively nursing. It was at that moment that I knew I wanted to breastfeed longer then 12months.
These last 6months have been absolutely amazing and I am excited for the new challenges of nursing a toddler. I love breastfeeding and wonder how far we are going to make it.
Mama Q