Terrible two and Noah is weaned!

The terrible two’s they speak of. That crap is real. “Noah, I’d rather you not.. No Noah, Noahhh No! Come here, get back here, where are you going? What are you doing? That’s not nice, why are you doing this? Why are you hurting your sister? Noooo that’s mom’s hair….” What a week! It’s really been exhausting. The good news is that now, after being strict about the “do’s and don’ts” we are good.

On a lighter note! Noah is weaned. No more boobie milk for him. We had a good 31 months of breastfeeding and I’d like to talk a bit about our nursing experience…

• First, nursing is hard! You know when they say, you just need to put your boob out and put it in baby’s mouth, HAHA. Sounds easy, but let me tell you, there are SO many things that can go wrong. Nursing is an adaptation process between baby and you. Our first 2 weeks were hell. I mean that, I called my midwife at 11h30pm freaking out and telling her I didn't want to breastfeed anymore. She really didn't know what to reply… “well, you don’t HAVE to breastfeed” “ But I don’t think stopping will solve anything.” “Well, I think you’re right Carlinha.” I was right… I’m glad I kept going. After 6 weeks nursing we were good to go… Here are some tips I've learned throughout those two and a half years with Noah.
• Don’t stress on how much you are producing. Seriously, if your child is gaining some weight, peeing and pooping, it’s good.

•         It can take up to 7 days for your milk to come in. Mine came in at day 3 and I think I flooded the whole mattress. If you pump, anywhere from 0.5 to 2 ounces per breast is normal.
•          If doctors pressure you to supplement, don’t be so quick on it if that’s not what you want. You can try pumping, fenugreek and blessed thistle (3 pills, 3 times a day- can take 10 days to kick in- your pee will smell like bacon and you will sweat like a pig by the way), and lastly domperidone (prescribed by your doctor). Your baby’s stomach is about the size of a cherry at birth. With your colostrum (yes you have enough) you’ll be fine to fulfill it.
•       Cracked and bleeding nipples happen. It’s probably because they are either kept moist or that your baby doesn't have the right latch. Oddly enough, my one and only cracked nipple was caused by my husband (don’t ask).
•        Let your boobs loose. You’ll be breastfeeding every 1-3 hours at first. Your nipples will get used, reused and re-reused. They’ll be moist and tender, the last thing you need is a piece of fabric rubbing up against your nipples. Just keep a robe near by the door in case someone comes in and Tah Dahhh!
•            There are tons of breastfeeding positions, do a quick Google search, they all seem uncomfortable at first but after a couple months, I swear you’ll be able to breastfeed a moving child without any hassle.
•           Nursing is exhausting. So make sure you get some time to relax… Take the time you are nursing to just sit down, bond with your baby and zone out.
•           Teething can be painful but seriously, nothing EXTREMELY bad. It’s not terrifying… and yes, it happens that your baby takes a piece of our nipple off (ok said that way it sounds terrifying.) but your baby will most likely be so afraid of your reaction when he or she bites that she or he will never do it again.
•           One day you WILL be annoying with your child’s suckling. Maybe not when your baby is a newborn, but if you extend breastfeed, you might have that “ok, enough, get off, you've been on here for 20 minutes now and you’re not drinking!” It happens, it’s hormonal mostly, it’s your body telling you “Ok, time to wean off!!! You’re ready for another kid!!!” It goes away… Just keep going.
•           Nursing a toddler is challenging. They stretch those boobs like there is no tomorrow. Just a heads up. At the end of the day my boobs used to get pinched and stretched so badly that they’d be all bruised.

I hope these tips are helpful to you ladies… I will soon write about tandem nursing and nursing while pregnant… So keep posted and keep the personal comments coming.