I love sharing and writing about Natural birth, breastfeeding, essential oils, home remedies, DIY’s with natural products and alternative living in general. This is the lifestyle of my family and has been for awhile.
But there are times when things don’t always go as planned. We can set goals for ourselves and our families but sometimes difficult times hit and our goals get altered. I am experiencing one of those times but I am handling it better this round.
I had to start my 2 month old daughter on organic formula. Since we first start having children my goal has been to breastfeed each one for at least one year. With my first daughter I was able to accomplish that. My first son only got 9 months of my milk, my second son got 6 months and my third son only 4 months. Here we are only 2 months in and I am having struggles with producing enough milk for my second baby girl.
The difference this time is that I am still going to nurse her and just use the formula as a supplement. I noticed her crying more than usual and fussing even after she nursed. That was a sign she wasn’t getting enough from mommy and needed more.
I’m not sure if it’s my age, because this is the 5th time around for breastfeeding, my diet (okay okay I confess I could eat better like more healthy fats and stuff), stress and lack of sleep or if my body is just worn out and tired. I have heard about mother’s that have more children than me, nursing each of them for even longer. I tip my hat to them because it’s not easy. I even have a friend who pumps out 8 ounces at a time...😳 I’m barely pushing 5!!!
Nevertheless I am okay. I cried with my first two sons when I couldn’t nurse them as long as I planned. I felt like a horrible, guilty mom that let my babies down. But thankfully I have a supportive and caring husband who was there for me when I broke down. He reminded me that although I didn’t reach my goals our kids are still able to eat. Our kids are not starving and they are still healthy, strong and growing. Also I gave them a good start with the best milk a baby could ever have :)
I love natural living but I’m thankful for alternatives. Although we strive to provide our kids with the best most healthiest lifestyles as possible, there are times that we have to turn to the inventions of great minds. I am thankful for formula and still being able to provide what our baby needs right now. What matters is that she is not starving or loosing weight.
Moms if this is you and you can resonate with me don’t beat yourselves up when things don’t go as you planned. Look at the big picture and see the blessings that are still apparent. 💗
Thanks for Reading~
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I belive the first care starts from home and it is better to have ready home remedies.....do check out #naturalmedicine for some more inputs...though you already have lots of ideas..but it is good to share for others.
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I agree! The first care does start at home. Thanks for mentioning #naturalmedicine! 😊
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I doubt it's your age. I have a friend who had similar problems - each baby got less milk - and another who has never been able to nurse her many children beyond a few months. In both cases there were some hormone issues that have prevented normal breastfeeding. How thankful we can all be these babies have milk to drink anyway and that they have good moms who recognize when supplementing needs to happen!
Whenever I've pumped (just a few times) I've never gotten more than 3 ounces; but a pump does not milk like a baby and mine have always been good and fat. Your instinct about her fussing is probably a lot more reliable than what the pump is producing. ;)
You're a good mom. Good for you staying on top of the signs and making sure that little one stays strong and healthy!
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Yep that’s what it seems...with each baby it gets less.
Thank you so much for your sweet kind and encouraging words~ 😊❤️
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My wife has struggled with this very topic. And just like you as she has gained more experience, she has learned to not put pressure on herself when life does not go as planned.
I applaud you for wanting a natural lifestyle. I applaud you equally for finding another solution when plan A does not pan out.
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That’s wonderful that your wife has learned this.
Thank you very much. We try our best to live as naturally as possible :)
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Dear dear sweet @crosheille dont go comparing your body and how it work to others. You did 4 months already ! Your great ! Thats 4 months accomplished. The extra feed she needs now if its great stuff is an addition to your own breast milk she Will be fine. Love her and be relaxed ( hearing myself saying that with 4 off mine sounds like bad advice and you hot more and they are younger but I mean well ) relaxed mums can go and give more milk after a while. Hang in There we are Made for this, and you cAn fo it. Youre still young. And she Will be fine. Love Britt
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Thank you so much sweet Britt! I’m more calm and relaxed than I normally would be. I used to beat myself up about this but I know better now. I wanted to encourage moms who are in my shoes to focus on the blessings that are still in front of them. I know things won’t always go the way we would like but we’ve gotta keep on pushing :)
Thanks for your encouragement!! 😊
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Offcourse and I think every other mom Will understands
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❤️
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I'm glad that you were able to recognize what was going on! I have a family member whose baby cried for months but she insisted that he only breastfeed. I hear good things about goat milk too.
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Thank you I am too. I did the same as your friend did with my third son and he ended up losing too much weight and the doctor said he was malnourished. That was a depressing time for me so I decided to do what it takes not to ever experience that again with any of my babies. I wish my milk alone was enough but I had to admit the obvious and get her what she needed.
I’ve heard a little about goats milk. Once my kiddos are weaned off they go straight to almond milk...we don’t drink cows milk anymore.
Thanks so much for visiting~
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Don’t beat yourself up just because some else is able to produce more than you do. The more stress & datelines you give to yourself will impact your body production too.
If you’re already doing your best, that’s what is important.
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Thank you very much I really appreciate it. I don’t beat myself up any more but I sure used to. I wanted to reach out to moms who may feel this way and help them to see the blessings in front of them. Sometimes us moms are so hard on ourselves even when we give our best to our children.
Thanks so much for your encouraging remarks :)
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I know the feeling...
You do your best but as you said, sometimes things don't go as planned.
Baby Unicorn is amazing, and so is her mother :)
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Thank you so much for your uplifting and sweet remarks~ 😊
💗
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I latched onto the word, "invention" and came up with this:
You are matching up inventions with what is necessary for the survival of your kids. That is what all good mothers do. You are demonstrating empathy for your kids by providing the formula. And when you provide the formula, you are rising above the judgmental din in your head.
When you compare yourself to others, you're judging yourself, and rather harshly, I might add. Since you're a writer, you might find it helpful to write about that thinking process that leads to judgment.
The cool thing about writing is that, like reading, you can write to change how you think. So when you write it down, you're laying out your thinking process for observation. Then you can decide what to change in your thinking, and change that.
You're a good mom. You saw a problem, made the changes needed, and you wrote about it in a very public place, on a rather permanent blockchain.
Carry on.
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Thank you so much for your response. 😊
It was hard making that decision to move onto formula especially when I was so set and determined not to have to ever use it. It’s funny the “plans” we make but in reality they don’t always come to pass. I must say it was a good feeling to finally let it go and just do what needed to be done for my babies.
I agree about changing our thinking during the writing process. It seems every time I write about something new thoughts and observations surface :)
Thankfully I don’t beat myself up any more about this, now I just want to help other moms that may be struggling with this very thing. It can be very hard and emotionally draining...I know it was for me.
Thanks for reading and for your support~ 😊
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You shouldnt feel guilty, you are doing a great job by even trying.. Like you said, nature sometimes works different as we have planned.. You shouldnt feel like you let them down, just be happy you have formula to add ..
In the beginning I didnt have enough milk pumped with my youngest because I always fed her live. Then I got asked to come to a tv show and that was a week later.. no way I could provide enough milk for her so my boyfriend could give her with a bottle. So we bought formula.. and I was happy we did.. it wasnt near enough to get her through the day ...
You are doing an awesome job look at all these months of breastfeeding you already gave them. <3
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Thank you so much for your sweet encouraging words. I used to really beat myself up about it but I do agree that as long as they are eating that’s what matters. I am thankful we have other options when the ones we choose don’t work out. 😘
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As long as you are doing what is best for your baby and yourself, no need for guilt! I know that baby is going to be such a well-loved, well-cared for princess! ♥
Good for you, mama!
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Thank you so much~ 😊❤️
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I've always struggled with pumping. With my kids being looked after by my mom when they were (are) babies and me at work, what I did was to get my mom to feed them only 3oz per session. Sometimes she gave them a bit more and if she ran out of stock I just have to play catch up.
With direct latching, I know I do not always produce a lot. I just try to feed them frequently when they are with me. But it never cross my mind that the fussing were from hunger. Haha... I thought they were just trying to settle to sleep etc.
It's been 6 years now, with two 6 months pregnancy breaks in between.
Perhaps, what you need is just a change of mindset - you will always produce enough for your baby.
All the best!
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Thank you @ladylei I really appreciate your encouragement. I have taken that same approach by feeding her as often as I can. If I feel I don’t have enough then I turn to the formula. I’m just glad that she is still getting my milk even though I may have to give her formula too.
Thanks so much for commenting. All the best to you too~
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