I've been meaning to write about this topic. If you don't feel comfortable reading about intimate details of breastfeeding or about my body, stop reading... here.


Ah, I see you're either comfortable with breastfeeding topics, don't know better, or are have a perverted side. No matter. I can't stop you from reading anyway, just give ample warning.

It's something I do (did) 10-12 times a day, around the clock for the first two months of Josh's life. Now he's starting his third month and we've transitioned to every three hours or longer. A couple people have asked me how long I plan to breastfeed. I default to teething or "just feels like it's time" as my usual answer. But right now, I really enjoy breastfeeding our baby and hope to continue doing it for months to come. Most likely due to oxitocin swimming through my system during breastfeeding, I feel calm and connected (literally) to Josh. He can hear my breathing, my heartbeat, he's warmed by my body, and I can inspect this tiny body with great detail. For example, I've taken to clipping his nails when he feeds. It's one of the rare times he's still enough (usually still) that I can get deep under his nail without cutting into his skin. For those who don't know, clipping your baby's nails is important if you don't want him or her to scratch their face. Josh has even drawn blood from scratching his nose and forehead.

But breastfeeding isn't all glory. There are some complicated issues that go with it. Ok, I probably make it complicated. :) Pumping is one complication. To keep an abundant milk supply, I pump excess milk out and save it for later. Originally I was saving it to return to work, but that's not an issue now. Instead, it will come in handy for babysitters, mini vacations and those days where I'm sick or just can't feed him myself. To put it bluntly, I am a voracious source of milk. I seem to produce far more than Josh will ever need in a day. Just today, I pumped out 5.5 ounces without depleting either boob. When he wakes up from his nap, he'll have plenty of milk. Then there's all the little bags of frozen milk in the freezer. I'm almost out of top shelf freezer space.

Rusty & I went to Best Buy last week to buy a new dishwasher. Yes, our new Siemens washer totally rocks! It's so quiet and sleek looking. Anyway, we saw a deep freezer next to a keg pump/cooler. Of course, Rusty was all about the keg cooler. I was checking out the deep freezer thinking- "Dang, I could fit a year's supply of milk in that thing!" We're not getting another freezer, so I need to get creative in how to make it fit into our existing side-by-side fridge/freezer.

Ok, there's also the time it takes to pump. Well, time and "timing". I can't pump everything out before he eats so usually I pump after he gets his fill. Which means most of the bags are high in hind milk (the really good stuff full of fat and nutrients behind the initial milk), with the exception of a few bags. That would include earlier today where I have so much milk that even after pumping out 5.5 ounces, there's easily 4 ounces left between within the breasts. In the case where I'm engorged and overflowing with milk, I'll pump a little before his feeding. That's the timing issue. The time it takes usually varies depending on whether I need to clean the pump and how much attention Josh needs from me. They have these hands-free techniques of pumping that are a bit scary, but amusing and slightly tempting. There's the shirt with two pumps in front (talk about a distraction at a business meeting) and there's the back-pack. Both inventions, appealing as they are, give me more of a laugh than a solution. I would be utterly embarrassed (get it?) to wear a pumping shirt. But the idea to not be confined to my seat for 10-15 minutes is appealing.

Last gripe about breastfeeding is the mess. The stuff is sticky and when it comes back up from Josh's stomach (he has reflux like almost all babies) it has a consistency anywhere from running to chunky. I suspect the chunky stuff has been digested a bit more. And when he spits up, it goes anywhere from just a little dribble to full force projectile. I'm waiting for the day he turns to me and barfs on my face or neck. I learned the hard way- wait, this is gross, if you're squeamish, skip to the next paragraph- I learned the hard way that if I don't clean the rocking chairs often, milk turns to a hard crust that has to be scrubbed off. Which I did this weekend and plan to maintain the chairs more often.

One great benefit to all this milk is my new girth. I got cleavage- yeah baby!! I'm loving how my new bigger boobs look on me. But it also limits my wardrobe. Most of my shirts are too tight for comfort. But that's ok. I'll take these minor set backs. I still enjoy breastfeeding.