An End to Pumping...

Have I mentioned that I hate pumping? Like really hate pumping? Like, the only thing that got me through pumping when I went back to work was knowing that I'd soon be out of work and pumping would become less common? That I hated paying over 10 dollars for what is basically a zip lock bag. That I hated that frozen breastmilk took up a good 1/4 of my freezer? That I hated cleaning the parts, breaking down the machine, etc. Well, I do. (Ok - maybe 'hate' is a strong word for some of the above). Even worse is getting off at 10 o'clock at night, coming home tired and wanting to just relax... but needing to pump.

Even though I hated it so much I did it. I did it because some weeks, I only needed to pump a couple times. I did it because I didn't want to wake up to swollen boobs. I did it because it was kind of a big deal for me to be able to say "Jude has never had formula" (like-wise, we did it to save money). I did it for a number of reasons.

There were plenty of times that I considered just giving up on it, finishing off what was in the freezer and just weening Jude off of his last suckling - or switching to formula, milk, or whatever (obviously I never got far enough to make a decision/research what I would do). But I didn't.

Just recently, I went into the freezer and saw that a good 60 ounces or so had expired. When I had to put it all down the drain, what really bothered me was all the time I spent pumping... doing something I hate doing... and here it is going down the drain. Then I started wondering how it could have all expired! We always use the oldest milk first. Then I realized a few things: 1. I hadn't worked much lately (and if I'm not working... he's nursing) 2. There are nights when he will go to bed without a bottle.

So it got me thinking... maybe it's time to stop pumping.

So, I started doing some research.

According to earthsbest.com, as your child reached 9-12 months, the number of feedings should drop to about 4. HAH! Jude is not a 4 times a day kind of guy! Jude gets 3 solid meals and somewhere around 6 nursings (is that a word?) a day. So, I made the decision that pumping is done. Ryan will continue to give Jude the milk in the freezer when I'm not home. I will continue to nurse him at bed time if I am home... but if for some reason my body adjusts to not having that last feeding - so be it. I'm sure if anything, it will work in our favor if Jude falls asleep on his own, without the aide of a bottle or a boob.

Really, at this point my biggest concern is consistency. I try to make things consistent for Jude. We have pretty regular nap times, pretty regular times he eats and pretty regular times that he nurses. Being regular while nursing is what keeps my supply going... as nursing mothers know. So, if I stop pumping... and continue working frequently, the few nights I am home, I probably will not be producing an adequate amount... which really stinks, because quite frankly, I enjoy nursing him to sleep and holding him in my arms.

But at the same time... this is the first step towards 'getting my body back'... and it feels pretty good.