Feed Me Momma...

Sigh. This whole breastfeeding thing is stressing me out.

I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up GT's demand with my supply when I return to work.

Right now, he can take about 4-5 ounces from a bottle. Which, I think, is a lot! If he drinks that much, he'll be satisfied for about 3 hours (maybe 4 if he is sleeping).

I don't know how much he takes from me directly, but now the feedings are lasting about 30 minutes and he is emptying both sides. So I guess that's about 4 ounces?

The problem is that now it takes me ALL DAY to pump 4-5 ounces for a bottle. So if I have a meeting to go to or somewhere to be where I won't be feeding him, I have to start pumping 2 days in advance for 2 bottles that will last at the most 6 hours.

How am I going to do all this when I go back to work?

The lactation consultant I talked to at the hospital said that I'm not pumping a lot because I feed, pump and feed again. She said when I am substituting bottles instead of me for a feeding, then I will make up what he is demanding. She also said that I am probably making a lot of milk, since I am either attached to the baby or to the pump, which increases my supply.

Great. That explains the awful pain I was in last Saturday when Petey & I went to a wedding. I thought my chest was going to explode. I had him drive as quickly as he could home so I could get some relief from either a baby or a pump.

After that night, I got the battery pack ready so I can take the pump with me.

It's all crazy. All I know is that I would like to keep this up for as long as it's feasible. I just don't know how long that is going to be. It's very frustrating.

The good news is that he is growing a lot! Our doctor's appointment today weighed him in at 10 pounds 13 ounces. He gained 23 ounces in 2 weeks.

He's a hungry little sucker. He'll try to root on anyone. Petey, my mother, my father, my sister, even my 15 year old niece. He doesn't care, he's just looking for a food source.

Even Snuffy can't get away...