'YES! I made it through six months'
I am so proud! After all, I have managed to pull this off—my goodness, this was a complicated process. I never thought I would be so determined. Nor that this would be such a bumpy ride...
My goal was to breastfeed for exactly six months. I did secretly adjust that goal a few times. First, I was happy with that first week. After that, I wanted to achieve six weeks. Then three months. And from then on, every extra month was a gift. But I was hoping for six months all along.
I always thought breastfeeding was something natural and would just come naturally. Unfortunately, that is so not the case!
I, unfortunately, did not achieve that milestone of six months of breastfeeding with breast milk alone. I managed this by bottle-feeding alongside it, which turned out to be the best option for us. It allowed me to keep up those six months of breastfeeding without losing it.
Especially when I went back to work and had to pump, I was happy with this construction. Because that, too, was very hard for me. I did this out of love for her, but I don't think I will make pumping my hobby...
Trial and error
In my previous blog, I talked a bit about instinctively combining breast milk and bottle feeding. In the beginning, this involved a lot of trial and error, but we gradually got the hang of it. Besides, we kept getting better at knowing how much she wanted to drink.
What I could give in terms of breast milk, I gave. And what she then wanted additionally in formula we gave her. Because breastfeeding was so difficult, I pumped most of the breast milk and gave it to her via bottle. The advantage of this was that we also knew how much breast milk she was drinking.
Cutting down on breastfeeding was still a bit of a challenge
I didn't know what to expect. But because of the low production, I presumed this could be done pretty quickly. In the beginning, I pumped less once a day. I kept that up for a week. Then I started pumping less twice a day.
After a few days, I felt I could continue to reduce quite quickly. I only pumped when I felt uncomfortable engorgement. I didn't mind a little swelling, but I wanted to avoid another breast infection
In the end, it took me two weeks to phase out breastfeeding. I understood from friends that this is very fast. I was lucky that it didn't bother me much. Now that my little girl is six months old, we have started the baby food. For now, however, she lives mainly on formula - plus a balanced diet of cuddles and kisses!
Do you have any questions following my blog? Simply send an email to Pure Goat. They will be happy to pass your questions on to me. And I will do my best to answer them all!
Response Pure Goat Company:
We can imagine Monique's revelry. When breastfeeding doesn't come naturally, tough days (and exhausting nights) await young mothers. In that case, combining breast milk and bottle feeding is quite a relief.
Monique went in search of Organic formula. Because she looks at animal welfare and the environment with a critical eye, this is how she ended up on the Pure Goat Company site. And she is far from the only mother who now knows where to find us!
Do you also prefer to feed your little one Organic? And would you like an alternative to cow's milk? Then it's good to know that our Organic bottle formula is made from full-fat Dutch goat's milk.
Team Pure Goat Company