Breast feeding journey UPDATED

Hi! We have been so busy planning Molly's first birthday (2weeks away!!!) that again, I haven't been able to update much.  Sometimes I wonder how all these mommy bloggers and youtubers find the time to do all that they do.  Eventually I'll get there! Haha.

With just a little over a week to go I have very happy to announce that we are still breast feeding!! It's been a long road and I was not shy about wanting to give up.  The first 3 months were the hardest. Everyday I cried, I was doing it wrong, she didn't like my milk, is it ever going to get easier?  And it did!  When ever I'm asked advice on breast feeding all I can say is "don't give up, if it's something you really want to do. It will get easier!"  A few months back I put out there on social media for moms to be a part of this blog post.  So I asked a list of questions I thought would be helpful. I wanted to be able to share not only my experience but other moms.  Everyone is different, and I thought it would be a great way to share more then one breast feeding adventure. Yes, ladies it is an adventure! Motherhood? Yep, also an adventure!  I went ahead and picked a few that I will post and I will end it with my own updated answers! I hope this can help even just one new mommy who is having a hard time!

Thank you to everyone who participated. I tried to pick ones that were different from each other, so sorry if I didn't post yours!


Sally 26 years old

1. I breastfed for 11 months.
2. I made the decision to breastfeed because it is healthy for my baby and my body and it is free.
3. I started pumping at 10 weeks pp. I was returning to work at 12 weeks. I used my pump every day at work. I had a frozen stash for my daughter for when i needed to be away. The most i had at once was 370oz. I was so proud i took a picture.
4. I had a medela pump.
5. I was support by most of my family.
6. The hardest part for me was getting used to it. Its hard work to breastfeed but once you get into the swing of it, it becomes a lot easier. Most women quit early on because of that challenge. Toward the end of our journey the hardest part was pumping. It was discouraging to see the amount i pumped knowing my daughter's needs were higher. I was losing my supply. It was very sad.
7. The best part was the bond i had with my daughter. Knowing she needed me. Knowing all thr wonderful things i was doing for her.body its really amazing.
8.advice for.new.moms planning to breastfeed is to stick with it. It will be hard and draining and it will seem like your baby is always attached to you but its worth it!
9. Cheap nursing bras from Burlington coat factory!, my pump, nusing pads for when your baby starts sleeping through the night, ice water youll be sweating for a long time, deep freezer for storing milk.


I will breastfeed all of my future children


Tasha 20 years old
1. My daughter is 23 months old and I am still breast feeding her
2. I am a young mom and at the time I was very scared. I did some research and with the advice of my doctors I decided it was the best option, and of course it's free!!  I am a fan  if pop culture and there are a lot of celebs who are pro-breast feeding and it was very encouraging to me!
3. I do pump and I used a MEDELA manual pump as well as their pump in style advance, which I like way better then the manual one!!! My daughter drinks mostly expressed milk that I've pumped and stored in the freezer but will take breast at night and sometimes when she wakes.
4. The only support I had was from my dr and the lactation consultants after I gave birth. My family was not supportive and it took a long time for anyone to understand my decisions.  I have had people say it was gross, abuse, or my fav "just use formula, what are you a cow? It's like milking a cow!!"
5. The hardest part of breast feeding was the lack of support.  And the beginning.  It hurts and there can be obstacles.  My daughter had a hard time latching and when she did she was a cluster feeder, it was exhausting and painful but it lead me to this amazing bond with her and I wouldn't want it anytOther way now that I have experienced it.
6. The best advice I can give to any new mom is to at least try it,  and if you want to continue on just know you're not alone.  It gets easier and it does stop hurting.  The first 3 weeks are the hardest.  Try your best to make it past that! It is so worth it!!
7. My top 5 breast feeding products are 1-a boppy or supportive pillow 2-MEDELA nipple cream 3- pump 4-tomee tippee bottles 5-MEDELA freezer bags
8. I do not plan on having any more kids but if I change my mind I would most certainly breast feed them!!

Meghan's updated breast feeding journey!
Thank you again for answering those questions ladies!

As you may remember I had a rough road with Molly.  I am happy to say IT does get better!!
Molly will be 12 months old next week! She is still feeding 3-5 times a day
The hardest part has been that she refused a bottle.  I do have the MEDELA pump but never use it because I felt as though I was wasting my milk. She wouldn't drink it! The best part about  that has been she went right to drinking out of a cup with or without a straw. So she has eliminated the risk of "bottle rot"    I still continue to set goals for myself. I first set a goal of 3 months and I surpassed that   As we reach 12 months my goal is now to stop. Stop when Molly decides its time for her to stop. There is nothing wrong with breast feeding past one.  I do plan on introducing her to cows milk, but I am not going to force it in her.  I try to listen to her and let her tell me what she wants or needs and so far it's worked just fine! There's no more guessing if she's hungry or if she wants more. Now she will come up to my chest and give a sign she wants some and when she's done she gets off and goes back to her toys! It's gotten so much easier as she grows.  I am very glad that I stuck with it!

I would have to say that I love all MEDELA products (no I was not paid to say that!)  I just find them to be above and beyond everything else out there.  I love my boppy pillow it was so helpful to me!! Especially with Molly's reflux. It was great to put her in the best position for her.  Good nursing bras and easy access clothes are a must!! I find the best selection at target especially for bras!!

I will continue to update on out journey until the breast is retired! Haha

I hope this helped some! You can do it don't get discouraged.  What ever decision you decide to make know its a good one. Everyone and every journey is different.  Do what is right for you!!!

***UPDATED****
It's now July and on the 25th Molly will be 14 months old! We are still breast feeding!  Still on demand and she is still a comfort nurser! I noticed her comfort nursing is when a new tooth is coming in. She's not a cranky baby so I can't complain !  She eats plenty of solid foods like, grapes watermelon, berries, noodles, toast, yogurt, chicken, potatoes and crackers. I let her have a taste of whatever she seems interested in.  She loves using her own spoon and fork and is very good at chewing her food at first I thought she was going to be a choker, but it turned out she was just greedy stuffing too much In her mouth.   As for when I will stop breast feeding her, that is up to her!   Hope your all enjoying your summer!