Nursing Update - 13 Months

One year and 40 days. That's 405 total days of nursing. Oh my stars. I am so thankful that nursing has been such a good experience for me and us. Nursing our son for over a year is one of the things I am most proud of. I know that many mothers have a hard time or can't nurse and my heart goes out to them. However, I know how much work, effort, and countless hours I put into nursing, so I feel comfortable saying that I am incredibly proud of it.

When I was pregnant, my goal was to get to at least six months of nursing. I was really hoping to make it a year, but I would have been okay (kind of) with six months. To have made it this far makes me really happy! I knew I would have to start weaning Dayton around a year, but it did take me longer than I thought it would because my supply was so strong.

Here is what our nursing/pumping schedule looked like at 10-11 months:

• 4:15 am - pump (about 8-10 oz.)
• 7:00 am - nurse
• 10:30 am - pump (about 8 oz.)
• 2:45 pm - pump (about 8 oz.)
• 7:00 pm - nurse
• 10:00 pm - pump (about 10 oz.)

Knowing that I needed to start the weaning process, I started to drop some pump and nursing times. I took each of these steps a week at a time. For example, drop one pumping/nursing time for one week. The next week, drop another pumping/nursing time.

1. Dropped the 10:30 am pumping session.
2. Dropped the 7:00 am nursing time and replaced it with a bottle of the pumped breast milk from 4:15 am.
3. Dropped the 2:45 pm pumping time.
4. Dropped the 10 pm pumping time.
5. Dropped the 4:15 am pumping time.

I did keep the 7 pm nursing time for a while. It was really hard to be completely done! I loved that night time feeding. Dayton and I would cuddle, I would feed him, and he would usually fall asleep in my arms. I would hold him for as little or as long as I wanted after that feeding. It was such a special time. The 7 pm feeding was the hardest one to give up!

I know nursing is different for everyone, but if I can give any tips for successful nursing I am more than happy to do so. I am extremely passionate about nursing an encouraging all mama's to nurse. Like I said before, my heart goes out to those who can't or struggle and I completely respect those who decide not to nurse. However, I will always be an advocate for nursing mamas. After all, breast is best - and that's proven by science. I am pro-boob! I am also (if you were wondering) pro- nursing in public. #freethenipple

Here are my year's worth of nursing tips.

• Decide that you will nurse and be mentally prepared for it. A lot of nursing is mental.
• Read and learn as much as you can about nursing. There are so many great articles, groups, and books about and in support of nursing. 
• Pump, pump, pump. Pump right away. I pumped in the hospital and attribute a lot of my strong supply to pumping and telling my body to produce.
• Drink a ton of water.
• Eat healthy. A high protein, balanced diet is best. Protein, whole grain carbs, green veggies, and fruits will help keep up your supply.
• To increase your supply and keep it strong, pump after each feeding. This will help your body learn to respond to the pump and not just baby (especially if you're a working mom). I have told several of my mom friends this "secret." Now obviously this is not scientifically based, but my mom friends who started pumping right away have been very successful, whereas my mom friends who waited to pump until going back to work have not been as successful.

I hope that nursing works for you if your a new mama or a veteran mama. And if it doesn't, that's okay too. I promise. It'll all turn out just fine in the end. Good luck mamas!