Hungry Hungry Hippo

Before our Sadester was born, I was set on my decision to breastfeed. It's free, easy, and said to be healthiest for your baby. My daughter is almost 5 months old now and I'm still going strong. Free and healthy it may be. But easy? Not exactly.

All mother's experiences are different, just as all babies are different. While pregnant, I naively envisioned myself holding our daughter in my arms, her happily nursing while looking up at me lovingly, ending with her drifting off to sleep, drunk on milk. Pah! I had the receiving blanket pulled over my eyes on that one.

First of all, Sadie has ants in her pants too! She inherited my twitchiness. My bad. I wouldn't change a thing about her, and love her more for it, but boy oh boy is she a wiggly one. Sometimes it feels like I'm feeding a whole litter of piglets.

While nursing, Sadie's limbs just keep on moving, as if she's conducting an orchestra with both hands and feet. She plays my boobies like a pair bongo drums (and she's shockingly good!). Her new favorite maneuver is placing her foot underneath my armpit, kicking as hard as she can, and launching herself off my lap. She also has a death grip on my bra strap at all times, so if in the event she DOES fall asleep while feeding, she'll know the second I try to place her in her crib. She's a smart cookie. A little too smart.

Our little monkey is curious too. (Mmmm milk, milk, milk, DOG, milk milk, milk, DADDY, milk, milk, TV, milk, milk, milk, DOG). She'll turn her head around like a baby owl at any noise or movement, making it hard for her to focus at the task at hand.

Then there's me. I figured I'd be a natural milk machine. A regular Holstein, if you will. If she suckles, it will come? Nope. I have to work at making sure I produce enough. I pump on the side to stimulate production and have tried every lactogenic food I've heard of. I thought brewers yeast was the answer! Turns out it just gave Sadie (and myself) a bad case of gas. Sorry Robin...

Some women choose to breastfeed, some women don't, and some women simply can't. I respect them all! But at the end of the day, I'm happy I'm able to breastfeed, albeit a bit of a gong show, and I know Sadie loves me for my efforts.

Ok. Time to go feed my Hungry Hungry Hippo.