Nursing

I have managed to nurse my little girl for one month! I would love to say it was a beautiful experience, and so natural and easy, but I will be completely honest, it was the worse pain - torture, I have ever experienced in my life. Initially she would latch and it would feel like knives stabbing me over and over for 30+ minutes. I ended up with blisters on my nipples, cracks, bruises, it was just ugly. Not to mention when they thought I had mastitis, a duct infection, that actually ended up being engorgement, when your milk comes in and your breast get engorged. Natural right, really, then why was it so complicated and painful?

The only initial positive was sleeping at night, for the most part we sleep well, I let her latch, we lay in bed together and fall asleep. Yes you aren't really suppose to sleep together but I couldn't see any other way to get her asleep and I was concerned about me getting sleep too. I am a light sleeper and sleep on my side and back so I wasn't worried about smothering her, and at least when she is next me I can hear her breathing and make sure she is covered up and warm.

Let's talk about nursing in public, I had no clue how that would work but wow where have I not nursed? I have nursed in Red Robin, the thrift store, the mall, the dental office, my car, dance class, the hospital, Babies R Us, just about most places I go I have had to nurse. I did just get a moby, a huge wrap that secures the baby next to your body, and that seems to be helping the constant need to nurse every hour so that may limit my public nursing.

I guess it will continue to get easier, she will get older, want to nurse less, have more interest in other things besides nursing and sleeping ... or so I hope. We have a busy month ahead thanks to Summer, dance and choir performances, rehearsals for the performances, Christmas and everything that comes with it. I am staying positive and setting my self another goal, to nurse pepper to 2 months! I think I can do it.

Pepper on Thanksgiving Day. She actually slept the entire time we ate, wasn't that nice!

Taking her second bath. I want to consider it her first because the first bath I gave her was a disaster. I think I had the water too cold and she cried the entire time.

Taken yesterday hanging out while I was on the computer.

Doing what she loves, nursing!