In 2 weeks, I will be marking 8 months of breastfeeding!
Every time my baby turns a month older, I internally celebrate. We made it through another month of breastfeeding. Looking back, I never thought I’d make it this far.
At 8 months in, I still vividy remember the beginning: supplementing with formula, bleeding nipples, triple feeding, a tongue-tie reversal, and endless weighted feeds with a lactation consultant. Then came the glorious few months of finally getting EBF down. But the challenge shifted again when I returned to work at 5 months postpartum. Suddenly, I was transitioning to pumping most of the day, navigating bottle preference, and trying to find a sustainable balance between nursing and the bottle.
What. A. Journey.
I constantly think about throwing in the towel because it is so mentally and physically draining. The engorgement, the relentless pump schedule, washing endless parts, and the unexpected breastfeeding weight gain - it’s a lot. Every month, I tell myself I’ll give it just one more month. And yet, here I am at 8 months.
I’m so close to my goal. Any words of motivation to help me keep hanging in there until the one-year mark?