tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19867867.post1568135913092061992..comments2023-10-22T07:27:51.446-04:00Comments on theFamilyC: Superhuman powersthe author of this bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02718772574723767690noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19867867.post-61796332720685087422006-12-22T10:25:00.000-05:002006-12-22T10:25:00.000-05:00"Do you have enough?" is an awful thing for any we..."Do you have enough?" is an awful thing for any well-meaning family member to ask. I think it's pretty insulting and counterproductive, actually. Fortunately, I learned to ignore that question with the help of a very supportive husband and friends. <br /><br />In the early days of breastfeeding "a", my own parents kept questioning my supply since I was feeding him every two hours. Having formula fed my younger brother more than 25 years ago, (and not even raising me-- my aunt did that) my parents seemed to think that frequent breastfeeding was a sign that the baby was not getting enough at each feeding. Little did they know that newborn babies are made to nurse every two hours, and in the very early days, on-demand. And that actually maintains and builds up a mom's supply. <br /><br />When they visited us a week after "a" was born, they kept saying, "Your younger brother drank 8 ounces of milk at each feeding when he was that age." I doubt that was true; it might have been the case when he was much older. I think their recollection was a bit romanticized and inflated, since a week-old baby's stomach is on average only the size of a golf ball. I tried explaining the impossibility of fitting 8 oz inside a golf ball, and that shut them up! They were further reassured as "a" began to plump up.<br /><br />I have to say, a lot of my cousins had more accepting parents when it came to breastfeeding. My older cousin's mom even bought her a nursing blanket to encourage her to feed anytime in public or at parties. She was still feeding her baby on demand at two months old, which was about every hour and the baby was huge! And it helped that neither of her parents questioned her supply. <br /><br />I have read articles where breastfeeding until 2 years of age has been shown to be even more beneficial than just up to one year. And I have actually had to continue nursing "a" past one year because of his allergies. Ironically, when I started weaning him this month since he is fast approaching his second birthday, my mom said she was worried I was weaning him too soon and kept encouraging me to nurse him until at least 2 years of age. And now as I wean "a", I have noticed too that it has taken a while for my once thought of "limited" supply to dry out. <br /><br />So keep at it, it will get easier as the baby gets older. I think it's wonderful that you are able to breastfeed a baby and care for a toddler at once. Although I have endured nursing "a" for this long, in the future I am not sure I will have the stamina to devote as much time to nursing a second baby while caring for a toddler. But I certainly hope I can!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19867867.post-50666763777079407312006-12-21T10:18:00.000-05:002006-12-21T10:18:00.000-05:00The question of "Do you have enough?" is certainl...The question of "Do you have enough?" is certainly the most feared question for me as the day for my little girl to arrive is coming closer. I know that a mother has enough so long as she has a good diet and is only feeding breastmilk. But it's hard to shake off that question when it's definitely going to be asked by grandmothers who supposedly had many more children than me. I appreciate your sharing of your experience and the reality of breastfeeding . . . that even if I succeed in breastfeeding my child exclusively, it's still going to be a struggle everyday to keep up with the success. <br /><br />JWThe He Family Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10893646949212265116noreply@blogger.com