Ixelle - ten months down

Yesterday I cleared out a lot of milk from my freezer. Lately it has started to sink in that in less than 2 months I will no longer be spending 2 hours a day with my trusty pump. We have a love-hate relationship, but knowing that it's almost over and Thumper is almost 1 has given me a renewed patience with pumping. Part of me can't believe that it went by so fast and another part can't believe the huge chunk of my life dedicated to pumping this past year. If my calculations are correct, by the time I'm done I'll have pumped for an amount of time totaling an entire month. That doesn't matter, my goal is in sight, I've already seen the fruits of my labor. I've given my son a great start and all this is worth it. Looking back I realize that I would have never made it this far if it wasn't for my husband and his support as well as his insistence that Thumper needed milk. No matter what you do in life, I think that a good support system gives you a great boost toward reaching your goals. I've been very blessed. I'm proud of what I'm about to accomplish, even though the daunting task of pumping while visiting my husband's relatives in Taiwan is still to be conquered. Maybe I'll miss pumping, who knows (yeah, right!). So ladies, seriously, if I can do this for ten months I know you can too if you want to.

In other news, I'm down to pumping 3 times a day at 8am, 4pm and 11pm. 40 minutes each time. I've had to use a couple of frozen bags in the past few weeks, but I'm not lacking in frozen milk and one those days I was still almost pumping enough to feed him. I'm guessing this is probably due to him drinking more milk because of teething. No plans to drop down to twice a day yet, so this might be the schedule I stick with until I start weaning off the pump. I'll update again when I get back from Taiwan with my experiences.

Dealing with the tedium - Ixelle

I looked at the calendar recently and realized that next week will mark 7 months of being a mom, and 7 months of pumping. The first few months went by so slowly, and I couldn't imagine having to pump for an entire year of my life. But now the months go by pretty fast and now, before I knew it I was more than halfway through, with much less pressure to produce since Thumper is now taking solids and will likely need less milk as he gets older. Here's just a few tips that I've found handy to keep yourself sane and motivated to 'pick up the horns' every day:

1. Celebrate the little victories! Made it to a month mark? Reached the halfway point to your goal? Go out for dinner with your hubby or treat yourself to a massage. Obviously don't overspend on luxuries but work within your budget, besides that's just money you've saved from not having to buy formula (don't quote me on that, I'm not a professional financial adviser and I'm not trying to get you in trouble with the hubbs!). Just find a way to make room for a little celebration now and then.

2. Pat yourself on the back. Hey, no one else can do for your baby what you've been doing! You're providing years and years worth of benefits for your baby by pumping for him or her. Fewer medical problems, higher IQ, (appreciation of good food?). The few months you spend pumping is nothing compared to that, you can make it. Hang in there.

3. Fish for encouragement. Don't feel bad for reminding the people around you of how long you've spent pumping (I've spent more than 17 days of my life pumping btw) or how hard and draining it is for you to pump. I'm not saying to whine or complain, just use it as a way to let your significant other or others involved in your child's life know that you need an encouragement boost. We're all human, we tend to forget things pretty fast and need a little reminder now and then.

4. Take a long look at your baby, and remember how much you love that little monster. That's your heart right there walking/crawling/squirming around outside your body. That makes it all worth it.