Breastfeeding diary – celebrating World Breastfeeding Week and 9 months of breastfeeding

Breastfeeding diary – celebrating World Breastfeeding Week and 9 months of breastfeeding

This week is World Breastfeeding Week and with that in mind I have decided it’s time for another entry into my breastfeeding diary. Alex is now 9 months old and I am so happy and proud to say we are still breastfeeding with no intentions to stop any time soon.

World Breastfeeding Week is all about normalising breastfeeding, informing parents of the benefits of breastfeeding and, basically, just an opportunity to get everyone talking about feeding and getting a discussion going. I am pro breastfeeding, before I even had my first baby I knew I would be a breastfeeding mum and I am proud to say I have been able to feed both of my babies.

Breastfeeding is no way the piece of cake feeding method that your antenatal class teacher and all the glossy leaflets/magazines in the hospital try to make out. The early days of feeding are really difficult for so many mums. I feel if women were told the painful truth beforehand then they would be more prepared to tackle the challenges head on, rather than thinking they are doing it all wrong because it hurts. If you read my breastfeeding diaryoften then you will know I had an awful time with Alex’s latch in the early days, he knawed my nipples to shreds it was horrendous. If he had been my first baby I would have without a shadow of a doubt swapped to formula, 100% I would have been sending Oli to the supermarket to get bottles and milk.

Alex is my second baby though and along with being a second times mum comes knowledge and experience. I was prepared for feeding to hurt a bit but I also knew this pain was more than what was normal, I got help in that first week and now 9 months on we are still feeding happily. I wish more mums to be were told tales like this, not to scare them off breastfeeding but to show them it’s going to be hard at the start but you can and will get through it with support. It is sad that I have to say this but, just so you know, I have no issue with people who switch to formula or don’t even breastfeed at all – I am fed up of people arguing over how we feed our babiesand although I’m pro breastfeeding that does not make me anti bottle feeding.

9 months of breastfeeding

Alex has now turned 9 months old and breastfeeding is going really well. We are still on about 4 or 5 feeds a day a long side his 3 solid meals he eats a day too. Breastfeeding seems to be so much more than just milk to Alex, he loves it a lot more than Leo ever did. I think it is because our days are so crazy with Leo running everywhere and me desperately trying to get stuff done that Alex really appreciates feeding times as he gets my complete attention and it is definitely a major comfort thing for him.

There are times though where Alex seems to guzzle a feed in about 2 minutes flat as he is so busy now and just wants to crawl and climb everywhere. I can tell by my shrinking cleavage (sob) that Alex is taking less milk now he’s eating more food, my glamour model boobs are deflating back to their pathetic pre pregnancy size – it was nice while it lasted! Whenever I think Alex might be ready to drop a feed he starts tugging at my top again and I’m reminded he’s very much the boss in this situation. When breastfeeding comes to an end I have a feeling it’s very much going to be on Alex’s terms.

It has been my goal since Alex was born to breastfeed him to his first birthday and the way things again new going I think that is definitely going to be achievable. Alex has had a few bottles of formula (thanks to our amazing yoomi bottle) and it has been great as I have been able to have a much needed break. It’s nice to know that when the time comes and Alex no longer wants to breastfeed that he will happily take milk from a bottle instead.

That is pretty much all that’s been going on with us breastfeeding wise the past few months, I will be writing another update when Alex is one to let you know if we managed to stick it out for a whole year. Fingers crossed we can do it.

Did you breastfeed or are you currently breastfeeding? I would love to hear all about your feeding experience in the comments, feel free to share all your jigs and lows and let’s hope that together we can show any new mums reading this what being a breastfeeding mum is really like.

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19 Comments

  1. August 4, 2017 / 7:14 am

    Wendy this was fantastic – my youngest is 8 months old and still being breastfed so I can relate to all of this. TOTALLY with you on women needing to be made aware of the challenges of breastfeeding! I gave up with my first simply because I decided she wasn’t getting enough! If I’d known that it’s entirely normal for a breastfed baby to pretty much feed constantly for the first few days, my outlook would’ve been very different. Haha at the glamour model boobs, I’m definitely not looking forward to the inevitable shrinkage either! Good to know your little man is still on 4-5 feeds a day; my daughter is the same and I had no clue if that was too much/little with her being on 3 solid meals as well! Lovely post and congrats on your fab achievement xx #BlogCrush
    Jemma @popcornlunchuk recently posted…Breastfeeding – My PoemMy Profile

  2. August 4, 2017 / 8:33 am

    So great that you’ve managed to do this for the first 9 months, and beyond. My first baby was premature and went straight to special care. He couldn’t suck yet so was fed through a tube. I expressed but by the time he was ready to come home my milk had dried up. Not how I had planned things to be and I’ve had some pretty awful comments from mums who don’t know our situation in mummy groups. But I’ve made peace with it now. I think breast feeding is the ideal but if it’s not possible then that’s ok too. #blogcrush xx

  3. August 4, 2017 / 8:55 am

    Well done for reaching nine months! I’m at eight months with my second who also gets distracted after 2 mins of feeding and is a right wriggly pickle. The only time she feeds with focus is in her bedroom when her big sister isn’t there doing something interesting! I agree on the pain thing. It hurt both times for me. This time around they were cracked and bleeding, looked horrendous! If women were prepared for the reality I think fewer would give up. Great post x #blogcrush
    The Mummy Bubble recently posted…What’s scarier than Tinder? A play dateMy Profile

  4. August 4, 2017 / 10:47 am

    It’s brill you’ve been able to breastfeed, and I love your attitude towards feeding your baby in general – same attitue as me. I had a bit of a tough time with my attempt at breastfeeding my twins, but they thrive on love in the end, and they got plenty of that! #BlogCrush

  5. August 4, 2017 / 1:21 pm

    Well done you my darling! I loved breastfeeding and miss it so much. You’ve done amazingly well especially persevering at the start. Lovely positive post xxx #blogcrush

  6. August 4, 2017 / 1:38 pm

    I loved breastfeeding too and it worked well for my second baby. Not so much my first though. I’m glad you are still enjoying it. Thank you for the lovely post#blogcrush

  7. August 4, 2017 / 2:27 pm

    You’re doing a great job. Always so interesting to read other people’s feeding stories. I was beside myself that I couldn’t breastfeed my eldest but breastfed the twins relatively easily for 5 months – funny how it works out! #BlogCrush

  8. August 4, 2017 / 6:33 pm

    Amazing post. Totally with you in that everyone should get more information as most are so in the dark with their first and i second guessed everything! #blogcrush
    pam lorimer recently posted…Chewy Double Chocolate Chip CookiesMy Profile

  9. August 4, 2017 / 7:00 pm

    Fab post. Glad to hear breastfeeding is still going so well. I breastfed my first till she was 2 (though she had formula and then cows milk too!) and my second and third (boys) till they were 1…they (the boys) self-weaned off the breast which I found to be an emotional time and I wasn’t quite ready for that! Hope you have many weeks or months of breastfeeding left, or whatever you and Alex would want! #blogcrush
    Nat -Awaybies recently posted…9 of the Best Restaurants for family dining at Disneyland Paris – Reviews by a mum of 3My Profile

  10. August 5, 2017 / 8:06 am

    You have done amazingly well, I can not even begin to imagine going through that pain. My breastfeeding experience was more emotional pain than physical, it is such a long story and honestly it still hurts me when I think of that time. I was treated very badly, and if I start writing about it I’ll have an essay on here. I think you are amazing and your boys are so blessed. Breastfeeding despite what I went through was one of my most precious memories with my babies. And thank you so much for all the blog love this week, I feel so blessed xx
    Mackenzie Glanville recently posted…our little magical humans #mummyshotMy Profile

  11. August 6, 2017 / 11:35 am

    Well done! My wife breastfed our first up until about 9 months, but the other two were more like 5 and 3 months respectively before we had to switch to formula. It’s definitely not the easy option – I can remember with Isaac there were all sorts of problems getting him to latch and a couple of painful bouts of mastitis, including one that required a trip to see a doctor on Christmas Day … #KCACOLS

  12. August 7, 2017 / 11:07 am

    Go, Momma! My Mrs., she breast fed both our girls despite the pushback, and media flack. It’s natural, its cost effective, it creates a beautiful bond… Rock on! #BlogCrush
    Lisa Pomerantz recently posted…BHI, our happy placeMy Profile

  13. August 7, 2017 / 4:17 pm

    I’m sad to say that I was unable to breastfeed my babies for different reasons. It’s an area I feel a failure at. #BlogCrush
    Helena recently posted…Our DIY Master ClosetMy Profile

  14. August 7, 2017 / 8:58 pm

    I think it’s so true that women should be told how painful it can be at the beginning. All the leaflets seem to talk about is how natural it is and how a newborn baby will automatically start searching for the boob to be fed. Actually, it’s REALLY hard to do and it didn’t come naturally to me at all. It hurt and it made me bleed. If women were told that this was normal and not a sign that they were doing it wrong, it would really help. That’s why I’ve loved your breastfeeding diaries – so honest about what it’s really like. Let’s get the message out there! 🙂 #blogcrush
    Lucy At Home recently posted…Blogcrush Week 25 – 4th August 2017My Profile

  15. August 13, 2017 / 6:28 am

    Lovely to see you enjoying breastfeeding. You’re doing an awesome job, keep going mama 🙂 #kcacols

  16. August 14, 2017 / 9:11 pm

    I breastfeed both my babies, and loved it. Sadly I had to give up when they were about 4 months old, but due to work. Being self employed and working long hours was too stressful to do and breast feed. Thank you so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time.