The Girl in the Red Shoes

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The Breastfeeding Diaries: Meg from Meg O. on the Go

Hi! My name is Meg O. and I blog over at Meg O. on the Go! I am so happy that Julie asked me to post for her in this series because I am huge breastfeeding advocate! I am a full-time working mother to Kennedy, who is 14 months old. I’m a high school theatre teacher and director (let me tell you, it’s a busy job) and a self-proclaimed beauty lover. My blog focuses on finding time for fabulous throughout a super busy lifestyle. If I can do anything right, it’s put on a face of makeup and cook a healthy meal. And most importantly, let’s hope I can child rear through all of this. 



Kennedy self-weaned at 13.5 months, so our breastfeeding journey just ended. She was exclusively breastfed without any need to supplement for her first year of life. She did not start solids until after she was six months old (I am so happy we waited!). I went back to work when she was 2.5 months old, and I pumped when I was at work.

I chose to breastfeed because I knew it was the best thing I could do for my daughter. Not to mention, it was the cheapest thing to do for our family. I decided that I would do everything I could to keep her breastfed, and my husband and family also provided the supportive environment needed.

Our breastfeeding and pumping routine was always changing. For Kennedy’s first few months of life, it felt like all I did was breastfeed. I was lucky to stay home about 11 weeks so I just spent that time making sure she got it down. I started pumping a few weeks before I went back to work. When I was working, I would pump once during the school day and once after Kennedy went down for the night. That would usually give her enough of what she needed for the next day when she was away from me. I was lucky to have my best friend watch Kennedy from March until school let out for summer last year, so I knew she was in good hands and my friend would do everything she could to keep her breastfed on pumped milk. The start of this school year, Kennedy started at a mother’s day out program at a church by my school. I kept the same pumping routine until she reached about a year. Then we started dropping nursing sessions and pumping sessions. When she went back after Christmas break, she was on cow’s milk and we nursed 1-2 times a day. Then those sessions gradually stopped. And here we are. I will say I miss it sometimes, but sometimes I am glad to not be attached to my pump and I’m happy that we made it this long.

I felt like we shared a great bond together, and I actually loved being able to escape reality to spend some quiet time with her. I also enjoyed nursing in bed – I think it’s the laziest way ever to feed your baby. Those times at night pulling her into bed and accidentally fall asleep with her next to me – I miss those times. It was super rewarding to see how much Kennedy grew solely on the nutrition I gave her. She was a nice little chunky baby who was super healthy. I ate tons of different things while nursing, and I also think that it has helped Kennedy develop a palate for different solid foods. She loves anything spicy (weird, I know, but I think it’s from my undying love of Tex Mex food). I hope that she continues to be a not-picky eater!
I was surprised at how easy this all became after the initial week or two of discomfort. After she got the latch down and after my nipples and breasts adjusted then it seemed to be smooth sailing. No problems at all! And it surprised me just as much how easy it would be for her to wean. I really didn’t have a set date in mind, only that I wanted to get past her first birthday. I’m so glad we did.

The hardest thing about breastfeeding for me has been the ability to involve my husband. There was literally nothing he could do in the beginning, and that led to many times where I couldn’t leave the house outside of a 3-4 hour window, simply because I was the only one who could comfort her (and of course she would eat through all the pumped milk any time I left, leaving my husband helpless). It led to some frustration between my husband and I, but I was so glad that he provided a supportive environment and never pushed bottles or supplementing on me. I think it’s important to involve daddy in different ways, like bath time, and play time, so that he feels like he is a part of this all. Even during the night wakings, we would take turns waking up and bringing her into the bed to nurse. Now I think daddy is her favorite.


Advice for New Moms
Do research in the beginning so you feel ready to breastfeed. I highly suggest Breastfeeding Made Simple, as it was a creative and loving approach to breastfeeding. I also found it very important to not get caught up in numbers, ounces, etc. As long as your baby seems full and is dirtying diapers, he/she is fine. Those early days are important, so keep practicing your latch, especially while you are still in the hospital, and even call a nurse at 4 a.m. if you need help (totally speaking from experience here). A supportive environment is great to have (I think it would have discouraged me if I had a family member telling me to supplement because she looked hungry). Of course there are special situations to any nursing mother, so listen to your gut and do what you think is best for you and your baby. Mother’s intuition is real and vital during your breastfeeding journey.
Catch up with the rest of the Breastfeeding Diaries series at the top of my navigation bar!


Comments

  3. Thank you for sharing Meg! I'm also a teacher, and it's nice to know that pumping at school can be done. I'll have to go back to work when my baby is about 6 weeks old (I"m due beginning of July, and school starts at the end of August) so I"m nervous about it. But your post gives me hope that I too can successfully breastfeed my baby and work full time.

  4. Nice post. It sounds like you had a wonderful breastfeeding experience.Being prepared and having a supportive family make a difference. Thanks for sharing and offering encouragement to other mothers

  5. Thank you so much for having me, Julie!!! I am so glad to be a part of this series and I am glad to help other teachers!

  6. Love this series! It's great to see other moms breastfeeding and pumping and it making it so far! My breastfeeding journey has been going for a strong 8 months and I'm still obsessed! Thank you for sharing!

  8. this is such a wonderful series! two of my friends recently just had babies and i told them how this is a must-read since they plan on breastfeeding. thanks meg for sharing your story!

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