Top 10 Reasons I Choose to Breastfeed

In honor (memory? :) of breastfeeding my babies, here are some reasons why I chose/choose to breastfeed and why I love it...

1. God created my body to be able to grow a baby for 9 months and nourish that baby with breastmilk for an indefinite period of time.

2. Because it's what God intended, it's the very best food I can possibly give my baby.

3. I always have it with me.

4. It's free (read: I am cheap. :)

5. There are lots of health benefits for me, as well as for my baby.

6. I'm lazy (formula is way too much work!!)

7. I don't have to worry about how much I should put in a bottle (read: I don't like having to make a second bottle because the first wasn't big enough and I don't like there being any left at the end because that's wasteful! :)

8. It helps calm babies, even if they aren't hungry.

9. I love that special bond.

10. It's the very best food I can give my baby. (It deserves to be repeated :)

There are actually about a bajillion more reasons. I'm proud to have nursed my babies and toughed it out when it wasn't easy. I'm proud to have put their needs before my desires (because really, after 9 months or pregnancy, who doesn't want their whole body back?). I'm very passionate about breastfeeding, and love to help new mamas get started by sharing my experiences. It can be scary and hard, but it is so worth it.

Mama Trauma

Last week was a rough week. It became increasingly evident that my milk supply was dropping. A lot. (Thank you, pregnancy) So I began the process of weaning Ava from nursing and putting her on formula. There were many tears involved. Pretty much just on my part. Ava FINALLY decided she could drink from a bottle, for the first time since she was born. But I guess it hadn't been necessary before...I'm just glad we didn't have to fight that battle along with everything else.

Next, Cade decided to skip his nap 3 days in a row. I thought for sure he was giving up his nap for good, and with a pregnant mama, that was traumatic, to say the least. I'm happy to say, however, he's now napped 4 days in a row, so I'm hoping last week was just a fluke. Please, God. :)

And, last but not least, my baby brother was getting married. Got married. On Saturday. I wasn't really prepared for all of the emotions that were involved with that. I mean, I know I'm pregnant and hormonal, blah, blah, blah, but I just didn't think it would affect me as much as it did. Have I mentioned that I spent a lot of time crying last week? Because I did. But he's married now, and we all made it through the wedding - super-cute, ornery ringbearer and all :)

So this week, it's just the weaning. And it's still taking its toll. I'm still able to nurse once or (on a good day) twice a day, but I hate giving her formula. Hate it. HATE IT. But this too shall pass, right? And in just 5 short (Lord help me!) months, I'll be starting all over again with a new one. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

Second trimester

Whew. I made it to the second trimester. And not a second too soon. February was spent in a blur of nausea and force-feeding myself. Oh, and naps. Tomorrow I'll be 14weeks, and the nausea is mostly gone on most days. I still have a hard time coming up with stuff I want to eat, though, which is super-frustrating when I need to be eating constantly so I don't get nauseous. Oh, the joyous Catch-22s of pregnancy :)

Oh, and meat...there were a few weeks there when the thought of any type of meat was enough to make me gag instantly. Chicken was the first thing to return to my diet, but only specific kinds (like Taco Bueno chicken potato burritos with no sour cream and no lettuce), and I still can't cook it. Ham and turkey are pretty much okay now, too. But beef. Oh, dear. I fear it may be permanently removed from my diet. At least ground beef. And I haven't been able to eat a QuikTrip hot dog in months! I may or may not have eaten 3-4 of those a week while I was pregnant with Ava. I've managed steak in a burrito from a local restaurant, but that's it. This is particularly frustrating because I have an entire freezer full of various kinds of beef. If this lasts much longer, my friends may reap the benefits... :)

At this point, I'd say this pregnancy is more similar to Cade's than Ava's, so Ryan and I are both thinking this may be another boy. But who knows?