So I'm trying to be a good, obedient mama by transitioning Max slowly onto bottles of thickened breastmilk. Yesterday, we gave it our first go.
It took him 20 minutes to accept the bottle and start sucking from it. 20 minutes of him sobbing with a look of "What are you doing to me, Mom?" in his eyes. Then it took him 40 minutes to drink three ounces. We repeated this whole process later in the afternoon.
So let's see. One hour per feeding times seven to eight feedings spread over 24 hours. Hmmm. Anybody got an extra eight hours in their day they can send me? What if eight people just send me an extra hour? Or sixteen send me an extra half hour?
They do get more efficient at this right?
Bookends: January 2024
2 months ago
I'd be lucky to find 5 minutes to send to you, but if I could I definitely would!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it will get easier as time goes on. I'm sure he will accept it more easily. I'm not sure about the actual time eating, though. I could see it taking awhile for a small baby to drink something that thick.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, when I was nursing with the lact-aid, it regularly took my kids 45+ minutes to eat just a few oz. Even when Dallin went to the bottle, he still had insanely long eating sessions until he was much older. The hard thing with the bottle is that you can't do anything else. You are stuck there holding that bottle. (Of course it was the same for me with lact-aid nursing...)
I'm sorry you're having to go through this! I know from first-hand experience how hard it is when you can't be doing things the way you really want to, and then the way you have to do it is so much more inconvenient and so much more work.
I also wanted to say that you are NOT a failure! Being a good mother means being willing to sacrifice for your child. I believe Heavenly Father knows what you are being asked to give up, and He will compensate you for it. I've been thinking of all the small ways I was compensated when I had to stop nursing Dallin, and I was very blessed even though I did not see it at the time.