Foods of all sorts

So you know how I said breastfeeding is another whole post on its own? Well, you knew it was coming...here it is. But I also plan on discussing baby food if that makes it any better. ;)

The roller coaster of nursing Lainey continues. There have been so many ups & downs...I'm not even sure at which point we currently find ourselves! As I've noted, I started a new job about 3 weeks ago. Well, this occurred at the same time that Lainey turned into a little piglet and has increased her dietary needs. That posed quite a problem as my boobs apparently got stressed from the task of pumping at a new place. My supply dropped a lot and my boobs felt empty (sorry but it's true!). I have since been having to dip into my freezer supply every day. I finally got myself back up to where I was pumping enough to provide the daycare bottles but I didn't have enough to feed her in the evenings (we found this out after a few nights of Lainey waking up hungry in the night). So I started giving her 5 oz bottles from the freezer and she started sleeping through the night again. Hey, I think it's worth it! That also allows me to pump in the evenings and give me that last 3 oz I usually need for bottles the next day.

Things have been fine but as my freezer supply has dwindled, I knew what needed to come next. So last night, I thawed 4 oz and added one oz of formula and held my breath. But Lainey didn't even seem to notice! So...on the eve of her turning 7 months, we have begun the supplementing stage. It really isn't a big deal and even my doctor assured me at her 6 month appointment that you really only need to nurse the first 6 months because that is when they get all the health benefits (after that, it's just free food she said). So I shouldn't feel guilty and should be patting myself on the back for all that I've done. But I can't help but feel a little bad about it. And just to make it super special, it's a two-fold guilt. Part of me feels bad that I couldn't get her all the way through without using formula and part of me feels bad that I kind of want to give up the pumping and just be done with all the hassle.

On a brighter note, Lainey is now also eating baby food and that is going really well! To update what I said in a previous post...she does not like avocado. We tried that yesterday for lunch and when she started dramatically gagging, I gave up and switched to bananas.



This is her excited face...waiting on the spoon.

I have been making most of what she eats. My parents got me a Cuisinart stick blender for Christmas and I love it! It has a whisk, blender and chopper/grinder attachment. The last of these makes fixing baby food a breeze and I end up with lovely concoctions like this: