Mum’s Journey: Where Has the Time Gone?

How Quickly Time Passes Us By!

If you were to ask me what I have done for the past five months, my answer might shock you.

For the past five months, I have soaked in every waking moment with Bobby and his three older brothers, Hudson, Patrick and Jack. It has kind of hit me hard, that this is my last chance to spend time with my four beautiful boys. Each day that passes is another moment that turns into a memory. So, I can tell you that we make the absolute most of every second together.

Each day, from sun up to sundown, we run, play, eat, cry, scream and laugh. We do these things as a family of six. And, we do them with grandparents, great grandparents, aunties and uncles.

The thing I love most about each crazy day are the memories that we create, if the boys are sad or they learn something new, I am there to see it. These are the moments that define me, these are the moments that I get up for every day.

Unfortunately, This Last Month Has Been Difficult and Extremely Painful

You know those middle-of-the-night feeds where you stumble through the dark to get to your baby's bed. You are so tired – after all, your baby has woken every two to three hours for the past four months – that you can barely keep your eyes open! Well, on this particular night, this was me.

I picked up Bobby and made my way back to bed to feed him. It was still pretty dark, so, I couldn’t exactly see properly. We both fumbled around for a few seconds and then he finally latched… incorrectly... but a latch is a latch, right?

It was 3 am, so, it didn't really matter if he wasn't attached properly, right? WRONG! So very wrong. That incorrect latch was about to lead to all kinds of trouble.

Breast and Nipple Thrush!

Did you even know that this was a thing? It can occur when there is nipple damage (or the presence of antibiotics.)

In my case, it was due to nipple damage from that night that I was just too tired to care about the way Bobby latched. Eventually, the pain reached a point where I honestly considered ending my breastfeeding journey.

I couldn’t bare the pain of him trying to latch, so, I decided I would feed him from one side and pump the other using my Medela Freestyle Double Electric Breast Pump.

Thank goodness for Medela’s personal fit breast shield and their Two-Phase Expression system.

After feeding Bobby, I would wait 30 minutes. Then, I would express from both breasts at the same time. This meant that I was able to relieve the sore side without having to actually latch him. I did this for quite a few days to allow the damage to heal and to ensure there was no drop in my supply.

Have You Ever Tried to Express Both Breasts at Once?

It’s terribly difficult, but, not if you have the Medela Bustier. This bra is AMAZING! It is incredibly comfortable and keeps your hands free. This means that you are not limited on where you go or what you can do.

The Freestyle is so convenient and compact, it can pretty much fit in the palm of your hand. It’s also… oh so quiet!

The Freestyle comes with a bag of goodies and... guess what? They are all useful! You will literally want to take it with you everywhere you go. It comes with a tote bag that fits all the accessories in (with room left over), a built-in battery that lasts up to three hours, a cooler bag with an ice pack and four bottles.

You are not limited to using it solely as a double either; the tubing can be moved around to accommodate single pumping if you like to pump as your baby feeds.

If it Wasn’t for the Medela Freestyle, My Breastfeeding Journey Would Be Over!

Breastfeeding can be hard. The days and nights can be long. But, you know what? You are stronger than you think! Determination always trumps pain (especially when you have Medela on your side).

How would you describe your own breastfeeding journey? What challenges did you encounter and how did you deal with them? Let’s have a chat here or on the Medela Australia Facebook page.