Monday, September 8, 2014

Dinner for Two?

Lots of questions have come up in my mind as I try to plan for the arrival of our newest nursling. I'm fairly certain C will jump right back on this milk train and I'm totally fine with that but then I remember how difficult it was trying to get the hang of nursing a newborn. I figure I have two options:

1. I can use it as an opportunity to teach my oldest some boundaries
2. I can get creative, toughen up and enjoy the only time I will get to
nurse all of my children at once :)


If we go with door #1, I imagine Dad will have to help out a little more and be my wing man. Unfortunately, he has to work, too so I will still need to be a little creative. How can I distract him from boobies (Is it really possible to distract a man of any age from them, I mean - come on?!) without him feeling rejected? How can he still feel special even though he isn't getting a lot of extra snuggle time with mommy?

  • Busy Box - Have a box of toys, coloring books or other special things that he will only get to play with when mommy is nursing sissy. Maybe this way, he will look forward to my nursing sessions with her instead of dreading them.
  • Double Up With Story Time - Use nursing time to read him a book or two...or four.....depending on how long we are nursing and what his attention span can handle. I figure with this method, maybe he will feel like he still gets to share time, he's still close to me and sissy and he can feel more involved instead of maybe isolated or turned away.
  • Big Boy Snack - Give him a special snack like organic fruit snacks or sweet roasted chickpeas that are healthy but sweet and something that he wouldn't normally get to snack on unless we're nursing.
  • Mommy's Helper - Even at 18 months, my little dude is pretty good at following directions and helping out. When he's two, hopefully this won't magically go away, (pretty please, Lord...let it remain!) and he can bring my boppy, water, granola bar or whatever else mommy might need. This, in addition to being borderline child labor, may make him feel like an important part of the process.
If we go with door #2, while it may not be practical, my heart may actually explode from all the cuteness and love I will experience at once. I have always and I mean it...always,  from the first time I walked into a patient's room in L&D and saw her nursing her one hour old baby and her three year old, always wanted to nurse my newborn and my toddler together. There is just something so special about quite literally pouring out so much love at one time. Now, I always said that I wasn't sure if there was enough food in the world to nourish me pregnant and nursing. Come to find out there is. I also wonder if there is enough food in the world to nourish me nursing two hungry babies at once. I guess we will find out. Yes, realistically, if all things go as planned, we should find out. Will I be sore? Probably. Will I be beyond exhausted, absolutely. Will I have this moment to look back on for the rest of my life and even if we don't succeed for long, be able to be a witness to other mothers who doubt if they could do the same thing? Yes, yes, yes. 

I'm sure there'd be benefits to both and we may will not be able to see all sides until we are faced with it and deal with whatever may come. As much as we sometimes fight our children finding their independence, it may be a good opportunity for C to learn how to share more, to help more and to know that mommy doesn't love him any less just because sissy is here now. On the other hand, what better way to bond with your sister than to hold her hand while snuggled on mommy's chest? What if my princess is a slow gainer like C was? It may not hurt to have him boosting my supply by increasing that demand and creating a more substantial supply of hind milk for her to bulk up with. 

As it has been all along, C is the boss of our breastfeeding relationship. It seems like every time I think it's over, he proves me wrong. Every time I have wanted to give up, he gives me a reason to trudge on. Time will tell and I'll be here to share the adventure.



Til next time, mamas.
Keep Calm and Nurse On
~ Jessica

3 comments:

  1. I think Option 2 sounds so amazing. Nursing two at the same time has to be very hard, but it will definitely keep your supply going. I do like your plans for all the fun activities the older brother can do while you are nursing the newborn. You've got this!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is so sweet, funny, and honest! I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such a beautiful post! I hope you can tandem nurse with C and the new baby at least once. What a special bond for the three of you to share.

    ReplyDelete