and so it goes...

I'm sorry to say it, but I think the end is near.

It's the day that every exclusively breastfeeding mother dreads....

The day that you realize your supply is diminishing and you need to find an alternative to feeding your infant.

I knew it was going to happen. I just had hoped it wouldn't have happened so soon.

Starting last week, things were becoming really hard. I could tell my supply was starting to lessen, thanks to having to pump at work. Everything came to a frustrating and emotional head on Friday where in a regularly allotted 3-hour time span between Sami's feedings, I did not have enough milk to produced to feed her after 3.5 hours of waiting. Having to prepare a bottle for my daughter because I couldn't support her on my own was one of the most upsetting things I think I've had to handle, to date...

Once I dried the tears, I was able to call the pediatrician to see which brand they suggested...

 

taadaa...

Of course, the nurse gave me an earful about how Sami should be "well on her way through solids" - yeah, way to make me feel like an even more inadequate mother for taking my time with my 5.5 month old and her solids intake. It was SO not what I wanted to hear at that moment, but I moved through it...

Not wanting to cancel out all of my options, I also made a point to go to the lactation clinic that afternoon and talk to the specialists and see what they suggested...

 

3 capsules, three times a day, and after a week I should be able to see an increase in supply. Also, pumping for 15 minutes after a feeding so that my body thinks more milk is needed, tricking it into thinking the demand is up...

So taking all of that advice into consideration, I think we're formulating a plan of attack.

Oh, and not because the nurse made me feel guilty, but because I was going to do it anyway, I bought Sami a bunch of Gerber First Foods fruits!

Pears, Apples, Bananas, Prunes, and Peaches. I think these beat out rice cereal any day. And research shows that the fruits vs. veggies vs. fruits first debate is unending. My pediatrician suggested fruits first, and from what I've read it's actually easier for breastfed babies to transition to fruits better than veggies because of the sweetness of breast milk, so we'll see how it goes.

But yeah. A lot of change is upon us. Change I wasn't ready for, but it seems like now is as good of a time as any, right?