Thank You, WIC

I told myself that for my birthday, I was going to allow myself to stop pumping. In preparation for this auspicious occasion, I started trying to give Richie formula. Formula by itself, formula mixed with breastmilk, formula mixed with bananas--any way I could think to try to get Rich to eat it, but he wouldn't.

So, I stopped trying to wean myself from the pump. And thus began to stress myself out incredibly.

Pumping is time consuming. And sometimes painful. Despite my best efforts, I keep getting injured. I've produced bloody milk a few times now.

So when I went to the WIC offices today, I met with the lactation consultant who was so incredibly helpful. She applauded my efforts to make sure Rich got the breastmilk he needed for the last nine months, and encouraged me to keep pumping. But she also worked with me to help me find other solutions so that if I did decide to stop pumping, or slow it down, I could still make sure Rich got the food he needs.

Did you know I can give him cheese? Or cottage cheese? Or yogurt? (Okay, I knew yogurt was safe, thanks to my sister-in-law, McKenna.) I still need to avoid giving him cow's milk till he's a year old, but if I stop producing breastmilk, and Rich decides not to take formula, he'll be just fine. I did not know this. I really and truly thought that the only solution I had was to practically kill myself to make sure Rich was getting the nutrients he needs. (Tyler can attest to how difficult this has all been.)

Yes, I know that breastmilk is the best milk. But no milk is okay, too.