Goodbye Pump, Hello Formula

I've hated pumping since my pumping days at work when Jackson was four months old. After drying up, I tucked the pump away and never thought about it again. When the triplets were born, they were each able to latch right away. I breastfed fairly easily for a month. Once Jesse returned to work, I struggled figuring out how to feed all three on my own and keep up with Jackson. I also worried that they weren't getting enough. I made the choice to exclusively pump rather than breastfeed. While it gave me some peace of mind, I began to dread the next pumping session more and more.  My schedule was completely dictated by the pump.

I planned to stop pumping when the babies turned six months old. As much as I wanted to, I wasn't emotionally ready then. The guilt surpassed my disdain for pumping. Since becoming a stay at home mom, I felt like it was my job to provide breastmilk. I was making enough, so it seemed selfish to stop. I kept pumping, but gradually allowed myself to decrease the number of pumps per day. By 9 months, I was emotionally and physically ready to begin weaning.

Weaning was much more difficult than I anticipated. I naturally dried up with Jackson after returning to work, so I really didn't know what to expect. It has taken me three weeks to drop from 3 pumps per day (ppd) to 2 to 1 ppd. I am currently expressing every other day and still getting about 8 ounces. During these three weeks, I started my first postpartum period and the hormones, aches, and exhaustion have been INTENSE. I am just now starting to feel like myself again.

In the past few days, two different friends of the family have offered to donate their breastmilk now that their own kids have weaned. I've ended up with just over 500 ounces of donor milk. If I give each baby one bottle of donor milk per day, they will continue to receive breastmilk until they are 11 months old. 

I am so content with my decision to stop pumping. I will never miss:

• driving down the interstate connected to tubes and bottles
• setting alarms in the middle of the night to wake up and pump
• toting my pump around everywhere I go
• going upstairs to pump while we had company
• sleeping in old sports bras with holes cut in them
• washing out pump parts and bottles multiple times a day
• picking out clothes based on whether or not I can pump in them without getting completely undressed
• not being able to immediately console a baby because I was pumping
• having to abruptly stop pumping because I needed to tend to Jackson or babies' needs
• pumping while cooking dinner, washing dishes, etc
• running around topless for months (Jesse says it's more like National Geographic than Playboy)
• the aches and pains of clogged milk ducts, or even worse, mastitis
• stuffing my face with oatmeal and lactation cookies
• taking supplements (At one point I was taking 36 pills a day to maintain milk supply!)

Good riddance!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The trio will be 10 months old next week and we still have 22 cans of unopened formula from the free Enfamil Multiples program. While that sounds like a lot, the babies consume 72 ounces a day and we go through two cans every three days. Between the formula and donor milk, we should only have to buy formula for one month. (I'm not sure what Maddie will drink after a year, but definitely not cow's milk.)

I came up with a really quick setup for formula. I had purchased sixteen 4-oz Gladware containers when I began making homemade baby food several months ago. The containers happen to hold exactly 8.5 scoops of formula. This works out perfectly because the babies take 6-oz bottles. (17 oz of water + 8.5 scoops of formula = 18ish oz of formula)  Every couple of days I fill the Gladware containers with formula.

Jesse's Blender Bottle has become the official formula mixing container. I just fill the Blender Bottle, dump a Gladware container of formula in, shake, and pour. This is our current kitchen setup:

It is amazing how much less time, energy, and space formula takes than pumping! Of course, I'm not advocating this route and I would encourage every woman to breastfeed for as long as possible. But, I've been there, done that. The babies had a good start. I saved thousands of dollars and provided the best nutrition possible for over 9 months. It's time to move on!

An Abundant Life

I don't know how Jesse and I are so fortunate, but once again we have received so many things for the trio.  (We spent $30 on their shared Christmas present, which was the first time we've spent our own money on the babies...CRAZY!)  The babies were gifted clothes, high chairs, baby food, toys, adorable cloth diapers, and wipes.  We haven't had to buy a single toy, crib, high chair, diaper, burp cloth, can of formula, article of clothing, bottle, double stroller, etc.  They only purchase we've made is the quad stroller, and we used baby shower money for that.  It's truly amazing how generous family, friends, and friends of friends have been to our family!

Here's the mammoth pile of opened gifts:

I mentioned in the previous post that I switched the storage bins for the toy chest.  It was the same height and still fit perfectly under the lettering.

The chest works well to conceal the mess of toys.

My coworkers joked that our house looks like an in-home daycare with the high-chairs stacked in the corner and toys everywhere. 

In addition to the gifts from family members, we also received our second shipment from Enfamil.  We now have 34 unopened cans of formula stacked up to the ceiling of our laundry room.  If I supplement with 1 can per week, this will last well beyond their first year of life.  (Now let's just hope my supply keeps up and I don't have to supplement more.)

God is good!  Not just for providing financially, but blessing us with beautiful children, good heath, education, stability, and generous loved ones.  We are fulfilled in every sense of the word.

5 Months Old

sleeping habits:
The babies have been all over the place when it comes to sleeping through the night.  There were about 4 consecutive days where all three slept from 8:30 PM to 6 AM.  (FYI, skipping the middle of the night pump is what led to engorgement, mastitis, and a decrease in supply that I'm still struggling to rebuild.)  Then there were multiple nights where someone (most often Amelia) was literally up every single hour.  Amelia most often sleeps in a swing, James in his crib, and Maddie in the pack-n-play in our bedroom.  All three eat once in the middle of the night, but that time varies.  James and Maddie are naturally awake between 7:30 and 8 AM, and Amelia tends to be a half hour behind them. 

eating habits: 
All three babies are taking 5 oz bottles 6 times per day.  Much like sleeping, it's been a struggle to find a new routine.  They seem to be settling into a pattern of eating approximately every 3.5 hours during the day.  The times vary depending on when they had their middle of the night feed and when they wake up.  Feeding times are somewhere around 7:30/8:00 AM, 11:00/11:30 AM, 2:30/3:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 8:00/8:30 PM, and anywhere between 2-5 AM.

After providing nothing but breastmilk for 4.5 months, I have had to supplement with two 12 oz cans of Enfamil powder formula just in the last 2.5 weeks.  In an effort to put on weight, half of Maddie's breastmilk bottles are fortified with a scoop of formula.  I give James and Amelia whatever pumped milk I have, then top off with formula. 

We have not introduced any solids yet, though they show signs of readiness.  James is never immediately content after drinking his milk.  They all have excellent head control and increased appetite.  They are always gnawing on their fists or whatever objects they put in their mouths.  And they have recently started watching our forks move from plate to mouth and appear quite curious while we eat.

milestones:
James-excellent head control, rolls from tummy to back, sleeps six consecutive hours, babbles, laughs, sucks hand, loves to put weight on his legs and be in standing position, doubled birth weight
Amelia-keeps head and upper body up for extended periods of time, sleeps six consecutive hours, coos, grabs and pulls at things (especially my hair), doubled birth weight
Madeline-babbles constantly, smiles/interacts with people, sleeps 6-8 consecutive hours, sucks on hands and toys, lifts head and upper body for brief periods of time

challenges:
-Maddie went almost three weeks without taking her Prevacid.  Her reflux peaked, and I'm sure she lost weight.  When we finally got her to a doctor at 4.5 months, she weighed a mere 9 lbs.  We were given Similac Alimentum to supplement with, but Maddie refused to eat it.  We are having success with breastmilk.fortified with Enfamil AR. 
-Having to supplement with formula is emotionally draining

victories:
-We finally have a pediatrician!  We still don't have corrected insurance cards, but we once again have access to prescription medicine, vaccinations, and medical advice whenever needed.

special notes:
-Our quad stroller is assembled and ready for use.
-The babies more or less slept through their first Thanksgiving.
-We had a Christmas photo shoot at a portrait studio.  It resulted in mediocre photos.