Got (Breast)Milk?

So, Carson still refuses the bottle.  It is actually becoming quite comical, despite the fact that we are now down to 4 weeks before I return to work.  He wants nothing to do with a bink either.  While neither will typically throw him into a fit anymore, he just plays with them.  Any milk he has drunk out of a bottle tends to just drip in to his mouth and he has to swallow it or choke. 

That being said, I do not really know why I have been pumping every day since November.  Ok, I lie.  I took a break for a few weeks in December when I wondered why the hell I was bothering since bottle boy wasn’t taking it anyways.  When I first started, I absolutely hated pumping.  Hated it, hated it, HATED IT.  I felt like a cow.  I looked like a cow.  It was uncomfortable.  It was awkward.  Ugh, it sucked.  I didn’t know how I would keep this up.  I think a part of me was excited in the beginning that Carson WASN’T taking a bottle, then I didn’t have to pump.  That little break I told you about?  LOVED it.

Then something changed.  No, it wasn’t him taking a bottle (that would be too easy).  As you may or may not know, I am a VERY competitive person.  I will try to make a competition out of most things.  I started to make a competition WITH MYSELF out of pumping.  How much can I pump tonight?  Can I beat my previous record?  I always pump 10 minutes or so, and I like to see what I can get.

I pump every night after Carson goes to bed.  This is not what you are supposed to do.  Well, you can, but I guess you should be pumping in the morning when you milk-making hormone is at its highest level.  Try telling that to your 4 week old who only sleeps in your arms.  It was too much of a hassle for me in the beginning, so I just pumped at night.  Now, at 14 weeks (14 weeks??  When the EFF did that happen??) I just never got around to adding that morning pump.    I am in an online breastfeeding forum (I really like it, btw…click here if you want to join, too!).  The lactation consultant said “WOW” when she heard I pumped 4-5 ounces every night.  Apparently, that is impressive, considering the nighttime thing.  That was all I needed to hear to fuel the fire!  My new PR (personal record)? SIX AND A HALF OUNCES!!!  No, I am not pumping till my boobs fall off.  Ten minutes.  That’s it.  I am not telling you this to impress you, I am telling you this because me setting a new PR makes me want to keep pumping.  So what that my freezer is filling up and no one is drinking my milk?  I have records to set!! 

Who needs food in the freezer?

Please take note of the nice breast milk storage container.  That is from the hospital, make sure you take it with you when you go.  I just did some reorg-ing.  I cannot wait to go to Target to buy a new container for my bounty and see how long it takes me to fill up.  If it were up to me?  I’d fill up the entire freezer, even if Carson NEVER takes a bottle!