Pump, pump… pump it up

I’m just going to make a quick update from the trenches. It’s my third week back to work and it hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be. When I had Scarlett, I was more than ready to go back to work. In fact, it was then that I decided that a stay-at-home mom was not in my nature. When I was younger, it’s what I wanted to be when I grew up. (That was also when I wanted six children!!) It took me a while to realize that I probably wanted to go back to work so badly because I didn’t have a good experience. I had a moderate case of post-partum depression that was expounded by a negative nursing experience and being home bound.

This maternity leave couldn’t have been more different. I had baby blues, not post-partum depression. I got out of house quite a bit thanks to the unseasonably nice weather. I have a very supportive network of friends that made sure that I didn’t fall into any slump of any kind. It was a little harder this time to accept that my two months of leave were over.

That being said, I wasn’t sad. Sullivan was going to best place possible next to being at home – his grandma’s. I returned to work knowing that I could call at any time and Sullivan would have his every whim catered to!

Already, I’ve fed Sullivan more breast milk than Scarlett ever got, and not just because he eats three times as much! I’ve last about three times longer than I did the first time around. Pumping at work is definitely easier than pumping at home. I’ve got a schedule that I can stick to and no interruptions from kids, babies, chores, etc. Despite the consistency of schedule, my supply is slowly decreasing. I’m only able to pump enough for Sully to have one full bottle a day. I expected the decrease since I didn’t have a large supply with Scarlett either, but I’m definitely trying to keep it up by pumping often and drinking tons of water. I don’t think I want to go the Fenugreek route because I’d have to take 12 pills or more a day. I think I’ll just pump as long as I have something to give and not feel bad about it. I’m actually pretty proud of myself.