4 weeks in

We've now been breastfeeding for 4 weeks. That's 4 times as long as I've ever made it before. I never had seen the light at the end while trying to nurse Erin or Orren, only the pain at the beginning, but now, 4 weeks in, I can say from experience the same thing that everyone told me all the time. IT GETS BETTER. We have no pain at all anymore. Chai's getting to the point where he can latch himself on with very little to no help from me.

I still pump twice a day when he's asleep, but even that is easier. The milk lets down faster, and with more force, and there's more of it, twice as much as before. It's not enough for him, still. We're supplementing a significant amount of formula, but we're doing absolutely everything we can to boost milk supply, and it is working. Slowly but surely, it is working. I don't have nearly enough for him yet, but I at least have an established milk supply, so it's a hopeful situation. You can always boost an existing supply. It's only when things completely dry up that it's cause for concern.

Right now, we're doing A LOT to boost supply. I'm taking Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle 3x daily, drinking Mother's Milk Tea 3x daily, drinking dark beer, eating tumeric as often as possible, keeping well hydrated, and nursing or pumping every 2-3 hours around the clock. Things have to improve, but even if they don't, even if this is all I ever have, it is a significant enough amount of milk that it is beneficial to Chai to have it, and to be honest, I'm pretty psyched to be able to give it to him.

Our breastfeeding goal is still six months (more if we can!), and we are still hopeful about being able to make it that long. I know Thak wants me to keep breastfeeding and hopefully get to the point of exclusively breastfeeding so we don't have to worry with formula at all anymore. We do get a little formula from WIC, and that helps a lot, but we'll still have to buy some, maybe a can a month, so if we can just eliminate formula completely, and just breastfeed, then not only is it like a million times better for Chai, but it saves us a substantial amount of money over the course of the year that Chai will need the stuff. Honestly, the only reason I set my breastfeeding goal at six months is because part of what made me quit so early with the others, aside from the excruciating pain, was the fact that a year of it was pretty daunting. The pain is gone, but a year is still daunting. I'm taking it a month at a time, and right now, shooting for six months. I know I can make that much, and hopefully more. Every bit counts.