Now that my husband has decided that breast milk is the only way to go, I am under more stress to produce more. I have discovered a few things that are in the way of producing more:
1. Advil Cold and Sinus. Did you know that taking a decongestant will dry up breast milk? Neither did I.
2. Drinking more water (over a gallon a day) makes going to the bathroom a necessity. Guess what? Teachers are not allowed to go whenever they want. Drinking enough has been difficult. Also, as an older mom, bladder issues are just a sneeze or cough away.
3. Getting the time to pump. I get up early to pump, pump during lunch and then pump in the evening. To affect milk production, I should pump when I get home and then again before going to bed. If I was just nursing, this would not be difficult to do, but finding the time to squeeze in one more pumping and get sleep has been a challenge.
4. Stress. We all know that stress kills the pumping process. All you have to say is "relax" and insta-stess occurs. I have so much grading to finish, but I can not stay after school to complete it because I have to get home so that my husband can get out of the house with his brother. So, I get home to take care of an infant and toddler for hours and try to pump before midnight.
5. MM and BJ. My daughter is jealous of her brother and my pump. BJ's colic moments, while better, still happen shortly after I get home. I can not pump and hold him at the same time. Also, I have to have about 20 minutes to pump and MM wants to be on my lap or she will take advantage of the time I am tethered to an outlet to bother her brother. Last night, she decided to help me by pushing on my breasts because she noticed that the pump moved my breasts slightly. "I help you mommy!"
So the long story short, I have only increased by 1 oz. Yeah me!
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