On another note, I finally took the trips out & not to the dr's office. We went to Kroger's. What an experience! From the moment we walked in, we were surrounded w/ people. I had my mom w/ me so I had some support & someone to push the cart. I was so nervous before we got there. I don't understand why. Maybe b/c it was something that was completely out of the norm for us or maybe I was afraid everything would go bad very quickly but it didn't. The kids slept through most of the trip. I'm going to need to practice a bit more before venturing out on my own. Besides, w/ pumping, I have only about an hour to make a trip to somewhere & back.
From the trip, this was the funniest thing said, "Grandma, she has THREE babies!" Grandma responds, "Yeah, right. 3 babies. What ever." I guess the little boy saw us but she didn't. Well, we crossed them over on the next isle & you should have seen the lady's eyes pop out of her head. We also got the regular comments like...
Where is the camera when you need it.
Oh! You poor thing!
Wow, I bet you are tired.
You've got your hands full!
I know it will probably be a bit before we go back out. It is just too hard to get somewhere & back in time to pump. Believe me, when you pump, your life revolves around it. My 1st goal was to make it to 12 wks & now that I have passed that goal, am sitting here recovering from my 3rd bout of mastitis, I am questioning whether or not I can make it to my ultimate goal of 6 mths. Guilt is weighing heavy on me, like I am letting them down by no longer giving them breast milk. I know how good it is for them so it kills me to think that they won't get it anymore. I don't know what to do! I also know that we are saving quite a bit on money on formula. UGGGGG!!!! This last bout of infection has really eaten my supply & it will take at least 3 wks to build my supply again. I don't know how much longer I will be doing this.
Here are some pics of the family...
Todd & the trips on his birthday!
Sofi & Ian all cuddled up.
My favorite Ianchito look! He seems to always be cross-eyed!
Sofi holding her head up high!
Uncle Ian & Gabi together.
13 comments:
Astrid, that you are pumping at all is phenomenal. Most would look at triplets and not even try. My first son only got breastmilk for 5 weeks before my supply crashed and burned, and he is a phenomenally bright and healthy little guy. You've done wonderful by them no matter what you decide! I pumped for my second son for 8 weeks and it wore me down, the constant clogs, the mastitis, the inability to go anywhere or do anything... You, ma'am, are a hero to me and your babies!
Sorry about the mastitis (did I spell that right) but glad you got to get them all out for a bit. I love the photos, keep them coming!
I fought that same internal battle with pumping. I wanted to be able to give my baby breast milk, but between feeding, pumping, cleaning bottles/breatmilk parts, it totally wore me out and I felt like I lived by the clock and could never do anything/go anywhere. It is HARD WORK, and you should feel very proud of yourself that you have been able to give your 3 babies breastmilk for 12 weeks already, that is PHENOMENAL!! You will know when you are ready to quit, and when that time comes, don't feel guilty and don't let ANYONE make you feel bad about your decision, as it is your body and ultimately, your decision.
Best of luck to you in getting rid of your mastitis and making the choice that works for you.
12 weeks is how long I lasted with my singleton and I was SO stressed out with it all that by the time I stopped pumping I felt like the world lifted off of my shoulder.
Now, expecting triplets, I have NO expectations for BF. I will pump at the beginning while in hospital and see if any want to BF, but if and when it is too much, I will hang up the pumps.
You've done a great job and should be proud of what you have accomplished. BF is NOT easy. Oh, and my daughter is a bright and healthy child (even though she had formula from 3 months on!).
See, I can understand strangers saying things like "You, poor thing", they don't know how happy you are (overall:)
But I shared the news about expecting triplets last week with MY MOM and that's all I hear from her. She feels bad that it happened to me! My husband and I are sooo excited, our friends are excited and she thinks is not normal, she even said that she would prefer if I had one, maybe two! Can you believe it? I feel so bad that it's my MOM saying things like this, putting me down, yet again not supporting me at all, but instead criticizing for another "stupid" thing I did (like not dating the right guys, not having the right friends, not wearing proper make-up, and I guess not having a "normal" pregnancy now).
Today when she called again saying that she needs to talk to us seriously (probably wanted to suggest that we get rid of one or two babies, I'm only entering 12 weeks), I told her how bad I felt taking to her and that she's not accepting me and my babies and I hang up on her. I really don't want to listen to this, it makes me upset and angry. I want to stay being happy! It's great news and I am thrilled to be preg with trips! (of course I also realize that it's not going to be easy, but that's ok with me, I can do it!). I realize that she is probably just worried about me, but it's not helping telling me how bad she feels, I would rather her say things like everything will be ok, I will come help you when they're born (she lives in Poland, I live in the US with my husband and a 2 year old).
Anyone experienced something like this from people close to them??
kar
Boy, that little Sofi sure is your peanut, isn't she? So tiny!
Love the pictures, especially that cross-eyed shot!
Astrid, So glad to see you all are doing so well. :) It is AWESOME that you have pumped for so long. I BF DD for 6 months... and pumped 4 months of that while working. It was HARD!!! With DD I stayed home and was able to nurse for 9 months. I got mastitis 4 times! It was TERRIBLE! I swore each time was the end, but it basically turned into me quiting when I was ready. :( Good luck. It is AWESOME to make it this far!!!
Now, the cross eyed Ian picture got me. He looks like my DS. It never went away and just looked that way much of the time as he got older. I mentioned it to my ped over and over and were finally refered to an eye dr at 5 months. He had surgery at 9 months. You can read about it in my blog. I don't do as well at updating as you do, but his story is there. :) http://ottoclan.blogspot.com/ If you want to see more pics, email me!
Kar ~ I am so sorry to hear about your mom not being supportive. That is a real bummer! Although I didn't experience that directly, I know my dad was furious that my dr would allow us to get pg w/ trips. Little did any of us know at the time that the girls were identical so it wasn't my dr's doing at all. It was God. Stick to your guns & keep telling your mom that her words hurt more than they help & you don't need the stress. Hopefully she will listen at some point.
Astrid
Jen ~ Luckily, Ian's eyes aren't always that way. It just so happened that I had the camera around when he did it this time. He is getting much better about focusing & from what my mom tells me, my brother had the same issue. Hopefully we won't need surgery. Your son is ADORABLE! Poor thing had to go through surgery. AWE!
Astrid
Don’t ever let guilt or others guide your decisions. It is easy for others to comment on things when they are not personally involved in making the sacrifice. Look deep inside your core and the decision that is right for you will expose itself. Your babies already know that they best mommy in the world!
Some guy
Some guy...
THANK YOU! Those are definitely words to live by.
Astrid
I am so impressed that you are pumping for them! That is awesome. I have twins and a two and ahalf year old. and I'm exhausted.
Your babies are beautiful!
When Erin was 6 months old and I was STILL blistering and cracking and in SO much pain, I made the decision to stop breastfeeding. I have to say that I felt everything you just described. It's so hard, because your baby (babies) depend on you for life, and ending that relationship feels like you're failing as a mother. In the end, they will be healthy and happy on formula too. They will grow like they need to and not have any ill effects. You will still be a great mommy if you stop pumping. I'm so impressed you made it this far. I don't think I could have. (((HUGS)))
Post a Comment