All too true

The term "it's funny because it's true" is an understatement. That little tooth is the bane of my existence currently and the three that have yet to appear are what's bothering him these days.


Malakai is teething, obviously, and he has just about every single symptom to go with it. When that single little tooth came in he barely flinched. His sleep was a little off, but then again he's never been one for consistency.


As I wrote about previously, he bites. I've pushed through to keep nursing even after he broke the skin with one very horrendous chomp.


I emailed Dr. A, his pediatrician for some advice. I told her I didn't want to exclusively pump or give up breast feeding and needed some tips on how to get both of us through this and she responded:

"Ouch

Your plan to pump sounds extremely reasonable. You don't want to lose a nipple as you'll need them should you decide to have more babies."

I typically adore Kai's doctor, but I was quite annoyed with this response. I felt like she didn't even read my email. I said I DON'T WANT TO PUMP! But...she's right, I don't want to lose a nipple either. I also had to laugh at the way she put it. Okay, I still adore her.

I can still get some nursing in when Malakai is asleep. But he has to be REALLY asleep...last night I learned this when I tried to nurse him as he was falling asleep. Started off great, but ended abruptly when he woke up and mistook my nipple for a teether, again.

To add insult to injury (quite literally), my breast pump is falling apart (also quite literally). When Kai was about 6 weeks old I had been hand expressing so that we could get him used to bottles and leave him with grandparents when we needed. I found this to get really old really quick, not only was my skin sore, but my hand would get tired quick. My mama was wrong! So, I got a $17 manual pump from Target.

I was a satisfied customer and quite pleased with myself for spending so little money on something that brought me so much relief. However, I grew to resent how slow and tedious this became, especially when Dr. A suggested only bottles from daddy at night to help with STTN. I'd groggily sit myself in the bathroom and pump away at 2am which would end with me being wide awake by 3am while Ben snoozed heavily beside me. 

This I was able to get through and eventually we went back to nursing in the night as it was less frequent than before. But now, with Malakai refusing to nurse except when dream feeding I was forced to make amends with the contraption...until of course it broke. The handle is literally about to fall off. I guess I got my money's worth since I used it on and off for 6 months and spent so little. I've managed to hold it in just the right way to keep the handle from completely falling off, but now the suction is dying and I fear for my milk supply.

I've caved.

Today this lovely item will be delivered by the saints at UPS 

I never thought that I would get so excited about a breast pump. Just another thing that motherhood does to change a woman.