My Breastfeeding Journey

*This is a sponsored post

Let me first say that I don’t consider myself a “breastfeeding advocate” I consider myself a feed your baby in the way that works for you advocate. Every mom must decide what works for them and their baby. That being said I do think breast milk is great, it’s healthy and it’s free so why not give it a shot, right? Breastfeeding is hands down one of the hardest things that I’ve experienced in motherhood so far, but also one of the most rewarding. Did you know that breastfeeding for 1 year is approximately 1800 hours. A full time job with 3 weeks vacation is 1960 hours (insane right?!).

I thought about giving up so many times in the first month, but I’m proud of myself for continuing. After a while I even began to look forward to our nursing sessions. They became the ultimate bonding time for me and David Jack. It seriously felt like time was standing still and the rest of the world just disappeared.  I wouldn’t trade those moments for anything.

I’ve also been surprised by how our breastfeeding schedule changed as we both grew. Now at almost 2 months,  I am back to work, which means I have a lot less time to nurse. For the most part these days I am exclusively pumping. I still breastfeed David in the morning, but for the rest of the day I am pumping on a schedule that works for my family and with my work schedule. Right now it’s about every three hours for about fifteen to twenty minutes. This literally would not be possible without a great pump.

I did a lot of research and ended up with the Medela pump from Walmart. I absolutely love my pump and good thing because I’m attached to it so often! This pump is comfortable, easy to clean and for me it works like a charm! It’s also super easy to travel with, which is important for me because I am constantly on the go. Walmart also carries so many great pumping accessories. All of these things have made my pumping experience way better:  Organic nipple balm, breast shields , bottle cooler, car charger, nursing cover, shoulder bag and quick clean wipes. I seriously couldn’t live without some of these things!