My days as a stay-at-home mommy are numbered. My little girl is quickly approaching the five-and-a-half month mark and I will be home with her until just around eight-and-a-half months. This in itself is super sad and scary to me, but the thing that is most on my mind these days is the bottle. No, not that bottle - the BABY bottle.
I know that I don't want to wait until the last minute to wean Violet from breastfeeding, as I don't want to take away both her mommy being home and nursing with her mommy all at once. I know that I should very soon begin this process. The (small) side of my brain that is still logical tells me this, but my (much larger) emotional side keeps screaming,
"Don't do it!!!"
And no, this has nothing to do with the whole 'breast is best' debate that rages between formula feeding and breastfeeding mommies, so please don't go all commando on me. You see, I know many many babies who are formula fed and are happy, healthy, beautiful little cutie pies. I think that Violet will continue to grow and thrive just fine on formula. The problem is really me. I. just. can't. let. go...
Maybe part of it is that beginning the switch means that I am accepting the fact that I have to go back to work (which as much as I love my job, I just really dread leaving my baby). Or maybe it's the fact that we finally have the hang of this whole breastfeeding thing. Maybe I'll miss the closeness and the cuddling time that I get with my sweetie. Or maybe I just have absolutely no clue what to do with a bottle - I mean, will it put her back to sleep at night like nursing does? What do I do if I go somewhere - do I bring a mixed bottle along and keep it cold or do I just bring some formula and a bottle of water? What if she needs it to be warmed? How do I do that when I'm on the go? Which formula should I buy? Why do my bottles always look cloudy when I take them out of the dishwasher? Will that hurt her? How do I go about weaning? Cold turkey or take it slowly? There are SOOO many unknowns and it SCARES THE BEJEEZUS out of me.
I know that some of you are probably wondering why I don't just pump while I'm at work. Well some jobs just aren't conducive to pumping. Like mine for example. I'm a teacher. I can't really say to my class - hey guys, I have to go and pump - I'll be back in half an hour. Be good!!! Haha, the thought of that just makes me chuckle... Plus
you know how pumps and I get along.
Anyway, as you can see I'm freaking out a little bit over here. I'm sure I'm making a WAY bigger deal out of this than I should be, and it will probably be an easier transition than I expect it to be. At least I hope so. If you have any tips or advice from me I would sooo greatly appreciate it!
Have a great weekend - you're the best!
P.S. If you could spare two clicks to
vote for wtc on Top Baby Blogs I would be forever grateful! They've reset the votes and I'm super excited to currently be in the top 50! Thanks for your continued support :) You can vote once per day!
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