Thursday, January 17, 2008

Nursing

I like nusing my baby. I'm pretty good at it, really. Ok, so my milk supply isn't overwhelming, which means she has to eat a little more often than the average baby, but we do pretty well.

I don't really want to give it up.

At my last nephrology appointment, my doctor said that we needed to shift my medication for my blood pressure, because it was higher than she liked. We wouldn't do it, though, until my baby is 10 months old, because nursing is so good for babies, and the medication she wants me on is not.

Well, Little Sister had a check up today, and the doc asked me how long I planned on nursing. I told him I would have to stop in about 3 months, because of my blood pressure, blah blah blah.

He shrugged and said, "All it would do would slow her heart rate a little bit, nothing serious. I should think she would be okay. I'll check for you, though."

I don't know if he really will check, because he's sort of a laid back kinda guy, and didn't seem all that concerned.

But then I started thinking--is 2 months will slightly elevated BP really that dangerous? I'm running in the mid 130s/mid 80s on meds-- butI was running that high before without meds. If I push it two more months, will that really change the outcome of my kidney function all that much?

Another reason I want to keep nursing is that formula is expensive. Really expensive. We went through this with my son, and it's a chunk of change.

It's also inconvenient. Who wants to pack a bottle around? Not me. I did it with my son, because my milk supply went dry at about 8 months. What a pain. For me, nursing is much more convenient.

I'm not a nursing Nazi. I know many women who have given their babies formula, and their babies do just fine. And I'm not going to pull out the argument that my baby will be obese and stupid if I don't nurse her until she's 1 year old. I have no doubt that she will suffer few if any effects of being bottle fed for three months.

But this is the last time I get to nurse a baby. I'd like to get the most out of the experience. Plus, she makes really cute sighing noises after she's done, and snuggles into me. Seriously, you can't beat it.

6 comments:

Tracy W said...

Hi Heather,I was reading back through your comments about going vegetarian..I think that is awesome. My husband and I have been playing with veganism due to my PKD and his cholesterol, however, we eventually run out of things to make that we aren't already sick of...I am a true believer in Dr. John McDougall and his research on protein and the affects on the body..there is so much research about how bad animal protein is for you..and especially to our kidneys, they really are the engine that runs our protein intake and they can get tired and worn out..I don't know if you have ever hear of Dr. John McDougall but he has a website http://www.drmcdougall.com..if you get a chance check it out they have newsletters with lot's of vegan recipes in them..and they have a great cookbook out that is all about cooking your vegan meals in under 25 mins. One more website to check out is http://www.vegsource.com, it too is very informative. Good Luck to you..
Sincerely,
Tracy

Heather O. said...

Thanks for the info, Tracy, and thanks for reading! I'm always ready for new recipes. I tried a ricotta cheese broccoli calzone tonight, and, well, it didn't turn out so well. Still, I tell myself I'm still new at this whole veggie cooking thing, so eventually I'm sure we'll have some regular recipes that we like.

Take care, and good luck going vegan!

Anonymous said...

I cant comment on the whole BP meds arument but I know what you meen about wanting to keep up feeding as long as you can...I had a lot of pressure from Mother in law to stop feeding and ended up just lying about it to her ,she was so hung up on not feeding after a certan age ...I wish more people could just live and let live ...Feed for as long as you want to ,health permitting...

Amy G. said...

just found your blog. it's fun to catch up! i, too, love nursing and wish charlotte loved it more. she's not nearly as into it as the others were. but i'm all for the benefits of nursing. hope it works out for you!

Heather O. said...

Hi Amy! So glad to have you here. Give your sweet kids a big hug from me!!

Anonymous said...

Nurse your baby! For as long a you both want to! I had 2 babies-my daughter I nursed until sometime after her 2nd birthday, because it made us both happy. My son was just over 9 months old when he quit nursing. I guess there were just too many other tastes he wanted to try to keep nursing! I have had MAJOR blood pressure issues throughout my life, but I didn't choose to let high BP or PKD stop me from enjoying my babies. Maybe I paid for it in needing a transplant sooner, but that has gone well, too. Also, you do not neccessarily have to take steroids after transplant. I am on a steroid free protocol with my transplant. I had it done through Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, AZ. Check around, and maybe you can avoid the lovely "moon face" that Prednisone gives many people. I had my transplant 2 years ago, and have had no troubles at all. I'm 47 and doing well. Good luck and enjoy your life as much as you can!