Work

Since Lyla's days are more filled with bottles than breasts, sometimes she gets crabby at the breast. Just in case you were wondering.

I think it's because a bottle gives instant gratification, whereas a breast takes awhile to let the milk down. And Lyla, like most of us, would rather not work. She wants a free lunch.

Of the mothers who go back to work before 12 weeks, well over half give up breastfeeding, which makes sense. Julie's 16 weeks made a huge difference in establishing the routine, but we're definitely noticing that some days the demand exceeds the supply. We have backup pumped milk in the freezer, but not tons of it. We'll see what happens, but our goal of breast milk for the first six months might fall to the wayside if we run out.

Whatever. You do what you can do. Some babies have nipple confusion if you give them a bottle too soon. Some babies refuse the bottle all together. I think if Lyla had her choice, she'd get lunch from the bottle but then have her mother's breast as an all-day on-demand pacifier.