My name is Katie and I'm going to share my nursing journey with my youngest son, Andrew. Andrew was born on Sept 8, 2014, almost 4 weeks early. Even though he was early he was a great weight and we just had to stay a few extra days in the hospital to monitor his glucose levels. Due to low glucose levels, I had to supplement in the hospital with formula to make sure he was getting enough and that his levels were stable.
I was really worried that switching between breast and bottle would be confusing for him and hinder our nursing. But Andrew proved me wrong and nursed like a champ. Once my milk came in and he came back up to his birthweight I stopped formula and just nursed. I love nursing, it makes me feel so connected to my little one. Andrew continued to nurse well until about 4-5 months. Once he reached that age he became very easily distracted. Nursing became more challenging as we would have to go in the nursery with the lights low so Andrew could focus. This lasted a month or so but then he just got the hang of nursing while looking around. He started to pull on everything!! Hair, necklaces, hoodie strings...you name it. At this time I went looking for a nursing/teething necklace. I didn't find any I liked so I decided to order supplies of etsy. A made a few necklaces and it was an instant love of Andrew's and great for me because no more hair pulling. The few necklaces, turned into to a few more and then a few more and now have turned into a business for me (elephant shoe teething co.) The necklaces really helped him maintain focus during nursing and gave him relief once his teeth started to poke through. Andrew continued to nurse well as we introduced solids. It always surprises me how he can eat so much. Fast forward to now...Andrew is 19 months and still nursing a couple times a day. I really enjoy this time with him. It's usually before a nap or bed, the room is quiet and we can just enjoy each other. I plan to nurse as long as Andrew is interested.
~ Katie Robinson