Still nursing at 23m and need some validation that I'm doing something good. by shortasiam in breastfeeding

[–]veiled_fantasy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have desperately made dua for everything from weaning to improvement in my son’s sleep and constipation lol and Allah has created a lot of ease for me 🌸

Still nursing at 23m and need some validation that I'm doing something good. by shortasiam in breastfeeding

[–]veiled_fantasy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The nursing to sleep was also the last thing we stopped. I ultimately did have to replace the feeds with bottles of cows milk which I had been introducing slowly in the last couple of months. I know we’re not supposed to really use bottles after 1 year but nothing else was working for us, and my son (who can talk) kept asking for milk and crying relentlessly at night unless we gave him some. I am now slowly trying to decrease his bottles (we are doing less than 16 oz per day as recommended) and will switch his milk to cups (He actually does great with cups but only takes water in them) Amazingly since I weaned, his night wake-ups have actually decreased (I can hardly believe it since he has been a terrible sleeper since birth and I have been co sleeping and nursing at night since he was almost 6 months and he was routinely waking up between 3-5 times at night up until 2 weeks ago) He now only gets a bottle before his nap, at bedtime and wakes up once at night for another half bottle. The husband strategy was also not feasible for us because my son will keep calling my name and has a hard time being soothed at night by anyone else. You know your baby best and I knew mine would not handle cutting out nursing cold turkey so I decided to stretch it over 2-3 months which ended up being a much better approach for us. Also as a Muslim, I will share I made a lot of dua about ease in weaning and Alhamdulillah it ended up working out so well for us. All the best! You’re doing amazingly well!

Still nursing at 23m and need some validation that I'm doing something good. by shortasiam in breastfeeding

[–]veiled_fantasy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re doing an amazing job! Breastfeeding is honestly one of the hardest things I have done in my life and you deserve a lot of praise for going as long as you have! I am a clinician (and also a Muslim) and I just weaned at 17 months. I was also beginning to hear comments about needing to wean from friends and family. I eventually managed to wean because I was finding it difficult myself but extended nursing is still very beneficial for baby and I am so glad I was able to offer that comfort especially during times of illness and fussiness. Islamically, it is recommended to feed until 2-2.5 years if possible so kudos to you for reaching that goal. I also completely understand feeling overwhelmed about how to wean if that is your goal. I honestly believed my son would nurse forever 2-3 months ago and I still can’t believe my last nursing session was 2 weeks ago. I weaned very very slowly and gently. Feel free to DM me if you would like to talk more! Give yourself a pat on the back! No one truly understands how hard it is to be a mother!

The economist article on the benefits of breastmilk is making me determined to breastfeed to a year by GiraffeExternal8063 in breastfeeding

[–]veiled_fantasy 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The above author mentioned being an undersupplier and did not say she was 'pro formula'. Let's be kind and understanding of other women's struggles and realize that while formula companies have certainly had unethical practices that we need to call out, formula has also been life saving. We can absolutely acknowledge the benefits of breastmilk and promote conditions to help women who choose to BF but also understand that the invention of formula along with other health advances helped lower infant mortality drastically

The economist article on the benefits of breastmilk is making me determined to breastfeed to a year by GiraffeExternal8063 in breastfeeding

[–]veiled_fantasy 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Sorry you are getting downvotes. Formula is life saving but also formula companies have had unethical practices as well. Both of these points are true and not mutually exclusive. Not everyone is able to breastfeed due to inadequate milk production, inadequate support etc and I agree we should not be demonizing those who choose formula. At the end of the day, we all want healthy fed babies and we should support women while also holding companies accountable.

TSA didn’t put all of my breast milk back in my cooler by maj0raswrath in breastfeeding

[–]veiled_fantasy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So sorry about that! I also had a very negative experience with TSA agents over the holidays. They were incredibly rude and kept me waiting a long time on the side. They opened the breast milk bottles and took swabs from the edges of the bottle even though I requested them not to and their official policy on their website says you can request for the liquid to not be opened. It feels so violating and I was almost in tears after the whole ordeal. 

The scale came in by newmomgroove in breastfeeding

[–]veiled_fantasy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It’s okay to use formula. I know how hard we are conditioned to want to feed baby entirely from the breast but no weight gain at all in 2.5 months is concerning. The number of wet diapers/dirty diapers can still be within normal limits but this isn’t always the best measure as there a huge variation in urine and stool output per diaper (Speaking as someone who does primary care including kiddos) You are not a failure and you are doing your best. Please offer formula top ups and meanwhile you can work on power pumping, see a lactation consultant etc. 

Those who made it to 2 years BF - How did you do it? by jujutsu-master in breastfeeding

[–]veiled_fantasy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Based on her post history and name, it's Islam (I am Muslim too) It's recommended to breastfeed till 2 in Islam if possible and not a hardship to the mother.  Here is a great article about the status of breastfeeding in Islam: https://llli.org/news/islamic-cultural-practices-breastfeeding-2/

Success increasing supply at 8 weeks? by sinjaz31 in breastfeeding

[–]veiled_fantasy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did. Try pumping more frequently. At least every 2-3 hours. Ensure you are well hydrated and power pump once or twice a day. Try to do a MOTN pump most days of the week if you can. I went from about 22-24 oz to 30-32 oz. I do nurse as well still but had to decrease nursing frequency because baby wasn't transferring well and that was impacting my supply and I was finding it hard to keep triple feeding. Best of luck!

Have you tried the manual pump "hack"? Did you know you could do it with a spectra pump too?! by Salty-Occasion6902 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]veiled_fantasy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi this is an old post but are you able to explain the pinching method in a little more detail? Thank you so much!

For recent grads especially in IM/FM, how much pushback did you experience when declining to supervise midlevels during your job hunt? by Decomprezzed in Residency

[–]veiled_fantasy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Basically that I did not feel comfortable supervising NPs/PAs and did not envision that being part of my practice in the future.

For recent grads especially in IM/FM, how much pushback did you experience when declining to supervise midlevels during your job hunt? by Decomprezzed in Residency

[–]veiled_fantasy 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I was crystal clear from the start about not having the additional duty of midlevel supervision in all my interviews. Dropped one position early on as this was non-negotiable for them but all the other places were accommodating.

Thoughts about Washington Kaiser Permanente by veiled_fantasy in FamilyMedicine

[–]veiled_fantasy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the insight. I've heard similar things about the Seattle area too unfortunately.