For us breastfeeding has pretty much been getting easier since the 12-14 mark.

However, there was a really rough patch at about 6 months when they decided they wanted to eat every 2-3 hours in the middle of the night, but we stopped that as soon as we realized they didn’t need the extra intake.

There was also another little rough patch at about 7 months when I realized how exhausted I was from feeding them 6-7 times a day.  Soon after I started offering the breast less often, and today I’m attempting to get them down to 3 feedings (altough that seams impossible most days…)

Right now we’re going through another rough patch that I think is related to teething.  Bronwyn has 2 bottom teeth and Aeralind has 1.  They’re both about to pop another one I think.  However, when they nurse they’re doing this crazy latch on/latch off cycle almost the whole time.  They’re not distracted from nursing because they howl in hunger (or teething pain) while they’re latched off.  Bronwyn started this cycle last week and Aeralind started this week.  I’ve tried disciplining them for it and that just results in more howling.  And I’ve tried holding their heads still so they can’t latch off (or at least not violently…ow), but even that has varied results.  I’m frustrated and sore.  Hopefully, the painful teeth will pop soon! But this is definitely making me feel like a year can’t come soon enough!

On other breastfeeding news, we gave them cow’s milk yogurt.  The results: mommy is now having dairy again after nearly 8 months of going without!  However, my whole dairy perspective has changed: it’s no longer a necessity in my mind and more of a splurge item in the grocery budget.

I truly believe they did have a diary sensitivity in the beginning.  I can remember (even in my sleep deprived state!) how much they changed from fussy reflux-y babies to happy little girls when I quit eating dairy.  I am, however, not sure when they outgrew the sensitivity.  At 4 months when I trialed dairy, it was horrible.  At 7 and 8 months when I trialed it, they were both gassy and fussy but at that point it was hard to tell if it was solids, over tired/stimulated, or milk in my breast milk that caused the reaction.  At 9 months, I decided we’d just put the dairy in their system directly to know for sure.  And neither baby seems to be suffering from it!  Even Bronwyn’s eczema is holding steady.  I’m still hesitant about straight milk (especially the nasty homogenized/ultrapasteurized grocery store variety), but cheese and yogurt are back in all three of our diets!