Our 2015 Fleet Feet Huntsville Racing Team (I am bottom row, second from left)
After Cotton Row May 25, 2015
I just recently made it to one year of nursing my little one--no formula to supplement the whole year! Let me just say that if you can make it to 6 months, the rest seems pretty easy. They start solid foods and the feedings start to spread out. They're sleeping well, and you're getting rest too. I continued to drink a lot of water, ate oatmeal daily, and pumped whenever I missed a feeding (except after my long races). I also joined an on-line support group that gave lots of advice on how to increase your supply. I tried lactation cookies (around month 9 or 10) that many on the site recommended. I don't know if they helped, but it can't hurt!
Here's how we made it through the rest of her first year:
Month Eight (January 22-February 22): nursing 4-5 times a day (30-38 oz.)*, ran Mountain Mist 50K (left 15 oz. frozen milk, baby took 10 oz. and nursed when I finished race, I pumped when I got home but only got a couple of oz.), took it easy after MM, long run weekly of up to 13 miles
Month Nine (February 22-March 22): nursing 4-5 times a day (30-38 oz.)*, ran the Scottsboro Half (nursed afterwards during awards ceremony), baby eating baby food twice a day
Month Ten (March 22-April 22): nursing 4-5 times a day (20-32 oz.), ran McKay Hollow Madness without any trail runs since MM --cold day and my family did not come up to the finish line, baby was given pumped milk from frozen stash during missed feedings (around 6 oz. a feeding), I honestly can't remember if I pumped or not when I got home!?, that's the good thing about a freezer stash--you can allow your body time to recover and not pump if you don't feel like it!, baby eating baby food twice a day
Month Eleven (April 22-May 22): nursing 3-4 times a day (20-32 oz.), running 6 times a week, up to a 13 mile long run, normal runs around 4-6 miles, no races, baby eating baby food and table food 2-3 times a day, freezer supply almost expiring! Mostly milk from December-January is left (6 month shelf life in an ordinary freezer--not a deep freezer), began restocking the stash by pumping once a day (3 oz. a time) IF she skips a feeding (she's going down from 4 to 3 feedings most days now)
Month Twelve (May 22-June 22): nursing 3-4 times a day (20-32 oz.), ran the Cotton Row 5K, up to a 13 mile long run, baby eating baby food and table food 2-3 times a day, baby drank the milk pumped from Mountain Mist in January this month!, baby taking water from sippy cup, have finished creating a freezer stash of extra milk (about 60 oz. or so), can be on cows' milk now!
I am not done nursing and plan to continue a little longer. I was worried about my supply at the 9 month doctor visit since my older daughter's weight percentile plummeted at her 9 month visit, but this baby was doing well--still at 40%. At her one year visit she was at 50%. Running and nursing is definitely doable with a little extra effort to plan your runs and races!
