Breastfeeding 101- Lesson #2

So 9 (almost 10) weeks into this whole breastfeeding thing, and what has changed? Drew's going much longer between feedings during the day; we went from every 1-2 hours to now every 2-4 hours! What a relief for Mommy!

My small bit of experience on BIP (breastfeeding in public): Even though you may attempt to keep yourself locked inside your safe haven living room, one day you will have to venture out beyond the driveway, taking the baby and his food with you. It was ever my intention to stay inside as long as possible and avoid BIP to save myself from the assured ultimate embarrassment. Well, this mommy can only take screaming in the chick-fil-a line for so long. My mom was driving, and I was in the backseat with Drew. We still had a 20 minute drive ahead of us, and the chick-fil-a line was at a dead stop for the longest time. I finally took him out of his seat while we were still in the drivethrough, trying to manage the whole "washcloth, blanket covering" thing at the same time. We decided to pull into a parking space so I could feed Drew. Uno problemo there, partner. Only one parking space available in the whole lot and it's facing the busiest road in town! Talk about getting thrown into this whole BIP thing head first! As I was fanagling Drew and the girls around trying to feed my child, guess who decides it's time to leave? The people parked on BOTH sides of us. The little boy getting in the vehicle to the right all but cupped his sticky little hands all over the back window to see what was going on inside. What a trip!

The next BIP experience came in the Zaxby's parking lot. What is it with my kid and fast food lines? Maybe it's his way of telling his mom to high tail it out of the fatty food places! We parked way in the back near Taco Bell which was basically empty...that is until we parked and I started "making lunch." That's when everyone in town decided that a 99 cent taco would hit the spot. Including the 80 year old man who kept walking by. Shiesh!

There have been several incidents since this point, but you get the jist. We're getting a better handle on being discreet!

The other thing I've had to manage is going back to work and pumping. It really hasn't been bad, except that since my shifts are so long (13 hours plus 1 hour total commute), I have to pump several times. So you pick up you black "discreet" bag by Medela. You might as well put a big sign on the side that says (Breastmilk bag); women know exactly what the bag is and don't say a word. Men, on the other hand, immediately ask, "Where are you going with that bag? What's in the bag?" Well, I'm not gonna lie and I couldn't make up anything quickly enough to tell the 65 year old man, so I just said, "To get food for the baby." His eyebrows raised and not another word was said. Then, since the doors at work don't lock I put this great sign on the door. There are only "so many" signs you can put on a door that people will actually obey. "Do not enter" would probably make some high falooting adminstrator think some nurse and tech were having a redevous in the empty pt. room. Instead I was advised to write this: "Pumping! Privacy Please!" and so I did. And it's somewhat embarrassing to walk out of the room with 16 eyes staring at you, knowing what you're doing every time. Why is it embarrassing? I don't know, but I know I'm not the only woman that feels that way! However, it's for my child's health so I'll continue embarrassing myself and little old men.

2 Month Well Visit and Shots!

So today was the big day. As we headed out the door this morning I got a wad of toilet paper and stuck it in my pocket b/c I knew I'd need it!

To tell you the truth, they weren't that bad, although I was only expecting two shots, not three! Drew cried about 10 seconds until Andrew picked him up. Then he just whimpered a little. I fed him before we left which put him right to sleep. He's been asleep for 2 hours now, which is almost a record time for him! We are stocked up on the Tylenol to give for the next day.

As for stats:

12 lbs. 9 oz (75th percentile)
23" long (50th percentile)

Dr. Phillips was incredibly nice, much more so than our last pediatrician at our 1 week visit. He sat down in the room and spent plenty of time with us. And I love that he asked if we had any questions, but didn't ask it with his back turned to us as he walked out the door. I hate when health care professionals do that! He said everything looked "perfect." The exact words I wanted to hear!

He did tell me something interesting about breastfeeding. A nurse in the hospital had told me this as well, but she wasn't sure if it was true. Dr. Phillips said statistics (don't they lie?) show that baby gets 90% of the milk from one breast in 5 minutes, 95% in 15 minutes. So in 10 minutes baby should get 90% of the milk in both breasts. I thought that was interesting considering my sweet child prefers to eat for 30 minutes sometimes!

Not much more time to write! I need to catch up on this HUGE mound of laundry! Instead, I'll leave you with pictures & a video if it will load quickly!

1 hour later...After loading this video FOREVER, I've decided to never upload another!







In the waiting room with Daddy, unaware of the shots that lie ahead!

I'm Back!

I'm getting so much grief for not blogging and posting new pictures for the fam! So sorry! My life is a tad more hectic than it used to be what with a baby to tend to 24/7 and all. ;)

Sunday night was my first night back at work. Drew woke me up that morning at 6:15 which was fine since that's what time we have to get up anyway to make it to church at 10:00. (Wake up, nurse, mommy shower, baby bath, mommy eat, nurse, dress mommy, dress drew, pack diaper bag!) I attempted to get a nap that afternoon, but it was reduced to 45 minutes when my child insisted on staying awake. Leaving him was SO hard. Even though I knew he was in good, competent hands with people who love him just as much as I do, I couldn't help but wonder, "What if he needs me and I'm not here?" I made Andrew promise on his life that if Drew wouldn't quit crying he would put him in the truck and drive him up to me. I also made him and Kacie promise to send me texts and voicemails throughout the night to tell me how he was doing.
I was sooo looking forward to coming home. I was hoping my relief would arrive on time and I could walk out before 7. Well, guess what? My patient turned bad on me at 6:40. Perfect timing! I didn't leave until 7:30, but when I got home I kissed my baby's face off!! When I went to nurse him, he looked so happy to have me back instead of a bottle. He was smiling and laughing so much I couldn't even get him latched on. Needless to say, the feeling was mutual! I am so thankful that my work schedule worked out so I could just work one day a week. That wasn't the case until just recently after much prayer and consideration. Praise God for His blessings! The only downside-I'll SO miss my weeknight nurse & doctor friends!

I can't go to work without some kind of patient story. The lady in the hall called out to me as I was walking by. I kindly asked what she needed. She said, "Do we get a discount for not having a television while we're here?" I said, "Only if I get a bonus for no break tonight." I laughed. She didn't.

My iron bladder boy is still peeing out of his diapers. We bumped him up to cruisers even though he's still 4 lbs underneath the Cruisers limit. They definitely hold better (ie hold more), but he still leaks out all the time when he lies on his back. Today he'd been asleep in my arms for about 45 minutes. I decided to attempt to put him in his bassinet. I promise I hadn't been away 5 seconds and I heard him squirm. I turned around and there was tee tee everywhere! Happened again at his afternoon nap. We've made sure his "shooter" was pointing downward, tried bigger diapers, and tried turning him on his side instead of his back to no avail! I've never heard of anyone else having this problem!

He will be 8 weeks old tomorrow. WOW! We go for his 2 month check up on Sept 9 during which he'll get his shots. Y'all...I'm dreading this like the plague! He and I are both going to bawl. Those nurses and doctors are going to think I'm crazy. Crazy about my baby hurting! I am, however, looking forward to having him officially weighed. The difference in his weight and mine on the scale is 12.5 lbs. Speaking of weight, I still have 10 lbs to go and have remained the same for almost 2 weeks. I think I've hit a rut!

The big excitement at our house is that Andrew & I are going on our first post baby date Saturday night while mom and dad keep Drew for a few hours. We're super excited! My friend Lori challenged us to try and not talk about Drew while on the date. She said it's almost impossible! I have a feeling she's right!

And back by request, many pictures of my sweet boy!




The outfit from Aunt Dianne


The dimple caught on camera--finally! I have one in the same spot! Isn't it adorable?!




"Thank you. Thank you very much!"

Positive Things About Breastfeeding

I don't want it to come across as though breastfeeding is awful with my complaints in earlier posts. Yes, it's difficult for sure; however, the positives outweigh the negatives by a ton!

1. It's so good for the baby.

2. It's cheaper than formula. That way you can buy gas for your car.

3. No period for months. What lady doesn't want that after going through 9 months of pregnancy?

4. The bonding experience is incredible. There's an attachment that is unsurpassable!

5. Breastfeeding women lose weight faster. Sign me up!

6. Breastfeeding women's hips go back to normal size faster. Jeans, here we come!

7. It's an instant calmer for fussiness, tummy aches, and hiccups! (Yes, I know hiccups is spelled
incorrectly. I like it that way better. ;) )

8. Breastfeeding releases a hormone for the baby that induce sleepiness. VERY helpful at times!

9. It's so easy to feed him at night. Just roll over and latch on. No fixing formula, warming it up, etc. Makes for more sleep for me and him!

10. Breastfeeding means we never have to worry about forgetting a bottle or not being able to warm one up. It's always there and always the right temperature!

Breastfeeding 101- Lesson #1

I've debated whether or not to write this tidbit on breastfeeding. It's still kind of a taboo subject in America. Some guys, even girls, get squeamish just bringing up the word. But then something hit me. This is my blog, and no one has to read it if they don't want! These little tidbits just might help someone out; that would make writing this worth it! Not only that, breastfeeding is a natural thing. The good Lord created women to be able to feed their children. We should be able to talk about it openly! That being said, if you're squeamish when reading the word "breastfeeding," turn back now. Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 dollars.

When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to breastfeed. The benefits for the baby were outrageous and the cost of formula is outrageous. Breastfeeding won by a landslide. What I knew about breastfeeding consisted of this: Mouth A goes on Breast B. I went in search of a few good books to read and found an entire library dedicated to feeding an infant. It seemed like such a natural thing. Why 500 million books on the topic? Boy, did I have a lot to learn!

With three "whole weeks" of experience under my belt, I'm still just getting started. However, the experience up to this point needs to be documented somehow, somewhere. Maybe someone will read it and know ahead of time a few things I didn't already know. Hopefully this will be Breastfeeding Series #1 with more to come. We shall see...

My favorite book of all that I read was So That's What They're For! by Janet Tamaro. Lighthearted, funny, and informative all in one book. That's my kind of learning! It really started me out with lots of knowledge that was necessary to begin breastfeeding correctly. Incidentally, I will not be sharing a "how to breastfeed lesson." Pick up the book. This is for those sidebits of information that you really need a good girlfriend to give you! So if you're friendless, take heart. You have a new girlfriend here!

I often wondered when I would know my milk would come in. I sat in my hospital bed while my child slept in my left arm, attempting to flip pages with only my right hand in search of this information. Please. Don't worry about looking for that information in the book. YOU'LL KNOW. When you wake up and look like you've gotten implants, your chest is on fire, and you feel lumps in your breasts and want a mammogram before you leave the hospital, it's coming in! I, however, didn't have that piece of knowledge while laid up in my expensive bed, felt masses in both boobs, and just knew I'd developed some rare form of childbirth related breast cancer. Fear not. It's normal.

After my milk did come in, the next question I had was how to turn these fancy new faucets off. I was literally sitting in my hospital bed (with company who stayed a while too long) while my hospital gown grew 2 large wet spots. That was the beginning of a long process! FYI to pregnant women who are planning on breastfeeding: invest in washable, reusable nursing bra pads. A bunch of them. Like 4 packs. The only problem with these pads is they're all advertised so excitingly as "ultra thin!". I wanna write the company and tell them if I just needed some toilet paper in my bra, I had that at home. I don't want ultra thin cause then I have to wear 3 of them! And, no, no one makes "ultra thick." I looked. So another FYI: invest in some washcloths if you don't have enough to bathe with and use as drip pads. So back to my question: when will these faucets learn to turn off? Well, I'm almost at week 3 and we still wear washcloths to bed. And we still go through 4 a night. It's better, but it definitely will be a glorious day when my washcloths are used for one purpose.

Along with this leakage problem comes the question of how many nursing bras and tanks you may need. My book suggested two. She must have washed both every day. I suggest 4. I have a nursing tank and 3 nursing bras and it's working well that way. Every time little dude eats, he forgets how to swallow right when he has a mouthful of milk, and we both get drenched. So unless you wanna be like I was for several days walking around in wet bras, invest in a few more. WalMart has them for cheap. Target has them for more expensive. Motherhood Maternity will rip you off.

Another tidbit on leakage (or in my case, a downpour)- when you get out of the shower you'll leak everywhere. Have your bra with your "ultra thin" liners ready! This can work to your advantage if you're engorged.

I'll leave you with my list of necessities for breastfeeding. Alright, if it was only necessities we'd be talking a boob and a baby. This is my list of "nice things to have on hand."
1. Electric double pump
2. Boppy pillow with washable cover
3. Germ X at the bedside
4. Gerber burp cloths-lots-not for spitting up, but for catching excess
5. 3 good maternity bras
6. 1 maternity tank
7. Washcloths!
8. LOTS of nursing bra pads (3.62/box at Target for 6)
9. Pure lanolin cream
10. Pen and paper to write feeding times the first few days
11. Something to remind you which breast to use next. Some people switch a ring from hand to hand. Some people with a LOT of time on their hands, use a safety pin on their bra strap. I have a rubberband on my arm that switches to remind me. That's easiest for me at night when I'm drifting off to la la land.

The first several days our little man slept so much we'd have to wake him to eat every 2-3 hours. It helps if you write down the times he eats so you can keep up with your schedule. Also, you'll need to be able to write down how many tee tee and poopy diapers he has each day to make sure he's getting enough nourishment.

As for clothing, I wish someone had told me to not waste a ton of money on shirts in the second and third trimester that I couldn't breastfeed in. If you can find clothes that V in the front so you can use them to breastfeed, you'll be killing two birds with one stone...and saving a lot of money. Unlike your author here.

There's so much more to type, but I know my little man will be awaking soon for his dinner! Stay tuned for lesson #2!