On Sunday, June 27, I noticed Autumn's FIRST TOOTH had popped through. HOORAY!
I also took notice that it was on the upper right gums...waaaaaaaaaaaaay in the back. A MOLAR.
Pardon my language here but....F&@#!
I have generic tylenol, but since I hate the idea of keeping her drugged all day for just a toothache I went out and bought homeopathic teething tablets & drops - all natural and no major side effects. Sunday night's sleep went...unwell, let's just say.
I'm hoping tonight goes better!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thankful Thursday
This Thursday I have a ton to be thankful for:o)
~Vacations. Nuff said!
~My best friend. Without her I'd probably be very lost in this world<3
~My best friend's family. They have always and will forever be my "home away from home." They love me and care for me as if I've always been their own and they truly are a blessing in my life. I am thankful for their hospitality this week (food, shelter, and hot tub!) and the joy they feel just for having us here. I do love them so much!
~My loving husband who, despite missing me and his little girl, understands the importance for me to just get away for a few days and relax. I'm sorry he couldn't make this trip with us, but I'm so proud of him for working so hard this week in this unbelievable weather to help support us.
~Days when my child seems to adore sleep.
~Double stuffed oreo cookies, doritos, and hot dogs with cheese;o)
I'm a happy girl this Thursday!
~Vacations. Nuff said!
~My best friend. Without her I'd probably be very lost in this world<3
~My best friend's family. They have always and will forever be my "home away from home." They love me and care for me as if I've always been their own and they truly are a blessing in my life. I am thankful for their hospitality this week (food, shelter, and hot tub!) and the joy they feel just for having us here. I do love them so much!
~My loving husband who, despite missing me and his little girl, understands the importance for me to just get away for a few days and relax. I'm sorry he couldn't make this trip with us, but I'm so proud of him for working so hard this week in this unbelievable weather to help support us.
~Days when my child seems to adore sleep.
~Double stuffed oreo cookies, doritos, and hot dogs with cheese;o)
I'm a happy girl this Thursday!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
A random breastfeeding discussion...
***Disclaimer - I do not care if you breastfeed, pump & bottle feed, formula feed, gave natural birth, gladly accepted the needle-in-the-back, begged your doc for a c-section, cloth diaper, use sposies, etc. I do not believe that I am better than anyone else for choosing the paths that I've taken. I AM; however, an advocate for women & families choosing to make educuated decisions that fit their lifestyles the best. Whatever is best for you will be best for your baby and that is the ultimate goal = HAPPY FAMILIES!
So...moving on...
I was breastfeeding Autumn tonight before bed and I began to think about how wonderfully lucky I am that our breastfeeding journey has gone so well. Have I mentioned this before? I know I have! And it's not bragging - it's me NOT taking for granted just how lucky we are. Because there are women who struggle. I've read their posts. I've talked to them in person. I've seen it first hand sitting right next to my best friend. If you were to sak me if breastfeeding was easy, my answer would be ABSOLUTELY NOT. Not because my experience has been hard, but because it can be hard and no matter what, it takes a lot of time and effort regardless of if you have problems.
Sometimes I feel guilt for having no troubles. Tonight I pondered this thought. Why did/do I not have problems? Really...why? The main problems I hear about are usually latching, supply, and thrush. I didn't have any of these. Why, why, why? And then the thought of my natural birth came into my head. Did that have anything to do with it?
I'm not a researcher. I'm not a doctor. And I've hardly talked to enough women to find out. But it's a question that makes me curious. Perhaps they've already done this research (and if there is a study out there about this...please send it to me...I'm very curious). But if they haven't done this study, wouldn't it be nice to know if a natural birth vs. birth that called for medications had anything to do with it?
The variables would be numerous - which medications were used, the dosages given, perhaps the type of birth (vaginal vs. c/s), etc. But overall, my questions is, does medication have a lasting effect on breastfeeding? Do meds disrupt something that makes it harder for a child to latch on? Do meds do something to horomones that would make it harder for milk to come in when its supposed to, resulting in a low supply and discouraging women from waiting it out? Is it possible meds could completely take away a woman's milk supply? Can meds make a woman's body more likely to have thrush?
Or maybe it's just chance. It's just a completely natural thing.
Or maybe it's a little bit of both.
I don't know. And that's that. I DO NOT KNOW. I'm not assuming anything. I'm not saying these are side effects. I'm just curious.
So...moving on...
I was breastfeeding Autumn tonight before bed and I began to think about how wonderfully lucky I am that our breastfeeding journey has gone so well. Have I mentioned this before? I know I have! And it's not bragging - it's me NOT taking for granted just how lucky we are. Because there are women who struggle. I've read their posts. I've talked to them in person. I've seen it first hand sitting right next to my best friend. If you were to sak me if breastfeeding was easy, my answer would be ABSOLUTELY NOT. Not because my experience has been hard, but because it can be hard and no matter what, it takes a lot of time and effort regardless of if you have problems.
Sometimes I feel guilt for having no troubles. Tonight I pondered this thought. Why did/do I not have problems? Really...why? The main problems I hear about are usually latching, supply, and thrush. I didn't have any of these. Why, why, why? And then the thought of my natural birth came into my head. Did that have anything to do with it?
I'm not a researcher. I'm not a doctor. And I've hardly talked to enough women to find out. But it's a question that makes me curious. Perhaps they've already done this research (and if there is a study out there about this...please send it to me...I'm very curious). But if they haven't done this study, wouldn't it be nice to know if a natural birth vs. birth that called for medications had anything to do with it?
The variables would be numerous - which medications were used, the dosages given, perhaps the type of birth (vaginal vs. c/s), etc. But overall, my questions is, does medication have a lasting effect on breastfeeding? Do meds disrupt something that makes it harder for a child to latch on? Do meds do something to horomones that would make it harder for milk to come in when its supposed to, resulting in a low supply and discouraging women from waiting it out? Is it possible meds could completely take away a woman's milk supply? Can meds make a woman's body more likely to have thrush?
Or maybe it's just chance. It's just a completely natural thing.
Or maybe it's a little bit of both.
I don't know. And that's that. I DO NOT KNOW. I'm not assuming anything. I'm not saying these are side effects. I'm just curious.
Highway Shoe-Losers...come in please
How do people lose odd things, like A SHOE on the highway? Not a pair. Just one.
I understand hats - people driving convertibles or open top Jeeps or something similar.
I understand baby socks, shoes, toys, etc - children like throwing things out the window (although I'm not a fan of open windows for children on a busy street for this very reason and others).
I understand cds since I've lost and witnessed several other occassions where they go flying out the window when you're searching for one very specific cd (how often is it the one that just flew out the window?).
But do tell...how do you lose ONE shoe? If it's a situation where your trunk opened and your suitcase came unpacked - then why did you pick up everything BUT that shoe? I'm just curious. HOW THE F*^&@ DO PEOPLE LOSE ONE SHOE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET?!
And that's your random thought for the day:o)
I understand hats - people driving convertibles or open top Jeeps or something similar.
I understand baby socks, shoes, toys, etc - children like throwing things out the window (although I'm not a fan of open windows for children on a busy street for this very reason and others).
I understand cds since I've lost and witnessed several other occassions where they go flying out the window when you're searching for one very specific cd (how often is it the one that just flew out the window?).
But do tell...how do you lose ONE shoe? If it's a situation where your trunk opened and your suitcase came unpacked - then why did you pick up everything BUT that shoe? I'm just curious. HOW THE F*^&@ DO PEOPLE LOSE ONE SHOE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET?!
And that's your random thought for the day:o)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
My stash!
A few days ago I took inventory of my freezer milk stash and it was up to 60.5 oz! At first I thought woo-hoo! Then I REALLY thought about it and I'm no where near where I need it to be. I remember reading someone's post about how they had pumped almost 200 ozs and it still wasn't enough to get them through the first full year! Granted, their situation was likely to be completely different from mine. I haven't run the numbers yet, but in a few months I will really have to start thinking about how much milk I'm going to need for Autumn. Here are some things I need to consider:
1 - Food. When I do decide to start solid foods (cereal and purees) it will mean that I'll need to have a few ounces ready to go to mix with her food. Obviously I'm not going to sit there like a cow and tug at my boobs to put milk in her bowl. Although that would be a sight to see!
2 - Morning Care. Likely my sister-in-law is going to be totally awesome and watch Autumn for me in the mornings when the fall semester starts. Right now I'm signed up for classes Mon-Fri morning, but I'm on the wait list for a third class. If I get into the waitlist class, I would drop the Mon/Wed/Fri class and only have classes on Tues/Thurs in the mornings. This would mean I would need less milk because she'd only be away from me for two mornings, which is far better than trying to supply milk for five mornings!
3 - Demand. I will have no idea for another few months what Autumn's feeding schedule will be like. Not only will I have to take into consideration how often she is eating, but also the food I'll be sending with her. So...we'll be handling bottles & solids at once. Good thoughts? By then I ***think*** her feeding schedule will be more spread out, not necessarily every 2-3 hours like it is now, AND I think when I start solids she only gets it at one meal for a little while (dinner?) and then she gradually moves up to having it at every meal. So, in the beginning I may not be using as much of my freezer stash as I anticipate.
The really great thing is that the freezer stash will likely only be used for mornings when I have class and for mixing with solids. I will still have Autumn in the afternoon and evenings, which means we can still breastfeed whenever we like. AND, if I'm up for the challenge, I can still pump when I need to/want to to continue adding to the stash.
If you have any thoughts/suggestions that helped when you needed to send your little one to be cared for by someone else I would really love to hear about it!
1 - Food. When I do decide to start solid foods (cereal and purees) it will mean that I'll need to have a few ounces ready to go to mix with her food. Obviously I'm not going to sit there like a cow and tug at my boobs to put milk in her bowl. Although that would be a sight to see!
2 - Morning Care. Likely my sister-in-law is going to be totally awesome and watch Autumn for me in the mornings when the fall semester starts. Right now I'm signed up for classes Mon-Fri morning, but I'm on the wait list for a third class. If I get into the waitlist class, I would drop the Mon/Wed/Fri class and only have classes on Tues/Thurs in the mornings. This would mean I would need less milk because she'd only be away from me for two mornings, which is far better than trying to supply milk for five mornings!
3 - Demand. I will have no idea for another few months what Autumn's feeding schedule will be like. Not only will I have to take into consideration how often she is eating, but also the food I'll be sending with her. So...we'll be handling bottles & solids at once. Good thoughts? By then I ***think*** her feeding schedule will be more spread out, not necessarily every 2-3 hours like it is now, AND I think when I start solids she only gets it at one meal for a little while (dinner?) and then she gradually moves up to having it at every meal. So, in the beginning I may not be using as much of my freezer stash as I anticipate.
The really great thing is that the freezer stash will likely only be used for mornings when I have class and for mixing with solids. I will still have Autumn in the afternoon and evenings, which means we can still breastfeed whenever we like. AND, if I'm up for the challenge, I can still pump when I need to/want to to continue adding to the stash.
If you have any thoughts/suggestions that helped when you needed to send your little one to be cared for by someone else I would really love to hear about it!
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