A Full Weekend!

So today, amongst other things I had a doctors appointment. I got a full exam and the flu shot. My doctor said it will help protect the baby since I'm breastfeeding. The most exciting part of the exam is when my Dr weighed me......I AM NOW SMALLER THAN BEFORE I WAS PREGNANT!!!!! I am a non whopping buck forty seven!! 147lbs! I think breastfeeding is AWESOME!!!! I can eat whatever i want and as long as i don't OD on food I'm set!! WOOO HOOOO! Pay back for all my hard work caring for my family. I highly recommend feeding the natural way if you can.

Also....I finally found some time this weekend to catch up with some friends of mine who also have had babies, and attend a birthday party. It was lots of fun....I was asked lots of questions about the baby and how long i plan to continue to BF ect... so we're going to form a bf info mini club and maybe I can convert them to the BF side....muah haa haa haa haaa.

Here are some pics of the event.





Nursing in action!

BABY GLOTON!

I was going to Include this at the end of my other post, But this information deserves its own page, don't you think?!

The other day I was at my friends home visiting with the baby when her friend stopped by with her 4 year old daughter. The little girl came over and asked to see Hana and I told her that the baby was eating. She persisted to look around the cover I had on and sneaked a peek at my nursing LO. The girl then said to me "umm...is she sucking on your teta's?". I replied "yes, that is what your tetas are for.....to feed the baby when you grow up and have a family".

All of us woman looked at each other and smirked hard! In any case it was funny, but true. It brings me to another website I would like to share... http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2009/07/babyglutton.html . On this site is a doll called " Baby Gloton" The worlds first breastfeeding doll!!!! Its about freaking time. I think this doll was a long time in the making and should have been the first baby doll ever put on the market!

Admittedly I also feel they should have given it a better name. I mean "Gloton"?? .....gluttonous? why name a doll that is made to mimic NATURAL FEEDING gluttonous? There is nothing gluttonous about breastfeeding!! Only bottle fed babies can over eat and when forced to knock back 8oz bottles of formula as they suckle for comfort become gluttonous out of habit and not actual hunger!! Uhh, I sincerely hope they change the name of the doll for the U.S launch, If there ever is one. Below is a comment someone left on the above website about the name....sure clears things up....but it's not going to fly..or sell for that matter in the U.S without a better name.

"Cecilia says:

I’m familiar with Spanish culture as well… calling a baby “gloton” is a term of endearment. I’ve heard little girls called “bruja” (witch) and “gorda” (fat), which is appalling to many Americans, but the use of these nicknames is just as common as “guapa” (beautiful) and “maja” (pretty, nice-looking)."

Coming down off the name thing I would defiantly buy this doll for friends and family if it was made safely and the parents didn't mind. My LG is getting one in advance, and so is my nieces.

My Gift

Today, I was sitting in my rocking chair nursing my baby and I started thinking how lucky I have been to be able to fully enjoy my new addition by being at home full time. So far I have had the great pleasure of witnessing her first smile and first coos. How my heart lept when I discovered that she recognized my voice and face. The topping on the cake is when she reached her little arms out to me when she cried yesterday. It is an awesome feeling and I owe it all to my mother, the strongest, most insightful woman that ever touched this earth. So everyday I look at my girl, I see my mom and thank her for everything.

now...my nursing tidbits of the day.....

As we know I am now free of my (awesome) breast pump. My little sunflower is still taking both sides, however I am still over producing milk. So much so that my breast are still full when Hana is done with her meal. I have been trying to tough it out and see if my milk will level out but so far its a no go. I decided to call up my lactation consultant and she said to give it a few days and my body should get the hint and cut back on production, If not then she will tell me about some medication i can take to cut my supply. That option makes me nervous and I hope it does not come to this. I hate meds!

So tomorrow I have a court appointment.....(did I mention I hate places that require one to wait forever in line?) I wonder if I should express some milk to bottle feed my LO or should I go full fledged lactation queen and nurse right in public? I am certainly not shy when it comes to nursing in public places, but I am not sure how they will feel in the court house? uggh! Whatever, we will see. I guess I will include pictures of shocked onlookers on my blog tomorrow.

*currently nursing away*

=^_^=

Mei Tai Happiness!!!

A few weeks back, I decided to join the trend of "baby-wearing". Well in order to begin my ascent into this heralded sect I needed the basics....a dam good carrier, capable of extended carries, high weight limit, correct Infant support (none of that crotch yanking baby bjorn stuff), comfortable with wide straps that distribute the weight of the baby to the hips not the back and stylish to boot. Here it is....

Yesterday I got my new baby carrier in the mail. I am extremely happy. Its a Mei Tai style carrier from "Mei Tai Baby"(http://www.meitaibaby.com/).....It's pure heaven, and after a crap load of research, I'm confident that it will serve me well. I considered buying a Ergo or Becco but wanted to design my own and this website offered a spot of creativity. With out going into a full fledged caparison I just wanted to put it out there that the above site is great!!

How does this relate to the moo-moo factor of this blog?? Well...I am happy to say that I can comfortably breastfeed in it using both sides =^_^=. My LO loves to be in it. She fell asleep about 5 minuets after being placed into it and now my hands are free to do other things.

After gushing over this carrier i do have one peeve.....taking it off outside can be a bother because the straps are very long so you have to watch and be sure not to let it touch the ground.

As always.....time to nurse.


P.S

Next time........."spoiling" in order to maintain or increase your milk supply, and why i don't believe in letting my baby CIO.

ACCEPTED!!!!

Seems I've been waiting forever for my little one to end the rejection. I'm happy to share that the stand off is over!! She has accepted the shunned right boob!!! No longer am I forced to solely pump that side in the wee hours of the morning. NO! I am free to feed from both sides!! Yatta!!!!!!!!! Honestly I thought this day would never come, and also less pumping means I can cut back on storage. Thank goodness for that because I think I have more than enough milk frozen at this point.

When Daddy saw all the milk I had stored, He joked that I am blessed to produce so much milk, and that people out there that need to can't for one reason or another. Taking that into account, I guess I will thank god for ever ounce I get and pray that I can continue to rely on my body for my baby's nourishment. Formula is expensive and I am glad for each day I don't have to waste my savings on it.

Oh, by the way I know this is off subject (which I will go from time to time) but I've decided against a condo...the good news is that my sister has agreed to put in with me to get a two family house!!!! I had been asking her for the longest, but yesterday she relented (she has control over both our house money from our mom. There is a house around the corner for sale that looks good from the outside...but no matter what I'm going to make sure It has a small room for me to nurse in (Ill turn it into a play room later).

As always...Time to nurse! (not pump!! WOOO HOOO!!!)

Milk Bags

Today I'm out of milk storage bags. Since it's time to buy more I felt like doing a bit of research to see if i could get cheaper bags but still maintain the quality (bpa free ect..). Here is the run-down...

The First Years Easy Pour Milk Storage Bags - 50ct - Amazon.com - $9.63 walmart - $13.96

*My current brand* Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags - 50 bags-Amazon.com- $11.99 - Babiesrus -$13.25

Gerber Seal N Go - 45 ct -Amazon.com - $14.95

Medela Pump & Save - 50ct - $18.99 - Many different stores ..around the same price.

Ameda Mother's Milk Freezer Bags - about $11 on various sites

Ok so here is how i weigh in on the bags after reading online reviews and my own experience with them..

Gerber.......No way, There are too many reviews out there where they say the bags leak. One poster even said that they tested the bags before use each time and 3 out of 4 bags leaked!! Omg! With breast milk being like liquid gold in my opinion, those results are like throwing money away!

Ameda.....look...first off i used similar bags 6 years ago with my second child and they were ok.....but using those clips were ridiculous! the leaks...the spills..uggh! did i mention the clips?! what a disaster. Better off using the clips to hold your hair back while you cry over spilled milk.

Medela.....I've never used the bags but my pump from them is a god send. Just plain amazing, and that what the reviews on the net say about the bags as well. I do want to say that they are on the pricey side, but i guess if you can afford it, why not go for the top tier.

Lansinoh .....These are the bags i use now....they are very good and i am a repeat customer. I do have to say that i had a bag or two thaw out and discovered a leak or two, but thats out of a hundred or so bags. Overall i give them a 95%.

The first years ...Never used them, but they get pretty decent reviews, but many people say the have a strong plastic smell.

After poking around, I think I'm going to just get the Lansinoh ones.....I don't want waste any milk by being too .........frugal if you will. Ok, off to the store i go. I know it seems silly, but I like to "see whats out there" from time to time to ensure I'm getting the best deal around.

uh! seems i am full, time to pump.

La Leche Loca

(This is an actual pic from the deep freezer, I took them today..lol..stopped being lazy)

This is just a light representation of what my frozen store looks like. I have been pumping the "shunned" breast since week one, and so far it gives me about 30-40oz of milk per day. All of which is "extra" milk because Hana only drinks milk out of the left breast. I have been going through so many bags that i have cut back on my pumping to try to cut a small portion of my milk supply.

Issues this week......My left breast is very sore....and I'm not talking about the nipple, the underside of my boob is sore. It is interfering with feeding. Last night i thought i was going to have to go to the hospital because the searing pain was not going away. Lucky for me that today it has seemed to lessen and i can continue to nurse my LO another day.

As a side note ..whoever said bf was easy is nuts. This is a big commitment. I mean... my day is planned around nursing/pumping for goodness sake, but it's something i do for my sweet little girl. Its hard but It's awfully empowering to be free from the formula companies. No matter what "new" formula they come out with i take heart in knowing that what i give cant be copied and is best.

Diving into it!

Ok ....so much like my other blogs this one is late too. 7 weeks behind to be precise. I began my third journey into breastfeeding at the end of July when my little sunflower was born.

About two hours after birthing my LO, I was all settled into my hospital room. I attempted to nurse her. She latched onto the left breast with no problem, drank for a few moments then just fussed a bit. To ffwd a bit.....after many short nursing sessions around day two my milk "came-in"! Horrah! I was very excited indeed...swollen but still excited (Oh..did i mention that she refused to nurse on my right side? yeah well yeah....that is the shunned boob). So far so good?.

Ever since week one I have been bf on demand and i think that is why i have such an abundant supply......and for the most part i love it.

I am a cow.