Clearly they are starving me!

I tried to order foie gras, but all I got was rubber ducky.

I'm also being forced into canabalism

Pictures

Okay, okay, it took longer than i promised. I somehow misplaced my camera in my tiny duplex. Oh well here are the pictures.

Oh no, my 2 yo cousin is trying to pick me up!!!!

7 months!

Whew. we hit 7 months with lots of changes.

• Benjamin pulled himself up with no help from me
• He let my mom rock him to sleep. No bouncing. (about time)
• He lunged forwards a few times
• He has a new fear of the bathtub and water (hopefully he will get over this soon)
• He apparently likes people watering plants (as described below)
  

He has always been adorable, but he is getting even cuter! I was playing with him yesterday at my mom's house over my lunch break. My mom needed to water her plants in the sun room, so she got the watering tin and started pouring water on the plants. Everytime she would pour the water, Benjamin with start laughing. The more she did it, the more laughing he did, until he was almost laughing hysterically. As my sis Zarah would say, he caught a case of the jollys. It is so fun to see him get a little personality.
After he wakes up (yes, he is actually sleeping today, going on 2 hrs!), I will take some 7 month pictures to share.

Movin and groovin

It is official, Benjamin is no longer a stationary baby. He can scoot backwards really well, and has started to rock back and forth and lunge forward. I laid him down on his back in his crib while I ran to the bathroom, and when I came back, I found him on all fours. oh my, my little baby is growing up : (



We had our first bout of sickness. Last night around 10, B was really fussy, my hubby and I rocked and rocked (bounced, jogged around, did deep knee bends, etc)and I finally gave in and nursed....then I got to wear all of that and more as my baby projectile vomited all over my, our bed, and himself. Scary! Thankfully after a quick change of clothes and sheets, he seemed to be alright (he smiled at me when I laid him down), and took a while to get back to sleep, but slept ok, and seemed to be behaving fine today. Lets hope that's over with. it was no fun.

For new moms or moms-to-be

(disclaimer, please don't be offended if you are going to use formula or have used formula, these are just my personal experiences)

As you can tell from previous posts, I have loved my breastfeeding experiences. Since my mom has told me that a few soon-to-be mothers have been directed to my site, I've decided to share some of the tiny bit of knowledge that I've acquired over the last 6 months.
Here it goes...
1. The books say that if baby is latched properly, it shouldn't hurt. They lie...unless for some reason you have no feeling in your nipples. The suckling strength of a baby is amazingly powerful, and painful to boobies that have felt nothing but a nice soft bra. But, it will get better, I promise.

2. I recommend asking the nurse/Lactation consultant to show you how to pump while you are in the hospital. (well, they should also show you how to bf, but that's a given)

• Only pump after you've fed baby.
• Be prepared to get nothing or just a few drops of colostrum (baby is much more effective that pump, so don't worry)
• When the pump is going, the nipples sometimes turn a dark color (purple) from blood flow. that is ok.
• I really only recommend this if you plan to use a medela pump, because it will get you an extra set of pump parts, which is handy when you return to work.
  
• Oh, and this hurts like the devil also on those tender nipples

3. Unless your baby is ill and something is very wrong (or preemie or some other medical conditions), there is NO need to supplement with formula. God made mamas just the way he wanted us. The colostrum is the perfect thing for your newborn. Breastfeeding jaundice is normal and only rarely requires formula supplementation (listen to your doc, but as long as the "numbers" are fine, keep bfing, alot) Supplementing with formula, when not medically required, from the beginning is one of the worst things a bfing mom can do to damage her supply. In order for your body to know how much milk to make for baby, you have to nurse nurse nurse, and pump if for some reason you can't nurse. Anytime you feed baby formula (or pumped milk for that matter) and are not nursing, you are telling your body that baby doesn't need to eat, so your milk production will lessen.

4. Newborns need to nurse a lot! Their bellies are very tiny. Goodbye long stretches of sleep. Baby will eat every 1-3 hrs (more often in the beginning, and less often has he/she ages). Most docs recommend not letting baby go longer than 3 hrs the first few weeks of life (again, depends on lots of factors). This means you do not get to sleep longer stretches than 3 hrs at a time. Bummer, I know, but your baby needs YOU and you alone for this. Let your hubby help with everything else (bath, diaper, cooking for you, laundry, etc), because you will need help and rest.

5. Take care of yourself
Birth is exhausting enough (and I never even had to do any pushing!), then you don't get to sleep to recover. So, accept all the help you can. You can't build a good milk supply if you are not taking care of yourself. Eat well, drink tons and tons of water, and rest when you can. The pounds will come off later, the house will get cleaned later (well, maybe), and life will go on.

6. Eating/Foods/Gas/ etc
Do what you are comfortable in this area. I do not shy away from foods just b/c of taste. I eat garlic, onions, spicy, and very flavorful meals just as I always have. However, I have found that beans of any kind are just not worth eating...they make my little boy wake up a lot at night with gas. Benjamin screamed a lot when he was first born, and I thought it was something I was eating. I soon discovered it was reflux, and he was in pain everytime I laid him down. If your baby is screaming when laid down or just after he spits up, reflux may be to blame.

7. Going back to work can be detrimental to breastfeeding. It's just a fact. Going back to work is stressful, pumping can be more stressful (am i making enough, is my baby eating enough, etc). Everything about going back to work can affect your supply. So drink tons of water, bring cute pics of baby to work, talk to your work about the space and time you will need to pump, and make if a priority. Thank goodness my work is very flexible. Pumping should generally be done every 2.5 hrs while away from baby.

8. If you are worried about your supply, its normal. I have been paranoid about not making enough milk many times. Yes, it has even led me to tears. Sometimes the baby is going through a growth spurt, so needing to feed every hour can be normal, and not a sign of not having enough milk....the baby is building up your supply. Again, eat well, drink lots of water, nurse frequently, and have your mom make you lots and lots of Lactation cookies. Even if they don't work (i think they do), they sure taste great. You can also try eating oatmeal every morning, pumping 15 mins after each feeding, taking the supplement fenugreek (warning will make milk taste like maple syrup, which baby may not like, and will make you smell like IHOP), or the rx Metoclopramide (will cause drowsiness).

8. I recommend the following books:

• So That's What They're For!: The Definitive Breastfeeding Guide (humorous and truthful)
  

• The American Academy of Pediatrics New Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding (for some straight information)

9. Don't have any formula around. I think formula companies mail formula to new moms, stuff all the bags at Motherhood Maternity with their info, etc so in the middle of the night, when you're hallucinating about losing your baby in the covers, you will think " hmm, lets just feed the kiddo some formula to get him to sleep longer". If it isnt around, you can't use it, and you'll use what you do have, your boobs.

10. After you get the hang of things, you will marvel at how easy is it. No mixing powder and water, warming bottle while babe is crying, or washing bottles. Baby cries, you feed, baby is happy. Wa-La. Also makes traveling very easy (invest in a Hooter Hider to discreetly cover up while in public).

11. You will leak. Some of the disposable breast pads (medela) feel like sand paper on sore nipples. I highly recommend getting a few cloth breast pads to have around. They are generally way softer. (I bought mine online, the gerber ones are horrible). Oh, and be ready to leak on one side when you are feeding on the other. Happens all the time.

12. And after bfing, your baby will be very attached, and you may have to deal with a baby like this... Weaning Stewie


That is all I can think of now.
If you have any questions, I would be very happy to answer them.
Email me at narfyram@hotmail.com

6 mo stats

Dr appt today (to KC and back before the snow got bad!)
26 inches ( 25-30 percentile)
15 lb 8 oz (10-25 %)
17 inch head circ (25-50 %)

skinny with a big head.....it must be because I tell him how cute he is all the time : )

Safe travels during the snowy weather!

6 months and beyond!

I reached my 1st goal of exclusively breastfeeding for 6 months.
No formula, no cereal or other solids, no nothing but my milk for Benjamin. Many people think this is crazy (and sadly, less that 15% of mothers do this), but it is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, etc etc. Exclusively breastfeeding until 6 months (hence delaying solids) decreases development of food allergies, decreases risk of obesity, blah blah blah. It was very important to me to make it this far, and I'm so glad I did. It really helped to have a supportive family, and wonderful hubby who made sure I kept hydrated, and a wonderful mom, who stuffed me full of "lactation" cookies (they have brewers yeast ...they are not made with breastmilk!) when I was paranoid that my supply was low. And thankfully I have a flexible job so I can take my pump breaks without too much hassle.

Anyways, that leads us to where we are now....we started cereal!
While most people start with iron fortified rice cereal....I certainly wouldn't want to do what most people do ; ) Rice is pretty nutrient deficient, so I decided to start with oatmeal (great source of fiber, and other vitamins). Super easy to make. Buy old-fashioned oats. Grind in coffee grinder. cook. serve warm with breastmilk mixed in. I freeze extra so I only cook some every 3-4 days.
Benjamin wasn't too excited the first few times he tried, but lately, he has been finishing his bowl and laughing and smiling the whole time. It is messy, but really fun to see him enjoy it. He also tried avocado this weekend at my parents. Oh and for those inquiring minds.... even a full bowl at 5:30pm does not = longer sleeping.

Benjamin has also been having lots of fun during bathtime with Hubby.

MMMM duck.

Towel head

We go for Benjamin's 6 mo check up soon. It is supposed to be Wednesday, but we are only going if it doesn't snow.