Before C was born, I decided that I would breastfeed him. I knew that I had some potential for trouble, but I wasn't too worried…after all it was the "natural" thing to do. Well, it seemed natural enough when we were in the hospital. He latched on fairly quickly after birth and would nurse 10-15 minutes on each side with no problem. AWESOME!! I was so proud that I was able to do such a good job and that he was such a fast learner. Until we got home…
The first day was still okay. He seemed to get a little grumpy when he latched on, but once he was on there he was okay. This trend continued throughout the first night. The second day home started to turn ugly. A little grumpy was not the term I would use to describe the screaming, red-faced lunatic who suddenly seemed enraged at the sight of his food source!! I tried many of the tricks I heard about in my class and online (kellymom.com is a truly amazing resource for new and veteran bf-ers), but nothing was seeming to work. I began to worry…and worry…and worry…Did he have enough wet diapers? Were they really wet or just damp? (Yes, I even cut some apart with scissors so I could verify their relative "wetness'!) What about poops? C was never a really big pooper from birth….nothing like the "every time they eat" crowd described in class. I called the nurse hotline and they recommended letting him nurse and then offering him some formula to see if he was not getting an adequate supply. I was not super keen on this idea, but anything to help my little man! The formula bottles worked miracles soothing the savage beast, but I was adamant that I would get him back exclusively to nursing. So each night for hours I would insist that he at least attempt to nurse before giving into the "dark side". Finally, about 10 days after he was born, I reached my breaking point. It was the middle of the night…I had been struggling with getting him to latch for my mandatory 10 minutes before offering a bottle and I just needed some sleep!!! So in my sleep-deprived state I decided to say "Forget it! No more stupid, broken mommy boobies for you…you can stick with your wonderful, no-fail smart boobies!" Luckily, for me, my cousin and friend came over the next day to meet C and share stories of their children's first days. As my friend was describing her nursing experiences complete with milk pouring/shooting/dripping and basically coming out any other way you could think of, I began to realize something was wrong. I had never had that happen to me. Not even really dripping that I could remember. A little light when on inside my brain…was it possible? Could it really be? Was the nursing problem b/c my milk STILL hadn't come in this long after birth? As soon as they left, I went online and started to research…it WAS possible! Some people (especially for some reason people with PCOS) will have a sort of delayed reaction and continue producing just colostrum for much longer than normal. The solution was to put baby on the breast as much as possible and pump in between feedings with the best double-electric pump you can get your hands on. So I did…and IT WORKED!! My milk came in and C gave up those smart boobies w/o even a second glance.
However, after this experience, and knowing that I am getting my Buy One Get One free deal on babies this month, I decided in advance to make sure I had several varieties of smart boobies for Seek and Destroy to try. Now, there have been several studies showing that the materials used to produce plastic baby bottles (BPA) are very harmful to our little ones. I was relieved that C used bottles infrequently b/c his bottles and my favorite bottles of all time (Avent) contained the dreaded chemical. This meant that I had to do tons of research to make a decision of what types of bottles to get for the boys. After careful consideration, I am going to start with Born Free and Playtex Drop-Ins. I bought them the other day and now they sit on my counter where I can stare at them and examine their every detail any time I choose! C also was kind enough to test them all out and decided he liked the Born Free the best. Just like his momma, he went for the sturdiest, largest one we had! It was a really close call though b/c one of the PD-Ins had planes, trains, and cars on it which are basically irresistible to 2 yo boys!
No question today folks, you'll have to think one up on your own! ;)
Good Things:
*C had a great time back at church after a couple week hiatus and actually helped pick up almost all the toys that he got out during his stay in the nursery!
*I took the most glorious nap ever…in my room with the windows open and a nice gentle breeze keeping it from getting too hot…it was amazing!!*Went grocery shopping and was able to keep up the whole way through the store without one single contraction!
The first day was still okay. He seemed to get a little grumpy when he latched on, but once he was on there he was okay. This trend continued throughout the first night. The second day home started to turn ugly. A little grumpy was not the term I would use to describe the screaming, red-faced lunatic who suddenly seemed enraged at the sight of his food source!! I tried many of the tricks I heard about in my class and online (kellymom.com is a truly amazing resource for new and veteran bf-ers), but nothing was seeming to work. I began to worry…and worry…and worry…Did he have enough wet diapers? Were they really wet or just damp? (Yes, I even cut some apart with scissors so I could verify their relative "wetness'!) What about poops? C was never a really big pooper from birth….nothing like the "every time they eat" crowd described in class. I called the nurse hotline and they recommended letting him nurse and then offering him some formula to see if he was not getting an adequate supply. I was not super keen on this idea, but anything to help my little man! The formula bottles worked miracles soothing the savage beast, but I was adamant that I would get him back exclusively to nursing. So each night for hours I would insist that he at least attempt to nurse before giving into the "dark side". Finally, about 10 days after he was born, I reached my breaking point. It was the middle of the night…I had been struggling with getting him to latch for my mandatory 10 minutes before offering a bottle and I just needed some sleep!!! So in my sleep-deprived state I decided to say "Forget it! No more stupid, broken mommy boobies for you…you can stick with your wonderful, no-fail smart boobies!" Luckily, for me, my cousin and friend came over the next day to meet C and share stories of their children's first days. As my friend was describing her nursing experiences complete with milk pouring/shooting/dripping and basically coming out any other way you could think of, I began to realize something was wrong. I had never had that happen to me. Not even really dripping that I could remember. A little light when on inside my brain…was it possible? Could it really be? Was the nursing problem b/c my milk STILL hadn't come in this long after birth? As soon as they left, I went online and started to research…it WAS possible! Some people (especially for some reason people with PCOS) will have a sort of delayed reaction and continue producing just colostrum for much longer than normal. The solution was to put baby on the breast as much as possible and pump in between feedings with the best double-electric pump you can get your hands on. So I did…and IT WORKED!! My milk came in and C gave up those smart boobies w/o even a second glance.
However, after this experience, and knowing that I am getting my Buy One Get One free deal on babies this month, I decided in advance to make sure I had several varieties of smart boobies for Seek and Destroy to try. Now, there have been several studies showing that the materials used to produce plastic baby bottles (BPA) are very harmful to our little ones. I was relieved that C used bottles infrequently b/c his bottles and my favorite bottles of all time (Avent) contained the dreaded chemical. This meant that I had to do tons of research to make a decision of what types of bottles to get for the boys. After careful consideration, I am going to start with Born Free and Playtex Drop-Ins. I bought them the other day and now they sit on my counter where I can stare at them and examine their every detail any time I choose! C also was kind enough to test them all out and decided he liked the Born Free the best. Just like his momma, he went for the sturdiest, largest one we had! It was a really close call though b/c one of the PD-Ins had planes, trains, and cars on it which are basically irresistible to 2 yo boys!
No question today folks, you'll have to think one up on your own! ;)
Good Things:
*C had a great time back at church after a couple week hiatus and actually helped pick up almost all the toys that he got out during his stay in the nursery!
*I took the most glorious nap ever…in my room with the windows open and a nice gentle breeze keeping it from getting too hot…it was amazing!!*Went grocery shopping and was able to keep up the whole way through the store without one single contraction!
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