Two Hospital Visits: My Broken Boob & Yellowy Baby

My breastfeeding journey with Braden was flawless. Truly - picture perfect. He latched well from minute 1, we both weaned together, I never had cracks, infections, the only little blurp was that I had discomfort for 1/2 a day when we finally weaned and stopped.

This time? He's had some latch "issues" that end up not bothering me or affect his feeding or weight gain (obviously!), but that I believe contribute to his spitting up issues. I had a tiny crack and a bit of bleeding for a day or two that cleared up easily.

Then this Tuesday I woke up with a really sore left breast. I was texting my SIL Laura (cuz what else would I do with any kind of baby or nursing issue?) and she figured if I had mastitis I would feel like I got hit by a truck. Well, literally after that nursing session and when we were done texting, I got chills, could not warm up had a very very low grade fever and extreme fatigue. Sure enough, upon further inspection I felt heat and saw redness on the inside of my left boob.

Laura told me to keep nursing, pump, pump, pump, and to do hot, warm compresses. Luckily, nursing didn't hurt at all and even with deep massage and palpation, that was bearable too. Luckily my sweet friend Jac was around to give me similar advice too and I was hopeful that I wouldn't have to go on meds. I felt much better that afternoon, but then got the chills again in the evening.

I woke up feeling better again and really wanted to do anything I could to avoid going on antibiotics, because I don't like the overuse of antibiotics in our society as it is, plus I do NOT like the side effects that I get from the antibiotic I knew I would be prescribed.

But...I wasn't diligent enough...or maybe my body just didn't want to heal on its own. I just couldn't commit to pumping every hour or two, my breast always felt pretty empty as it was and was never hard or engorged. I just couldn't do it. Not with a toddler and a baby to take care of.

Sigh.

I know I'm not...but I feel like a little bit of a failure. I've had these minor problems with breastfeeding this time, and it hasn't gotten me down with the actual breastfeeding at all, I just wonder why it was smooth sailing with Braden and I've had these few problems with Ethan?

Anyway, we hosted our 3rd annual friends holiday dinner party on Thursday night and I was feeling on the mend. I still had the redness and soreness but I systemically felt much better...until I put Ethan down. I took off my sweater to nurse him to sleep and by the time I was done, I was FROZEN. Checked my temperature and it was 37.6 (99.7, Americans ;). Not even considered a low grade fever, but hot enough for my body to react. I put on 2 sweaters to warm up, mingled for a bit longer with our guests and then headed to bed at 9 with my boob more red than it had been.

I threw in the proverbial white towel and headed to the doc in the morning. I was diagnosed with "classic" mastitis, likely streptococcus vs. staphylococcus and was put on Keflex for 10 days. I hate Keflex. But, this time I'm taking acidophilus with it, and that's all I'll say about that.

I'm 3, almost 4, doses in...and the redness is down drastically and it's not as sore to touch. I can feel a hard spot now which I will keep trying to get rid of manually and with the pump. Ethan is nursing well, but I can tell he doesn't 'like' that side as much, Laura said it can taste salty to them...so I don't blame the poor guy!

So...pray for my boob, will you? If it's not a lot better by tomorrow, I need to go in for IV which I do not want to do. I am thinking with the healing I've seen thus far this won't happen, but you never know.

Have you ever had mastitis? How did you deal?

And now, the yellow baby. At Ethan's 6 week appointment I mentioned to our doc that I thought he still looked a tinge yellow, even in his eyes. My nursing colleagues that had seen Ethan prior had also agreed with me. He recommended doing bloodwork just to make sure. So my poor little guy had a heel poke to check things out on Tuesday, and we haven't heard anything so I'm going with the "no news is good news" theory. I guess it's just a phenomenon and it's not affecting his health whatsoever.

Just as a nurse and a mom, I had to get it checked out to clear my mind. I'll keep you posted if we hear anything.

No more hospital visits...okay!

Ethan's 6 Week Update

Chunky monkey! A smiley chunky monkey! Our little man, is still little by newborn standards, but he has grown SO MUCH! I love that he still looks little and can snuggle into the nook of my shoulder on my chest so nicely...but, you guys....

ETHAN HAS GAINED ALMOST 5 POUNDS!!!

Here's what Ethan's growth looks like so far:

Birth: 6 lbs 5 oz
Discharge: 5 lbs 15 oz
2 weeks: 7 lbs 15 oz
1 month: 9 lbs 3 oz
6 weeks: 10 lbs 13 oz

The only thing I was concerned about at his 6 week appointment is that he's still jaundice. Sometimes I doubt myself....but clearly in these pictures he's still a tinge yellow. His color is slowly improving, but our doc is sending Ethan for blood work just to check things out (boo!) so I'm hoping that it's all well and that it will just clear up on it's own. He certainly doesn't act like a jaundice baby!

So from our discharge from the hospital at his lowest weight, he's gained almost 5 pounds in 6 weeks! Just unbelievable! This 100% makes me not worry about him being so spitty. I talked to my sweet friend Jac about Ethan's spitting, as her son was also very spitty too. We tried some of her tricks and they work! It's not 100%, but it helps and it varies day to day. Some days (or nights) it seems like he spits up everything...(but obviously he doesn't!), and other days he just has a quarter-sized spit. Mostly undigested milk just dribbles out the side of his mouth. I can live with having (another) healthy, spitty baby. It truly is just a laundry problem. (And also I hold my breath and pray that he won't throw up all over whoever is holding him!)

Back to the smiley part! This week, right when he turned 6 weeks on Tuesday he started smiling on purpose. My mother-in-law always says to Ethan "are you going to give Mommy some smiles now? She deserves it you know!" and he listened! Oh he's just so so sweet and him smiling on purpose is just the icing on the cake. He's also trying to coo....but he grunts SO much (as you have heard on Twitter if you follow me, surely!) that it's hard to distinguish anything other than a grunt!

He had his 6 week growth spurt right on time and I was up from 4:30 AM one day until 2:30 AM the next. Eat, eat, eat! No wonder why he's gaining so much weight! He also took a bottle for the first time yesterday, just a breeze! Guzzled 3 oz and then nursed on one side after. Can I get a "FREEEEEDOMMMMMM!!!!" and a "hallelujah!!" please!? Actually, Jay and I are planning a matinee date to celebrate Ethan's bottle-taking abilities! I'm not ready to sacrifice my sleep at night yet until he starts sleeping longer, so we'll go out in the afternoon.

Speaking of sleep, all is still fairly well in that department. He sleeps anywhere from 4-6 hours the first stretch, eats, and then sleeps another 2-3 hours. But since he turned 6 weeks this week, he had a growth spurt and it's thrown him off a bit, as he thinks it's cool to party in the middle of the high again, which I hate! It makes me feel like SUCH a mombie (that's zombie + mommy).

He naps really well too, but I can tell he's getting out of the "I'm-a-newborn-and-will-sleep-anywhere-anytime-through-anything" phase! Sometimes he will sleep while being passed around (when I want him to be awake, of course!) but other times he's up for hours because there's too much going on around him.

Breastfeeding is going really, really well. I love this instant bond that I've had with both of my babies because of this. My supply is abundant and as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, he goes though phases throughout the day of being really spitty and then not so much. Just praying that he outgrows this sooner than later! I think his latch could still be better, but it doesn't bug me and it doesn't bug him, other than potentially being spitty.

I'm starting to have to take a little more time to get him down for a nap too. He falls asleep nursing, but with his insane grunting (seriously, this baby is the loudest, gruntiest thing!) I have to rock him into a deep sleep or he'll be unsettled with his grunts and eventually spit himself awake. If I'm impatient (like I often am in the middle of the night), and try to lay him down too fast then he spits and I have to start over. It doesn't take long, and I'm soaking up all the snuggles I can!

He's become very very active this week. Well...for a 6 week old! He loves his play mat and has really found his kicks! He also does this in the bath and Braden loves to have a bath "to-gey-er" with Ethan, so we do that a few times a week now.

Have I mentioned how much I still love my camera, tripod, and remote? Love that I have been able to take all of his photos, they mean all the much more to me! Phew! That was a long post, hey!?

Breastfeeding: If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It!

So that sums up our visit with the lactation consultant (LC) on Thursday! She was absolutely lovely and very knowledgeable and I'm glad we went to see her.

The reason why I wanted to take Ethan, was because in the last week and a half he's gotten very "sucky" (literally) when he eats and very very spitty (which I was reeeeeeeally hoping to avoid with him). I figured he was probably getting so spitty because of all the extra air he was sucking in when eating and wanted to see if she could help fix his latch.

I am a big fan of KellyMom.com and highly recommend it for any breastfeeding moms out there, and had done some research on fixing latches. My SIL Laura is also very knowledgeable and she suggested I try the cross-cradle hold vs. the cradle hold that I've always used. I found I could get him on 80% of the time on the left with a better latch, but rarely on the right. With my knowledge not only as a mom who had eBF her first son until 5 months and then weaned just after his 1st birthday, and as a nurse, I knew that there wasn't necessarily a problem with Ethan's nursing...just with his latch. He is gaining well, peeing, pooping....thriving!

The LC watched me feed Ethan on the right side, my more difficult side, and she did see immediately he drew back and didn't have that full latch. She showed me some techniques to help him get a deeper latch, like holding him closer to me and supporting between his shoulder blades vs. his head, and even just those little things helped a lot.

But, her biggest recommendation was: If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

As I just said...he's eating, he's growing (like a weed!), peeing, pooping....so he's obviously getting what he needs. He's very gassy, but also not in pain from it and I'm not in pain during or after I feed him. We figure that he's compensating for my extremely fast and strong let down. He literally only has to be on for 5 seconds, not even feeding, and I let down. It's like he's sipping through a straw vs. chugging it down - which he knows he can't handle. I'm one of those women who just randomly lets down multiple times throughout the day, not triggered by anything either. I don't have over-supply, just a lot and my let down is strong.


With Braden, he couldn't handle my let down very well. He'd choke and spit while trying to eat...so I guess Ethan figured out how to handle it! I guess I'll just have another spitty baby, lots of bib-wearing and LOTS of laundry to do. But that's okay! I've done it before and I can do it again. The important thing is, is he's healthy and growing.

They say in the first month breastfed babies are supposed to gain 20 - 40 g/day. Ethan...is gaining >50 g/day! Over achiever! If he's anything like his big brother, and most breastfed babies, he'll continue to really gain the next 2 months and then plateau until we start solids. But, my 3 month old breastfed nephew is 16 lbs...so there's exceptions to every "rule"!

BUT, I think he has reflux. Praise God he is NOT in pain and not bothered by it at all, but last night, I swear he spit up every.single.drop of milk he drank. I know he didn't, but man oh man that poor kiddo just spit and spit and spit. He's in good spirits though...so when do I worry about this? I'm quite certain Braden wasn't this spitty.

The LC is going to call me later this week for a follow-up conversation so I'm just going to mention it to her and see if she has any words of wisdom about a non-painful reflux baby. She did recommend something, I forget the term she used, but it's essentially like "rebooting your computer" where a couple of times a day I would pump on both sides until I'm literally dry. She was going to forward the research on this to me, but she said sometimes it helps with a super active let-down. It's worth a try.

Do you have any tips for me on a super spitty/refluxy baby? I have tried:

• Burping before, during, and after feeds
• Keeping him upright after a feed for 15-20 minutes (this has proven to mean he just spits in front, and not to the side when lying down!)
• Reclining during feeding to use gravity to slow my let down
• Fixing his latch
• Only feeding from one side so that he gets the fatty milk and doesn't have to drown in two let downs
• Note: I really don't want him on meds, I think they really just help for pain not for actually stopping the spitting!

Well, that's about it for now. I'll update as our journey continues!

Also, have you ever gone to an LC? Did it help?

Breastfeeding...Who Knew So Many People Had a Problem With It!

When I was pregnant with Braden, probably the thing I was most excited for was breastfeeding. I don't even know why, I had obviously never done it before...but I just already had a passion for it and was longing to nurse my baby.

My breastfeeding journey with Braden was flawless. I was so so so blessed. I know it doesn't come easy for a lot of moms and babies...but Braden got it from the get go an we never ran into problems on our way. I have wonderful memories of nursing him and I'm so grateful for that.

When I nursed Braden, I always used a cover. This was my own personal choice, no one influenced it or made me ever feel like I had to use it. BUT, I did nurse him in public often...just with the cover. I never felt uncomfortable or shamed for my right to feed my baby.

Now that I'm breastfeeding Ethan, I feel even more empowered in my right to do it in public. I'm not brave enough to nurse without a cover, say, in the middle of a food court (yet?!), but that's just my personal choice. I will truly "nurse in public" without a cover on in the company of other nursing moms and certainly in my own house.

With Braden, I always used a cover. Everywhere. Other than in front of my husband and my mother. This time? I feel so much more comfortable and confident. I think what makes people uncomfortable is they don't know "where to look" when a mother is nursing her baby. I get it, it's hard to not look at the baby feeding. The first time one of my girlfriends nursed her baby in front of me (I was single and totally not even in the mindset of having my own babies!) I was shocked! I remember thinking "Wow...so there's her boob...just out there like that feeding her baby!" Believe me - I wasn't judging, I was just shocked!

Now that I'm on Twitter, I wasn't when I had Braden, I am absolutely appalled at the derogatory tweets from people who are against nursing in public! It is a HUMAN RIGHT to feed your baby anywhere and everywhere, people! You should Google for legislation in your province/state. I did and Alberta protects & supports nursing mothers! I love one of the slogans on their homepage: "Anywhere, Anytime in Alberta". AWESOME!

If you're interested in what I'm talking about. You need to either follow or take a look at some of @Wolf_Mommy's tweets! She is a nursing in public/breastfeeding advocate and purposefully goes out looking for Tweets for those who oppose it. In all honesty, I've had to unfollow her a few times because I get so riled up at the people she finds! I have joined in on a few of these "conversations" because it really irks me how disrespectful and down right discriminatory some of these people are!

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One day I had it in with a GUY who was completely disgusted that a woman was breastfeeding in church. IN CHURCH! Jesus was breastfed, people! Another male social worker was appalled that a teenage mom was breastfeeding on a bus. He says he "supports" breastfeeding, but not when done by a minor on public transportation! A SOCIAL WORKER! I say good for that teen mom for feeding her hungry baby! It also seems that naive young "women" are very offended by seeing a lady "half naked" or "flashing her tit". And of course, these girls' avatars (profile pictures) on Twitter are full of cleavage - never fails.

See, the thing is, people of the interwebs...when a mother is FEEDING her child with her BREAST, she does not do it for attention. She does it to give her child a basic need - food. She does not care if you are uncomfortable. If you are? Then look away. Move. But be respectful of her human right to provide nourishment and feed her baby. I'm so sick of people sexualizing breastfeeding!

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Another big thing that these people don't understand, is that babies are hungry and no they cannot wait to be fed like we can. Baby is hungry on a bus? Feed it. Baby is hungry in the restaurant? Feed it. The opposition often says "well she could at least be discreet and cover up a bit!" The law states otherwise. I don't know how many times I have to say in this one blog post, it's her RIGHT to feed her baby and she does not legally have to hide or cover up.

This is probably my most tweeted comment to those who don't "get" nursing in public:

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Luckily for me I haven't gotten any strange looks or comments when I've nursed either of my babies. But Lord help me them if I do! Have you had to deal with any negative comments while nursing your baby?

Also, I really need your help! Today is the last day to vote for all 3 of these photos for me to win cash prizes! My photo of Braden is only in the lead by a hair. We would REALLY appreciate your votes, last day...then I stop bugging! ;)

http://bit.ly/WveHJv

http://bit.ly/WveHcH

http://bit.ly/WveHt3

Post Partum Things So Far

I didn't even make it to my 38 week update, nevermind 39 or my final picture update of 40 weeks! So here's a whopping huge post-partum so far update for you!

We are 11 days in today and things are going great. I have to say with 100% certainty going from 1 child to 2 children has been tons easier than going from 0 children to 1! There's ups and downs to both, but I cannot believe how at ease I am with Ethan. It's like I knew him already and know exactly what he needs from me. I've taken care of a newborn before, so it was very easy that way.

I expected and anticipated broken up sleep and sleep deprived nights. When I would put Ethan down in his cradle and he would fuss within 5 minutes...3 times in a row...it was just like "yeah...whatever! No problem, little man...we'll figure this out!" Whereas with Braden I was so confused and wanted to pull my hair out trying to "figure him out" which we know is about darn near impossible!

Sleep The first few nights Ethan was very spitty. Mostly it was really thick mucous from birth, but every time I would lay him down he would spit and wake up. Luckily this resolved itself and he's rarely a spitty baby now ::fingers crossed:: which is awesome because Braden was a SUPER spitty baby!

Ethan's been giving me really good stretches of sleep. I get at least one 3 hour stretch out of him, usually in the really late morning around 5 or so. In the beginning he would eat, sleep for an hour, eat, sleep for an hour and repeat.

Now he seems to have his days/nights straightened out and we haven't had a late night party for a few days! He's been sleeping 2-4 hours, eating and repeating at night which is AWESOME and has made me feel so much more human! Longest stretch thus far has been 4.75 hours!

Breastfeeding Ethan is a champ, just like his brother was and I am so so so blessed and thankful for this precious gift I can give my sons. Ethan latched on instantly after he was born and has happily nursed away ever since. I was starting to get a tiny crack on one side, but it quickly resolved and I'm just dealing with the getting used to breastfeeding soreness again. The first 30 seconds are toe-curlingly painful....and then it's all good.

He's eating every 1-4 hours, just depending on his sleep cycles but he's nursing very very well and he's SO efficient, which surprises me! For being a tiny guy (5 lbs 15 oz on discharge from the hospital) I have only had to rouse him once to eat, whereas with Braden I often had to strip him and tickle his toes to get him to eat quite often. Braden also used to nurse for 40+ minutes PER SIDE, but Ethan does it in 20 minutes maximum and often way less.

I am proud of myself and I am so much more confident with nursing without a cover. I do not use a cover in my own home, but will cover up in other people's homes or when I'm in public (for my choice, not other's). But if I'm in a nursing room, such as at the mall, I don't cover up and it feels so good to have that freedom!

My Mood I had been coping really well with the usual sleep deprivation...until day 8. I ran out of my New Mommy High, and I cried the ugly tears on day 8. With the combination of Braden having some poop regression, having 3 small poop accidents that day...a really poopy (no pun intended) night of sleep for me the night before...I hit my wall and I cried. Braden cried for having poop accidents, I cried because of all the above, and also he started calling me "Mom" which made me feel really old and like he had suddenly become a teenager. Today? I think it's kinda cute that he calls me Mom...though I do encourage him to call me Mommy!

But luckily for me I have an amazing support system with my sisters-in-law Laura & Jess. Laura is 10 weeks ahead of me and Jess is 6 months in their post-partum glory...so it's amazing to count on these two lovelies to help me through these rough times. Love you both so much!

My Recovery In all honesty? If I didn't have Ethan in my arms, I would never be able to tell I had a baby! No tearing, average blood loss...I have felt GREAT! I was sore "down there" last time but not at all with this one. I can't explain it, but I'm not complaining! TMI for the fellas, but I thought my post-partum bleeding has stopped as of 3 days ago and that was a heck of a lot faster than last time...but then whoosh. And that's all I'll say about that!

I tweeted a lot about my after-pains. YOWZAH! They hurt like a sunnuvahbitch this time and I've heard they get worse with every baby you have. It felt like I was in labor all over again, and this lasted for a good 3-4 days.

Right now I'm getting some headaches, but this could be partially due to the change in the weather system (hello, snow!) so hopefully they will go away soon!

I'm going to post an update on Braden very soon, so I'm not going to touch on that here! I also wanted to give a big shout out and congratulations to Carey & her baby Ethan, Censie & baby Teagan, and Chelsey & baby Evie! Our babies were all born I believe within 5 days of each other! So if you're looking for more newborn goodness...go and give these ladies a follow and say hi!

Also! One more thing! I'm in an agriculture photo contest! I submitted 3 photos in 3 different categories. I can win $300 if all my photos win in their categories! Please please vote for each photo every 24 hours until November 15. You do have to like the Facebook page in order to vote, but keep in mind you can "hide" them from your news feed if you don't like to like pages and after the contest you could unlike them too!a

Here are the direct links to each picture - please and thanks so much!

http://bit.ly/WveHJv
http://bit.ly/WveHcH
http://bit.ly/WveHt3

Dreams of Breastfeeding Version 2.0

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All this wonderful talk of World Breastfeeding Week has inspired me to write a breastfeeding post. One of the bloggers whom I admire most, AP at I Love You More Than Carrots shared her post celebrating World Breastfeeding Week by having her husband take pictures of her nursing her new son Maclane. This is something I never did with Braden, and I really wish I had. I never thought about it though. I wasn't as into social media (Instagram & Twitter) back then as I was now. It just never occurred to me to take a picture of me doing one of the most natural things a mother can do for her child - feed him! But this time, I most certainly will. I think breastfeeding pictures can be absolutely stunning and it's memories I want to capture this time.

I have to say, last time when I was pregnant with Braden, I was so excited to breastfeed. I am this time too. The bond is just unbreakable. But, I do have some fears about it, because it was SO EASY with Braden. Too easy? I hear of tons of complications, lack of supply, latch issues, mastitis...I had none of that with Braden. He latched on within minutes of being born and we never had a problem. Ever. I'm not even exaggerating. I think the biggest problem he had was that he was a spitty baby. After he'd have a growth spurt and my supply shot through the roof, my let down would be insanely high and he had some troubles adjusting and therefore would be extra spitty, but that's about it. He weaned perfectly, when it was time to stop, we were both ready, I wouldn't change a thing about our breastfeeding journey together.

So am I scared that things won't be the same for me and Squishy? Absolutely. But? I am also way more knowledgeable now than I ever was with Braden, and I know there's nothing I can't work through. I've also been inspired to nurse publicly more often. I had no problem nursing in public with my Hooter Hider cover...I did it for me more so than for other people's insecurities, especially in the beginning when you're both learning how to do it! Nursing a neonate is super tricky at first and requires a Boppy for sure! (for me, anyway!) BUT having seen your pictures on Instagram & Twitter and from seeing how comfortable my sister-in-law Jess is with nursing in public, I'm motivated to nurse publicly where I see fit - in my own home in front of female relatives/friends and certainly in the designated nursing areas in malls etc. Will I do it at the swimming pool watching Braden in swimming lessons? Probably not, but that's for MY comfort, no one else's!

I would love to hear your stories about your breastfeeding journeys, leave me some links if you have posts or comment below!

World Breastfeeding Awareness Week

So, technically this was last week, but I was so extremely busy I had no time to blog and acknowledge it. Better late than never! I just wanted to share my thoughts and experiences on the subject matter.

This month actually acknowledges 6 months since I stopped breastfeeding Braden. He and I both made the decision that just after he turned 1 year it was time to stop. How did Braden, a 1 year old, help me decide - you ask? Easy! I knew what would be my last time breastfeeding him...but I also had an open mind that if he was showing me signs that he wanted to continue that I would let him, but just in the evenings or mornings if I was home, because I didn't want to let it hinder me going to work or going out to have a social life! It just so happened that Braden and I were on the same page and he never indicated to me once that he wanted to nurse when we stopped.

As odd as it may sound I was really excited to breastfeed when I was pregnant. I was looking forward to that special bond I would create with my baby and to be able to provide him with the perfect food to give him the best start to life as possible. I would have dreams not about labor and deliver...but about nursing! I had some breastfeeding education through my job and I have wonderful resources in my life that have done it with their babies and that have taken the 18 hour breastfeeding course through work.

One of my 3 goals when delivering Braden was to do it naturally (check!), to have no IV (check!), and to have him placed on my chest for skin-to-skin as soon as was safe, preferably right after delivery so I could nurse him ASAP (check!). It was better than the best experience I could have ever imagined. He latched like a champ and we never had a problem from the get go. I am lucky and I count my blessings. I know that.

Here are the things that I have learned and my advice for soon-to-be or new breastfeeding mamas:

• it hurts! Every book you read (and even some ill-experienced nurses) will tell you that it's not supposed to hurt and that if it does - you're doing it wrong. This is BS with a capital B and every mama who's done it will back me up on this. You might have to adjust the latch, but in all honesty it is toe curling-ly painful at first - literally. It honestly took a good 6 weeks for it to be 100% comfortable and non-painful, just when you think you're getting used to it, your baby will have a growth spurt and you will be raw and sore all over again!
• if you want to do it, you can! There are so many wonderful resources - use your friends, nurses, lactation consultants, La Leche Leagues, and awesome websites like KellyMom.com! My attitude towards it is that there's only a handful of women who cannot produce enough milk and literally cannot breastfeed their babes sufficiently, and that a ton of women in the world have no other option but to breastfeed...so can we.
• don't introduce a pacifier right away. I introduced a soother at 6 weeks and he didn't take it right away...he started at 3-4 months. The recommendation is to introduce it at 3 months or at least until breastfeeding is well established
• introduce a bottle and start pumping at this time if you want to have the option to pump and give bottles for a bit of a break
• if you are 100% dedicated to breastfeeding and do not want your baby to receive formula, stick to your guns and don't let breastfeeding naysayers influence your decision. I know that in many hospitals, including the one that I delivered in, have a policy that if the baby's blood sugar is too low the nurses have to give formula...I would NOT have been happy if this was to happen and I am very proud to say that not a drop of formula has ever touched my sons lips
• breastfeed anywhere and everywhere! I got myself some awesome Hooter Hider nursing covers and they're really easy to use, light, breathable for baby - one of my best investments and I always give them as gifts at baby showers now
• remember that breastfeeding is FREE! No dishes, no equipment, no extra trips to the grocery store, no warming, re-warming, cooling down! It can save a Canadian family $2000-$3000 per YEAR!
• it is a unbreakable bond between a mama and babe. I will never forget the middle-of-the-night feedings...and am even getting a bit teary reminiscing...seeing his little eyes peer up at me and then falling into a milk-drunk sleep
• the health benefits of breastfeeding for mama and babe...you can't ignore! I'd have to write a whole other post...or 2....or 3 on this! But some...
• reduces infection
• promotes optimal brain development
• reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer for mom
• decreases health care costs related to asthma, ear infections, GI disease, diabetes, obesity, etc.
• reduces risk of SIDS
• did I mention how awesome breastfeeding is for losing the baby weight? My uterus was completely "shrunk" and back home at Braden's 2 week appointment

I am a big advocate for breastfeeding, but I do not judge moms who use formula, and I know that everyone has a different story and a different reason, I just truly believe that if you want to breastfeed - YOU CAN! It's not easy for everyone, and I recognize that...maybe I was one of the few lucky ones? I pray that with our next baby(ies) that it will go as smoothly as it did with Braden, and that if it doesn't we can get through it and make it a positive experience.

It made me really sad that at Braden's 18 month appointment last week when the nurse asked me when I weaned Braden and said 12 months 1 week...she was proud of me, but also said that I was on the very low end of the spectrum of moms who breastfeed so long. Wow. My original goal was to get to 6 months, and hopefully beyond...I'm so glad that I went beyond!!

Breast is best! :)

WOOHOO!!!

It's a 4 month post-partum miracle!! I'm back in my skinny jeans!! I had a pair of jeans that were always too loose on me pre-pregnancy, so they fit me perfectly post-pregnancy. Today I had them on and was constantly pulling them up. I thought...no way! So I got brave, pulled out a pair of size 5/6 Wranglers that I bought not too long before I got pregnant...and they fit perfectly! Hooray for breastfeeding, thanks Braden!

April Snow Day

So this is what we woke up to today: (And yes...this is a picture from today, not the middle of January!)
That's a lot of snow right there! A lot of it has melted already, because, believe it or not...it is supposed to be +18 in 2 days! The wind was howling all night and the power was off and on throughout the night and went off at 5AM for 4 hours. It's amazing how much we take electricity for granted. When Braden got up at 6:30 with no power on I didn't have a TV to turn on...internet to fiddle around with...no heat in my old, cold house...couldn't throw in a load of laundry, suddenly I wanted a nice, warm breakfast when usually cold cereal would suffice. Oh. And a hot bath. I wanted a bath! Luckily we didn't have to wait too long for it to come back.

Of course there's always someone around here who loves a good snowfall...!

Jay wasn't too impressed to get Braden up this morning to discover that I had appropriately dressed him in a "Let it Snow" sleeper. He didn't think I should be encouraging the weather to do such things! Although these farmers must be at least a liiiiiiiittle happy that there is some moisture on the ground. I knew I didn't put Braden's winter fleece sleepers away just yet for a reason!

Braden's been great. His sleep has been falling back a bit. I have no idea (as always) why it changes from night to night, but now he's not sleeping more than 4-5 hours at a time, which still isn't too shabby for a 2.5 month old. He's only awake then for 15 minutes to eat and he falls right back asleep for another 3 hours. Then all of a sudden he'll randomly sleep through the night! We'll just keep on doing what we're doing...and take those good nights when they come! In my opinion, anything is better than the feeding every 2 hour growth spurt nights.

I've been a bit frustrated lately with how much Braden is spitting up. I have blogged on this before, but it's gotten worse. I have to take multiple burp cloths and bibs with me everywhere I go...as shallow as it seems, it ruins all of his cute outfits having to wear bibs all the time! I read a quote in the La Leche League Breastfeeding book I borrowed from Laura which is: "In a healthy baby, spitting up is a laundry problem, not a medical one." Which might have to be my new motto around here, to help prevent me from getting frustrated and worry all the time. I've tried all the suggestions out there like feeding him at a 45 degree angle, keeping him upright for 30 mins after feeding, only feeding one side at a time, stopping during a feeding to burp...no matter what I do he still spits. Then he spits, and spits and spits - sometimes until I think there must be nothing left! Then do I feed him more like the books say? Do I "cut him off"? Pacifier? GAHHHH!!!! Sometimes I feel like I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing. I do know...but it sure is trying sometimes! He's happy and healthy, which is all that matters...but I sure wish he didn't spit so much. Sigh...

Husky & Tabby Cat For Sale!

Okay...I'm just kidding. Kind of. Braden has been sleeping through the night (except tonight, he woke up at 3 and 6:30 for feedings and is still up right now...but I figured this would happen!), but if I could only get my stupid animals on board with sleeping through the night!! I lock Miles upstairs now, if I can remember or find him...but now silly Kihei goes out at 1 or 2AM every morning! For some reason the last 2 nights it's been ME who has heard her, whereas Jay usually does and I don't. Sigh. So last night Braden was in bed at 10:30, me at 11. I woke up at 1AM because Kihei whined to go outside. I was too tired to wait for her...in hindsight I should have, because at 2AM I could hear her HOWLING and barking to come it. I gave her a swat when she came in and she looked pretty bashful, giving me a "sorry, Mom!" look. I guess I can get Jay to let Kihei out before he goes to bed so she can do her business and then be done for the night. She never used to have to go out so much...how annoying!

In all honesty...I've really missed middle of the night feedings with Braden. There's something so comforting to me knowing that I'm the only one that can help him and give him what he needs in the middle of the night. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have my sleep...but I also know that they're only this age once and there's a part of me that will miss it dearly.

Well, I came back to finish this post and Braden is sleeping and I've got a load of laundry going...back to sleep for me, hopefully I can get a decent nap in before I have to really start my day!

We Love You, Lisa!

One of my bestest friends in the whole world came to visit us yesterday to meet Braden! She came bearing FOOD which is so kind and thoughtful and so "Lisa" of her! It is much appreciated to have food in the freezer that's all ready to go and just throw in the oven, so thank you so much!! I cannot say it enough. My new mommy brain didn't think to get a picture of Lisa with Braden last night, so we'll have to do that next time!

Yesterday I think I was at my all time low with Braden...and this morning I woke up at an all time high! He decided to cluster feed all day and evening AGAIN (he just did this last Tuesday)...which kind of threw me for a loop because I thought we had hit our 3 week growth spurt already. I suppose maybe this was part deux and hopefully he's done now! He was awake SOOOOOO much yesterday, which was really nice, but also meant that he ate like a little monster. He had one 2 hour nap, but other than that he only slept 30 minutes at a time! Jay gave him a nice long bath last night and it was the first time that he didn't cry at any point of this nightly ritual! He doesn't cry during the actual bath anymore, but he, up until now, has always cried when we take him out of the bath before we get him all cozied in his towel...and he also usually cries when I put lotion on him. But last night, no crying at all! So my low hit me at about 10:15 last night. I had been up pretty much since 3AM with very little naps in between because that's when Braden decided to start cluster feeding, and last night just when I thought I had his belly full and he was nice and calm after his bath...he starts crying 30 minutes into what was supposed to be his big stretch of sleep. I didn't even have to wake up because I hadn't fallen asleep yet, Jay was in the nursery and I stated as calmly as I could "only a half a freakin' hour?!!?" I then proceeded to turn the lights down, get myself set up in the glider, and nurse him yet again. I did everything I could to keep him awake to have a really good feeding, and it must have worked because then he slept the longest he ever has - 4.5 hours!!! What a guy! Then he slept another 3 hours which brought us to just before 7AM so after I fed him we are up for the day now! I feel fabulous.

After I fed him last night, I said to myself "okay that's IT!" I got out a bottle, cleaned it, and busted out the formula. Happily I can say that the bottle is still in the drying rack and the formula unopened. If Braden pulled another half hour nap on me, I was going to supplement him with some formula to give me some sanity. I threatened that to myself when he did that last week too and never ended up having to. So, I hope that this little growth spurt is over again and that we continue sleeping so well at night!

Show & Tell

Braden and I had a great day today! We went into Strathmore to pick up his newborn pictures and then I went over to the hospital for some show and tell! All the girls had wonderful things to say about Braden and I'm glad a lot of them got a chance to meet him before his baby shower...I'm sure he'll have changed a lot by then. Everyone tells me how beautiful he is...and I couldn't agree more! Here are some of my favorites, I think they turned out great!

We love you, Braden!

Our wedding rings.

Braden and his puppy Kihei (the ONLY good picture that turned out!)

Mommy kissing Braden.

Snuggles for Daddy.

I have more pictures on my Flickr page, as always! Braden went through his 3 week growth spurt, and it was a little rough on me, but we got through it! It started on the way home from Beaumont, which wasn't ideal...but he cluster fed for a good full day and finally gave me some rest at 3AM two days ago and he's been sleeping for 3 hours at a time ever since. I am looking forward to the day where he breaks his record of a 3.5 hour nap! Braden is also finally enjoying his baths now. He used to absolutely SCREAM his way through all of his nakedness, but now he is kicking his legs in the water during his nightly baths. No big plans for the rest of the week for us, we are aspiring to make it to Lisa's stagette this weekend in Chestermere at her friend's house for a visit in the afternoon before things get crazy...but we'll see how it goes!

I've had a lot of people ask me about The Diaper Dilemma and it seems to be solved! We haven't had a leaky diaper since I posted that actually. We ran out of newborn diapers and are using size 1's which are a bit big but I make sure we have a good seal! I'm looking forward to when he's big enough for me to start using my cloth diapers on him.

Well...off for some tummy time and the Olympics!

The First Few Days

It's amazing how natural adjusting to mommyhood has been. I felt like perhaps there was a course I should have taken or something, but it truly is a miracle how it all just falls into place. Braden's first few days home have been great. Our first night together was a bit trying for me. I had it in my head that my baby was going to be awake every 2-3 hours to feed and would sleep in between.....yeah notsomuch! :) He only napped 30 mins - 1 hour that first night and I didn't realize it at the time, but he was cluster feeding, which is totally normal but not something I was prepared for. I dealt with it just fine, but I have already learned the hard way that I really need to sleep when Braden is sleeping! He had a 4+ hour nap yesterday afternoon and I just decided I was not the least bit tired...well he only slept a maximum 1 hour at a time after that, all night! I do love his periods of wakefullness though, I wouldn't trade those for the world right now. I smartened up today though, I slept 3 hours (in a row!) this morning for the first time in over a week, as I wasn't sleeping good when I was overdue. It was like heaven...and just now I had another 2 hour nap, and Braden is still snoozing away in his swing. I think I'm getting the hang of this!

Snuggles with Daddy after a nice, warm bath!

Snuggling with my little burrito baby!!

Feedings are going really well which I'm very thankful for. I'm still a bit sore from labour, mostly muscle/body aches from being so tense during my contractions. I feel it in my ribs and all throughout my back. Jay came in at the end of my morning nap to tell me that Braden was starting to stir a bit, and he looked at me, kissed me, and said "we have the cutest baby ever!" Jay has been giving Braden his baths at night, which really don't take very long because he SCREAMS the entire time in protest. Our little man does not like to be naked! We are having Braden's newborn pictures taken this Saturday morning...and of course they like to do lots of cute naked pictures, so we'll have to keep him nice and toasty warm for his photo shoot! I'm really excited and can't wait to share the pictures.

Welcome to the World, Braden James Schultz!!

Braden's Birth Story

I had a very busy day planned on January 27th to keep my mind off of the fact that I was 3 days overdue and worried about induction, so Joy & Laura took me into the city and we did some shopping...even got some last minute (literally!) baby items for fun. I had a prenatal massage booked in the afternoon and my massage therapist said she'd work really hard on my hips to open them up for baby and that she'd do reflexology on my lateral malleoluses as that's a contraction point. I told her I was hoping it'd work as I had a friend (that's you, Meg!) who's baby dropped and went into labour 2 hours after her massage. Well....same happened for me! I was at Joy's and literally within 2 hours I started getting irregular contractions.

Laura took me home, I told Jay he probably shouldn't go to volleyball that night, we ate supper and by 2300 the contractions were regular at 5 minutes apart. I called the hospital at 2330 and the maternity nurse told me to monitor myself for 20 more minutes and come in if they kept up. They were 4 minutes apart and picking up in intensity by that time, so I looked at Jay at 0115 and said, "it's time!" We got to the hospital at 0200 and I was happy that when she checked me I was 3 cm and 50% effaced - it was the real thing!

Contractions were really picking up in intensity in the next couple of hours, and I wanted a drug-free labour and was going to get checked at 0600, but requested to be checked at 0530 as I needed to decide whether or not I reeeeeeeeally could do this drug-free! So the nurse checked me and I was 7 cm! At least I was making good progress. She said she'd call the doctor and the reason why my contractions were so intense and that I felt lots of pressure was that my membranes were bulging. Dr. Maseka arrived at 0600 and gave me the option of whether or not I wanted my membranes ruptured. I had NO CLUE what to do, so I told him I trusted him and to go ahead. So he did rupture my membranes and he said I was at 8 cm and would have this baby at a maximum of 2 hours later. I told him that I sure didn't think I could keep up with the contractions for another 2 hours, and he said it was his maximum guess and that he and the nurses thought I'd deliver sooner.

So at this point narcotics weren't an option, and I knew that if I opted for the epidural at the time it would take at least 30 minutes for the doc to get there and set up and give it....so I thought to myself - you wanted to do it naturally anyway - let's give'r! The only comfortable labour position for me (the whole time) was on my back and gripping the bed rails with fists of fury with each contraction. I had it in my head that I would be able to RELAX through each contraction so they wouldn't hurt more....umm....yeahno!!

The contractions were on top of each other and finally I'm at 10 cm and ready to push at about 0740. I did 3 pushes at a time, for 4 times and after 20 minutes of pushing Braden James was born at 0759 on January 28, 2010. Before Dr. Maseka could tell us "it's a boy!!!" I opened my eyes, looked down and saw his "boy bits" and was overcome with joy. I knew all along that this baby was a boy and I was so happy to have my "little farmer". Luckily I didn't have any tearing or an episiotomy and I have never felt like such a WOMAN!! It was so empowering being able to give birth to a child naturally, although painful, it was a very accomplishing thing for me. In all, I laboured for 6 hours with no complications and we were both completely healthy and able to go home 26 hours later. Dr. Maseka and the nurses were impressed that everything went so well for my first baby! Since Braden did so well with the birth, the nurses were able to clean him up right on my chest and his APGARS were 9, 10, and 10. Dr. Maseka asked Jay if he wanted to cut the umbilical cord, and I knew Jay was going to decline, so I asked if I could...and I did! I wonder how many mothers cut their baby's umbilical cord? It was a very sentimental moment for me...

It's a pretty special birthday for Braden as he gets to share it with his Uncle Ben who turned 23 this year.

7 lbs 11 oz, 3510 grams; 21" long

Proud new daddy and Braden.

Very tired, but happy mommy and Braden ready to go home!

Braden already found his thumb!

So we've been home for over a day now and we're all just getting used to each other. Braden has met all of his cousins already and his Schultz grandparents live via Skype in Maui! My mom is here to help us out with everything for the first little while and everyone is doing great! Braden decided to cluster feed all night last night which is something I wasn't prepared for at all, but I know there are a lot of things that we will discover together! One of the biggest lessons I'm learning is that when Braden naps...Mommy must nap! So I'm going to do that now. Hope you enjoyed the story and the pictures!