Weaning?

     I mentioned in my last post that I had weaned Reiner. This is kind of a tough post to write (I feel like it some kind of secret or something), it's such a mixed emotion sort of topic.

     When I was pregnant, I just assumed that I would formula feed. I wasn't really interested in breastfeeding, no reason why. But as I got closer to my due date, I started pricing things out, and there were so many different products on the market that it was overwhelming. Which one is good? Is it the best? Will he like it? blah blah blah...

     I was quickly back to the idea of breastfeeding. In the beginning it was really convenient, and cost effective for sure! I would recommend breastfeeding to any mom in a heart beat. I really would! It's such a wonderful bonding experience- that I didn't fully understand until I tried it myself. There's something really cool about being able to sustain life like that. When he was born, I said to myself, "Let's try to make it through 6 months." and I did. He was a fabulous feeder, and I had a great supply.

      Which is why the decision was so hard to make to switch to formula. It's been wonderful to be able to wear my clothes again post-preg (after being too big for them last year), but by the time he was 6 months- I was getting so sick of having to choose every outfit around being able to feed him in public.

QUICK NOTE: We started feeding him formula while he was being babysat once he started solids at 4 months (Pumping was just getting to be too much).

     We had him on the SIMILAC ADVANCE while we were out, and he liked it. We had a couple of sample cans that I had been sent while I was pregnant. I started trying to give him those kinds over the last week (here and there), and he would not take the bottle at all. I was so torn (it really was an emotional thing to figure out). Jared said to buy some of the kind that he liked originally and try that- which was a really good idea. He took to it right away (I also bought a different kind of nipple for the bottles, they're a lot softer and more flexible). He's been on the SIMILAC ADVANCE for 6 days now.

     I loved breastfeeding, it was such a good experience (like I said above), I'm pretty sure I cried to Jared a few times about how guilty I felt that I wanted to "quit". It might sound stupid, but I really felt like I was giving up for selfish reasons. Which I kind of am right? I really just want to wear sundresses, and not have to dress in layers- or have only ONE bra that I wear endlessly. I'm SICK of wearing breastpads (couldn't go 5 minutes without them it seemed, I was leaking ALL the time). I just feel like someone who wants to BF and can't will be judging this post because I had a perfectly good supply, and I'm just letting it dry up.

     I have to hand it to any mom who makes it the full year. PROPS to you. That takes a lot of dedication. I think the other reasons I'm feeling sad are the hormones that I am sure are still flinging around my body. Also that this first (almost) 7 months have FLOWN by so quickly. This is just another thing that reminds me he's only going to be my LITTLE boy for a short time.

     I guess I don't really have much advice in this post? But I hope it helps you feel less alone if you're thinking of weaning your little one and feeling bad about it. Whenever I have my next little one, I definitely want to BF for the first 6 months again, and then see how I feel from there. The way I see it is "every little bit counts". If you breastfeed even 1 day, that's better than not a all right? (Maybe? I don't know).




Also- if you don't want to breastfeed, that's fine too, no judgement at all. 

Good Days, and Bad Days

     These last couple weeks have been ROUGH! OOooooh the sleep deprivation (poor Jared, gets the worst of it). He cut his first top tooth about two weeks ago- noooot a fun night at all, my poor little baby. These ones are DEFINITELY worse than the bottom ones (which he didn't even seem to notice). His second top one broke skin this morning. He also has a bit of a cold, and I recently weaned him... so I'm sure that played a bit of a roll as well.

     He felt a little warm when we woke up this morning, I took his temp (armpit), and it was like the eeeenciest bit of a fever- I gave him some tylenol and we cuddled for a bit. I thought it was to do with his teething, so we met up with Aubs and Otis for coffee at William's. He was pretty good while we were out (I could barely get him to eat all day, he just didn't seem to want anything). He was just really sleepy. I walked around the mall after we had coffee and he napped in the stroller. I waited for him to wake up before we went home because I wanted him to have a nice long sleep if he needed it.

     I'm thinking he may have a little bug along with this teething business, but I guess we will know in the morning? He finally finished his bottle and I laid him down. It's so sad to see my little man so upset- he's usually SUCH a happy guy, barely cries at all. The weather was pretty crap today too (rainy and damp). I've been using AMBESOL on his gums (he hates it when I put it in his mouth- and I understand why, it feels awful. I hate when my mouth is frozen lol), it definitely eases his discomfort. Around 8 tonight he started to feel warm again, and I think his teeth (tooth?) are still bothering him, but I don't know how fevers/teething works? He didn't seem to have a fever at all with the first two... and I can't remember if he felt hot or not when he got his first upper.

     Anywhoo, I gave him another dose of tylenol before he went to bed tonight, hoping it will cool him down. He definitely had a fever this time (not high, but more than this morning). He usually loves his baths, but tonight he was in and out pretty quick. He just isn't himself. Hopefully tomorrow will be better- planning on just staying home and cuddling with my boy.

     It's not super late yet, I'm hoping that we get some sleep tonight, but I'm sure that's wishful thinking! These teeth are just throwing everything out of whack! I would love to get him into sleeping AT LEAST 6 hour stretches, but that seems to be a lost cause these days. 

Advice for New Moms! PETS!

     I noticed this around the forums a LOT when I was pregnant. "Should we get rid of our dog?" "Evict the cats?" etc. etc. I'll give you the fact that NO animals are NOT the cleanest things on the planet, but I bet they're cleaner than the cell phone you used to make that post. Am I right? I haven't heard of anyone slime-ing their cell with lysol if they're holding it near baby.

     People and animals have co-existed for years! A little dirt isn't going to hurt anyone, and it isn't fair to poor Fluffy if she gets shafted as soon as baby arrives. If you plan to keep baby in your room, you should relocate your animals months beforehand. This way they're less likely to associate the baby as the reason they're being kicked out. As pet-parents, you want to avoid as many opportunities for jealousy as possible.

     If you think that your pet may be aggressive to your new bundle of joy, try to take steps the work through it. As a pet owner myself, giving up a pet would be my last resort. Our experience with our dog, Freya, was a little stressful at first. BUT, we worked through it, and were patient with her- and now she's wonderful! She wasn't mean when we brought him home, just very excited and hyper. She just wanted to lick him, and lay so close that she would have been ON TOP of him if we'd let her (obviously we didn't). We weren't expecting her to act like that, so we hadn't thought to put her out of our room Pre-baby-arrival. We also weren't planning to co-sleep either... oh how plans change!

     Fortunately, we live with Jared's parents, so they let Freya sleep in there for the first two months. Every day we would let her sniff him, and lick his feet a bit, but she would get too excited- we ended up using the shock collar to train her. Essentially, we used to same method that we used to get her to stop chasing Marble (our cat) lol. Whenever she got too close, we'd give her a little warning. Within a day she was better. After about a week of wearing the collar around him, she was great. Around the two month mark, he started sleeping in his own bed, and Freya was invited back into ours. Currently, it's all four of us (Reiner has been back in our bed the last week or two), and she doesn't pay any attention to him at night.

     Sorry this one is a little rambly, but the main things I wanted to address were making the transition for your pets as gentle as possible, and to remember that pets aren't going to poison your children. By the time their toddlers, dirt will probably be their favourite food lol.

Rollie Pollie Ollie! and POOP!

     I'm so proud of my little darling! He rolled over this past Thursday!  He's growing and changing so fast! I laid him down for tummy time... and he just flipped! But then he wouldn't do it again lol (of course because I got the camera out!).

     But tonight, I was sitting him up (he holds his balance for a few seconds), and he fell over... and then flipped his little body! (So we set him up again and grabbed the camera!) We got it on film :)

     I can't get over how fast he seems to be learning things, and how much he stares at things, and analyzes them. He's loving his toys more and more every day!

     He had a poo-splosion like never before today lol. I had him in pants and a tshirt (no onesie), cuz I figured there was no point... we weren't going anywhere today. I was playing with him when he woke up from his nap... and he let a few good ones go. Then all of the sudden I realized my leg felt wet... I had been looking at his sweet little face, and didn't realize he'd exploded out the back of his pants! He got it on my sleeve, my leg, the comforter and sheet, and missed my laptop by about an inch (thank goodness). Oh, and the grossest part? Freya tried to help me clean it up!

     I had to take a second to think of what my game plan was lol. Thankfully, I got him all cleaned up, and put him in his exer-saucer. I had to throw in the sheets, and some other laundry- so I broke my no TV rule and put VeggieTales on for him. I figured it wouldn't be TOO bad for him if he was watching something that was meant for little ones. He even let me run up for a minute to grab a coffee (ran up to flick on the kettle. Then ran up again once it was boiling to pout a cup!) I didn't leave him down alone while I waited for the boil.

     Time sure flies! It's crazy how much you can love your little one. He just MELTS my heart every day! Even the days that are more stressful, or cranky... if he flashes me one of those smiles... or puts his little hand on my face.. it's game over! Too bad he's asleep hehehe.. writing this post makes me want to give him a great big hug! <3

Advice for New Moms! BABY CLOTHES!

     As much as you'll find yourself doing a lot of laundry- remember not to OVERBUY baby clothes. ESPECIALLY NEWBORN SIZES. When I was pregnant, I bought around 10 outfits in 3mth size, and we were given a lot of clothes from my cousin :). We bought maybe 6 newborn sleepers, a couple of onesies, a couple of pants, and some socks. We had a sweater given to us. That was really all we used/needed for the first month. A lot of babies aren't even in newborn sizes for more than a couple weeks. As for the 3 month clothes- we had a LOT, I managed to make sure he wore every thing at least once. But he didn't really get any real wear out of anything. He was in 6 month sleepers by 3.5 months old.

     I'm finding that it's better to get things as you need them, especially if it's your first little one. People love to get presents! One of my regular customers gave us 2 giant bags of his grandson's clothes (0-18 months!). People are so sweet and helpful! I like to keep an eye out for sales, for instance- he was wearing 6 month clothes (but he has lots of them), so when I came across 4 dollar t-shirts I bought them in 9-12 month sizes. That way we have things for him to grow into.

     As much as adorable outfits are, well, ADORABLE- you're baby doesn't care what they're wearing. I'm sure their main concern is to be comfy. Most of the time, he was in sleepers at home. Currently we have more t-shirts and pants though, so he's in outfits more often. I like to dress him up a little when we go out though. Everyone likes to show off their baby right? ;)

     As cute as jeans are- they're very restrictive. We have 2 jean overall outfits that are adorable! But I only put him in them if we're going out or something, because they aren't stretchy at all! I think they look so sweet! Like little grown ups ;) But I don't think I'll be buying him stiff jeans for a while yet, I bet they make it hard to learn to crawl - but we're not there yet! hehe

     Just remember that the more things you buy little one, the less likely they will wear all of it! I know a lot of people who have clothes packed away with tags still attached!

A PLACE TO KEEP THE GOOD

     I was on YouTube, and came across a video about a book Q&A A DAY. It's a book that asks a question a day, for 5 years. It's neat because it only gives you about 4 lines to figure out what you want to say! I bought one for myself, and one is a present :)

     Then I remembered, I had a little green book sitting in my headboard, still wrapped in cellophane. Until tonight, I had no idea what I was going to do with this pretty little book. All I knew (when I bought it), is that I wanted it to be special. Tonight- I thought of what that special something would be! I decided that it will be a book or things that make me happy, things that I'm thankful for, reasons I feel blessed on a given day.

     This book will be a place to keep the good, the happy, the love. There will be no bad days. When I look back through over years to come, I will remember laughter and light.

     I encourage you all to start A PLACE TO KEEP THE GOOD.

Advice for New Moms! BREAST FEEDING!

     Some moms have a great breastfeeding experience, others, a really trying experience. Fortunately for me, I was in the "relatively" easy boat. He latched right away, and we were off to a great start.

     BUT, I'm not saying there were no bumps along the way. When your milk first comes in, IT HURTS! My boobs were swollen up to my collar bone, and into my arm pits. They almost looked "square shaped" because they were SO full, there was no where for the milk to go (Pre-preg I was not so well endowed lol). I was in so much pain for the first couple days (until my body regulated to how much Reiner needed). This is normal, and will pass (if you get a fever along with breast pain- call your Dr., it could be MASTITIS).

     Breastfeeding itself shouldn't "hurt". Your nipples may feel a slight burning/pinchy sensation when baby first latches, but they should subside within a few seconds to a minute. Remember to put nipple cream on after every feed! It will save you from cracked nipples. I used the Aleva Naturals brand (it was very soothing). You'll only need to do this for a few weeks, you'll notice they aren't sore anymore. ALSO- make sure that your baby is getting all/as much of the areola in their mouth when feeding. Having a proper latch is key to a good breastfeeding experience, they can drain the milk ducts properly, and your nipples won't feel like they're being ripped off. 

     Sometimes, nipples can be tricky- and this is something I haven't experienced first hand. I have done a lot of reading though, and heard from friends, that inverted nipples can cause a lot of stress. Try nipple shields to help pull them out, and then let baby re-latch to you. My one side was just slightly inverted pre-preg, but isn't anymore. You can also try using a breast pump to pull out the inverted nipple, and then let baby latch on that way. 

     Be sure to check baby for a tongue tie if you're still having problems with latch. If they're tongue is tied too close to the front of the mouth, they don't have the same capabilities to latch on, as a baby without tongue tie. This will result in a shallow latch, and most likely, nipple pain.

     Some ladies are worried that their baby is not getting enough to eat. As long as they are growing and gaining, they're fine. Your doctor will let you know if they aren't gaining fast enough. Remember not to put newborns on a feeding schedule. They are tiny, and their bellies are even tinier! They need to eat many times a day. Sometimes they will feed every hour! At times, Reiner would eat every couple of hours, and would suck off and on for the better part of an hour! Keep a book, or your favourite tv show, or cell phone nearby to pass the time. 

     If you're having trouble with the latch- keep trying! If you end up bottle feeding, and then go back to breast, your baby may get fussy. This is okay, just keep trying. It's takes a lot less effort to draw milk from a bottle than your body. Babies and get frustrated that it's not coming out fast enough. They will learn if you keep calm and patient, and keep putting them on. 

     Same goes with "upping" your supply. As your baby grows, your body may seem like it's not producing enough. You may have to have a "couch" day, just lay with your little one all day, and let them feed as often as they want. This will help to build up how much your body needs to produce. You're body reacts to BABY- so missing feeds, and supplementing with formula is not going to help your situation.

     Remember that you can't be "empty", as your body is constantly making milk. Your milk will start slowing down after the original let-down, but is never OUT. Even after a half hour feed, you can squeeze your nipple, and more will come out. Sometimes babies will get frustrated by this, but your body will adapt to baby's needs. Drink lots of water throughout the day as well, I've noticed this also affects my supply. 

*Side note: Remember to be as calm as possible while feeding. I've noticed that if I'm feeling stressed out, I don't let down as quickly- and Reiner will get frustrated. I just close my eyes, and take a few deep breaths. I swear almost instantaneously, my milk lets down. It really works!

     Be sure to ask your hospital who they recommend for Lactation Consultants, or check out local L.L.L. in your area. Hopefully, this post was helpful!