We're having a Hawaiian-themed party week (or two, or three) at work, so I brought home some of the accoutrements...so sue me. :-P
Monday, March 31, 2008
Why Andy-Roo Will Never Be Able to Run for Political Office
We're having a Hawaiian-themed party week (or two, or three) at work, so I brought home some of the accoutrements...so sue me. :-P
Friday, March 28, 2008
Four Months Old (yes, it's my coffee break)
Andrew is four months old today! Such a big boy. I can't believe how time has flown.
I happened upon this post on "The Dark Side of Breastfeeding" from the Lactivist blog. It pretty much sums up a lot of how our breastfeeding experience has been so far -- demanding, wonderful, challenging, exhausting, exhilarating...Yes, it is more "convenient" than formula-feeding, but I didn't have a child for convenience's sake, and as long as my "girls" are able to produce enough breast milk for Andrew, breast milk will be what he gets. I regret the 6 ounces or so of formula we've given him so far, just to "get him used to the taste," in case I ever have to supplement at daycare. The last time I gave him a small bottle (2 oz) of formula, he started vomiting afterward, and he continued to vomit for about an hour straight, and it scared the hell out of us. Now I'm worried that he's developed an allergy to the milk proteins found in formula; it didn't help that Miss L. at daycare told me that her daughter did the same thing, and that the last time they had given her formula, she stopped breathing and had to be taken to the emergency room (note to self: buy Children's Benadryl).
So, we'll be continuing the breastfeeding, exclusively, until he's at least 6 months old. In four months, we've had two bouts of mastitis, surgery on a breast abscess, plugged ducts, cracked and sore nipples, major breast leaks onto clothing, near-sleepless nights and days when it seemed like all I did was sit on the couch and nurse this child. Even if he sleeps "through the night" (defined as more than 5 hours at a stretch), I am still woken up with painfully engorged breasts, wondering whether I should wake up my peacefully sleeping baby or risk another case of mastitis by "waiting it out" until he wakes on his own. I've spent many, many hours at work with my door closed, pumping. I've had to sheepishly explain to coworkers why I cannot attend meetings at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., or 3:00 p.m. -- fortunately, most of them are women who understand the situation.
It's still completely, totally worth it.
I happened upon this post on "The Dark Side of Breastfeeding" from the Lactivist blog. It pretty much sums up a lot of how our breastfeeding experience has been so far -- demanding, wonderful, challenging, exhausting, exhilarating...Yes, it is more "convenient" than formula-feeding, but I didn't have a child for convenience's sake, and as long as my "girls" are able to produce enough breast milk for Andrew, breast milk will be what he gets. I regret the 6 ounces or so of formula we've given him so far, just to "get him used to the taste," in case I ever have to supplement at daycare. The last time I gave him a small bottle (2 oz) of formula, he started vomiting afterward, and he continued to vomit for about an hour straight, and it scared the hell out of us. Now I'm worried that he's developed an allergy to the milk proteins found in formula; it didn't help that Miss L. at daycare told me that her daughter did the same thing, and that the last time they had given her formula, she stopped breathing and had to be taken to the emergency room (note to self: buy Children's Benadryl).
So, we'll be continuing the breastfeeding, exclusively, until he's at least 6 months old. In four months, we've had two bouts of mastitis, surgery on a breast abscess, plugged ducts, cracked and sore nipples, major breast leaks onto clothing, near-sleepless nights and days when it seemed like all I did was sit on the couch and nurse this child. Even if he sleeps "through the night" (defined as more than 5 hours at a stretch), I am still woken up with painfully engorged breasts, wondering whether I should wake up my peacefully sleeping baby or risk another case of mastitis by "waiting it out" until he wakes on his own. I've spent many, many hours at work with my door closed, pumping. I've had to sheepishly explain to coworkers why I cannot attend meetings at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., or 3:00 p.m. -- fortunately, most of them are women who understand the situation.
It's still completely, totally worth it.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Bad Friend
I freely admit it: I've been a bad friend lately.
And I'm not making excuses, but I must say that things -- including friendships -- get harder after you have a baby. On top of it all, I've been ill, and I'm going it alone during the workweek.
I'm tired. Like...really, really tired. I come home from a full day at work, and I take care of Andrew for a few hours. If I'm lucky, I eat a hot dinner, but it's usually a sandwich. After I put him to bed, I do chores, all to prepare for the next day, when I wake at 5:30 a.m. to do it all again. Andrew wakes me up at least twice during the night.
I'm expected to be the same active, energetic professional I always was at work. When you're not pregnant anymore, people assume your life has gone back to "normal." Nothing could be farther from the truth. I don't take a lunch break anymore; instead, I take three 20-minute pumping breaks during which I stuff lunch or snacks in my face and do work emails.
During "spare" moments at home, I somehow find time to do chores -- last night I stuffed and ran the dishwasher and collected the trash and recycling -- but most of it has to be done on weekends, when all I really want to do is rest.
I'm not living a glamorous, exciting life here. I love my son, more than anything in the world, through all the drudgery and sleep deprivation and spitup and poop. I'm doing all of this for him, and I'm doing it the best way I know how. Everything else, I'm afraid, needs to take a back seat.
And I'm not making excuses, but I must say that things -- including friendships -- get harder after you have a baby. On top of it all, I've been ill, and I'm going it alone during the workweek.
I'm tired. Like...really, really tired. I come home from a full day at work, and I take care of Andrew for a few hours. If I'm lucky, I eat a hot dinner, but it's usually a sandwich. After I put him to bed, I do chores, all to prepare for the next day, when I wake at 5:30 a.m. to do it all again. Andrew wakes me up at least twice during the night.
I'm expected to be the same active, energetic professional I always was at work. When you're not pregnant anymore, people assume your life has gone back to "normal." Nothing could be farther from the truth. I don't take a lunch break anymore; instead, I take three 20-minute pumping breaks during which I stuff lunch or snacks in my face and do work emails.
During "spare" moments at home, I somehow find time to do chores -- last night I stuffed and ran the dishwasher and collected the trash and recycling -- but most of it has to be done on weekends, when all I really want to do is rest.
I'm not living a glamorous, exciting life here. I love my son, more than anything in the world, through all the drudgery and sleep deprivation and spitup and poop. I'm doing all of this for him, and I'm doing it the best way I know how. Everything else, I'm afraid, needs to take a back seat.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
High Chair!
Tonight I put Andrew in the high chair for the first time, while I sat at the table and ate my "gourmet" dinner: a tuna fish sandwich with canned mixed vegetables on the side. Hey, if it's not fancy, at least it's nutritious...Anyway, Andrew seemed to like the high chair well enough, although the look on his face was absolutely priceless. It was like, "What the...??? Well, this is a new experience!" He got a little fussy towards the end of dinner (which I of course held out to him and let him sniff -- doesn't seem to interested in solids yet), so I "vroomed" his high chair around the table a bit. Oh my, that elicited even weirder looks! Big wide eyes, totally quiet baby...he was really trying to figure out the situation!
He really seems to enjoy books, too. Thank goodness.
We're going to see if he'll sleep in his big-boy crib in his own room, starting this weekend. I think. I really don't know if I can deal with that yet...especially since he's not sleeping through the night.
Speaking of sleep...
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Easter Cuteness
Well. Put these in your pipe and smoke 'em:
The eggs come out of WHAT part of the Easter Bunny???
The eggs come out of WHAT part of the Easter Bunny???
Friday, March 21, 2008
Yay, Long Weekend
I got to go back to bed this morning, after feeding Andrew at about 4:00. As in, I got to go back to sleep until 10:00 A.M.
Thank you, MDad.
Oh, and then I went and got my hair done. And gossiped with my hairdresser for, like 2.5 hours.
I feel like a woman again, mostly. Not just "Mommy."
However, despite the fact that I slept in, my body still knows it's almost 9:00 p.m., and I'm getting sleepy...might as well go check on Andrew and hit the sack anyway.
Sleep. Sleep is such a good, good thing.
Thank you, MDad.
Oh, and then I went and got my hair done. And gossiped with my hairdresser for, like 2.5 hours.
I feel like a woman again, mostly. Not just "Mommy."
However, despite the fact that I slept in, my body still knows it's almost 9:00 p.m., and I'm getting sleepy...might as well go check on Andrew and hit the sack anyway.
Sleep. Sleep is such a good, good thing.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
How did I manage this??
It's 8:03 p.m. The baby is fed, bathed, lotioned, nightied, and asleep. Bottles and breast pump supplies are washed and prepared for tomorrow. The garbage has been taken out. The coffeemaker is ready to go first thing in the morning, the dog and cats are fed, and the daycare contact sheet is pre-filled-out. I'm eating dinner (a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread, with a glass of lowfat milk - okay, so I've sacrificed being a foodie to being a mommy). My breakfast is made for tomorrow (uhhh, also PB&J on whole wheat bread...what can I say? It's moderately healthy and I like it). Two more things remain to be done before I go to sleep: I must figure out what I'm eating for lunch tomorrow and pack it, plus I must clean the litterboxes. In the interests of saving time, I may just throw a frozen dinner in my lunch bag and call it good.
Oh, and I even managed to rummage through a big stack of unfiled paperwork and find my most recent retirement account statements, which need to be sent to the loan officer tomorrow so I can continue the process of refinancing the mortgage. Which probably won't happen, at least not with the terms I thought it would, because the house didn't appraise for anywhere NEAR what it had to for the terms of the refinance...so now I may be screwed. Stupid economy.
Oh, and I even managed to rummage through a big stack of unfiled paperwork and find my most recent retirement account statements, which need to be sent to the loan officer tomorrow so I can continue the process of refinancing the mortgage. Which probably won't happen, at least not with the terms I thought it would, because the house didn't appraise for anywhere NEAR what it had to for the terms of the refinance...so now I may be screwed. Stupid economy.
16 Weeks
Coffee break post time...
Andrew is 16 weeks old today -- my, how the time flies! Yesterday I worked a split shift due to an evening meeting, so in the afternoon I took him to have Easter photos taken at the mall. Live bunny + smiling baby = ridiculously cute.
After a couple of weeks during which he would sleep for 5-7 hour stretches, Andrew is back to waking every 3 hours or so. I've been doing some reading, and apparently this is very common -- and healthy -- for exclusively-breastfed infants. The period from 4-12 months of age is one of huge development and growth, and babies do much of their growing while sleeping. And growing uses lots of calories, so that explains why he's eating all the darn time! One other thing I hadn't realized is that babies' brains are only 25% of their adult size at birth, so he's now expending a ton of energy working on the remaining 75%.
Oh, and babies don't just wake in the night because they're hungry. They also have shorter sleep cycles, and longer periods of "light" sleep. Plus, sometimes they just need Mommy or Daddy for closeness and security during the night. Can't deny them that!
So, since there's really nothing that can (or should) be done to "make" him sleep longer, I'm focusing on coping strategies: I'll renew my pledge to be in bed by 9:00 p.m., so that even if Andrew wakes several times in the night, my total sleep time by 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning can approach 7-8 hours (rested mommy = good mommy). Hell, some of these nights I may even aim for an 8:00 bedtime, since he's usually down by around 7:30 anyway. And I'll remind myself that he'll only be this little for a small fraction of his life, and that I'll miss this nighttime bonding time when he's 17 and out driving around with who-knows-whom at god-only-knows-what-hour...ugh, I can't think about that.
Milestone: First real laugh on Friday 3/14/08! I mean, like 5 minutes of giggling. He is the best thing in the whole world.
Andrew is 16 weeks old today -- my, how the time flies! Yesterday I worked a split shift due to an evening meeting, so in the afternoon I took him to have Easter photos taken at the mall. Live bunny + smiling baby = ridiculously cute.
After a couple of weeks during which he would sleep for 5-7 hour stretches, Andrew is back to waking every 3 hours or so. I've been doing some reading, and apparently this is very common -- and healthy -- for exclusively-breastfed infants. The period from 4-12 months of age is one of huge development and growth, and babies do much of their growing while sleeping. And growing uses lots of calories, so that explains why he's eating all the darn time! One other thing I hadn't realized is that babies' brains are only 25% of their adult size at birth, so he's now expending a ton of energy working on the remaining 75%.
Oh, and babies don't just wake in the night because they're hungry. They also have shorter sleep cycles, and longer periods of "light" sleep. Plus, sometimes they just need Mommy or Daddy for closeness and security during the night. Can't deny them that!
So, since there's really nothing that can (or should) be done to "make" him sleep longer, I'm focusing on coping strategies: I'll renew my pledge to be in bed by 9:00 p.m., so that even if Andrew wakes several times in the night, my total sleep time by 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning can approach 7-8 hours (rested mommy = good mommy). Hell, some of these nights I may even aim for an 8:00 bedtime, since he's usually down by around 7:30 anyway. And I'll remind myself that he'll only be this little for a small fraction of his life, and that I'll miss this nighttime bonding time when he's 17 and out driving around with who-knows-whom at god-only-knows-what-hour...ugh, I can't think about that.
Milestone: First real laugh on Friday 3/14/08! I mean, like 5 minutes of giggling. He is the best thing in the whole world.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Somehow the weekends got shorter. Or time started going faster, or something. It seems like MDad just got here, but he just had to turn around and head back to Boston for the work week. We manage to pack a lot into the weekends -- visiting friends, running errands, doing chores, etc., but there's no longer much time for reflection. Or just chilling.
Today we bought Andrew the Baby Einstein Musical Motion Activity Jumper at Babies "R" Us. After we got it home and MDad put it together, we even had the audacity to put Andrew INTO it, despite the fact that it says infants should be 4 months old (Roo is 3.5 mos) and able to sit up unassisted (yeah, he can't do that yet, either...BUT he hangs out quite successfully in the exersaucer at daycare, so we figured he was good to go). Since we're not planning on parking him in it unattended for more than a few seconds at a time, we think he'll be fine. He seemed to like it well enough tonight, despite the fact that he was already in his tired and cranky phase of the day by that point.
By the way, I did research exersaucers/jumpers -- I'm not one to buy into the whole Baby Einstein fad or anything. I just liked the color scheme, its height-adjustability, and, most importantly, the fact that it has plastic rings onto which we can attach some of Andrew's board books, which also have plastic rings on them. Because we are dorks. So yes, no Baby Einstein DVDs or any of that shiznit -- although the books and CDs look cute. Currently, Andrew listens to regular old classical music (Brahms, etc.) during his bath.
Tonight we had Trader Joe's chicken burritos for dinner. They were yummy, and only like $2.00. I love Trader Joe's.
So yes, thanks to Dad, the house is ready for yet another week with the Roo -- dishes are washed, groceries are bought, slipcovers are laundered and free of dog dirt, and dog food is bought and then hauled into the garage. The baby has been fed, changed, cuddled, bathed, read to and loved all weekend. We made it through a few more days, and sometimes, I guess, that's all we can strive for.
Today we bought Andrew the Baby Einstein Musical Motion Activity Jumper at Babies "R" Us. After we got it home and MDad put it together, we even had the audacity to put Andrew INTO it, despite the fact that it says infants should be 4 months old (Roo is 3.5 mos) and able to sit up unassisted (yeah, he can't do that yet, either...BUT he hangs out quite successfully in the exersaucer at daycare, so we figured he was good to go). Since we're not planning on parking him in it unattended for more than a few seconds at a time, we think he'll be fine. He seemed to like it well enough tonight, despite the fact that he was already in his tired and cranky phase of the day by that point.
By the way, I did research exersaucers/jumpers -- I'm not one to buy into the whole Baby Einstein fad or anything. I just liked the color scheme, its height-adjustability, and, most importantly, the fact that it has plastic rings onto which we can attach some of Andrew's board books, which also have plastic rings on them. Because we are dorks. So yes, no Baby Einstein DVDs or any of that shiznit -- although the books and CDs look cute. Currently, Andrew listens to regular old classical music (Brahms, etc.) during his bath.
Tonight we had Trader Joe's chicken burritos for dinner. They were yummy, and only like $2.00. I love Trader Joe's.
So yes, thanks to Dad, the house is ready for yet another week with the Roo -- dishes are washed, groceries are bought, slipcovers are laundered and free of dog dirt, and dog food is bought and then hauled into the garage. The baby has been fed, changed, cuddled, bathed, read to and loved all weekend. We made it through a few more days, and sometimes, I guess, that's all we can strive for.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Aw, shucks...
I want to thank everyone who's been so sweet and supportive during the last few weeks or so. I've realized that it only takes one "small" thing, like getting sick, to throw your life out of whack when you have an infant. So, to everyone who's emailed me or commented on the blog, or joined me for Scrabulous on Facebook (a great activity during 4 a.m. breast pumping sessions, by the way), or stopped by the house to bring me food or keep me company -- thank you!!!
Today I'm feeling a bit better, but I'm still just not my bubbly energetic self. My friend S is coming over at 5 with her new baby, and I was going to rush around cleaning the house, paying bills, and filling out the mortgage refinance paperwork, but I'd really rather take a nap. Who better than a fellow new mom to understand just how tired I am? So the house is going to stay messy.
This morning I spent $42.00 on gently-used books (mostly children's, some cookbooks) at the library book sale. I mean, I got dozens of books for that $$. Andrew is going to be LITERATE, dammit!
Anyway, about that nap...
Today I'm feeling a bit better, but I'm still just not my bubbly energetic self. My friend S is coming over at 5 with her new baby, and I was going to rush around cleaning the house, paying bills, and filling out the mortgage refinance paperwork, but I'd really rather take a nap. Who better than a fellow new mom to understand just how tired I am? So the house is going to stay messy.
This morning I spent $42.00 on gently-used books (mostly children's, some cookbooks) at the library book sale. I mean, I got dozens of books for that $$. Andrew is going to be LITERATE, dammit!
Anyway, about that nap...
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Not thrush
Went to breastfeeding support group yesterday and saw the lactation consultant. The verdict: not thrush (yay!), but a blocked milk duct/pore (booo!). Solution: keep nursing and pumping on that side. I finally got up the courage to nurse Andrew on the right side tonight before putting him to bed, and it didn't hurt at all! I can't express how happy this makes me -- no more extra chore of pumping after nursing/bottle feeding him. That was getting really old.
Hooray! And my sinuses are feeling better, too! I'm working half-days the rest of the week, though, so as not to overdo it. I've realized that the best way to take care of my baby is to take care of myself. A sick mama is not a good mama.
Hooray! And my sinuses are feeling better, too! I'm working half-days the rest of the week, though, so as not to overdo it. I've realized that the best way to take care of my baby is to take care of myself. A sick mama is not a good mama.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Thrush?
Stayed home from work today; my sinuses were killing me, and I just needed a break. I was up at 3:00 feeding Andrew (from the left breast, then finished him off with a bottle of breast milk), then I came downstairs to pump my right breast, which still gives me stabbing, shooting pains when I try to nurse. This morning I called my doctor's office and they gave me an appointment for early afternoon.
A confession: I still dropped Andrew off at daycare. I'd just had it. My intention was to lie in bed, read, nap, and then go to the doctor. Here's what really happened:
My cell phone battery had died over the weekend, and I had some un-listened-to voice mails. One of them was from the house appraiser (I'm refinancing my mortgage). So I had to call him back. He wanted to come by tomorrow, so I said I'd call my neighbor and see if she could let him in, but that it would have to wait until after 9:00 a.m. (this was at 8:00 a.m.). I realized that the house was a dirty disaster, so I bundled some newspapers, washed the kitchen floor, tidied the kitchen and dining room, and vacuumed the living room and dining room. I threw two loads of laundry in (Andrew had a poop-splosion this morning, my PJs had crusted spit-up on them, and I'd leaked on all my nursing bras). I ordered groceries on Peapod for Wednesday night delivery.
I know, I really shouldn't have done all this. I should have stayed in bed. But the good news is that the appraiser called back at 8:45 and said he could stop by today, which he did, at noon. Let's hope the house appraises for the right amount; otherwise I'm not eligible for the refinance.
I stopped by daycare before my doctor's appointment to check on Andrew, then headed to the appointment. My OB thought I might be brewing another infection (plus I told her about my sinuses and how I have ZERO time to go to my GP), so she prescribed Augmentin. Plus she gave me a prescription for yeast infection medicine in case the Augmentin gives me a yeast infection. Yum.
I went to the pharmacy and filled the prescription, and then I picked up Andrew. We got home around 3, at which time I fed him. He went down for a nap at 4:30, and he's been sleeping ever since (!!!). Never wake a sleeping baby -- but at this rate he's not going to sleep tonight!
The lactation consultant called me back about an hour ago: She thinks I might have thrush, given my symptoms, but she wants me to come to breastfeeding support group tomorrow morning. How could I not, at this point? The nasty thing is that, if it IS thrush, then antibiotics are pretty much the worst thing I can take right now, since they kill off all the good bacteria in your system, which sets up a situation in which yeast thrive. Ugh.
So, after I talked to the LC, I boiled EVERYTHING: bottles, nipples, pacifiers, all the breast pump parts, and even the bottle brushes that I use to wash the bottles every night. And apparently I will have to continue to boil everything, every night, until the thrush is gone. The good news is that Andrew doesn't seem to exhibit symptoms of thrush, but he'll have to be treated for it as well, since babies don't always have symptoms but could be "carriers," passing yeast back and forth every time they nurse. Oh, the fun!
I wouldn't at all be surprised if thrush were the true diagnosis: I've been on antibiotics almost continuously since Andrew's birth, including during his birth (I spiked a fever at the end). Gentamycin during birth; Cipro when he was 16 days old; dicloxacillin when he was 8 weeks old; Cipro because the dicloxacillin didn't work; Keflex after the I&D (Incision and Drainage) for the abscess that happened because neither the dicloxacillin nor the Cipro worked...and now Augmentin. You get the idea. I'm pretty sure my intestinal flora resembles the surface of Mars at this point. Nothing like what the human digestive tract is supposed to look like.
Ooh, signs of life on the baby monitor -- what goodies are in store for the mama of a baby who napped until 6:45 p.m.??? At least I don't have to be at work tomorrow morning, since I've got the lactation consultant/support group meeting. Will report on that...
A confession: I still dropped Andrew off at daycare. I'd just had it. My intention was to lie in bed, read, nap, and then go to the doctor. Here's what really happened:
My cell phone battery had died over the weekend, and I had some un-listened-to voice mails. One of them was from the house appraiser (I'm refinancing my mortgage). So I had to call him back. He wanted to come by tomorrow, so I said I'd call my neighbor and see if she could let him in, but that it would have to wait until after 9:00 a.m. (this was at 8:00 a.m.). I realized that the house was a dirty disaster, so I bundled some newspapers, washed the kitchen floor, tidied the kitchen and dining room, and vacuumed the living room and dining room. I threw two loads of laundry in (Andrew had a poop-splosion this morning, my PJs had crusted spit-up on them, and I'd leaked on all my nursing bras). I ordered groceries on Peapod for Wednesday night delivery.
I know, I really shouldn't have done all this. I should have stayed in bed. But the good news is that the appraiser called back at 8:45 and said he could stop by today, which he did, at noon. Let's hope the house appraises for the right amount; otherwise I'm not eligible for the refinance.
I stopped by daycare before my doctor's appointment to check on Andrew, then headed to the appointment. My OB thought I might be brewing another infection (plus I told her about my sinuses and how I have ZERO time to go to my GP), so she prescribed Augmentin. Plus she gave me a prescription for yeast infection medicine in case the Augmentin gives me a yeast infection. Yum.
I went to the pharmacy and filled the prescription, and then I picked up Andrew. We got home around 3, at which time I fed him. He went down for a nap at 4:30, and he's been sleeping ever since (!!!). Never wake a sleeping baby -- but at this rate he's not going to sleep tonight!
The lactation consultant called me back about an hour ago: She thinks I might have thrush, given my symptoms, but she wants me to come to breastfeeding support group tomorrow morning. How could I not, at this point? The nasty thing is that, if it IS thrush, then antibiotics are pretty much the worst thing I can take right now, since they kill off all the good bacteria in your system, which sets up a situation in which yeast thrive. Ugh.
So, after I talked to the LC, I boiled EVERYTHING: bottles, nipples, pacifiers, all the breast pump parts, and even the bottle brushes that I use to wash the bottles every night. And apparently I will have to continue to boil everything, every night, until the thrush is gone. The good news is that Andrew doesn't seem to exhibit symptoms of thrush, but he'll have to be treated for it as well, since babies don't always have symptoms but could be "carriers," passing yeast back and forth every time they nurse. Oh, the fun!
I wouldn't at all be surprised if thrush were the true diagnosis: I've been on antibiotics almost continuously since Andrew's birth, including during his birth (I spiked a fever at the end). Gentamycin during birth; Cipro when he was 16 days old; dicloxacillin when he was 8 weeks old; Cipro because the dicloxacillin didn't work; Keflex after the I&D (Incision and Drainage) for the abscess that happened because neither the dicloxacillin nor the Cipro worked...and now Augmentin. You get the idea. I'm pretty sure my intestinal flora resembles the surface of Mars at this point. Nothing like what the human digestive tract is supposed to look like.
Ooh, signs of life on the baby monitor -- what goodies are in store for the mama of a baby who napped until 6:45 p.m.??? At least I don't have to be at work tomorrow morning, since I've got the lactation consultant/support group meeting. Will report on that...
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Ah yes, the continuing saga...
...of my boobs.
Andrew's been sleeping through the night lately -- or, he would sleep through the night if I didn't wake up with engorged breasts between 1:00 and 4:00 and have to feed him. Last night I woke at 1:22 and realized that I was already full enough of milk that I'd never make it to 6:00 a.m., so I took Andrew to the rocking chair and latched him onto my right breast. It was then that I experienced some of the most excruciating pain I've ever felt. I thought he was biting me (it was dark; I couldn't tell). I moaned and wailed. I couldn't understand why, when he was well-latched, it still hurt so much. It sucked.
This morning when I got up at 5:30 I discovered that I had a milk blister, which I promptly popped with a sterilized needle (yup, that's the standard treatment). My breasts were engorged again, plus I had a plugged duct in my right breast, and there was a red streak down one side of the breast. To give you some idea of the pain level, imagine someone putting your nipple on a table, then pounding it with a hammer as hard as they can. Then nurse your baby on it.
Anyway, I treated it with hot moist compresses and pumping at work today. At my first pumping session, I pumped 8 ounces. This is not normal. I believe I've got a bad case of milk oversupply (duh -- ya THINK??). I called a lactation consultant (the one who taught the breastfeeding class I took before Andrew was born), but I haven't heard back from her. I think I may be pumping too often, and therefore my supply is overstimulated. This weekend I'll see if Andrew wants to eat more like every 4 hours, rather than every 3 hours. This would allow me to pump only twice at work, and may help regulate my supply. Then again, there's always the "cutting my boobs off and throwing them out the window" concept.
Funny daycare story: Miss S. told me that at one point the other day she had 4 babies in the room with her, and while the other three babies were all wailing for different reasons, Andy Roo was serenely sitting in a bouncy seat, laughing. Ahhh, my sadistic little child...
We're going to visit Nan in PA this weekend! She's not going to believe how much he's grown and changed. I'm looking foward to it; I need REST.
Andrew is so wonderful. Such a smiley, smiley child. He smiles whenever I make eye contact with him -- first thing in the morning when he's waking up, when he's in his bouncy seat as I get ready for work in the morning, when he's on the changing table, when he's in the car seat, when we play, and even when I put him down to sleep at night. I am a lucky, lucky mama, and don't think there's not a minute that goes by that I don't thank heavens for it!
Andrew's been sleeping through the night lately -- or, he would sleep through the night if I didn't wake up with engorged breasts between 1:00 and 4:00 and have to feed him. Last night I woke at 1:22 and realized that I was already full enough of milk that I'd never make it to 6:00 a.m., so I took Andrew to the rocking chair and latched him onto my right breast. It was then that I experienced some of the most excruciating pain I've ever felt. I thought he was biting me (it was dark; I couldn't tell). I moaned and wailed. I couldn't understand why, when he was well-latched, it still hurt so much. It sucked.
This morning when I got up at 5:30 I discovered that I had a milk blister, which I promptly popped with a sterilized needle (yup, that's the standard treatment). My breasts were engorged again, plus I had a plugged duct in my right breast, and there was a red streak down one side of the breast. To give you some idea of the pain level, imagine someone putting your nipple on a table, then pounding it with a hammer as hard as they can. Then nurse your baby on it.
Anyway, I treated it with hot moist compresses and pumping at work today. At my first pumping session, I pumped 8 ounces. This is not normal. I believe I've got a bad case of milk oversupply (duh -- ya THINK??). I called a lactation consultant (the one who taught the breastfeeding class I took before Andrew was born), but I haven't heard back from her. I think I may be pumping too often, and therefore my supply is overstimulated. This weekend I'll see if Andrew wants to eat more like every 4 hours, rather than every 3 hours. This would allow me to pump only twice at work, and may help regulate my supply. Then again, there's always the "cutting my boobs off and throwing them out the window" concept.
Funny daycare story: Miss S. told me that at one point the other day she had 4 babies in the room with her, and while the other three babies were all wailing for different reasons, Andy Roo was serenely sitting in a bouncy seat, laughing. Ahhh, my sadistic little child...
We're going to visit Nan in PA this weekend! She's not going to believe how much he's grown and changed. I'm looking foward to it; I need REST.
Andrew is so wonderful. Such a smiley, smiley child. He smiles whenever I make eye contact with him -- first thing in the morning when he's waking up, when he's in his bouncy seat as I get ready for work in the morning, when he's on the changing table, when he's in the car seat, when we play, and even when I put him down to sleep at night. I am a lucky, lucky mama, and don't think there's not a minute that goes by that I don't thank heavens for it!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Back to the routine
Tonight I picked Andrew up at daycare at 4:15, and we were home by 4:30. He was asleep in the car seat, so I took the opportunity to do the nighttime chores while he snoozed: washed his bottles, prepared his bottles for tomorrow, washed the breast pump parts, washed my coffee mug and the coffeemaker, unpacked my breakfast/lunch bag...plus I threw in a couple of loads of laundry, and I even remembered to feed and water the pets. I cleaned the litterboxes. I went through the pile of mail on the counter (there was only one actual relevant non-junk piece of mail). I folded and put away last week's clean laundry (finally). I packed my breakfast/lunch bag for tomorrow. I got the coffeepot ready. I bathed my baby after we videochatted with Daddy. I nursed my baby -- twice. I attempted to read to my baby, but we only got two pages into the board book version of Goodnight Moon before he started his restless cranky fidgety dance, which means "Hey, Mom, I'd really rather just go to bed now." So he did.
I even snuck in a shower! Wait, I just realized that I did some of the above chores after Andrew went to bed (not while he was sleeping in the car seat -- he only did that for a little while). But the point is, I did them!
Tune in tomorrow night, when MurkyMama folds tonight's laundry, organizes the recycling, and maybe even vacuums the living room (whoa, Nellie)!
Annoying event of the day: Andrew's teacher left me a note that one of the frozen bags of breast milk I'd left had leaked while being warmed. Mental note: thaw and bottle Monday's milk before going to daycare. Argh. Stupid Lansinoh expensive damn breastmilk bags.
Pumping is going well, though. I pump about 4-6 oz each sitting, depending on...well, whatever capricious factors are affecting my milk production at the moment: hydration level, relaxation state, how long it's been since I nursed Andrew, whether or not I've got a cold or not...I don't know. Today I tried the Pumpin' Pal for the first time. It did make pumping more comfortable, since I could lean back during the process, but I can't say whether it helped the flow of milk. I tried it at my afternoon pumping -- the third and final session of the day -- and I only got 4 oz as opposed to 5 oz the other two sessions, so I don't know whether that was due to the effectiveness of the Pumpin' Pal or to the time of day.
I can't believe how much life revolves around my boobs.
Cute event of the day: Andrew is totally getting interested in his bath book (Daisy Duck). Can't say much for the plot (it's 4 pages long), but it's got colorful pictures AND a squeaker AND, of course, it's a book...that can go in the bathtub! He was totally into it. We read it like 5 times in a row. And the cool thing is that he actually has a rubber duck and some rubber frogs for the tub (the two main protagonists in "Daisy Duck" are a duck (duh) and a frog). I tried acting out the story with the rubber props, but my little intellectual boy seemed more interested in the book itself ;-)
This weekend we are going to visit Nan -- she's not going to believe how much he's grown! I'm happy to say he seems to be almost completely over his sniffles.
I even snuck in a shower! Wait, I just realized that I did some of the above chores after Andrew went to bed (not while he was sleeping in the car seat -- he only did that for a little while). But the point is, I did them!
Tune in tomorrow night, when MurkyMama folds tonight's laundry, organizes the recycling, and maybe even vacuums the living room (whoa, Nellie)!
Annoying event of the day: Andrew's teacher left me a note that one of the frozen bags of breast milk I'd left had leaked while being warmed. Mental note: thaw and bottle Monday's milk before going to daycare. Argh. Stupid Lansinoh expensive damn breastmilk bags.
Pumping is going well, though. I pump about 4-6 oz each sitting, depending on...well, whatever capricious factors are affecting my milk production at the moment: hydration level, relaxation state, how long it's been since I nursed Andrew, whether or not I've got a cold or not...I don't know. Today I tried the Pumpin' Pal for the first time. It did make pumping more comfortable, since I could lean back during the process, but I can't say whether it helped the flow of milk. I tried it at my afternoon pumping -- the third and final session of the day -- and I only got 4 oz as opposed to 5 oz the other two sessions, so I don't know whether that was due to the effectiveness of the Pumpin' Pal or to the time of day.
I can't believe how much life revolves around my boobs.
Cute event of the day: Andrew is totally getting interested in his bath book (Daisy Duck). Can't say much for the plot (it's 4 pages long), but it's got colorful pictures AND a squeaker AND, of course, it's a book...that can go in the bathtub! He was totally into it. We read it like 5 times in a row. And the cool thing is that he actually has a rubber duck and some rubber frogs for the tub (the two main protagonists in "Daisy Duck" are a duck (duh) and a frog). I tried acting out the story with the rubber props, but my little intellectual boy seemed more interested in the book itself ;-)
This weekend we are going to visit Nan -- she's not going to believe how much he's grown! I'm happy to say he seems to be almost completely over his sniffles.
Lunch break post - I miss my little man
Andy Roo, even though you woke me up at least 3 times in the middle of the night last night (I lost count at three, anyway), I love you more than anything. You greeted me with a big smile, as always, at 6:00 a.m.!
Andrew doesn't just half-smile if you smile at him: His whole face lights up, he squinches up his eyes, and he brings his hands to his mouth and looks at you a little sideways, as if you and he are sharing the world's biggest, most mischievous secret!
Andrew doesn't just half-smile if you smile at him: His whole face lights up, he squinches up his eyes, and he brings his hands to his mouth and looks at you a little sideways, as if you and he are sharing the world's biggest, most mischievous secret!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)