Yes, it's been nearly a month since my last post, and I'm beginning to wonder whether I'm cut out for blogging. Mostly because I just don't seem to have enough hours in the day to do things like oh, I don't know, brush my teeth.
Seriously, working and mom-ing is time consuming. I used to think I had a full schedule before Christopher, what with all my happy hour-ing and going to the gym, etc. But I really had no idea what a full day was until I went back to work. As you can imagine, initially it was really hard. The first week, I'm not even sure I did any work at all between thinking about C, worrying about the day care, pumping, going to feed C at lunch, and pumping again (unless of course you're my employer, in which case I was totally productive).
But it's getting easier. I mean, it definitely sucks to drop C off at day care every morning, but I can do it without tears now. And pumping? It's getting better too. Don't get me wrong: I still really don't like doing it, and the ladies still don't give me a large volume of milk (God bless the freezer stash), but I think my body might be getting used to the pump.
More on pumping in another post. I'm actually pumping as I type, and I think it's time to disconnect.
I promise to post again soon.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Vacationing with baby
Wow, time sure flies! Christopher just turned nine weeks old on Saturday! And he's already been across the country and back. Quite the jet-setter, he is. And traveling with an infant isn't really all that complicated actually. I mean, it's definitely more work than just packing your carry on and mozy-ing down the jetway, but it's not bad. Here are the things I learned to do and not to do:
1. Disposable. Normally, I try to be pretty green in my parenting. We use cloth diapers, cloth wipes, etc. But, I also try to be fairly practical, and for me, practical does not include toting around 24 poopy diapers, trying to find a laundromat, etc. I think, if we do a weekend trip or a car road trip where paying for additional baggage/carrying said additional baggage weren't considerations, I would keep with cloth. But for this two week adventure, I hit up my local costco (incidentally, diapers are insanely inexpensive at costco), bought C's first pack of disposables and some wipes, and hit the road. It worked well. The disposable wipes also came in handy for cleaning hands and faces.
2. Snap n Go stroller. This item was recommended to me by a friend, and I really wasn't sure about it, since C has a travel set stroller/car seat combo. We got this McLaren easy traveller stroller from amazon for about 80 bucks (free shipping with Amazon Mom!). It was really nice. It folds up like an umbrella stroller, there is less risk of it getting broken by the airline peeps since it's so small and light and easy to carry, and you can finagle it one-handed (a plus going through security). C's car seat snaps in and out.
3. Speaking of security, here's what worked best for me. We had four flights, so I tried a couple of different methods. I put C in his baby bjorn (also a very useful baby accessory- more on this later). That way I had both hands to get all my crap on the xray machine. You're not allowed to bring the baby through in his car seat (or obviously to put him through the xray machine). So, with C in his carrier, I got everything on the belt (note the car seat has to have the carrying handle all the way back and be put through upside down in order to fit - God bless the nice TSA lady who helped me figure it out). Then right before it's my turn, I popped C out of his carrier and put the bjorn through. Walked through with C in my arms.
The TSA people I encountered were very helpful. As were my fellow passengers, which I was surprised by. Someone offered to help me each time. Warmed my cold black heart right up. I won't lie, the security portion was very stressful (though I'm a fairly anxious person generally), but it's totally doable.
4. Gate check your car seat and stroller. It was free for us on Continental and United, and it was really nice to pile all the carry on baggage in the stroller and push it through the airport while C was in his carrier.
5. You get to take an additional carry on for free for baby's diaper bag.
6. You're allowed to take breastmilk through security. I didn't do this, so I don't know the particulars (like if you can take ice/ice pack to keep it cool), but I did see a sign that the milk itself was ok to go through. I imagine the same is true for formula.
7. Nursing cover. This was an AWESOME investment. I got an email for www.uddercovers.com, and the cover was free if I paid shipping. If you google it, I'm sure they have another code- they seem to always have some special or another running. It was great- I fed C all over the midwest/east coast very discreetly. Plus, the pattern was cute!
8. If you're breastfeeding, bring your pump. For me, the extra bag meant I was able to have cocktails with friends and not worry about baby getting alcohol-tainted milk. Plus, I usually kept a small bottle in a little cooler sack (that is, until I left the little cooler sack in the stupid Cleveland airport). That way, if you're somewhere it's impossible to breastfeed (i.e., a car), then you have a little something to tide baby over until you can nurse.
9. Feed on take off and landing. The sucking is supposed to sooth baby's ears during the pressure change, and I found it really worked. C didn't really make a peep on the flights. There may have been a squwak here or there, but no baby meltdowns. Always a good thing.
10. Baby Bjorn (or other carrier). This was great. C tends to be a little colicky - especially during the early evening witching hours, and whenever he's in this little job, I can sway and bop and do other sooth-y things. I prolly look like a total dork, but hey, my kid's happy. So I don't care. Also, it was nice to walk around without the hubbub of a stroller.
OK, baby's calling. Hasta for now.
1. Disposable. Normally, I try to be pretty green in my parenting. We use cloth diapers, cloth wipes, etc. But, I also try to be fairly practical, and for me, practical does not include toting around 24 poopy diapers, trying to find a laundromat, etc. I think, if we do a weekend trip or a car road trip where paying for additional baggage/carrying said additional baggage weren't considerations, I would keep with cloth. But for this two week adventure, I hit up my local costco (incidentally, diapers are insanely inexpensive at costco), bought C's first pack of disposables and some wipes, and hit the road. It worked well. The disposable wipes also came in handy for cleaning hands and faces.
2. Snap n Go stroller. This item was recommended to me by a friend, and I really wasn't sure about it, since C has a travel set stroller/car seat combo. We got this McLaren easy traveller stroller from amazon for about 80 bucks (free shipping with Amazon Mom!). It was really nice. It folds up like an umbrella stroller, there is less risk of it getting broken by the airline peeps since it's so small and light and easy to carry, and you can finagle it one-handed (a plus going through security). C's car seat snaps in and out.
3. Speaking of security, here's what worked best for me. We had four flights, so I tried a couple of different methods. I put C in his baby bjorn (also a very useful baby accessory- more on this later). That way I had both hands to get all my crap on the xray machine. You're not allowed to bring the baby through in his car seat (or obviously to put him through the xray machine). So, with C in his carrier, I got everything on the belt (note the car seat has to have the carrying handle all the way back and be put through upside down in order to fit - God bless the nice TSA lady who helped me figure it out). Then right before it's my turn, I popped C out of his carrier and put the bjorn through. Walked through with C in my arms.
The TSA people I encountered were very helpful. As were my fellow passengers, which I was surprised by. Someone offered to help me each time. Warmed my cold black heart right up. I won't lie, the security portion was very stressful (though I'm a fairly anxious person generally), but it's totally doable.
4. Gate check your car seat and stroller. It was free for us on Continental and United, and it was really nice to pile all the carry on baggage in the stroller and push it through the airport while C was in his carrier.
5. You get to take an additional carry on for free for baby's diaper bag.
6. You're allowed to take breastmilk through security. I didn't do this, so I don't know the particulars (like if you can take ice/ice pack to keep it cool), but I did see a sign that the milk itself was ok to go through. I imagine the same is true for formula.
7. Nursing cover. This was an AWESOME investment. I got an email for www.uddercovers.com, and the cover was free if I paid shipping. If you google it, I'm sure they have another code- they seem to always have some special or another running. It was great- I fed C all over the midwest/east coast very discreetly. Plus, the pattern was cute!
8. If you're breastfeeding, bring your pump. For me, the extra bag meant I was able to have cocktails with friends and not worry about baby getting alcohol-tainted milk. Plus, I usually kept a small bottle in a little cooler sack (that is, until I left the little cooler sack in the stupid Cleveland airport). That way, if you're somewhere it's impossible to breastfeed (i.e., a car), then you have a little something to tide baby over until you can nurse.
9. Feed on take off and landing. The sucking is supposed to sooth baby's ears during the pressure change, and I found it really worked. C didn't really make a peep on the flights. There may have been a squwak here or there, but no baby meltdowns. Always a good thing.
10. Baby Bjorn (or other carrier). This was great. C tends to be a little colicky - especially during the early evening witching hours, and whenever he's in this little job, I can sway and bop and do other sooth-y things. I prolly look like a total dork, but hey, my kid's happy. So I don't care. Also, it was nice to walk around without the hubbub of a stroller.
OK, baby's calling. Hasta for now.
Monday, May 2, 2011
T.M.I.
I feel like most every post I do should contain this warning, but oh well, you've been advised.
Sooo . . . file this under things that really, really freaking hurt:
When you're five and a half-ish weeks into breastfeeding, your baby has a sucky latch (pun intended), and your nipples hurt so freaking bad, and then, you go to close up your nursing tank top (awesome invention, btw), and your hand slips, and the little plastic connecter piece whips back and slaps your (exceedingly sore and tender) nipple with what feels like freaking warp speed.
OMFG. It almost brought tears to my eyes.
I've said it before, God bless Lansinoh gel soothies and the sister-in-law who sent them to me. And 800 mg motrin. (Hat tip, Doctor Jones!)
Sooo . . . file this under things that really, really freaking hurt:
When you're five and a half-ish weeks into breastfeeding, your baby has a sucky latch (pun intended), and your nipples hurt so freaking bad, and then, you go to close up your nursing tank top (awesome invention, btw), and your hand slips, and the little plastic connecter piece whips back and slaps your (exceedingly sore and tender) nipple with what feels like freaking warp speed.
OMFG. It almost brought tears to my eyes.
I've said it before, God bless Lansinoh gel soothies and the sister-in-law who sent them to me. And 800 mg motrin. (Hat tip, Doctor Jones!)
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Please don't stop reading . . .
I promise I'll get better at updating in a more timely manner. Babies are very demanding. More than I ever could have imagined.
My days, though not nearly as routine as this description will suggest, go something like this:
6:30 a.m. C is pretty much awake for the day. Yells from his bassinet by way of alarm. Needs to eat. Wants diaper changed. I whine (to myself), haul my carcass from the bed, and change his diaper. Then I lay back in bed on my side, and attempt to feed C and get a couple more winks. Don't judge me for catching some zzz's with the baby in the bed. You do what you have to when you're incredibly sleep deprived. Most times, he's agreeable to some side-lying nursing, but on days that he is not, C and I get up so Sean can sleep a little longer.
7:30 a.m. C wants to eat again. This is an hourly thing some mornings. Yeah, I don't get much done these days.
8-10:30 a.m. C is more or less awake during this time these days. So, I usually plop him in his little newborn lounger while I have breakfast and throw his diapers in the washing machine. I like to narrate my activities to C while I do them. To be a fly on the wall, I probably sound like a crazy lady. Oh well.
Around 10:30, it's time for C's morning siesta. His naps vary in length, but if I'm lucky, he'll sleep til noon or so. I try and grab a shower and finish the laundry during this time.
At lunch time, Sean usually comes home, and I feed C. Then C will be alert for a while after he eats.
In the afternoon, I load C into his stroller and leash up Madame Phineas and go for a walkabout around the neighborhood for an hour or so. C sometimes sleeps the whole time. Other time, he shrieks, and I feel like a siren walking down the sidewalk. Sigh.
The evenings are often the most stressful for me. C gets really fussy. I'm not sure it rises to the level of colic, but he sure likes to shriek. Sometimes he's gassy, but mostly, it's like he can't get himself to sleep in the early evening, and he's positively inconsolable. Nothing makes him happy. And then, he'll finally fall asleep. Sometimes mid-shriek. It's bizarre.
Sometimes in the evening, I like to give C a bath with some lavendar essential oil in the water to soothe him. Sometimes, he likes it; other times, not so much. It's a crap shoot. The bath does seem to help him fall asleep more easily. He also seems to like his little baby massage I give him after his bath.
Around 8, he's usually out for the evening, and his first stretch of sleep is usually the longest. As a result, I've been going to bed really early as well so I can take advantage of 4 straight hours of sleep in a row.
He's up around 12 usually for a feeding and diaper change. Then again around 2 or 3, then again around 4 or 5. Then it all starts again at 6:30 a.m. When I write out what I do all day, it really doesn't seem like all that much, and yet, I find I am always behind the eight ball with straightening up the house and doing laundry (that isn't C's diapers).
Well, this was certainly a boring post. I promise to liven it up next time and regale you all with a more exciting tale.
My days, though not nearly as routine as this description will suggest, go something like this:
6:30 a.m. C is pretty much awake for the day. Yells from his bassinet by way of alarm. Needs to eat. Wants diaper changed. I whine (to myself), haul my carcass from the bed, and change his diaper. Then I lay back in bed on my side, and attempt to feed C and get a couple more winks. Don't judge me for catching some zzz's with the baby in the bed. You do what you have to when you're incredibly sleep deprived. Most times, he's agreeable to some side-lying nursing, but on days that he is not, C and I get up so Sean can sleep a little longer.
7:30 a.m. C wants to eat again. This is an hourly thing some mornings. Yeah, I don't get much done these days.
8-10:30 a.m. C is more or less awake during this time these days. So, I usually plop him in his little newborn lounger while I have breakfast and throw his diapers in the washing machine. I like to narrate my activities to C while I do them. To be a fly on the wall, I probably sound like a crazy lady. Oh well.
Around 10:30, it's time for C's morning siesta. His naps vary in length, but if I'm lucky, he'll sleep til noon or so. I try and grab a shower and finish the laundry during this time.
At lunch time, Sean usually comes home, and I feed C. Then C will be alert for a while after he eats.
In the afternoon, I load C into his stroller and leash up Madame Phineas and go for a walkabout around the neighborhood for an hour or so. C sometimes sleeps the whole time. Other time, he shrieks, and I feel like a siren walking down the sidewalk. Sigh.
The evenings are often the most stressful for me. C gets really fussy. I'm not sure it rises to the level of colic, but he sure likes to shriek. Sometimes he's gassy, but mostly, it's like he can't get himself to sleep in the early evening, and he's positively inconsolable. Nothing makes him happy. And then, he'll finally fall asleep. Sometimes mid-shriek. It's bizarre.
Sometimes in the evening, I like to give C a bath with some lavendar essential oil in the water to soothe him. Sometimes, he likes it; other times, not so much. It's a crap shoot. The bath does seem to help him fall asleep more easily. He also seems to like his little baby massage I give him after his bath.
Around 8, he's usually out for the evening, and his first stretch of sleep is usually the longest. As a result, I've been going to bed really early as well so I can take advantage of 4 straight hours of sleep in a row.
He's up around 12 usually for a feeding and diaper change. Then again around 2 or 3, then again around 4 or 5. Then it all starts again at 6:30 a.m. When I write out what I do all day, it really doesn't seem like all that much, and yet, I find I am always behind the eight ball with straightening up the house and doing laundry (that isn't C's diapers).
Well, this was certainly a boring post. I promise to liven it up next time and regale you all with a more exciting tale.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
cloth diaper review
Well, lots of you know that I am using cloth diapers with Christopher. We started with disposables though because (a) I couldn't decide which cloth diapers to buy; (b) before you even enter parenthood, the diaper companies give you eleventy billion samples; and (c) several of my friends who have babies/children/progeny told me that cloth diapers don't really fit newborns so well. Well, senor C spent the first two weeks of his life in seventh generation disposables, and his poor little rump was so red. We used the diaper rash cream, and still, red rumpus. I felt so bad for him - it could not have felt comfortable.
Fast forward to this week when I tried out the cloth diapers I got from justsimplybaby.com. They are pocket diapers like fuzzibuns, only less expensive and with cuter designs imho. They have this really soft interior that keeps C's bum dry. C is super fussy when his diaper is wet (can't really blame him), and last night he didn't make a squwak about his discomfiture for the entirety of the newest Harry Potter dvd release (yeah, we're dorks. so what?). And when I changed the diaper? Soiled, but C's butt was dry as a bone and not at all red. Oh! And the other bonus is that they're just as easy as disposables. They snap right on and off, and actually the cloth wipes are way better at cleaning than disposable wipes (which mostly just seem to spread poo around). Although they still look kinda big on him, C's so cute that I don't think anyone will judge him. :)
So short story is these diapers are great, and I'm really not regretting my decision to cloth diaper at all. Thus far, C's happy with his dry bum, and I'm happy with the no leaks and the easy changing aspect.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Woefully overdue blog update
Well, it's now been three weeks since Mr. Christopher was born, and I feel like I can finally stop to take a breath. Adjusting to life with a newborn has been wonderful, but also probably the hardest thing I've ever done. I mean, it's not like I went into this blind or anything: people told me about the sleepless nights I would have and how I would be tired and how breastfeeding was hard. But whoa. In no particular order, here are the ways my life has changed in the last twenty odd days.
1. Sleep. As in, I am getting a lot less of it these days because C likes to eat. A lot. In the middle of the night. When we were still in the hospital, it was the worst. My milk hadn't come in yet, so C was getting colostrum (a mother's first milk- there's much less than the regular milk, and it's quite thick). C's stomach was tiny tiny when he was born- like the size of a cherry or something I think, so needless to say, it was quick to fill and quick to empty. Which meant he liked to eat probably every hour or so. Nowadays, he sleeps longer. Around 6 pm, he starts eating lots and he'll usually sleep from 8 pm to midnight or one. We're working on getting him to bed later and later each night so his bedtime becomes convenient for the whole family. Then after his long 4-5 hour sleep, he'll usually go in about 2 or 3 hour intervals for the rest of the night. Which means, he wakes around 2 or 3, then 4 or 5, then 6 or 7. At 7ish, he's usually pretty awake for the morning. The two or three hour middle of the night intervals wouldn't be so bad, except that changing him, feeding him, burping him, and soothing him back to sleep take an hourish (give or take), so then there's only hour or two to sleep before he's awake again, and you're going through the whole rigamarole again.
2. Breastfeeding. Is hard. And it hurts. But, like people keep telling me, it gets better. And actually, it is. I am going to keep doing it. At least through tomorrow. This is what I have been telling myself the last two weeks whilst curling my toes in agony each time C latches on. More on this when I have a better attitude on the matter.
3. Laundry. Lots. And more to come now that C is wearing his cloth diapers (which incidentally are very big looking on an eight pound baby). The diapers we got are gonna be great, I think. No leaks thus far. And there's basically as easy as disposables. Since C is exclusively breastfed, his poo is water soluable and just rinses straight away in the washer. Aside from the poopy diapers, there have been several incidents of getting peed on (Sean and me both - and actually C once peed on himself too- poor baby- mommy and daddy stink at changing diapers). And milk residue. And spit up.
4. The flooded living room. Yes, you read that right. That's a story for another post, but suffice it to say the water heater broke, and we've been without use of our living room for a week now. All of our furniture and everything from the closets is now in our kitchen/dining room/family room. It's really awesome. Especially the nasty dirty water/wet carpet smell. Like I said, more on that with pictures next time.
5. Eating (me, not C). Been trying to do less of this and remove the 40ish (yes- you read that right- please don't judge me) pounds I put on while I was pregnant. Happily, twenty of those pounds are gone already, and this big mama is on the Weight Watchers train to get rid of the other twenty plus a little extra.
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