Feeding Time

Before I ever conceived I already knew I wanted to at least try breastfeeding.  My mother breastfeed all 5 of the children in our family, so I felt I could at least give it a shot.  However, I didn't realize how much there is to learn about the process.  There are multiple positions to hold the baby, techniques to latching, and even a suggested diet.  Once I did the research and weighed the pros and cons I decided it was worth dedicating my time and efforts to breastfeeding my child for the first year.  

However, there are unexpected nuances to breastfeeding that you do not realize until you start doing it. There is a tingling sensation that occurs when you first start breastfeeding that is hard to explain. For me it was uncomfortable, but bearable.  On the other hand, it was very painful for my friend who went through this process for the first time with me (her child is 6 weeks older than mine).  It was so painful for her that she was unable to bear feeding her child and opted to pump and feed her until the pain subsided. You are also the primary care taker when you breastfeed.  You can pump and allow the husband to bottle feed your child,but you will still be dedicating time to each feeding.  You also have to ensure you intake enough water and food on a daily basis, so your milk supply stays up.

Then if and when you return to work, pumping is a whole new ball game. First and foremost, the pump is not going to get it all out.  Therefore, make sure you are pumping in addition to feeding before returning to work.  Secondly, your baby is likely to eat more at the sitter.  Some mothers do not have a tough time keeping up.  I on the other hand am short by one feeding on a daily basis.  Thank goodness for the milk I stored before coming back to work.  It was enough to get me through to about 5 months before starting cereal.  My goal was 6 months, but no harm done and I got close.  If I stress out about it, my milk supply is even lower.  I tied Reglan to increase it, but that only works for a few days.  I also tried feeding my baby every 1-1/2 for an entire weekend, but still to no avail. Bottom line, she just eats more at the sitters.  It must be a comfort thing. ---- I do plan to try Mother's Milk Tea and possibly some other herbal options.  Will let you know how those pan out.

Huggies Blowout - Anyone?

Cloth diapering is one of the best decisions I have made.  I can not tell you hoe many outfits and how much time I have saved by simply using cloth diapers.  I have a friend who's child is having a Huggies blowout 2-3 times a day. She has to change not only the diaper, but the entire outfit and sometimes give her child a bath. I can honestly say that I have only had 2-3 blowouts since my child started using cloth diapers, which was at about 4 weeks old when she hit just over 7lbs.

I don't remember exactly why or when I decided I wanted to use cloth diapers on my children, but I did and once I make a decision I usually stick to it no matter what anyone else thinks. I started researching my options.  The only thing I remembered about cloth diapers were the original flat fold style my mom used in the 80's.  To my pleasant surprise there have been some very inventive "moms" out there who have come up with much more convenient and easy alternatives to the original cloth diaper. There are many styles to choose from, but after much research and deliberation I decided to go with an one size diaper. This style diaper will grow with your baby from 7  lbs to 35 lbs.  Once I decided the style of diaper I wanted to go with there were still more options.  (I never realized how much research motherhood required)  Ultimately, I settled for the Bum Genius Flip Diapering system. I chose the flip system because it was cheaper for me than the all in one options. I bought 6 covers and 32 inserts.  I wash diapers every third day.

Another benefit  to the Bum Genius Diapers is that they are easy to use.  They are comparable to disposable diapers, which makes them father and sitter friendly.  Once some of my friends saw the diapers and how they worked, they realized I was not crazy.  Some of them are actually on board with using them on their children.  Really, with the options available I do not know why anyone would use those horrendous disposable diapers.