Showing posts with label breastfeeding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breastfeeding. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Nursing After Bath
Dee still loves to nurse. She asks to nurse every night (and every morning) even though I stopped offering shortly after she turned one. I love nursing her, for the most part, though at certain times in my cycle it's painful and I would really love to sleep a whole night until 9am (haha) without her 5:30am "Mama, is it time to nurse? Can I come snuggle you guys in your bed and nurse?" just once. But it will all end soon enough, and in the meantime, I treasure it. I realized I have no recent pictures of her nursing so I tried to get some last night. This is one of my favorites.
She was alternately petting my neck or cheek and the cabinet behind me.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Status of The Night Weaning Attempt
Dee is only waking up once per night (yay!!) but I still suck at putting her back in her bed. So we're making progress, but we're not there yet. My mom informed me that my brother used to be like this, and he is *still* a terrible sleeper at 24. So that's not particularly encouraging.
And here's a picture of Dee (with a cold) with pigtails *squeee!!* (Not squeeing for the cold, just the pigtails. That cold was hellish.)
And here's a picture of Dee (with a cold) with pigtails *squeee!!* (Not squeeing for the cold, just the pigtails. That cold was hellish.)
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Night-Weaning Update
We had that one lovely night. Then we had the canines. (cue horror movie music)
The four worst teeth.
One. After. Another. For 2 months.
Finally, they are all through. Yay!
I've been sort of trying to do this approach, where basically you just gently stop letting baby nurse if she doesn't sleep between nursings at night, and don't nurse baby to sleep between, say, 11 and 6. This is for the first 3 nights. We've sort of been stalled here for the last few weeks. *yawn*
Oy.
Dee has spent many more nights in her own bed, but I still have a hideous time putting her back in her own bed if she wakes up at like 3 or 4. I'd rather go back in my bed and sleep, even if it means bringing her with me.
(Also, I'm going to start calling my baby girl Dee, because it's closer to what her name is, and she does sometimes get called this (when she was born, I had thought we'd call her a nickname that started with L, but that didn't really stick). I may start calling J "Jay" here, but I don't know. So for now, I will be going back and changing references to "L" to say "Dee." Maybe. I'll work on it. So please don't be confused!)
The four worst teeth.
One. After. Another. For 2 months.
Finally, they are all through. Yay!
I've been sort of trying to do this approach, where basically you just gently stop letting baby nurse if she doesn't sleep between nursings at night, and don't nurse baby to sleep between, say, 11 and 6. This is for the first 3 nights. We've sort of been stalled here for the last few weeks. *yawn*
Oy.
Dee has spent many more nights in her own bed, but I still have a hideous time putting her back in her own bed if she wakes up at like 3 or 4. I'd rather go back in my bed and sleep, even if it means bringing her with me.
(Also, I'm going to start calling my baby girl Dee, because it's closer to what her name is, and she does sometimes get called this (when she was born, I had thought we'd call her a nickname that started with L, but that didn't really stick). I may start calling J "Jay" here, but I don't know. So for now, I will be going back and changing references to "L" to say "Dee." Maybe. I'll work on it. So please don't be confused!)
Friday, November 2, 2012
November 2, 2012 - Eleven Blissful Hours
Guess who I had to actually *wake up* this morning? (and boy, was she hungry...)
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
In Which Dee Did Not Sleep (Through) Last Night.
Yeah...
She was mostly awake and thrashy for the hour I had her in bed with us and she nursed non-stop. From 2-3 am. Though that was the first time she had woken up, so I guess we're getting better?
I'll call this a draw. One night feeding dropped, but one hour of hell.
Pass the coffee, would you?
She was mostly awake and thrashy for the hour I had her in bed with us and she nursed non-stop. From 2-3 am. Though that was the first time she had woken up, so I guess we're getting better?
I'll call this a draw. One night feeding dropped, but one hour of hell.
Pass the coffee, would you?
Monday, October 29, 2012
Night Weaning: Nights 2, 3, 4
Night 2 (Friday night): Still nursed twice, brought her to bed at around 4 or 5.
Night 3 (Saturday night): Nursed twice, but slept in her own bed all night! YAY!
Night 4 (Sunday night): L caught her cousin's cold. Has croupy cough all night, and ends up in bed with me at 10 after having woken up 4 times in 2 hours. I need more sleep and more caffeine.
Night 3 (Saturday night): Nursed twice, but slept in her own bed all night! YAY!
Night 4 (Sunday night): L caught her cousin's cold. Has croupy cough all night, and ends up in bed with me at 10 after having woken up 4 times in 2 hours. I need more sleep and more caffeine.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
October 27, 2012 - 18 Months Old!
Height: 32.5" (77th Percentile)
Weight: 19lb, 15oz (15th Percentile)
She has all her incisors, her 4 1-year molars, and one canine tooth. The other canines are working on coming through and boy are they making her cranky.
Other than a cold, she's perfectly healthy and smart. She loves to dance, color, brush her hair, snuggle her babies, and read books. We don't know if she's right-handed or left-handed, as she likes to color with both hands. L really loves her brother and her dog (MacGuyver) and she likes Athena fine as long as she's not getting licked. Her favorite food is cheese, followed closely by scrambled eggs, apples, tomatoes, and lunch meat. She also really likes chocolate. She nurses 6-8 times a day (including nights) and is a very affectionate little girl.
Current words Include (50ish total):
What she says: What she means (if not obvious):
gog Dog
Magogog MacGuyver
Afea Athena
NO!
get
down
baby
brotha brother
Jeems James
Mama
Daddy
eyes
noh nose
booger
nuh nurse
seetsh switch (to switch sides when nursing)
ny ny Night night/ I'm tired
hug arm or hug
hat
feet
toes
shoes
boots
cheese
Doodle baby doll named Doodle
moo (what a cow says)
boo
ruff ruff (what some dogs say)
woof (what some other dogs say)
hoo (what an owl says)
raaaahr (what a dinosaur says, or, if louder, what a Delilah says)
keeeey kitty
bowl bowl or spoon
bahw ball
wess dress
peepee
poo
ow
thanks
hi
bye
liggle tickle
G'pa Grandpa
G'ma Grandma
beow bear
booh book
bottow bottle/sippy cup/drink
loooh! look
beer
light
puppy
Friday, October 26, 2012
The Night-Weaning Diaries: Night 1
J was a great sleeper from early on. He started sleeping through the night (as in, all night long. Not just 6 hours in a stretch) at 2 months old. He still sleeps wonderfully, and will sleep through a thunderstorm that wakes up everyone else in the house, he'll sleep through me coming in to check on him or say goodbye in the morning, and he'll sleep through his sister's night wakings.
Which brings us to L. She wakes up at least twice every night. Usually at around 11 or 12, and again at around 3 or 4. She likes to nurse at these times. If she wakes up more than twice, it will be between 7:30 and 10pm. *That* one I can usually get her back down without nursing. The others? *shudder* Not so much.
I am tired of being tired all day because I was kept awake for 2 intervals in the night. I am tired of not being able to sleep the whole night through (which, at this point, I haven't done for 2 years). I think L would be a happier kid if she was better rested, too. I got some advice from a friend (whose own L was an equally bad sleeper!) and I'm trying her ideas (including telling the little one that the milk has gone night-night, though L totally didn't buy that one last night) and telling myself that persistence is key.
We have two issues going on. One is that she wants to eat twice at night, which she could easily make up the calories for during the day, so that's (theoretically) easy enough. The other is that she is very deeply conditioned to come to bed with me at 3 or 4 am, and sleep with me, and nurse off and on until I get up in the morning. Oy. That one is the more difficult thing to change. It also means that when she wakes up, she's full, and won't eat breakfast, so then she wants a big snack mid morning, and won't eat lunch, and so on.
I am pretty good at just feeding her and putting her back down at 11/12 (I just sit in the rocking chair in the kids' room). Last night I tried doing the same for her second waking. Heh. I sat down, nursed her, soothed her, put her in her crib. She popped right back up, crying. I gave her a pacifier, wrapped a blanket around her, and we cuddled a while while I rocked. I put her back in her bed. She cried. I went to the bathroom and let her alone for a few minutes, to see if she'd soothe herself and go back to sleep. No dice.
C suggested that trying this while she's cutting her canines may not be the best time, so I went and got her and brought her to bed with me. *sigh*
We'll try again tonight. If I could just eliminate one of the wakings...
Which brings us to L. She wakes up at least twice every night. Usually at around 11 or 12, and again at around 3 or 4. She likes to nurse at these times. If she wakes up more than twice, it will be between 7:30 and 10pm. *That* one I can usually get her back down without nursing. The others? *shudder* Not so much.
I am tired of being tired all day because I was kept awake for 2 intervals in the night. I am tired of not being able to sleep the whole night through (which, at this point, I haven't done for 2 years). I think L would be a happier kid if she was better rested, too. I got some advice from a friend (whose own L was an equally bad sleeper!) and I'm trying her ideas (including telling the little one that the milk has gone night-night, though L totally didn't buy that one last night) and telling myself that persistence is key.
We have two issues going on. One is that she wants to eat twice at night, which she could easily make up the calories for during the day, so that's (theoretically) easy enough. The other is that she is very deeply conditioned to come to bed with me at 3 or 4 am, and sleep with me, and nurse off and on until I get up in the morning. Oy. That one is the more difficult thing to change. It also means that when she wakes up, she's full, and won't eat breakfast, so then she wants a big snack mid morning, and won't eat lunch, and so on.
I am pretty good at just feeding her and putting her back down at 11/12 (I just sit in the rocking chair in the kids' room). Last night I tried doing the same for her second waking. Heh. I sat down, nursed her, soothed her, put her in her crib. She popped right back up, crying. I gave her a pacifier, wrapped a blanket around her, and we cuddled a while while I rocked. I put her back in her bed. She cried. I went to the bathroom and let her alone for a few minutes, to see if she'd soothe herself and go back to sleep. No dice.
C suggested that trying this while she's cutting her canines may not be the best time, so I went and got her and brought her to bed with me. *sigh*
We'll try again tonight. If I could just eliminate one of the wakings...
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Breasts: By Any Other Name....
Jugs, tatas, boobies, boobs, tits, gazongas, fun bags, dirty pillows, milk factories....the list goes on. I don't think any other body part has as many nicknames. Maybe penis does, but I think breasts win the name game. Breasts have been on my mind *a lot* lately. Not least because we're getting close to a year after my cousin passed away from breast cancer, but also because I have a friend who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. She's just completed round 4 of chemo and is kicking ass. I've recently started reading Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History. L still nurses multiple times per day/night. As approaches the 18 month mark, I wonder how much longer we'll have before she decides to be done. This morning, I saw this on Facebook, and it got me thinking.
I've been breastfeeding for over 3 years, all told, between J and L. I hope to get at least 3 more years in between L and future-baby-to-be-adopted. Between the breastfeeding and giving birth (which supposedly also lowers risk by 7%) I've lowered my risk by 29%. Not bad, really.
Then I saw this awesome article on I Am Not The Babysitter (the blog of the mom on that infamous Time magazine cover): Worldwide Average Age of Weaning. According to this article (actually written by Kathy Dettwyler, an anthropologist who has studied breastfeeding in cultures around the world) the global average age of weaning is between 2.5 and 7, but there are a number of challenges in calculating this, especially when including the US in the calculations. I'll let you read the article yourself, as it's very well done.
Here are some other links I've come across in the past that I've been meaning to share, but hadn't gotten to it yet.
On Beyonce breastfeeding, and why it's important:
http://lactationmatters.org/2012/03/13/why-beyonce-nursing-in-public-is-so-significant/
mochamanual.com/2012/03/02/dear-white-women-beyonce-is-our-breastfeeding-moment-please-step-aside/
More from Kathy Dettwyler:
http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html
An interesting article about "how old is too old?"
http://dianaibclc.com/2011/02/24/old-enough-to-ask-for-it/
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
January 25, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Alright...I did it.
I rejoined SparkPeople. My membership hadn't gone anywhere, I just hadn't been using it. Turns out that I am *not* 4 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. I evidently gained a couple pounds over the holidays, and am back at 140. I guess something must have been stuck under my scale or something the other day.
So I am back to tracking my meals, snacks, etc on SparkPeople. I don't really like Babyfit (their pregnancy/breastfeeding fitness site), so I just added 400 calories to my daily intake goal (so it's now 1650-1950, rather than 1250-1550 calories per day). I am hoping that just keeping myself accountable will help me lose this weight without impacting my milk supply (which *thankfully* has been great, and I've even built up a small freezer stash again! Okay, really small, it's like 20 ounces, but still! Progress!) and help me make better choices. I know that this system requires me to be honest with myself, and I can do that. I've done it before. So far (in 2 1/2 days) I've lost about 3 ounces. Yeah...140.4 pounds to 140.2. I guess I'm getting there, right? And that works out to about a pound a week, which is good.
Here's the breakdown so far:
Starting weight (4/27/2011): 161 (at 39w6d pregnant)
6/27/11: Return to work, weight 142
8/17ish: Weight 140! Reward: new nail polish
9/6/11: Weight 138. Woot!
10/19/11: Still 138. Wohoo!
1/19/12: 140. D'oh.
Goals:
135 pounds (BMI 24.7): NEW SHOES!
130 pounds (BMI 23.8): Jewelery! (Like a new necklace and earrings)
125 pounds (BMI 22.9): Haircut! Maybe go all short and sassy again. Also, mani and pedi :-)
Ultimate goal: 120 (BMI 21.9, where I was when C and I got married)! Reward: $100 in new clothes (consignment or new, doesn't matter)
So I am back to tracking my meals, snacks, etc on SparkPeople. I don't really like Babyfit (their pregnancy/breastfeeding fitness site), so I just added 400 calories to my daily intake goal (so it's now 1650-1950, rather than 1250-1550 calories per day). I am hoping that just keeping myself accountable will help me lose this weight without impacting my milk supply (which *thankfully* has been great, and I've even built up a small freezer stash again! Okay, really small, it's like 20 ounces, but still! Progress!) and help me make better choices. I know that this system requires me to be honest with myself, and I can do that. I've done it before. So far (in 2 1/2 days) I've lost about 3 ounces. Yeah...140.4 pounds to 140.2. I guess I'm getting there, right? And that works out to about a pound a week, which is good.
Here's the breakdown so far:
Starting weight (4/27/2011): 161 (at 39w6d pregnant)
6/27/11: Return to work, weight 142
8/17ish: Weight 140! Reward: new nail polish
9/6/11: Weight 138. Woot!
10/19/11: Still 138. Wohoo!
1/19/12: 140. D'oh.
Goals:
135 pounds (BMI 24.7): NEW SHOES!
130 pounds (BMI 23.8): Jewelery! (Like a new necklace and earrings)
125 pounds (BMI 22.9): Haircut! Maybe go all short and sassy again. Also, mani and pedi :-)
Ultimate goal: 120 (BMI 21.9, where I was when C and I got married)! Reward: $100 in new clothes (consignment or new, doesn't matter)
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
24 Hours in My Life
I have been thinking about this a lot lately, and wondering how I don't have time to do everything that I want to (including exercise, as mentioned previously). So I thought it might help to write down everything I do in a (typical) work day...
6:30am - Alarm goes off. Snooze alarm, nurse and snuggle baby (this may take until 7:30, depending on how hungry she is and how sleepy I am)
7:15 - shower, get ready, change baby and get both kids dressed, gather everything for the workday (breastpump, book, purse, water bottle, lunch, etc)
8:00 - leave for work (generally end up leaving between 8:15 and 8:30)
9:00 - 5:00 (ish) work - sometimes this is longer or shorter
6:00 - arrive home; if it's my turn to cook, then I cook, but in general we eat between 6 and 7
7-7:30 - Bedtime for baby! If it's a bath night, then bath time for J
8:00-8:30 - Bedtime for J
9:00 - Time to take the dogs out, pump, then work on writing or knitting/other projects or cleaning
10:00 - L wakes up, back asleep again by 10:15...(may nurse, may just want her paci)
10:30 or 11 - Get ready for bed
11:30 - L wakes up again. Say "screw it" and bring her to bed where I fall asleep while she nurses. She wakes to eat some more around 2 something and 5 something. I don't really wake up all the way to roll over and switch the side she's nursing on, but I do wake up some. Although if it's a night like last night, she will end up coming to bed with me at 12:30, and waking up every hour and a half to two hours because she wants to sprawl out and/or eat but doesn't want to be in her own bed.
6:30am: start all over again. This morning L thought it would be fun to play peek-a-boo with Daddy while we were all snuggling. It was pretty damn cute.
On a related note, J started yesterday with a song he made up entitled "Zombie up!" That seems to be the zombie equivalent of "cowboy up" and it works pretty well. With L's sleep schedule (ha!) I sure as hell feel like a zombie.
6:30am - Alarm goes off. Snooze alarm, nurse and snuggle baby (this may take until 7:30, depending on how hungry she is and how sleepy I am)
7:15 - shower, get ready, change baby and get both kids dressed, gather everything for the workday (breastpump, book, purse, water bottle, lunch, etc)
8:00 - leave for work (generally end up leaving between 8:15 and 8:30)
9:00 - 5:00 (ish) work - sometimes this is longer or shorter
6:00 - arrive home; if it's my turn to cook, then I cook, but in general we eat between 6 and 7
7-7:30 - Bedtime for baby! If it's a bath night, then bath time for J
8:00-8:30 - Bedtime for J
9:00 - Time to take the dogs out, pump, then work on writing or knitting/other projects or cleaning
10:00 - L wakes up, back asleep again by 10:15...(may nurse, may just want her paci)
10:30 or 11 - Get ready for bed
11:30 - L wakes up again. Say "screw it" and bring her to bed where I fall asleep while she nurses. She wakes to eat some more around 2 something and 5 something. I don't really wake up all the way to roll over and switch the side she's nursing on, but I do wake up some. Although if it's a night like last night, she will end up coming to bed with me at 12:30, and waking up every hour and a half to two hours because she wants to sprawl out and/or eat but doesn't want to be in her own bed.
6:30am: start all over again. This morning L thought it would be fun to play peek-a-boo with Daddy while we were all snuggling. It was pretty damn cute.
On a related note, J started yesterday with a song he made up entitled "Zombie up!" That seems to be the zombie equivalent of "cowboy up" and it works pretty well. With L's sleep schedule (ha!) I sure as hell feel like a zombie.
Weight Loss Update
Nothing new going on here, really. No gain, no loss. *sigh* Still 3 pounds away from shoes. Still nursing kiddo on demand, and going to start running one of these days. Which, at this rate, will be when L starts college.
Here's the breakdown so far (by weeks postpartum)
Starting weight: 161 (at 39w6d pregnant)
9 weeks (6/27/11): Return to work, weight 142
16 weeks (8/17ish): Weight 140! Reward: new nail polish
19 weeks (9/6/11): Weight 138. Woot!
25 weeks (10/19/11): Still 138.
Goals:
135 pounds (BMI 24.7): NEW SHOES!
130 pounds (BMI 23.8): Jewelery! (Like a new necklace and earrings)
125 pounds (BMI 22.9): Haircut! Maybe go all short and sassy again.
Ultimate goal: 120 (BMI 21.9, where I was when C and I got married)! Reward: $100 in new clothes (consignment or new, doesn't matter)
Here's the breakdown so far (by weeks postpartum)
Starting weight: 161 (at 39w6d pregnant)
9 weeks (6/27/11): Return to work, weight 142
16 weeks (8/17ish): Weight 140! Reward: new nail polish
19 weeks (9/6/11): Weight 138. Woot!
25 weeks (10/19/11): Still 138.
Goals:
135 pounds (BMI 24.7): NEW SHOES!
130 pounds (BMI 23.8): Jewelery! (Like a new necklace and earrings)
125 pounds (BMI 22.9): Haircut! Maybe go all short and sassy again.
Ultimate goal: 120 (BMI 21.9, where I was when C and I got married)! Reward: $100 in new clothes (consignment or new, doesn't matter)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Food for Thought
Are you female? Go here. Read this. And stop being so darn hard on yourself! (And it doesn't matter if you are a size 6 or 16, the message is more or less the same.)
I was thinking (after having read the post linked above) about my slight frustration with weightloss this time around. I know, I've done well and have lost the baby weight, but I'm still hovering right at 2 pounds below pre-pregnancy weight. I have been clinging to a myth (I guess it's a myth) that I couldn't go running because my supply would tank. Well, that doesn't mean I can't walk, right? Except I haven't been. I haven't got a great excuse, other than that I like sleep, and getting up before 6:30 is not something I enjoy, especially when a certain baby still wakes up a few times a night (even cosleeping, though at least then I don't have to get up to feed her), and that by the time I get home it's 6:00 most nights, then we eat, put kids to bed, and I have time to craft or write or clean, and there we go, it's 11:00 and past my bedtime. Anyway. I should just put on my damn sports bra and RUN. I know the dog(s) would enjoy it, and probably be less of a pill at home. After googling, I found this article about the basics of breastfeeding, specifically nutrition, exercise, and allergy stuff. INTERESTING, let me tell you. Turns out I can exercise while nursing, just go after feeding the kid and watch carefully for clogged ducts.
So...maybe I can do this. I think I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed with all the stuff I'm trying to do lately- making L a blanket for Christmas (or her birthday), making kids' Halloween costumes (or accessories), making birthday gifts, working on stuff for Etsy, working full time, making pretty sugar (or chocolate) cookies for work and for family parties, in addition to having to get the house ready for Fall (HA! not so much... the dining room is semi-decorated, at least) and do some cleaning and taking care of the dogs and the kids. Oy. I'm tired after just writing that. And did I mention that L *still* isn't sleeping through the night? Maybe we were just spoiled with J, who at this point would sleep in his crib the whole night, waking up maybe once to eat. I've actually brought L back into bed with us because frankly I prefer the extra few minutes of sleep to having her sleep in her crib and me get up every 2-3 hours all night.
I was thinking (after having read the post linked above) about my slight frustration with weightloss this time around. I know, I've done well and have lost the baby weight, but I'm still hovering right at 2 pounds below pre-pregnancy weight. I have been clinging to a myth (I guess it's a myth) that I couldn't go running because my supply would tank. Well, that doesn't mean I can't walk, right? Except I haven't been. I haven't got a great excuse, other than that I like sleep, and getting up before 6:30 is not something I enjoy, especially when a certain baby still wakes up a few times a night (even cosleeping, though at least then I don't have to get up to feed her), and that by the time I get home it's 6:00 most nights, then we eat, put kids to bed, and I have time to craft or write or clean, and there we go, it's 11:00 and past my bedtime. Anyway. I should just put on my damn sports bra and RUN. I know the dog(s) would enjoy it, and probably be less of a pill at home. After googling, I found this article about the basics of breastfeeding, specifically nutrition, exercise, and allergy stuff. INTERESTING, let me tell you. Turns out I can exercise while nursing, just go after feeding the kid and watch carefully for clogged ducts.
So...maybe I can do this. I think I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed with all the stuff I'm trying to do lately- making L a blanket for Christmas (or her birthday), making kids' Halloween costumes (or accessories), making birthday gifts, working on stuff for Etsy, working full time, making pretty sugar (or chocolate) cookies for work and for family parties, in addition to having to get the house ready for Fall (HA! not so much... the dining room is semi-decorated, at least) and do some cleaning and taking care of the dogs and the kids. Oy. I'm tired after just writing that. And did I mention that L *still* isn't sleeping through the night? Maybe we were just spoiled with J, who at this point would sleep in his crib the whole night, waking up maybe once to eat. I've actually brought L back into bed with us because frankly I prefer the extra few minutes of sleep to having her sleep in her crib and me get up every 2-3 hours all night.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Medela FAIL.
I happily (well, okay, as happily as possible, given what it is) used (and use) a Medela Pump In Style Advanced pump so I could provide breastmilk for my son and now for my daughter. I am using the same pump that I bought nearly 4 years ago, and man, it's really obviously been USED. The pump itself still works great (so yay for that) but the bag? Not in good shape at all. So I called customer service to ask if there was any way to just replace the bag. Nope. The woman was very nice and offered me 20% off a new pump, but hello, if I had the money to buy a new pump I would not have called about a new bag. I am not about to waste a perfectly good pump (and another $200) just to replace a bag! It's just...wasteful. I mean, it's bad enough that we can't recycle these somehow (given the whole contamination risk thing) so many pumps get used for a few months and then what? Trash? Sent to a family member? What? So I guess I will be making a new bag. Because this is getting embarrassing.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Postpartum Weight Loss
Ah, yes. The battle with the baby weight: The Sequel.
When I got pregnant with J, I weighed 135 pounds. This put me at a BMI of 24.7. I gained 18 pounds during that pregnancy, and had gotten down to around 120 at some point post pregnancy, but then gained back a shload of weight to be at 140 (BMI 25.6) in spite of my weightloss efforts, when L took up residence in my ute. While I only gained 21 pounds with her, I was at about 150 after she was born. I knew it would be more of a struggle to lose weight this time, because I weighed more to begin with (although yes, I know, 5 pounds gained between pregnancies isn't bad).
I am exclusively breastfeeding, and feeding on demand (and pumping while at work, as well as in the evenings to keep up with L), so I don't want to start a serious exercise regimen and cause my supply to tank. I've been doing well losing weight slowly just by keeping my diet in check.
Here's the breakdown so far on my weight loss (by weeks postpartum)
Starting weight: 161 (at 39w6d pregnant)
9 weeks (6/27/11): Return to work, weight 142
16 weeks (8/17ish): Weight 140! Reward: new nail polish
19 weeks (9/6/11): Weight 138. Woot!
Future goals:
135 pounds (BMI 24.7): NEW SHOES!
130 pounds (BMI 23.8): Something bigger than shoes?
125 pounds (BMI 22.9): Something bigger than bigger than shoes?
Ultimate goal: 120 (BMI 21.9, where I was when C and I got married)! Reward: $100 in new clothes (consignment or new, doesn't matter)
If I can keep my weight between 120 and 125 for 1 year, I will reward myself with a tattoo that I've been wanting to get for a while. I plan to get a Mobius strip that's got 3 sides, (one for each child and one for C) with "L'chaim" written in Hebrew below it. No, I'm not Jewish, but I think that it sounds better than "to life" and it's a positive affirmation to associate with my family and my body.
When I got pregnant with J, I weighed 135 pounds. This put me at a BMI of 24.7. I gained 18 pounds during that pregnancy, and had gotten down to around 120 at some point post pregnancy, but then gained back a shload of weight to be at 140 (BMI 25.6) in spite of my weightloss efforts, when L took up residence in my ute. While I only gained 21 pounds with her, I was at about 150 after she was born. I knew it would be more of a struggle to lose weight this time, because I weighed more to begin with (although yes, I know, 5 pounds gained between pregnancies isn't bad).
I am exclusively breastfeeding, and feeding on demand (and pumping while at work, as well as in the evenings to keep up with L), so I don't want to start a serious exercise regimen and cause my supply to tank. I've been doing well losing weight slowly just by keeping my diet in check.
Here's the breakdown so far on my weight loss (by weeks postpartum)
Starting weight: 161 (at 39w6d pregnant)
9 weeks (6/27/11): Return to work, weight 142
16 weeks (8/17ish): Weight 140! Reward: new nail polish
19 weeks (9/6/11): Weight 138. Woot!
Future goals:
135 pounds (BMI 24.7): NEW SHOES!
130 pounds (BMI 23.8): Something bigger than shoes?
125 pounds (BMI 22.9): Something bigger than bigger than shoes?
Ultimate goal: 120 (BMI 21.9, where I was when C and I got married)! Reward: $100 in new clothes (consignment or new, doesn't matter)
If I can keep my weight between 120 and 125 for 1 year, I will reward myself with a tattoo that I've been wanting to get for a while. I plan to get a Mobius strip that's got 3 sides, (one for each child and one for C) with "L'chaim" written in Hebrew below it. No, I'm not Jewish, but I think that it sounds better than "to life" and it's a positive affirmation to associate with my family and my body.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Study: Lack of breastfeeding costs lives, billions of dollars (from CNN Health)
A new study in the journal Pediatrics indicates that breastfeeding for as little as the first 6 months of life could save about 1000 lives and billions of dollars every year. Very interesting. Linky here.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Study urges infants be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life
- U.S. breastfeeding rates fall far below medical recommendations
- Biggest priority should be to improve maternity care practices, study's author says
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Reminiscence
The last time he just snuggled in, sucked gently, but mostly just laid there nestled into me with his small hands wrapped around me in a sweet embrace. Ten minutes.
The first time he was so tiny and sleepy that he hardly opened his mouth wide enough to latch, I had to keep tickling his neck to keep him awake. Twenty minutes, switch sides, twenty minutes.
As he grew he became possessive, hugging my breast as if it were a stuffed toy or lovie. Sometimes he would slide one hand behind me and wiggle his fingers, gently stroking my side or my back. Soothing me as he was soothed.
Before I cut my hair he would run it through his chubby little fingers, so gently, loving the softness. After I cut my hair he weaved his hand in and out between my fingers, smiling between swallows.
One morning I was sitting on the couch with him and he pulled my camisole down and latched right on, just sitting there facing me. Sometimes he tried nursing standing up, with absolutely no success.
Whenever he got shots at the doctor he nursed afterward, the comfort of his mother washing away the sting of the needles.
He was perplexed if I wore a shirt with buttons, because that didn't pull up or down. I'll never forget the morning I went in to get him and he sat up and chirped "Nurse!" with a big grin.
My favorite part of the child-nourishing process was breastfeeding, even with two rounds of mastitis, months of battling thrush, and a nipple infection.
I can't wait until I get to nourish my next baby with milk from my body again.
The first time he was so tiny and sleepy that he hardly opened his mouth wide enough to latch, I had to keep tickling his neck to keep him awake. Twenty minutes, switch sides, twenty minutes.
As he grew he became possessive, hugging my breast as if it were a stuffed toy or lovie. Sometimes he would slide one hand behind me and wiggle his fingers, gently stroking my side or my back. Soothing me as he was soothed.
Before I cut my hair he would run it through his chubby little fingers, so gently, loving the softness. After I cut my hair he weaved his hand in and out between my fingers, smiling between swallows.
One morning I was sitting on the couch with him and he pulled my camisole down and latched right on, just sitting there facing me. Sometimes he tried nursing standing up, with absolutely no success.
Whenever he got shots at the doctor he nursed afterward, the comfort of his mother washing away the sting of the needles.
He was perplexed if I wore a shirt with buttons, because that didn't pull up or down. I'll never forget the morning I went in to get him and he sat up and chirped "Nurse!" with a big grin.
My favorite part of the child-nourishing process was breastfeeding, even with two rounds of mastitis, months of battling thrush, and a nipple infection.
I can't wait until I get to nourish my next baby with milk from my body again.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Happy Hump Day!
Happy Wednesday! It seems that a lot has happened this week, so here goes a crazy summary!
My nephew Andrew made his debut into the world 5 weeks early on Monday. He's doing reasonably well, for all that he's a preemie, and he is getting better at eating every day. However, since he is a preemie, he doesn't have any clothes that will fit him (since his big brother and J were both much bigger than 5 pounds at birth), and after an appeal on a message board I frequent, some incredible women reached out to send/bring clothes for him. So little Andrew will not have to be a nakey baby! (Really though, Nesties are some of the kindest and most generous women on the planet.)
J and I went to Once Upon A Child to get an idea of their preemie selection and to get a couple more onesies for the new baby, and afterward went next door to meet C at the liquor store. We walked in the door, and J saw the wall of little "individual" wine bottles. He excitedly pointed and yelled "BEER!" That's right, folks, my 19-month-old son knows that bottles that size hold beer. He is his father's son, no?
This is a picture of about 1/3 of C's beer bottle collection. I cannot imagine where J got the idea that shelves of bottles might be equivalent to beer...
J also has recently learned what a horse is, thanks to a bank that features horses in their ads, and he quite happily chirps "hearse!" when we point out a picture of a horse now. He's getting more adept at symbol recognition now, where he will pick out a cartoon of an animal and tell us what animal it is (as long as it's a duck, dog, bird, or horse). At this point, J is pretty much weaned. Just as soon as I think he's totally done nursing, and goes a week without even asking to nurse, he randomly asks out of the blue, like this morning. His tummy has been a bit upset due to a recent round of antibiotics, so I think that had something to do with it. He still knows how to latch, but I was surprised at how quickly my nipples had lost their toughness! I definitely feel it much more than I used to, and I think that if he nursed for more than about 10 minutes it would leave me a bit sore.
It seems like J has suddenly hit toddlerhood full steam ahead. He climbs all over things now, and likes to ask to sit on "lap please" once he's climbed up on the couch. He gets to watch about 30 minutes of cartoons/movie a day, so that Daddy can get some cleaning done, and he really likes movies about animals. Babe is a big hit, and J imitates the sheep by making a strange growling noise (I guess they're zombie sheep?).
My nephew Andrew made his debut into the world 5 weeks early on Monday. He's doing reasonably well, for all that he's a preemie, and he is getting better at eating every day. However, since he is a preemie, he doesn't have any clothes that will fit him (since his big brother and J were both much bigger than 5 pounds at birth), and after an appeal on a message board I frequent, some incredible women reached out to send/bring clothes for him. So little Andrew will not have to be a nakey baby! (Really though, Nesties are some of the kindest and most generous women on the planet.)
J and I went to Once Upon A Child to get an idea of their preemie selection and to get a couple more onesies for the new baby, and afterward went next door to meet C at the liquor store. We walked in the door, and J saw the wall of little "individual" wine bottles. He excitedly pointed and yelled "BEER!" That's right, folks, my 19-month-old son knows that bottles that size hold beer. He is his father's son, no?
This is a picture of about 1/3 of C's beer bottle collection. I cannot imagine where J got the idea that shelves of bottles might be equivalent to beer...J also has recently learned what a horse is, thanks to a bank that features horses in their ads, and he quite happily chirps "hearse!" when we point out a picture of a horse now. He's getting more adept at symbol recognition now, where he will pick out a cartoon of an animal and tell us what animal it is (as long as it's a duck, dog, bird, or horse). At this point, J is pretty much weaned. Just as soon as I think he's totally done nursing, and goes a week without even asking to nurse, he randomly asks out of the blue, like this morning. His tummy has been a bit upset due to a recent round of antibiotics, so I think that had something to do with it. He still knows how to latch, but I was surprised at how quickly my nipples had lost their toughness! I definitely feel it much more than I used to, and I think that if he nursed for more than about 10 minutes it would leave me a bit sore.
It seems like J has suddenly hit toddlerhood full steam ahead. He climbs all over things now, and likes to ask to sit on "lap please" once he's climbed up on the couch. He gets to watch about 30 minutes of cartoons/movie a day, so that Daddy can get some cleaning done, and he really likes movies about animals. Babe is a big hit, and J imitates the sheep by making a strange growling noise (I guess they're zombie sheep?).
Sunday, July 5, 2009
A Novella on The Fertility Awareness Method and the Female Reproductive Cycle
I realized that I have whined about my 10 day luteal phase (or LP), and never really said anything about what a luteal phase is (in case any of you reading this don't know), and why it would be bad to have one only last 10 days. Well, here is all you need to know, and then some.
First of all, there are some basic things about the female reproductive cycle that everyone with a uterus really should know, but most people don't because, well, where would they learn these things? You'd actually be surprised at how little your doctor may know about these things as well. I got the bare minimum in sex ed, but I have two degrees in biology so I thought I was well-versed in female reproduction. Until I read a wonderful book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler I had absolutely no idea how little I knew. Fertilityfriend.com also has a good tutorial, but I will summarize. One huge basic thing that not everyone realizes: a 28-day cycle isn't the norm! I have 32ish day cycles. Some women have 24 day cycles. Another thing is that many women assume that they have 28 day cycles, because they have been on the pill for a long time. If you are on the pill, you will always have 28 day cycles, but those are annovulatory (no ovulation= no babies, which is how pills work to keep you from getting pregnant). This is not necessarily so. Whatever length your cycle is, make no assumptions about when you ovulate. Online ovulation predictors are absolutely not accurate, do not use them! Most women do not ovulate on cycle day 14. You may ovulate on CD 20 and have an 8 day LP, which is problematic. Maybe you ovulate on CD12 and have a 16 day LP. Alternately, you may ovulate on CD 10 of a 24 day cycle, and if you waited to CD28 to take a HPT (home pregnancy test) you would already be 4 days "late." If you have a 32 day cycle, ovulated at CD 20, and took a HPT at CD 28, it would be too early to really get a reliable result. Without charting (using FAM) or otherwise tracking ovulation, there is really no way to know when or even if you ovulated in a given cycle.
On to the science! A menstrual cycle has essentially two parts: the follicular phase (FP) and the LP, which I mentioned earlier, and they add up to any number of cycle lengths. Here is a basic breakdown.
Follicular Phase:
This phase takes up the first part of your cycle, from the first day of red menstrual flow through the day you ovulate. Some women ovulate super early (like cycle day, or CD, 8) and some ovulate super late (anything after 25 days is generally considered late). During this phase, your uterus is chilling, making lining for a potential embryo to implant. Your ovaries are working on making your eggs mature so that they can be released at ovulation. Progesterone level is pretty much nil, and your estrogen is having it's own party. FAM (the Fertility Awareness Method) keeps track of this part of the cycle by having you take your temperature first thing every morning to establish a baseline, and also checking your cervical fluid and your cervical position. Yes, this does mean sticking your (clean) fingers in your vagina, get over it. It isn't any ickier than picking your nose, and honestly I think it's cleaner than that. Your basal body temperature (BBT) is at the lowest during this part of your cycle. During the early part of your FP, your cervix will be low in the vagina and firm to the touch, like your nose. Cervical fluid may be non-noticeable, or sticky, or lotiony. In the days leading up to ovulation your cervix moves higher up and becomes very soft (like your lips). Cervical fluid takes on watery or eggwhite characteristics. If you notice in the graph below there are two hormones that peak just before ovulation. These are Lutenizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). Their job is to spike 24-48 hours before ovulation, which tells your ovaries that they'd better get their butts in gear and spit out an egg (ovum), which is ovulation. This same spike also causes estrogen (or estrodiol) to cease and desist. Sometimes there is a slight temperature drop on the day of ovulation, but this is not a reliable indicator of impending ovulation. Anyway, once ovulation happens, we move on to the Luteal Phase!
Luteal Phase:
Ovaries are made up of numerous follicles (hence, follicular phase) and each of these contains an ovum. Once the ovum is released, the follicle actually swells up and takes on a yellowish hue, and becomes a Corpus Luteum- a "Yellow Body", hence, Luteal Phase. This corpus luteum is very important to fertility. It produces progesterone, which is essential to sustaining an early pregnancy. Within 24 hours of ovulation, this progesterone spike causes your body temperature to increase by several tenths of a degree. This is how ovulation can be confirmed. By the time you can confirm ovulation based on temperatures, however, the fertile window has passed, so this is not an appropriate way to time conception sex. However, if you are trying to avoid conception, 3 days after ovulation is perfectly safe to have unprotected sex, because your little eggie has shriveled up and died. The progesterone that floods your system during the LP causes your cervical fluid (CF, or CM for cervical mucus) to dry up again, and your cervix will come back down and become more firm once more. Most of the time, the corpus luteum hangs out and does its thing long enough to create a 12-14 day LP. Variations within a day of this are perfectly normal, but if you get under 10 days for a LP, fertility issues arise. If there were sperm waiting for your happy little ovum, then there may be an embryo developing that is waiting to implant. Implantation happens about 7-10 days post ovulation, during which time your little embie is floating down your fallopian tube. If your LP is only 8 or 9 days, there is not sufficient time for the embryo to implant before your menstrual flow begins. The corpus luteum degrades at the end of your LP, which is evidenced by a plummet in BBT and the onslaught of AF (Aunt Flo, every womans *favorite* visitor) within 24 hours of the temperature drop, and you begin your next cycle. As an example of what a chart looks like, here is my prettiest one ever (click for a bigger view of it):
Ah, a normal fertile period, a 16 day LP, ovulation on CD 18...
I hope that made sense, I tried to keep it at about an introductory biology level, but please ask for clarification if something doesn't make sense!
Now, on to me personally. Since I have been having 10 day LPs, this presents a potential problem for when C and I are TTC (trying to conceive) in the not-super-distant future. We have plenty of time to address any issues, but we still need to address them. I did some googling around, and found out that there is a link between breastfeeding (the only info I found was from women still nursing their toddlers, just like me!) and cycles like mine: extended fertile periods, short LPs, like my chart from last cycle (I had to add the crosshairs manually because Fertility Friend wouldn't do it):
Prolactin, which is involved in milk production, can apparently interfere with the happy cycle depicted in the first graph above. If I had to guess, I would say that it causes the estrogen dropoff to be more gradual and therefore keep fertile CF around longer, and also causes the corpus luteum to be underdeveloped, generating less progesterone and degrading more quickly than in the absence of prolactin. That is my educated guess, I could very well be wrong.
My options are pretty much to wean J before TTC, which I planned to do anyway, but perhaps a couple cycles before TTC rather than the same cycle we planned to start TTC. I can also take vitamin B6 supplements before TTC to see if that makes a difference. If that doesn't work, I may be prescribed to take progesterone supplements. I strongly suspect that simply weaning J will solve my problem, since I had no issues whatsoever before having him.
I hope this was informative to anyone curious about FAM and/or how the female reproductive cycle works!
First of all, there are some basic things about the female reproductive cycle that everyone with a uterus really should know, but most people don't because, well, where would they learn these things? You'd actually be surprised at how little your doctor may know about these things as well. I got the bare minimum in sex ed, but I have two degrees in biology so I thought I was well-versed in female reproduction. Until I read a wonderful book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler I had absolutely no idea how little I knew. Fertilityfriend.com also has a good tutorial, but I will summarize. One huge basic thing that not everyone realizes: a 28-day cycle isn't the norm! I have 32ish day cycles. Some women have 24 day cycles. Another thing is that many women assume that they have 28 day cycles, because they have been on the pill for a long time. If you are on the pill, you will always have 28 day cycles, but those are annovulatory (no ovulation= no babies, which is how pills work to keep you from getting pregnant). This is not necessarily so. Whatever length your cycle is, make no assumptions about when you ovulate. Online ovulation predictors are absolutely not accurate, do not use them! Most women do not ovulate on cycle day 14. You may ovulate on CD 20 and have an 8 day LP, which is problematic. Maybe you ovulate on CD12 and have a 16 day LP. Alternately, you may ovulate on CD 10 of a 24 day cycle, and if you waited to CD28 to take a HPT (home pregnancy test) you would already be 4 days "late." If you have a 32 day cycle, ovulated at CD 20, and took a HPT at CD 28, it would be too early to really get a reliable result. Without charting (using FAM) or otherwise tracking ovulation, there is really no way to know when or even if you ovulated in a given cycle.
On to the science! A menstrual cycle has essentially two parts: the follicular phase (FP) and the LP, which I mentioned earlier, and they add up to any number of cycle lengths. Here is a basic breakdown.
Follicular Phase:
This phase takes up the first part of your cycle, from the first day of red menstrual flow through the day you ovulate. Some women ovulate super early (like cycle day, or CD, 8) and some ovulate super late (anything after 25 days is generally considered late). During this phase, your uterus is chilling, making lining for a potential embryo to implant. Your ovaries are working on making your eggs mature so that they can be released at ovulation. Progesterone level is pretty much nil, and your estrogen is having it's own party. FAM (the Fertility Awareness Method) keeps track of this part of the cycle by having you take your temperature first thing every morning to establish a baseline, and also checking your cervical fluid and your cervical position. Yes, this does mean sticking your (clean) fingers in your vagina, get over it. It isn't any ickier than picking your nose, and honestly I think it's cleaner than that. Your basal body temperature (BBT) is at the lowest during this part of your cycle. During the early part of your FP, your cervix will be low in the vagina and firm to the touch, like your nose. Cervical fluid may be non-noticeable, or sticky, or lotiony. In the days leading up to ovulation your cervix moves higher up and becomes very soft (like your lips). Cervical fluid takes on watery or eggwhite characteristics. If you notice in the graph below there are two hormones that peak just before ovulation. These are Lutenizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). Their job is to spike 24-48 hours before ovulation, which tells your ovaries that they'd better get their butts in gear and spit out an egg (ovum), which is ovulation. This same spike also causes estrogen (or estrodiol) to cease and desist. Sometimes there is a slight temperature drop on the day of ovulation, but this is not a reliable indicator of impending ovulation. Anyway, once ovulation happens, we move on to the Luteal Phase!
Luteal Phase:
Ovaries are made up of numerous follicles (hence, follicular phase) and each of these contains an ovum. Once the ovum is released, the follicle actually swells up and takes on a yellowish hue, and becomes a Corpus Luteum- a "Yellow Body", hence, Luteal Phase. This corpus luteum is very important to fertility. It produces progesterone, which is essential to sustaining an early pregnancy. Within 24 hours of ovulation, this progesterone spike causes your body temperature to increase by several tenths of a degree. This is how ovulation can be confirmed. By the time you can confirm ovulation based on temperatures, however, the fertile window has passed, so this is not an appropriate way to time conception sex. However, if you are trying to avoid conception, 3 days after ovulation is perfectly safe to have unprotected sex, because your little eggie has shriveled up and died. The progesterone that floods your system during the LP causes your cervical fluid (CF, or CM for cervical mucus) to dry up again, and your cervix will come back down and become more firm once more. Most of the time, the corpus luteum hangs out and does its thing long enough to create a 12-14 day LP. Variations within a day of this are perfectly normal, but if you get under 10 days for a LP, fertility issues arise. If there were sperm waiting for your happy little ovum, then there may be an embryo developing that is waiting to implant. Implantation happens about 7-10 days post ovulation, during which time your little embie is floating down your fallopian tube. If your LP is only 8 or 9 days, there is not sufficient time for the embryo to implant before your menstrual flow begins. The corpus luteum degrades at the end of your LP, which is evidenced by a plummet in BBT and the onslaught of AF (Aunt Flo, every womans *favorite* visitor) within 24 hours of the temperature drop, and you begin your next cycle. As an example of what a chart looks like, here is my prettiest one ever (click for a bigger view of it):
Ah, a normal fertile period, a 16 day LP, ovulation on CD 18...
I hope that made sense, I tried to keep it at about an introductory biology level, but please ask for clarification if something doesn't make sense!
Now, on to me personally. Since I have been having 10 day LPs, this presents a potential problem for when C and I are TTC (trying to conceive) in the not-super-distant future. We have plenty of time to address any issues, but we still need to address them. I did some googling around, and found out that there is a link between breastfeeding (the only info I found was from women still nursing their toddlers, just like me!) and cycles like mine: extended fertile periods, short LPs, like my chart from last cycle (I had to add the crosshairs manually because Fertility Friend wouldn't do it):
Prolactin, which is involved in milk production, can apparently interfere with the happy cycle depicted in the first graph above. If I had to guess, I would say that it causes the estrogen dropoff to be more gradual and therefore keep fertile CF around longer, and also causes the corpus luteum to be underdeveloped, generating less progesterone and degrading more quickly than in the absence of prolactin. That is my educated guess, I could very well be wrong.
My options are pretty much to wean J before TTC, which I planned to do anyway, but perhaps a couple cycles before TTC rather than the same cycle we planned to start TTC. I can also take vitamin B6 supplements before TTC to see if that makes a difference. If that doesn't work, I may be prescribed to take progesterone supplements. I strongly suspect that simply weaning J will solve my problem, since I had no issues whatsoever before having him.
I hope this was informative to anyone curious about FAM and/or how the female reproductive cycle works!
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