The DFW Cloth Diaper Group blog administrator requested some guest blogs from working moms, so I wrote a column which ran today. It's part of a series in which working moms address some of the main obstacles working parents who want to CD face.
Here it is: http://dfwclothdiapergroup.blogspot.com/2011/05/i-cant-use-cloth-my-caregiver-wont-be.html
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
9 months old: up and onward!
In this case procrasting a few days 2 weeks on the monthly update paid off, as I now have several more updates to share. Every Monday when I take Daniel to my mother in law's house she swears he's changed over the weekend. Usually I just think, well, that's just grandma talking, but in this case she would actually be right. He really did change a lot over just a few days!
New developments
About a week ago Daniel learned how to pull up to kneeling and standing. He showed this new trick off for the first time last Saturday afternoon when I went in to get him from his nap (which he didn't take, having decided to spend that time making noise instead). For awhile when he'd see me come in he'd crawl over to the side and reach through the slats to grab me, but this time he crawled over, kneeled, put his hands on the top rail, and pulled up to standing. We both laughed, and he was especially pleased with himself. Then I thought, time to take down the mobile and lower the crib mattress!
Also, we can now crawl up the stairs. When we first tried a few weeks ago he needed a little help but has steadily improved, and now he can climb the full staircase unassisted (albeit heavily supervised). Which means it's time for Kevin to install the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs!
And, we have 2 new teeth. The 2 top middle teeth both cut through last weekend. And as I'll mention below, we have some new developments in dining.
In other news, he's become quite a bit more vocal and can make the ba, da, la, ma, na, and ya sounds as well as a high-pitched gurgle and a lower growl. He can also make a clicking noise and loves to blow raspberries, even if-especially if-he has food in his mouth. Cute as it is, we've decided it's probably best not to encourage it! He isn't trying to say any specific words yet but he has a lot to communicate!
We also got Daniel his convertible car seats once we finally saw them on sale. We installed the one for my car but will see how we like it before we commit to it for sure. It's definitely in our future, but Daniel is still well within the weight limits for his infant seat so we can keep him in that for several more months. But we don't really use his old seat as a carrier anymore anyway, and never really did, and we're wondering if he may be more comfortable in the convertible as it gets hotter. He's only ridden in it once so far so we'll have to report back next month once we've used it more.
9 month checkup
This month we had our first checkup with a pediatrician closer to the house and overall we were satisfied. We liked the previous doctor, but we didn't love the long waits that were a feature of every visit so we decided to try another option. I liked that the office had separate sick and well waiting areas and we were taken back within 5 minutes of our appointment time and saw the doctor within about 15-20 minutes. Overall we liked the doctor...she wasn't enthusiastic about our choice to delay some vaccines (example: not giving Hep B at birth because D had no risk factors for it) but she seems willing to respect our decision. We'll see how the next appointment goes.
Daniel weighed in at 17lb 1oz, so he had only gained an ounce from last month, but he grew a whole inch and a half to measure in at 28in. He's definitely on the lighter end of the weight percentile chart but the doctor wasn't concerned. He is eating well and the picture of health, and when your parents were long skinny kids...odds are you'll be a long skinny kid.
Eating
He nurses first thing in the morning and right before bed and takes 2 bottles and 3 solid meals every day and is a healthy eater. I've heard that some babies start to lose interest in nursing around this age but D is as enthusiastic as ever. In fact, now sometimes when I'm arranging the nursing pillow he gets impatient and crawls over and tries to latch on!
Daniel is enjoying a nice variety of foods and seems to like thicker textures. I still make foods for him, but we're also really liking the Plum brand baby foods. I like that they use organic foods, whole grains, and go beyond the basics to include things like quinoa, lentils, spinach, and pumpkin. Daniel seems to like just about everything he tries. He can self-feed himself puffs (like Cheerios) and grabs the spoon away to feed himself. While he's a bit messy with it, he does generally hit the target pretty well.
He is also drinking fairly well from a sippy cup. We tried some with a spout but he seems to prefer a straw instead. He can pick up his cup, bring it to his mouth, drink from it, and put it down, all unassisted.
Sleeping
The good news is he still sleeps quite well at night, going down by 7:30 or so and sleeping till 6 or so. The less-good news is, he isn't consistently getting 2 naps a day anymore, but he gets cranky when he misses one so it seems clear that he still needs 2. We had been doing well putting him down from 9:45-12 and then again from around 2:30-4:30, but lately he hasn't been sleeping in the afternoon. We're thinking we'll try to nudge his morning nap up closer to 9 and get him up by 11 or so, then try to get him down for the afternoon by 1:30-2. Hope it helps...it might just be that he's resisting naps right now so he can practice his new tricks and he'll go back to his old patterns soon enough, but we'll see if adjusting forward a bit helps.
Pictures
A few weekends ago we had some pictures taken in the bluebonnets. Daniel was more interested in taking in the scenery than smiling, but I think the photographer still got several good shots. Here are a few:
New developments
About a week ago Daniel learned how to pull up to kneeling and standing. He showed this new trick off for the first time last Saturday afternoon when I went in to get him from his nap (which he didn't take, having decided to spend that time making noise instead). For awhile when he'd see me come in he'd crawl over to the side and reach through the slats to grab me, but this time he crawled over, kneeled, put his hands on the top rail, and pulled up to standing. We both laughed, and he was especially pleased with himself. Then I thought, time to take down the mobile and lower the crib mattress!
Also, we can now crawl up the stairs. When we first tried a few weeks ago he needed a little help but has steadily improved, and now he can climb the full staircase unassisted (albeit heavily supervised). Which means it's time for Kevin to install the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs!
And, we have 2 new teeth. The 2 top middle teeth both cut through last weekend. And as I'll mention below, we have some new developments in dining.
In other news, he's become quite a bit more vocal and can make the ba, da, la, ma, na, and ya sounds as well as a high-pitched gurgle and a lower growl. He can also make a clicking noise and loves to blow raspberries, even if-especially if-he has food in his mouth. Cute as it is, we've decided it's probably best not to encourage it! He isn't trying to say any specific words yet but he has a lot to communicate!
We also got Daniel his convertible car seats once we finally saw them on sale. We installed the one for my car but will see how we like it before we commit to it for sure. It's definitely in our future, but Daniel is still well within the weight limits for his infant seat so we can keep him in that for several more months. But we don't really use his old seat as a carrier anymore anyway, and never really did, and we're wondering if he may be more comfortable in the convertible as it gets hotter. He's only ridden in it once so far so we'll have to report back next month once we've used it more.
9 month checkup
This month we had our first checkup with a pediatrician closer to the house and overall we were satisfied. We liked the previous doctor, but we didn't love the long waits that were a feature of every visit so we decided to try another option. I liked that the office had separate sick and well waiting areas and we were taken back within 5 minutes of our appointment time and saw the doctor within about 15-20 minutes. Overall we liked the doctor...she wasn't enthusiastic about our choice to delay some vaccines (example: not giving Hep B at birth because D had no risk factors for it) but she seems willing to respect our decision. We'll see how the next appointment goes.
Daniel weighed in at 17lb 1oz, so he had only gained an ounce from last month, but he grew a whole inch and a half to measure in at 28in. He's definitely on the lighter end of the weight percentile chart but the doctor wasn't concerned. He is eating well and the picture of health, and when your parents were long skinny kids...odds are you'll be a long skinny kid.
Eating
He nurses first thing in the morning and right before bed and takes 2 bottles and 3 solid meals every day and is a healthy eater. I've heard that some babies start to lose interest in nursing around this age but D is as enthusiastic as ever. In fact, now sometimes when I'm arranging the nursing pillow he gets impatient and crawls over and tries to latch on!
Daniel is enjoying a nice variety of foods and seems to like thicker textures. I still make foods for him, but we're also really liking the Plum brand baby foods. I like that they use organic foods, whole grains, and go beyond the basics to include things like quinoa, lentils, spinach, and pumpkin. Daniel seems to like just about everything he tries. He can self-feed himself puffs (like Cheerios) and grabs the spoon away to feed himself. While he's a bit messy with it, he does generally hit the target pretty well.
He is also drinking fairly well from a sippy cup. We tried some with a spout but he seems to prefer a straw instead. He can pick up his cup, bring it to his mouth, drink from it, and put it down, all unassisted.
Sleeping
The good news is he still sleeps quite well at night, going down by 7:30 or so and sleeping till 6 or so. The less-good news is, he isn't consistently getting 2 naps a day anymore, but he gets cranky when he misses one so it seems clear that he still needs 2. We had been doing well putting him down from 9:45-12 and then again from around 2:30-4:30, but lately he hasn't been sleeping in the afternoon. We're thinking we'll try to nudge his morning nap up closer to 9 and get him up by 11 or so, then try to get him down for the afternoon by 1:30-2. Hope it helps...it might just be that he's resisting naps right now so he can practice his new tricks and he'll go back to his old patterns soon enough, but we'll see if adjusting forward a bit helps.
Pictures
A few weekends ago we had some pictures taken in the bluebonnets. Daniel was more interested in taking in the scenery than smiling, but I think the photographer still got several good shots. Here are a few:
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
8 month update: better late than never!
Well I started this post shortly after Daniel turned 8 months old, then with the busy-ness of the last few weeks I look up and here we are halfway through the month. So, it's a bit dated now, but here we go!
First, his official monthly picture:
Developments
The biggest news this month is that Daniel is gettiing better and better at crawling. Initially it's been more of an army-crawl or, as my parents described it, like doing the butterfly swim stroke on the floor. He's still not really pushing off with his knees yet but he can move pretty well with his current technique. It doesn't seem like that long ago that we were celebrating when he could scoot a few inches to grab a toy, now he is traveling the full length of the floor, and quickly!
In other news, he seems to be working on his third and fourth teeth, the top two middle ones. One night a few weeks ago, for the first time in a long time, he woke up crying at night and had to be soothed back to sleep, and a few other evenings he had a harder time getting down. The teeth still haven't pushed through but I can definitely feel the bumps under his gums.
He is also learning to say ma-ma. I know he's not actually saying the word "mama" yet but I still love to hear him make the sounds in his sweet little voice. It still amazes me that 8 months ago he was this little newborn who couldn't even hold up his own head and now he's crawlling, saying mama and...kissing the dishwasher?
Yes, kissing the dishwasher. In recent weeks he has learned how to give kisses (sloppy but so sweet) and become more interactive with his reflection in the mirror. These two developments, along with crawling and saying mama, are all on display in this video, in which he spies his reflection in the stainless steel dishwasher door and decides to show some affection:
Sleeping
Not much to report here. Still sleeping well at night and napping reasonably well by day. We've moved away from our previous routine of putting him down for a nap within 2 hours of waking and now he "sleeps by the clock." Up 6:30-7:30, down for his first nap by 9:30-10, wake him up by 12 if he is still napping, back down againi by 2:30-3, and down for the night by 7:30-8. It works out to 14-15 hours of sleep per day, which seems to be good for him. He goes down easily nearly every time if we abide by that schedule and he seems alert and playful during the day.
Eating
We've had some big changes on the food front. At his last checkup he had dropped down to about the 10th percentile in weight so the doctor said it was time to bump up his solid food offerings (which we had planned to do anyway but hadn't gotten around to setting up his high chair at Grandma's). So we've gone from one solid meal a day to three.
For now we are viewing the solid food as a supplement to, rather than substitute for, the breastmilk he still gets four times a day. So a typical day's food for him now involves nursing when he wakes up, breakfast of cereal and fruit (or sometimes avocado), a bottle before his first nap, a solid lunch of veggies and sometimes shredded chicken, a bottle before his second nap, a solid dinner, and nursing before bed. He's eating everything we put in front of him pretty well but we're trying to keep the milk intake up and have introduced a sippy cup of water too to fight the constipation issues he's been having.
For a few days whenever the backed up feeling hit he'd stop crawling, stick his butt in the air, cry, and look up with this "help me!" look on his face. At first we thought it was a bad reaction to his first experience with yogurt (and since I haven't reintroduced it yet I still can't rule that out), but he seems to be feeling better now. He's already doing pretty well with a sippy cup with a straw and can pick it up, hold it, and put it in his mouth to drink without assistance (though not consistently). He can use the spout sippies too but needs a little help tilting it back far enough. We haven't introduced any other liquids yet and I'm in no great hurry, but once he becomes better with the cup we'll start transitioning his milk from bottles to cups.
I've been trying to make most of his food for him (in addition to the milk, of course). It's not that I don't trust the jarred foods, but it's nice to know I'm feeding him something made with love, and know exactly what's in it. So far I've successfully pureed sweet potatoes, apples, blueberries, green beans, avocado, peas, parsnips, and chicken, and I've started a frozen stockpile of these. So Daniel continues to take over the freezer, between that, his milk, and his teethers.
Caregivers
This month Kevin's mom, who normally watches Daniel during the day, was out of town for a week. Then, Kevin left for a two week business trip to Bangalore, India the following weekend so my mom came back to help me out that week. This week I'm solo parenting and dropping Daniel off at MIL's again during the day, but for two straight weeks Daniel and my mom, his "Mimi," had the opportunity to bond during the day. As I expected, Mom was wonderful with him. One of the benefits of being a working mom is that it creates space for Daniel to form a close relationship with my MIL, so it was nice for him and my mother to get some special one-on-one time too. Daniel's lucky to have two grandmothers (and grandfathers) who love him so much and are so good with him.
He adjusted pretty easily to being at home during the day and being with my mom instead of MIL. He and Mimi will have the opportunity to bond again in a few weeks when MIL travels again.
While Kevin is away, Daniel and I have been able to talk to him on Skype almost every day, and we can see each other on video. It's cute to see Daniel break into a big smile when he hears and sees Daddy! And Kevin recorded himself reading a book called Guess How Much I Miss You that I read to Daniel every day so he can hear Kevin's voice. I'm managing well enough going solo (though I was 15 minutes late to work today after Daniel needed more attention than usual this morning) but I know it's hard for Kevin to be so far away for so long. Saturday afternoon can't come quickly enough for any of us!
First, his official monthly picture:
Developments
The biggest news this month is that Daniel is gettiing better and better at crawling. Initially it's been more of an army-crawl or, as my parents described it, like doing the butterfly swim stroke on the floor. He's still not really pushing off with his knees yet but he can move pretty well with his current technique. It doesn't seem like that long ago that we were celebrating when he could scoot a few inches to grab a toy, now he is traveling the full length of the floor, and quickly!
In other news, he seems to be working on his third and fourth teeth, the top two middle ones. One night a few weeks ago, for the first time in a long time, he woke up crying at night and had to be soothed back to sleep, and a few other evenings he had a harder time getting down. The teeth still haven't pushed through but I can definitely feel the bumps under his gums.
He is also learning to say ma-ma. I know he's not actually saying the word "mama" yet but I still love to hear him make the sounds in his sweet little voice. It still amazes me that 8 months ago he was this little newborn who couldn't even hold up his own head and now he's crawlling, saying mama and...kissing the dishwasher?
Yes, kissing the dishwasher. In recent weeks he has learned how to give kisses (sloppy but so sweet) and become more interactive with his reflection in the mirror. These two developments, along with crawling and saying mama, are all on display in this video, in which he spies his reflection in the stainless steel dishwasher door and decides to show some affection:
Sleeping
Not much to report here. Still sleeping well at night and napping reasonably well by day. We've moved away from our previous routine of putting him down for a nap within 2 hours of waking and now he "sleeps by the clock." Up 6:30-7:30, down for his first nap by 9:30-10, wake him up by 12 if he is still napping, back down againi by 2:30-3, and down for the night by 7:30-8. It works out to 14-15 hours of sleep per day, which seems to be good for him. He goes down easily nearly every time if we abide by that schedule and he seems alert and playful during the day.
Eating
We've had some big changes on the food front. At his last checkup he had dropped down to about the 10th percentile in weight so the doctor said it was time to bump up his solid food offerings (which we had planned to do anyway but hadn't gotten around to setting up his high chair at Grandma's). So we've gone from one solid meal a day to three.
For now we are viewing the solid food as a supplement to, rather than substitute for, the breastmilk he still gets four times a day. So a typical day's food for him now involves nursing when he wakes up, breakfast of cereal and fruit (or sometimes avocado), a bottle before his first nap, a solid lunch of veggies and sometimes shredded chicken, a bottle before his second nap, a solid dinner, and nursing before bed. He's eating everything we put in front of him pretty well but we're trying to keep the milk intake up and have introduced a sippy cup of water too to fight the constipation issues he's been having.
For a few days whenever the backed up feeling hit he'd stop crawling, stick his butt in the air, cry, and look up with this "help me!" look on his face. At first we thought it was a bad reaction to his first experience with yogurt (and since I haven't reintroduced it yet I still can't rule that out), but he seems to be feeling better now. He's already doing pretty well with a sippy cup with a straw and can pick it up, hold it, and put it in his mouth to drink without assistance (though not consistently). He can use the spout sippies too but needs a little help tilting it back far enough. We haven't introduced any other liquids yet and I'm in no great hurry, but once he becomes better with the cup we'll start transitioning his milk from bottles to cups.
I've been trying to make most of his food for him (in addition to the milk, of course). It's not that I don't trust the jarred foods, but it's nice to know I'm feeding him something made with love, and know exactly what's in it. So far I've successfully pureed sweet potatoes, apples, blueberries, green beans, avocado, peas, parsnips, and chicken, and I've started a frozen stockpile of these. So Daniel continues to take over the freezer, between that, his milk, and his teethers.
Caregivers
This month Kevin's mom, who normally watches Daniel during the day, was out of town for a week. Then, Kevin left for a two week business trip to Bangalore, India the following weekend so my mom came back to help me out that week. This week I'm solo parenting and dropping Daniel off at MIL's again during the day, but for two straight weeks Daniel and my mom, his "Mimi," had the opportunity to bond during the day. As I expected, Mom was wonderful with him. One of the benefits of being a working mom is that it creates space for Daniel to form a close relationship with my MIL, so it was nice for him and my mother to get some special one-on-one time too. Daniel's lucky to have two grandmothers (and grandfathers) who love him so much and are so good with him.
He adjusted pretty easily to being at home during the day and being with my mom instead of MIL. He and Mimi will have the opportunity to bond again in a few weeks when MIL travels again.
While Kevin is away, Daniel and I have been able to talk to him on Skype almost every day, and we can see each other on video. It's cute to see Daniel break into a big smile when he hears and sees Daddy! And Kevin recorded himself reading a book called Guess How Much I Miss You that I read to Daniel every day so he can hear Kevin's voice. I'm managing well enough going solo (though I was 15 minutes late to work today after Daniel needed more attention than usual this morning) but I know it's hard for Kevin to be so far away for so long. Saturday afternoon can't come quickly enough for any of us!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
You have GOT to be kidding me
This is the kind of thing that really ticks me off: http://www.newser.com/story/114737/study-breastfeeding-mothers-seen-as-less-competent.html. The gist of the story is that men and women view breastfeeding moms as less competent than other women in general, and specifically less competent in math. Are you kidding me?
As for the math part, well, you got me there. I'm no math whiz and you'll never catch me saying otherwise. But that was true well before motherhood came on the scene. And given that lawyers aren't known for our math skills, I guess I have good company ;)
As for competence, first of all, why would choosing to nurse mark me as less capable than if I had chosen to feed formula? For the record, I don't judge the formula feeders; formula is a viable option for women who can't nurse, and the most important ingredient for a child's health is love. Nursing moms don't have the monopoly on that.
But, anyone who wants to talk about nursing moms being incompetent, walk a day, a week, or 8 months in my shoes and get back to me. You'll be waking up by 5 every weekday, nursing twice a day, pumping four times a day, and putting in a full day's work. Sound tough? It is. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. My baby's worth all that and more.
More importantly though, it's sad to think that people really view nursing moms so negatively, because I've never felt more competent than I do now as a mom. I've accomplished a lot of things in my 32 years that I'm proud of, but knowing that I can grow, protect, and deliver a life into the world and then nurture him with the most perfect food nature can provide is the most satisfying, empowering accomplishment of all. There's no greater feeling that knowing I can satisfy his needs so completely, and I already know I'll miss it once that stage of life is past.
I'm glad to see several high-profile celebrities lately make a point of proudly saying that they breastfeed. These women can outsource nearly every detail of their lives, and they still choose to reserve this most important task for themselves. And for all their money and fame, they have no advantage over the rest of us there, no shortcuts. I think their example says a lot.
I believe that in order to reverse this unfortunate stereotype we nursing moms need to encourage and support other moms who choose to do this. Not look down at those who don't, but help lift up those who do. A few weeks ago a lady in my office saw me walking with my pump bag. I don't recall that we had ever spoken before, but she stopped to tell me how much she admired that I was still nursing even after returning to work. It was just a moment's conversation but it made my day.
Now whenever I walk through the building with my bag, I like to think that I'm silently serving as an example that you can be a mom and a capable worker. Maybe seeing that I can make it work will encourage the next new mom to try it too. Or at least not to view those of us who do as incompetent.
Ok, off the soapbox and off to bed...
As for the math part, well, you got me there. I'm no math whiz and you'll never catch me saying otherwise. But that was true well before motherhood came on the scene. And given that lawyers aren't known for our math skills, I guess I have good company ;)
As for competence, first of all, why would choosing to nurse mark me as less capable than if I had chosen to feed formula? For the record, I don't judge the formula feeders; formula is a viable option for women who can't nurse, and the most important ingredient for a child's health is love. Nursing moms don't have the monopoly on that.
But, anyone who wants to talk about nursing moms being incompetent, walk a day, a week, or 8 months in my shoes and get back to me. You'll be waking up by 5 every weekday, nursing twice a day, pumping four times a day, and putting in a full day's work. Sound tough? It is. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. My baby's worth all that and more.
More importantly though, it's sad to think that people really view nursing moms so negatively, because I've never felt more competent than I do now as a mom. I've accomplished a lot of things in my 32 years that I'm proud of, but knowing that I can grow, protect, and deliver a life into the world and then nurture him with the most perfect food nature can provide is the most satisfying, empowering accomplishment of all. There's no greater feeling that knowing I can satisfy his needs so completely, and I already know I'll miss it once that stage of life is past.
I'm glad to see several high-profile celebrities lately make a point of proudly saying that they breastfeed. These women can outsource nearly every detail of their lives, and they still choose to reserve this most important task for themselves. And for all their money and fame, they have no advantage over the rest of us there, no shortcuts. I think their example says a lot.
I believe that in order to reverse this unfortunate stereotype we nursing moms need to encourage and support other moms who choose to do this. Not look down at those who don't, but help lift up those who do. A few weeks ago a lady in my office saw me walking with my pump bag. I don't recall that we had ever spoken before, but she stopped to tell me how much she admired that I was still nursing even after returning to work. It was just a moment's conversation but it made my day.
Now whenever I walk through the building with my bag, I like to think that I'm silently serving as an example that you can be a mom and a capable worker. Maybe seeing that I can make it work will encourage the next new mom to try it too. Or at least not to view those of us who do as incompetent.
Ok, off the soapbox and off to bed...
Monday, March 7, 2011
How to succeed at pumping without really trying (ok, with a lot of trying!)
Recently several new mom friends have asked me for advice on how to pump enough milk for their babies. So, I decided it was time to write about how I’ve done it, both so I can remember for the next child and so it may be helpful for other moms.
I didn’t set out trying to become the pumping guru. I just wanted to nurse my son till at least age one, and as a full-time working mom I knew that would necessarily involve some quality time with a breast pump. How has it worked out for me? Well, 7 ½ months in, my son is still exclusively breastfed except for one solid meal a day. He hasn’t touched a drop of formula since my milk came in on his 3rd day of life. I pump enough that not only do I meet his daily needs, but I have over 300 ounces of frozen milk stored for him. And that’s not counting the 400+ ounces I’ve pumped and donated to a milk bank. So, in my book that’s a success. And now, in the words of Hans and Franz, I'm ready to pump...YOU UP!
Disclaimers
I must point out that I had many things work in my favor. First, Daniel was a full term baby and has always been quite healthy. Second, he started sleeping through the night very early, going 5-6 hours by one month old and allowing me to build up my stash. Third, he spent his first 5 days in the NICU, which turned out to be a breastfeeding blessing in disguise because it enabled me to have 3 sessions with lactation consultants and led me to start pumping earlier and for him to get bottles sooner than planned. I had intended to nurse exclusively for the first few weeks to avoid nipple confusion, but since he seemed to take to nursing well in spite of the bottles we decided to give him one or two bottles a night from the get-go.
Finally, and most importantly, my husband helped out a lot in the evenings while Daniel was a newborn. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, a supportive husband makes a world of difference, and mine has always been very supportive of breastfeeding and happy to do what he can to help. While Daniel doesn’t need night-time parenting much anymore, Kevin is still a great hands-on dad and Daniel and I are both very lucky. Once I started back to work, having a supportive office and supportive boss has been very important too.
That said, here’s what I’ve done, from the newborn days to the early months back at work to my current strategy:
The early weeks
In the newborn days, I nursed for every feeding during the day, but Kevin took 2 feedings in a row at night by bottle so I had about 6 hours of “off-duty” time every night. I’d pump right before going to bed and then wake up 3 hours later to pump again, so I was pumping at least as much as Daniel was eating in his 2 bottles and usually a little extra. Waking up to pump was faster than feeding him, changing him, and getting him back to sleep, so I got some rest, and about one night a week I’d just pump before bed and sleep through, since I had enough stored up to cover that extra bottle he’d take. Kevin had some long nights and sleepy days at work, but he never complained. Neither of us was especially well-rested, but neither of us was exhausted either, thanks to our team approach.
Initially I was just pumping slightly more than he needed but once he started sleeping 5-6 hours at a stretch, I continued to get up for that mid-night pump session to build up my stash. After about 2 months I quit waking up to pump but I still pump right before going to bed, more for comfort than supply at this point.
Back to work
I started back when Daniel was 12 weeks old. For my first 2 ½ months back, Kevin was home on paternity leave, which was great for all of us. I was typically working from 7:30-4 every day, and my feeding and pumping schedule looked like this:
5:00am nurse Daniel
6:45 pump while brushing teeth, etc., yielding 1-4oz total
10 pump at work, yielding 3-4 oz per side
2pm pump at work, yielding 3-4oz per side
4:30 nurse Daniel
7 nurse Daniel
10 pump while getting ready for bed, yielding 2-6oz total
Daniel’s daytime feedings consolidated into 2 7oz bottles, one mid-morning, one early afternoon. My work pump sessions cover his daytime needs, the home pump sessions were to pad the stash and maintain supply. After awhile I started pumping for a local mother’s milk bank on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and for Daniel on Tuesday and Thursday so I can use some of our frozen stash.
Current schedule
Once January rolled around Kevin went back to work and his mother started keeping Daniel during the day. And I started a compressed work schedule working 8-530 most days and getting every other Monday off to spend home with Daniel. My current schedule looks like this:
6am nurse Daniel
7 pump while getting ready
11 pump at work
3pm pump at work
630 feed solids
730 nurse Daniel
10 pump while getting ready for bed
Tips to maximize supply
A few things that have helped me, and may help others:
I didn’t set out trying to become the pumping guru. I just wanted to nurse my son till at least age one, and as a full-time working mom I knew that would necessarily involve some quality time with a breast pump. How has it worked out for me? Well, 7 ½ months in, my son is still exclusively breastfed except for one solid meal a day. He hasn’t touched a drop of formula since my milk came in on his 3rd day of life. I pump enough that not only do I meet his daily needs, but I have over 300 ounces of frozen milk stored for him. And that’s not counting the 400+ ounces I’ve pumped and donated to a milk bank. So, in my book that’s a success. And now, in the words of Hans and Franz, I'm ready to pump...YOU UP!
Disclaimers
I must point out that I had many things work in my favor. First, Daniel was a full term baby and has always been quite healthy. Second, he started sleeping through the night very early, going 5-6 hours by one month old and allowing me to build up my stash. Third, he spent his first 5 days in the NICU, which turned out to be a breastfeeding blessing in disguise because it enabled me to have 3 sessions with lactation consultants and led me to start pumping earlier and for him to get bottles sooner than planned. I had intended to nurse exclusively for the first few weeks to avoid nipple confusion, but since he seemed to take to nursing well in spite of the bottles we decided to give him one or two bottles a night from the get-go.
Finally, and most importantly, my husband helped out a lot in the evenings while Daniel was a newborn. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, a supportive husband makes a world of difference, and mine has always been very supportive of breastfeeding and happy to do what he can to help. While Daniel doesn’t need night-time parenting much anymore, Kevin is still a great hands-on dad and Daniel and I are both very lucky. Once I started back to work, having a supportive office and supportive boss has been very important too.
That said, here’s what I’ve done, from the newborn days to the early months back at work to my current strategy:
The early weeks
In the newborn days, I nursed for every feeding during the day, but Kevin took 2 feedings in a row at night by bottle so I had about 6 hours of “off-duty” time every night. I’d pump right before going to bed and then wake up 3 hours later to pump again, so I was pumping at least as much as Daniel was eating in his 2 bottles and usually a little extra. Waking up to pump was faster than feeding him, changing him, and getting him back to sleep, so I got some rest, and about one night a week I’d just pump before bed and sleep through, since I had enough stored up to cover that extra bottle he’d take. Kevin had some long nights and sleepy days at work, but he never complained. Neither of us was especially well-rested, but neither of us was exhausted either, thanks to our team approach.
Initially I was just pumping slightly more than he needed but once he started sleeping 5-6 hours at a stretch, I continued to get up for that mid-night pump session to build up my stash. After about 2 months I quit waking up to pump but I still pump right before going to bed, more for comfort than supply at this point.
Back to work
I started back when Daniel was 12 weeks old. For my first 2 ½ months back, Kevin was home on paternity leave, which was great for all of us. I was typically working from 7:30-4 every day, and my feeding and pumping schedule looked like this:
5:00am nurse Daniel
6:45 pump while brushing teeth, etc., yielding 1-4oz total
10 pump at work, yielding 3-4 oz per side
2pm pump at work, yielding 3-4oz per side
4:30 nurse Daniel
7 nurse Daniel
10 pump while getting ready for bed, yielding 2-6oz total
Daniel’s daytime feedings consolidated into 2 7oz bottles, one mid-morning, one early afternoon. My work pump sessions cover his daytime needs, the home pump sessions were to pad the stash and maintain supply. After awhile I started pumping for a local mother’s milk bank on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and for Daniel on Tuesday and Thursday so I can use some of our frozen stash.
Current schedule
Once January rolled around Kevin went back to work and his mother started keeping Daniel during the day. And I started a compressed work schedule working 8-530 most days and getting every other Monday off to spend home with Daniel. My current schedule looks like this:
6am nurse Daniel
7 pump while getting ready
11 pump at work
3pm pump at work
630 feed solids
730 nurse Daniel
10 pump while getting ready for bed
Tips to maximize supply
A few things that have helped me, and may help others:
- Invest in a good double automatic pump. I’ve got the Medela Pump in Style Advanced Metro and it’s more than paid for itself. A cheap manual pump like the Medela Harmony is a good back-up or occasional use pump but for heavy pumping the PISA is a must.
- Get or make a pumping bra that holds the bottles so you can pump hands-free. I made one by cutting holes in an old sports bra. Being able to pump while brushing teeth, putting on makeup, etc, is a great time-saver.
- When you pump at work, rinse the pump parts with water between sessions then steam clean them at home. The Medela cleaning bags work but the Dr. Brown’s bottle sterilizer holds more and can be reused indefinitely.
- If you have an iPhone, invest in the Milk Maid app. It keeps track of pumping times and amounts and lets you track moving it from one location to another and from bottles to bags for freezing.
- Drink LOTS of water. Milk is made up mostly of water and while mornings are many women’s most productive pump time, I find I get more in the afternoons at work, probably because I drink so much water or tea throughout the day.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
7 month update
Hard as it is to believe, Daniel is already 7 months old! As I think back on the past month or so, I realize we've had several big changes.
First, here's his 7 month "birthday" picture:
Eating
We introduced Daniel to solids around his 6-month birthday and have been gradually expanding the offerings. So far sweet potatoes, bananas, and multigrain cereals have gone over well. He was initially less enthused about zucchini squash but seemed to like it better as the week went on and as I mixed it with not just breastmilk but also a little cereal. I think going forward with new veggies I'll start out just mixing it about 50/50 with milk and cereal and gradually decrease the cereal portion as he gets used to the veggie. When we first started solids Daniel needed a little help getting the hang of how to use a spoon but now he eagerly leans forward with his mouth open to take it.
Breastmilk is still the majority of his diet, as it should be for a 7 month old, but over the next month I think we'll try to work up to 2 solid feedings a day. So far solids are just a supplement to milk feedings not a replacement for them, but as the year goes on solids will become a bigger part of his diet. In the meantime he's still nursing like a champ and taking two 7oz bottles during the day.
Sleeping
Not much change on this front. He still sleeps wonderfully through the night almost every night and naps pretty well most days. His wakeful interval has been about 2 hours since his newborn days but now sometimes seems to be able to go a little longer to 2 1/2-3 hours at a time. We're still on a 2 nap a day schedule though and hopefully will be for a few more months at least.
Skills and developments
As the last post mentioned, Daniel now has his second tooth. I can't tell yet where the third one will come through so I don't think it's imminent but you never know.
First, here's his 7 month "birthday" picture:
Eating
We introduced Daniel to solids around his 6-month birthday and have been gradually expanding the offerings. So far sweet potatoes, bananas, and multigrain cereals have gone over well. He was initially less enthused about zucchini squash but seemed to like it better as the week went on and as I mixed it with not just breastmilk but also a little cereal. I think going forward with new veggies I'll start out just mixing it about 50/50 with milk and cereal and gradually decrease the cereal portion as he gets used to the veggie. When we first started solids Daniel needed a little help getting the hang of how to use a spoon but now he eagerly leans forward with his mouth open to take it.
Breastmilk is still the majority of his diet, as it should be for a 7 month old, but over the next month I think we'll try to work up to 2 solid feedings a day. So far solids are just a supplement to milk feedings not a replacement for them, but as the year goes on solids will become a bigger part of his diet. In the meantime he's still nursing like a champ and taking two 7oz bottles during the day.
Sleeping
Not much change on this front. He still sleeps wonderfully through the night almost every night and naps pretty well most days. His wakeful interval has been about 2 hours since his newborn days but now sometimes seems to be able to go a little longer to 2 1/2-3 hours at a time. We're still on a 2 nap a day schedule though and hopefully will be for a few more months at least.
Skills and developments
As the last post mentioned, Daniel now has his second tooth. I can't tell yet where the third one will come through so I don't think it's imminent but you never know.
The biggest news on the skill front is that Daniel is beginning to crawl. Last Monday he got up on his hands and knees for the first time. Tuesday he learned how to rock back and forth. Friday he was on the bath mat before his bath and while trying to move forward, he scooted himself backwards off the mat, out the bathroom doors and into the bedroom. And Sunday night...well, he did this:
Yes, we have a crawler now! Excited and a little nervous to see what lies in store this week as he gets better at it. One thing's for sure, we need to babyproof ASAP!
A few more pictures
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| Yum, bananas! |
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| Yay, I'm crawling now! |
Friday, February 4, 2011
Snow days!
It's been an interesting week here. Last weekend was gloriously warm and Monday was pretty nice too, but the rest of the week has been COLD. Cold weather + precip Monday night=ice on the roads, so my office and Kevin's, following the lead of most local school districts, was closed on Tuesday...and Wednesday...and today. We both went in to work on Thursday, Kevin for the full day, me for a delayed start and early exit. I had to use some vacation time to do that, but since I was dropping Daniel off at Grandma's and then taking him home I felt safer avoiding the traffic. Kevin had to work from home all 3 days but I was home free just enjoying a few extra days home with Daniel.
It turned out to be a momentous week as Daniel cut his second tooth, alongside the first one in the bottom middle. I see him licking it with his tongue a lot so he's obviously still getting used to these new sharp things in his mouth. I'll miss that cute gummy baby smile but it's exciting to see him hit this new milestone.
Here's a picture of Daniel and me exploring our snowy sidewalk and yard:
And here we are inside where it's warm. Daniel's staying warm in a jacket my mom (Mimi to Daniel) gave him for Christmas. Note the cute bear ears! And if you look closely, you'll see tooth #1.
Sweet potatoes for my sweet potato
After getting less than enthusiastic responses to avocado and green beans we decided to go back to sweet potatoes to help Daniel get the hang of eating solid foods before branching out again to something new. He seems to like sweet potatoes pretty well so far though milk is still far and away his favorite food.
Canada, eh!
In August 2009 Kevin and I traveled to Lake Louise, Banff, and Jasper, Canada with my family. While we were in Jasper we saw a little onesie we thought was so cute we had to get it for a future little Williamson to wear someday. Now Daniel has grown into it and it looks really cute on him. And the baseball cap he's got on looks like a beret for some reason giving him quite the international flair:
It turned out to be a momentous week as Daniel cut his second tooth, alongside the first one in the bottom middle. I see him licking it with his tongue a lot so he's obviously still getting used to these new sharp things in his mouth. I'll miss that cute gummy baby smile but it's exciting to see him hit this new milestone.
Here's a picture of Daniel and me exploring our snowy sidewalk and yard:
And here we are inside where it's warm. Daniel's staying warm in a jacket my mom (Mimi to Daniel) gave him for Christmas. Note the cute bear ears! And if you look closely, you'll see tooth #1.
 |
Sweet potatoes for my sweet potato
After getting less than enthusiastic responses to avocado and green beans we decided to go back to sweet potatoes to help Daniel get the hang of eating solid foods before branching out again to something new. He seems to like sweet potatoes pretty well so far though milk is still far and away his favorite food.
Canada, eh!
In August 2009 Kevin and I traveled to Lake Louise, Banff, and Jasper, Canada with my family. While we were in Jasper we saw a little onesie we thought was so cute we had to get it for a future little Williamson to wear someday. Now Daniel has grown into it and it looks really cute on him. And the baseball cap he's got on looks like a beret for some reason giving him quite the international flair:
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