A comfortable routine

Who's up for more breastfeeding talk? It's been consuming my life for the past 7+ months so I always am. Nothing delights me more than when a friend or relative has a baby and asks me breastfeeding questions... nothing! Not that I'm an expert (not even close), but this is how women used to learn about breastfeeding before books and the internet existed. Through sharing experiences. We should do it more often.


Flynn and I have finally settled into a comfortable nursing routine. On the days that I work (Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri) I nurse him as soon as he wakes up. Then, he gets around 10 oz. of breast milk at his Nana's house plus 5 oz. of formula. I pick him up after work and nurse him as soon as we get home. That is usually followed by 4 oz. of formula since I always seem to be "running low" at that time of the day. He kindly lets me know there's nothing in there by whining, "Eeeeehhhhhhhhh!" and squirming around on my lap. Point taken, Flynn.


I nurse him once more before he goes to bed, and then sometime in the middle of night he wakes up for a quick nursing sesh and goes right back to sleep. We are seriously blessed with a very easy going baby.

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There was a short period of time when I was nursing him to sleep, but now I put him down drowsy but awake and he falls asleep within a few minutes. So to all the "experts" who say you should never nurse a baby to sleep because he'll never learn how to fall asleep on his own... suck it. I also comfort nurse him if he's cranky or bumps his head. The horrors!


While I'm at work, I pump 3 times which usually yields between 10-12 ounces. I'm sure my boss/co-workers can't believe I'm still pumping at work, but it's not affecting my productivity and honestly, the little breaks each day are quite nice. My old pal the federal government says I can take pumping breaks for a year, and I'll be taking full advantage of that. Since Flynn started solids, my supply has not dropped (due to the pumping, I'm sure) so why not just keep it going so he has the liquid gold for as long as possible? Anything to delay the inevitable first ear infection... and the inevitable return of my period. Haven't had it for 16 months and can't say I miss it!


Nursing covers are pointless at this age because Flynn enjoys flailing his arms and legs during booby time, so I either find a private area or pack a bottle JUST in case he refuses to nurse, which has happened a few times. 7 month olds are very easily distracted and my son hates nursing when  it's hot outside. Give him a cold bottle from the fridge and watch his eyes light up! Just like his Daddy.

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I'm finally at the point where I truly enjoy nursing. Sometimes if I just need to sit down for a few minutes, I'll grab the little guy and say "Let's nurse!" He's always game and I get some time to relax on the couch. Win-win. 


But of course, as soon as I reach the point where nursing is comfortable and easy for both of us, people will start asking, "When are you going to wean?" Ugh, really? But we're finally good at it! It doesn't hurt anymore! He has the perfect latch and he's so efficient! 


When Flynn doesn't want to nurse anymore, that's when we'll stop. It could be a month from now, it could be a year from now. I'm not trying to be Mom Enough or asked to pose for the cover of Time. It's just going really well and it would be such a shame to give that up, ya know?  


Plus, I'm reaaaaaally not looking forward to ditching my awesome nude-colored nursing bra yet. J/K! That thing is hideous and I'll probably burn it when Flynn's "all done" (*waves hands*). 

40 days

Flynn is starting to show an interest in solid foods and it's the cutest thing. We have him eat with us at the kitchen table during dinner (he sits in his bumbo seat) and he thinks the sight of us chewing is hilarious. He also loves when we make silly, loud chewing noises. Just recently, we noticed him opening his mouth and leaning forward... almost as if he's trying to take a bite of our food. But as much as we can't wait for him to try solids, we are holding off until he is absolutely ready. We'd also like him to be able to sit up on his own first.

The AAP now recommends waiting to start solids until 6 months of age, and I actually agree with them on this topic. So until May 6th (or for 40 more days), he will only be getting breast milk. Then, let the games begin! I am beyond excited to give him real food. Sweet potatoes, avocado, squash, egg yolk, banana... I can't wait to see his precious little eyes light up when he discovers that there is more to this world than just Mommy's milk! Cue the Aladdin song... a whole new worrrrrrld.

We received this book at Flynn's baby shower. It looks awesome!

Of course, I can't do anything the "normal" way, can I? I am interested in baby-led weaning, but need to read more about it. We are also skipping white rice cereal and going straight to more nutritious grub, like sweet potato and avocado. I just can't get on board with the idea of feeding Flynn a simple carb as his first food. What's the point? If it's not really that great for adults, it's probably not that great for babies. I will add oats & brown rice to his diet a little later.

Then there is the whole organic issue. I've always heard of the "dirty dozen" when it comes to selecting organic v. non organic produce, but now that I'm going to introduce it to my little baby's pristine digestive system, I can't stand the thought of feeding him pesticides. This website has the whole list of best & worst produce as far as pesticide contamination is concerned. Preview: Apples = the worst; Onions = not so bad; Oranges = right in the middle.

Growing up, I was always annoyed that my Mom wouldn't buy sugary cereals, like Lucky Charms. And now just look what I'm doing! Gah. I am my mother after all. If Flynn is anything like me, he'll love sleeping over at his friend's houses and eating their cereal. And if he's anything like my husband, he'll like Kool Aid. And have a full beard at age 14.

<3 Meg

P.S. - You can read more about why we're skipping traditional rice cereal here.

Sleeping Arrangements

When you have a baby, the first questions people ask you are "How is he sleeping? Is he sleeping through the night?" I find this very strange, especially coming from people who have children. Have they forgotten how little sleep they got in the beginning? I'm sure they mean well and are just trying to make conversation, but the question really irks me. Hormones? Probably. But it's as if they make the question a reflection of your parenting skills. Like it's a bad thing that my 2 month old isn't getting 8 solid hours. He doesn't work as an air traffic controller, so I don't really see why it matters.

I usually avoid the question and respond with, "He's sleeping like a baby!" Which is vague and super annoying to the asker. But also completely true. Breastfed newborns sleep for short increments because breast milk is digested very quickly, and they wake up because they're hungry. Flynn is almost 3 months old, and the longest stretch he's ever slept for is 5 hours. And he woke up SCREAMING because he was starving and I felt really bad for being so selfish. Since we brought him home from the hospital, I had been setting the alarm on my iPhone and waking him up every 2-3 hours at night to feed him. Then people were telling me to "never wake a sleeping baby" so I tried it. Yes, I got more sleep, but it started having a negative affect on his weight gain. So now I'm back to waking him up when he sleeps too long. Gotta put some meat on this kids bones to make Mr. Pediatrician happy. (Although, I'm pretty sure Flynn will always be weight-challenged if he has my genes. Could be worse.)

The other sleep-related topic that people want to know about is where he's sleeping. This is a touchy one, and depending on who is asking, I lie omit information. In fact, one of my midwives TOLD me to lie about it - ha! And the reason for that is because from night one until just last night, Flynn was sleeping in our bed. Judging from internet message boards, some people think co-sleeping is a form of child abuse (seriously, it's a big mommy wars topic). But I trusted my instincts which were screaming, do not let this baby further than an arms length away from you! We took safety precautions, made sure he wasn't near any pillows or blankets, bought a firm mattress, and I even placed a rolled up towel between Tim and the baby so he wouldn't be able to accidentally roll over on him. There was zero chance I'd ever roll over on him. It's a mom-awareness thing, that's all I can say. Any movement or sound he made, I was immediately awake. If he was TOO quiet, I'd wake up as well. 


Co-sleeping was fantastic for the first few months because he was nursing so frequently at night, and as soon as he woke up, I was there to feed him. He never had to reach the point of crying out of hunger. (Night nursing alone presents it's own challenges... aka... you can't see a damn thing. Thank goodness for the flashlight app!) But I really don't feel like going through the whole safety precaution/nursing spiel to most people, so I just say matter-of-factly, "We have a bassinet in our room." Which is technically true! It's right next to my side of the bed. However, Flynn wasn't sleeping in it. See how I avoided the question? I am sly like a fox.

I don't think our bed has been made since this photo was taken.

Last night, however, I decided to try out the bassinet (part of our souped up pack n' play, it also makes nature sounds & vibrates... baller). And it was great! I had more room to stretch out in bed, and when I woke up around 1am to pump, I didn't wake up Flynn. He slept sound as a pound. Well, except for waking up around 2am to eat, and then again at 5am... and then he never really went back to sleep. Sigh. You win, baby, you always do.

I really enjoy/ed having Flynn in bed with us... and who knows, he may end up there from time to time in the future. I laugh when people say, "You'll never get him out of your bed!" That's like saying you'll never get a kid out of diapers if he starts off in diapers. It's called potty training... and clearly it works since you don't see too many adults walking around peeing their pants. You can adjust your kids to anything new. It just takes time and patience.


Co-sleeping helped me sleep better and helped Flynn sleep better early on. He was in my belly for 39 weeks and 4 days, listening to the sound of my heartbeat and breathing... so clearly, those same sounds are still comforting to him. Plus, I never worried about him being cold at night since he had his mama's body heat!


I sometimes wonder why I rushed into buying a crib... or decorating Flynn's room. The only time he's ever in there is to get his diaper changed! Oh well. I had to do something with my nesting instincts.

Goals for Motherhood

I'm a goal-setter. A lofty goal-setter. It makes me feel in control, and as a Type-A/Leo woman, I really dig that. So naturally, having babies & raising children delights me when I think of all the things I can do.

I may not achieve all of these goals, but they're what I'm striving for.

[I played lacrosse. It's a lacrosse goal. It's the first thing I thought of, okay?!]

My goals are...

-To politely but firmly tell co-workers/strangers who try to touch my belly, "Please don't do that. It makes me feel uncomfortable" instead of just dealing with it.

- To avoid unnecessary interventions during labor & birth.

- To politely decline visitors (aside from immediate family) for at least 2 weeks after birth.

- To avoid using an annoying "baby voice" as much as possible.

- To use cloth diapers (more on this later!)

- To nurse for at least 6 months.

- To encourage my husband to do as many things as possible with the baby (bonding is important, and so is Mommy sneaking out for a pedicure).

- To not blindly follow advice from others, and to trust my instincts as a mother.

- To keep my child's amount of toys & clothes reasonable & manageable.

- To ask other's for help when I need it.

- To make my own baby food.

- To embrace thrift shopping & hand-me-downs. We already scored a top-of-the-line Graco pack n' play in great condition for $51. (Retails for $250. Thanks, Mom!)

- To question, question, question advice from doctors and do my own research.

- To not get sucked into the mentality that just because I'm a mom, I have to look like one.

[Oh hey, I'm Gwen Stefani. I'm a mom & I still look rad 24/7]

And my #1 goal... is to always remember that I had a husband before I had a child, and he always comes first. If we don't maintain a happy & loving marriage, our parenting will suffer and the environment we're creating for our little munchkin won't be healthy.

Sorry to get all mushy on ya. Couldn't help it.

Oh, and I will not get a "mom" haircut or wear oversized sweatshirts to the grocery store. Nope. Won't do it!