Goodbye, Nexplanon!

**WARNING: This whole post is going to be TMI but I think it is important to talk about these things**

So today I had my Nexplanon removed.  I ended up going alone since the Mechanic overslept (as well as some other drama).  It was the fastest doctor's appointment I have ever had. Seriously. Like they must have sensed my fear and told the good Doctor see me posthaste.  My appointment was at 9:30 & I was out the more door before 10.

I had it removed for several reasons, the first being that my 3 years were up. That was the least important thing, though.

The main issue I had was heavy and frequent bleeding.  The average blood loss is 30-40 mL.  Heavy is 60-80 mL. Or so says the NHS.  I knew I was heavy but I really had no way to quantify it. So I stuck with it for the full 3 years. Also, I was scared to have it removed. The insertion had already traumatized me.

Then I switched to the Diva Cup.  In 24 hours, I bled about 3 0mL. 

And I go for DAYS. 13-15 each month. probably 6 of those are heavy days.  6 × 30 mL is 180 mL.  Add in the not heavy days and I had to be losing at least 200 mL a month.
Let's do the math:

• Normal=30-40 mL
• Heavy=60-80 mL
• Me=200+ mL

My iron level was a little over 9 in February.

The thing is, I knew it was bad but I couldn't quantify how bad until I had the Diva Cup.

There are other issues, possibly caused by the devil's matchstick.  I lost a LOT of weight.  Double edged sword: I'm definitely toting extra pounds but I'm really getting questionable.  Y'all know how people get when you lose weight.  I developed fibroid tumors. I'm too young for fibroids.   And my uterine tissue is going rogue.  I've developed a condition called adenomyosis.  Basically, my uterine tissue is growing into the walks of my uterus .

It hurts. The cure is a hysterectomy . Mine isn't bad, though, and we're going to see if it progresses after the demon splinter is gone and reassess the situation then.


So my doc and I agreed it had to come out and out it came.

As far as the removal, it was scary because I'm a sissy. I shed a few gangster tears.  The needle hurt, the numbing meds tingled. After that, I could only feel the pressure and pulling.  Mine had moved and was encapsulated in scar tissue.  It literally took like 5 min because my doc went slow.  I couldn't bear to watch and I didn't record, which sucks in hindsight.

Funny, such a small thing but such a big issue.

Have you tried Nexplanon or Diva Cup for that matter?  What were your experiences like?

reIntroductions Part 1-me

So as I said, so many things have changed. Like my name.

Lettuce and I are no more. I am still sad about this because I miss being married. I miss having someone there for me, someone to share things with, someone who loves me.

Then I remember that my marriage wasn't like that.

There were good times, for sure. And beautiful children. But it was hard and ugly and painful. And at the end of the day, I made the choice that had to be made for my babies.  And I survived.

Since then, I have had some other changes.  For one, I finally finished that Masters I started so many years ago.  It was hard but rewarding. Literally.  My pay grade went up and I am [almost] middle class.  I have some big plans coming up but I don't want to jinx them by saying to much. Know that this is only the beginning.


I also lost a LOT of weight.  Like more than 50 pounds. "Pics or it didn't happen," you say? Well alrighty then.

Old Me

New Me

I did, however, retain my affinity for stripes.  They are the best pattern.   Before the inevitable questions, I mostly changed my dietary habits and increased my activity.  I don't regularly exercise, per se, but I do play football at recess  with my students. I swim, occasionally hike, and rarely sit during the day.  I eat well, drink water, and stopped eating my sadness.  It wasn't overnight but I lost about 30-35 pounds the first year, another 15 the second. I got down to about 145, which was a bit too small, but I'm sitting at about 160 and feeling great about it.  IT TOOK TIME, LOTS OF TIME. To be honest, I wasn't trying to lose weight. I come from a naturally small family so it was not natural for me to weigh so much. When I left Lettuce, I removed the trigger that caused the weight gain and kept it on.

I'm teaching 4th grade for the pasts 3 years. It is amazing and I love it. My kids are bonkers so we all get along. I won't say it's always fun but the good outweighs the bad, for sure.

Next up, the Astronaut...

Getting her groove on! [and other news]

So Popcorn will be 5 month old this week. Where did the time go?  A few months ago, she was a non-mobile newborn baby lump. Now she's a drooly, wiggly infant.  She has been diligently working on the physics of motion and is now able to get herself where she wants to be.  She has several manuevers, each of which works to a varying degree.

 The Roll is her signature move.   She rocks back and forth a few times, then uses the momentum to turn herself over. This is very effective, except when she gets her arm stuck under her.

She is working on the Booty Scooty, wherein she raises her butt-parts up and uses her feet to scoot forward.  The downside is the dragging of her face across the blanket.

Her latest move is the Flipper. It's more of a method of turning that utilizes a much smaller turning base.
\
In other news, Astronaut is enjoying 6th grade and the iPad that comes with it. He had is first school dance this past Friday and missed it. He was trying so hard to be nonchalant that he got the time mixed up. Poor kid.  I worry about him having friends.  He's kind of introverted and it could be perceived as unfriendliness.

Princess is doing fantabulous, being in 4th grade and the oldest of the crew in elementary school. She has been selected to function as a :"tour guide" for community members who visit the school.  Awesome sauce.

Squirrel got her assistant from last year as her teacher from this year. That rocks!  Her eczema is still widely flaring. We finally were able to get a referral to a new allergist and, as I suspected, she developed new allergies.  Her list is now
Severe: Peanuts and tree nuts
Mild: dairy, eggs-new, dust, dogs, mold-new, cockroaches-new
Fun. And by fun, I mean absolutely no fun at all.  The good news is I am seeing improvement since we cut the eggs. She still looks like she's wearing an eczema suit, though.

Side Salad goes to schools starting this Friday. I cannot wait!  He is super excited about.it. Okay, TTFN. I need to catch some ZZZZs, but before I go:

I knew you'd like it.

My Squirrel is going NUTS , and it's not funny

My sweet girl

So my sweet six year old Squirrel's eczema is currently flaring with a rampage, the likes of which we haven't seen since she was a little baby and had to be wrapped in gauze like an infant mummy.  We've been to the doctors multiple times this summer.  She's also had cellulitis and a fungal infection as a result of it.  We've been to the pediatrician, the ER, and the dermatologist, and have another dermatologist and allergist visit coming up.  At the beginning of summer she was on two antibiotics (Keflex and Bactrim, I think), Cutivate, Atarax (to control the itching), desonide, and DermaSoothe. The antibiotics were just for 10 days.  The derm took her off everything and prescribe griseofluvin, fluocinolone acetonide, and prednisone.

My baby is going bonkers.

She is literally out of her mind right now and I am at my wit's end. Prednisone has some funky side effects on your head-mood swings, irritability, depression, difficulty sleeping, chills-and she's feeling all of them.  The stuff in her head is the worst.  You can't say boo to the poor baby with out her bursting into tears.  Case in point, This is a conversation that took place yesterday.

Me: Those socks don't match. Take them off and I'll find you some matching ones. (SN: one sock was yellow with "Monday" in magenta and the other was white with an aqua toe and heel and lime green polka dots.  And they belonged to Princess)Squirrel:  >bursts into tears<
Me: Why are you crying?
Squirrel: Because you told me to take of the sooooooooccccckkkkkksssssss

I'm not exaggerating. That's verbatim. Here's another example from today.

Me:  Come on, sweetie. Let met me do your hair. You can bring your [philly] ice with you. (SN: normally, I do not allow them to eat outside the kitchen. I was letting her eat in my room)
Squirrel: >bursts into tears<
Me: Why are you crying?
Squirrel: I don't knnnnnoooooowwwwww
Me: Okay, well, I'm not mad at you. Try to calm down.  Here, give me a hug.
Squirrel: >still crying< I don't want to hug yoooooooouuuuuuuuu
Me: Uh, that's okay. You don't have to hug me.  It's okay.
Squirrel: >sniff, sniff< Okay >bursts into fresh tears<
Me: Wait,why are you crying again?
Squirrel: Because I coughed on you earlieeeeerrrrrrrrrr!
Me, in my Pooh voice: Oh, bother.

I don't know how much more of this I can take. She is literally crying for everything, and I mean everything.  Eating, drinking, sitting, standing, laying down, getting dressed, taking baths, putting on jammies, putting on socks, taking off socks, getting in the car, being hugged, not being hugged, because it's hot, because it's cold, because there are gnats/flies, etc.  She is so....hypersensitive and it's making me edgy.  I can barely sleep.  On top of that, school starts soon and I barely have any milk pumped. I only pump 4-6 oz at a time and I can't see to get on a pump schedule.  The only thing that relaxes me is nursing Popcorn.

I'm getting off topic a bit.  The point is, prednisone is not going well for us and we still have 3 another day of it. Her skin still looks bad.  Plus, it suppress your immune system and I think she has cellulitis again.

I'll update you on her later. Oh, and Side Salad needed a breathing treatment last week. He may have allergic asthma, probably to ragweed. Last year, he ended up in the hospital for about 3 days. This time, I recognized the symptoms (wheezing, retraction, breathing around his words) and took him for treatment immediately. We were home in less than 2 hours. Bully for us.

In happy news, Popcorn is 4 months old and rolling like a wheel. She's getting efficient at it, understanding the need to build up momentum by rocking back and forth first.  She's also sitting some.

Yummy Yogurt Party! (and my 1st GIVEAWAY!!!)

As a mombassador for Moms Meet, I have the opportunity to sample products from time to time. I was recently selected to try Stonyfield Organic yogurts.  We're big yogurt eaters so I was super psyched!  Stonyfield sent met coupons for YoBaby, YoToddler, YoKids, Stonyfield Organic, and Stonyfield Organic Greek yogurt.  They also included $4.00 in coupons for me to share and a cute green apple shaped reusable container.

It literally looks like half and an apple

I went to my local Publix to get the yogurt and it was hard to choose because there were so many options. I settled on:

• Stonyfield Organic YoBaby, blueberry
• Stonyfield Organic YoKids Squeezers yogurt, cherry and berry
• Stonyfield Organic Oikos Greek yogurt, blueberry

Since my Squirrel is allergic to dairy, I also bought Stoneyfield Organic O'Soy yogurt, peach & strawberry

I also brought animal crackers and juice to round out the snack.

There's a local park with a really cool splash pad near my house so I invited a few of my close friends so I'd have a wide range of kids to try everything out.  I split everyone into tasting groups.


The YoToddlers:

• Side Salad, 4 years old
• Little A, 4 years old

The YoKids

• Astronaut, 11 years old*
• Princess, 9 years old*
• Squirrel, 6 years old
• Little K, 7 years old

"Another pic? Okay, Mom!"

The YoMamas!

• Meimei (my mother), 54 years old
• Me, 30 years old
• A, 28 years old, Little A's mom
• K, 24 years old, Little K's mom

A and Popcorn, aka YoBaby

YoBaby and her Meimei

*These two didn't attend the play date because they had a prior engagement (really, their social calendar is more packed than mine!) but tried the yogurt this evening.

The Verdict?

YoToddlers: Side Salad had the cherry and berry YoKids. He liked them both but preferred the cherry. He sucked them down super quick.   Little A had cherry and loved it, too.  

Side Salad enjoying his second Squeezer

Little A loved the cherry!

YoKids: Squirrel loved the soy yogurt so it will definitely be a permanent snack item in our house. The strawberry was her favorite.  Little K tried the YoKids in berry and loved it. She said it was yummy. I tasted a bit of the berry but I thought it was super sweet. I personally don't eat kids yogurt for this reason.  The kids loved it, though, and that's really the point.  Princess said the berry Squeezer was really good and tasted just like cherries. She said it wasn't "too milky;" I guess that means that the fruit was incorporated very well, so she was very pleased.  All of my kids have been asking for more yogurts since we got home.

Squirrel eating the peach O'Soy

Little K having a post yogurt juice!

YoMamas: I tried the blueberry Greek yogurt. There was a lot of blueberry stuff in there. It wasn't as thick as most Greek yogurt I've had and was quite a bit sweeter, with 15 g of sugar. It was like halfway between regular yogurt and Greek yogurt, my opinion.  My mother said that it had a delicious creamy texture, the flavor was delicious, and it was just great yogurt.  A thought that it was good, though quite tangy. She'd never had Greek yogurt.  K actually tried the YoBaby blueberry. She'd given it to Little K as a little so she was familiar with it.

My mama's first taste of Greek yogurt

wanna try it?

I have some fantastic coupons left over!  One lucky reader will get 3 sets of coupons for $4.00 off.  Enter through the

Rafflecopter below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

bonus! here's a recipe from the good people at 

Stonyfield

Strawberry Muffin Recipe

For extra sweetness, dust with cinnamon sugar while still hot. Yields 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup Stonyfield lowfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped strawberries
Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 12 muffin tin or line it with paper baking cups. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar and baking soda. In another bowl, stir together eggs, yogurt, melted butter and vanilla until blended. Toss the strawberries with the flour mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until the flour is just moistened. The batter will be lumpy. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 20 — 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Yields 12 muffins.

The Sulfur....Cure?

More expensive stuff-$15 an ounce

Yesterday, I went to the Vitamin Shoppe and got the sulfur and also some uritica urens for Squirrel. I got the Biorons brand ($6.99 each) and the girl gave me a sample of Peaceful Mountain Eczema Rescue homeopathic gel.  The gel is opaque and reddish, like a red clay mud.  I gave her 3 uritica urens (she had a few bites of orange sherbet at school today and uritica urens is indicated for rashes due to skin allergies) and 3 sulfur about 30-45 minutes later.  I rubbed on a bit of the gel on her to alleviate her itchies. I didn't want to give her everything at once, but the milk in the sherbet was a surprise and needed to be addressed.

The uritica urens was a one time shot. It's only being used as needed. Let me add that after using it, she didn't have her using crippling stomach ache from eating no-no foods.  I'll let you know if I have to repeat this in the future.

This is the regime that I will be using:

• 3 Sulfur 30c twice a day (morning and evening) NPO 15 minutes before or after
• Calendula oil or olive oil after baths
• Exederm cream for moisturizing (I have to reorder so it will be a coupe of days till we resume this one) 

I will continue to blog daily (or every other day) and I am also following another mama whose baby girl is in the same plight. Dawn at Everything Birth is chronicling the same treatment.  When I read her blog, I really felt her pain. I remember when Squirrel was a baby and then a toddler. I too wish she'd hurry up and grow up so she'd understand that scratching was bad.  It's like I couldn't enjoy her babyhood because I wanted her out of it. I got a little teary because even though she's older, she can't help but scratch. 

 This is how her skin looked today, day two of her treatment.

Less dryness and much more even toned

Less peeling, still very dry 

Still scaly, no peeling

Still dry and peely

Still peely and scaly

It's still scaly and dry but less so. Her legs look pretty rough but that's also because she insists on wearing these pants that are like windsuit pants lined with fleece. They look hot.  That heat and rubbing won't allow her skin to repair itself.  Remember, this is a 6 1/2 year old.  She has to have some autonomy.

Squirrel says that her skin feels softer and that it itches less. I noticed that she's been touching her skin as opposed to scratching.  Her neck looks more like a child and less like an old woman.  Her mood is much, much better. She's smiling and laughing as opposed to yelling and whining. There's no screaming at her siblings. My baby feels better.



Have we found the cure?  I'll keep you posted!

The Sulfur Treatment

So I know I've mentioned that Squirrel has severe eczema.  We've been working for years to find something that works for her. Of course, the first line of attack was steroids, but they had little to no effect.  She was on DermaSoothe at 2 years old, off label due to the severity of her condition.  But those types of prescriptions have side effects. Steriods can cause temporary lightening of the skin, something my daughter experienced. It also causes permanent thinning of the skin and changes to the blood vessels. Skin is also more easily bruised and infected.  Squirrel's been on antibiotics for that, too.

Currently, her skin is "not that bad," which is a relative term. Our "not that bad" means that she is not bleeding or oozing. She is super dry and a bit peel-y. I took these pics on her left side.

Elbow

Wrist and hand

Ankle and foot

Knee

But still smiling!

Recently, we've been trying to treat her with non-prescription, homeopathic therapies.  After much experimentation, we've found Exederm, a line of hypoallergenic skin care.  She's been responding very well to it.

After we apply it, we cover her worst spots (knees and wrists) with plastic wrap.  It's pricey, $15 per item but hey, we have to do what we have to do.  The only problem is we can't find it locally.  The only other commercial product that seems to work for her is Natralia Skin Nourishing Oil, which is even pricier. It's about $15 but for half as much product, meaning it costs twice as much.

I was reading one of my favorite blogs Everything Birth and they mentioned a study on homeopathic treatments for eczema using 30c sulfur.  I read the study and decided to try this particular therapy on Squirrel. I'm going to go to 14 Carrot, a locally owned natural food grocer,  to get the sulfur and we'll start it tonight. Dawn from the blog started her daughter on it yesterday and has seen improvement today. Her daughter also told her she isn't itchy today.  I may also try calendula 30c, per this article.

***Update: I sent Lettuce to the store to get the sulfur and they didn't have it. He did get her some Bodyceutical calendula oil. I will start the oil tonight and I'll get the sulfur tomorrow when I'm on a different side of town.***

Have you tried homeopathic remedies for any conditions?  Share your story.

Day 27: Sick, sick, sick. [[Warning: KINDA GROSS]]

Yesterday, I was quite ill. I mean, no posting statuses on Facebook ill. it really started the night before. Monday, my brother Butter Bean and I went to the Waffle House and then to get my oil changed. I noticed that my cheesesteak had a ridiculous amount of pepper on it. It tasted and smelled like pepper. I mentioned it to my brother, but didn't make more of it.

Uncle Butter Bean and Baby Popcorn, a couple of weeks ago

Later that night, I noticed that when I burped, it smelled and tasted like vomit. My daughter actually walked by and thought someone had been sick. That was my first sign that something was wrong.

About 5:30 am, I was hit with a stomach pain that can only be described as labor-like.  It was that bad. I had to vomit and it was like pure acid. I immediately sent for some baking soda just to neutralize the acidity.  Then I threw up a disgusting foamy, non-acidic mess.

Then, the real fun began.

The abdominal pains were foretellers of the watery diarrhea that would haunt me for the rest of the day. It was awful and painful and miserable. I was so dehydrated my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. My lips were all dry and whatnot. Lettuce went and got me some Gatorade.  I was extremely concerned about getting dehydrated, what with nursing and all. Mercifully, Popcorn slept nearly the entire day and night, as if she knew I was ill.

I'm not sure if it was a tummy bug or food poisoning but I suspect the latter.  I was the only one who was sick and tummy bugs are notoriously contagious. We are a family of seven living in a tiny house so someone else would have gotten sick.  Also, I think the random, copious pepper was a ruse to cover meat that was past its prime.  Let me explain. I used to work at the Waffle, way back in 2001, and then 2002-2003 (#1198, one of my absolutely favorite jobs ever!) when the cheesesteak was new.  Since its inception, I have only NOT ordered a cheesesteak once and that was because they were out.  And I almost went to another Waffle House (we literally had 4 in a ten minute radius) but I didn't want to waste gas.  I know how they are supposed to be made.  Not with pepper. I am going to call that Waffle House and let them know, tomorrow.

Plus I googled my symptoms ;) Sounds like Giardia, to me.

In baby news, Popcorn is getting heavy!  She has a healthy appetite. She is able to wear more of her outfits.  She's got double dimples in her elbows and kissable cheeks, though the excessive kissing is giving her a horrid case of baby acne.  She's also got what looks like contact dermatitis on her forehead, all through her eyebrow area.  It's flakey and yellowish. This terrifies me, especially in conjunction with her milk sensitivity. It's like Squirrel all over again.  Or maybe it's just cradle cap and I'm a paranoid mama.  I am about to start making detergent again, for the dipes, but we may use it for all the clothes.  That would be for the best.

SHARE TIME! SHARE TIME! SHARE TIME!

Gina's Laundry Detergent (I don't remember where I got the recipe from)

• Washing Powder
• Oxygen Cleaner
• Borax

Mix equal amounts of each ingredient.  Put it in the washing machine and use it.  If you want smells, add a couple drops of essential oil, but be careful because some can irritate skin.  

Day 24: Milk, My Nemisis

Popcorn is growing by leaps and bounds.  The mastitis is gone!  There was a lump for a couple more days but no pain.  I used more heat and massage on it.

I have cut most dairy out of my diet because I suspect Popcorn may have an issue with it.

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but Squirrel has severe eczema and several allergies: peanut, tree nut, dairy, dogs, dust.  {Princess had eczema as a baby but outgrew it.}  The boys are fine, for the most part.  Side Salad had a RAD-like episode in response to a virus last fall.  Allergies, eczema, and asthma are the trifecta, the three sisters.  That's part of the reason I am so committed to EBF.  The boys were breastfeed 13 and 21 months in contrast to the girls' 4 and 8 months.  I'm getting off topic. I cut dairy out because we have a genetic predisposition to these sorts of things. I myself and lactose intolerant.  Yes, I know ice cream is dairy. It makes me obscenely gassy and if I eat too much, it gives me horrendous diarrhea.  For Popcorn, it gave her colicky symptoms like excessive, inconsolable crying, gas, and possibly a funky rash.

This is how she looks when I don't drink milk.

For my sweet baby, I give up ice cream in copious amounts.  A good friend of mine offered me some replacements-almond milk (which I love in my cereal), almond milk ice cream, and coconut milk ice cream. I am going to grab these when I do my shopping this coming weekend.

I myself went to see my GP today. It wasn't baby related. He wanted to check out some things.  According to my last blood test, I have low levels of thyroid, a vitamin D deficiency, anemia, and high cholesterol.  He wants me to taking the fasting blood test so I have to go back but I am pleased to note that my blood pressure is a sassy 100/80 BAZINGA!

Day 13: We are ready to go! (and how I started cloth diapering)

Baby Update: So Miss Popcorn will be two weeks old tomorrow!  I can't believe she's been her so long. It feels like she just got here and like she's always been here at the same time.   I just love the little sugarfoot so much!  I think I mentioned that we moved last month so the kids had to change schools.Well, Squirrel's former teacher (who is also a distant cousin of ours) just advised me that I was invited to the volunteer appreciation breakfast.  I used to volunteer/chaperone  field trips a fair bit over the years at their school.  It's tomorrow and I-well, we-are going!  The forecast is 82 so Miss P will be wearing that cute little pink and brown polka dot outfit, since it's one of the few things that fit.  After that, we may swing by Target or buybuyBaby and return the plethora of disposable dipes I got for some gift cards or something else I can really use.  I wanted to get some more little gPants, maybe in Good Morning Sunshine and Goddess Pink, in the next size up.  I got a lot of dipes at the shower.  That's crazy because we cloth diaper. I guess people missed the memo.

Speaking of cloth dipes, I am often asked about cloth.  We went cloth when Side Salad was about 5 months old. It was a purely financial decision.  When we found out I was pregnant, I'd just been laid off. I had money saved, a college refund check, severance, and unemployment. We began prepping immediately, buying a box of diapers each month.  SS went throug them fairly quickly and I was tired of tossing money in the trash can 8 times  day.  Since my unemployment was due to run out, we made the switch.  We stared with prefolds and Bummis Super Whisper Wraps.  I got a couple of bumGenius 3.0s for when we went out, too.  I ended up with a varied stash that included custom fitteds from Orange Diaper Co. nee Scuttlebutts and even a goodmama.

Fresh Oranges (previously known as Scuttlebutts)

I actually just ordered Popcorn 3 Oranges, two of them customs. Pics to come as soon as they get here. Hers will be serged, not turned like his. I digress.

Rockin' a bamboo square and snappi

I got deep in cloth diapering and loved it. I sold the hubby on it.  Initially, he would only use AIOs until one day when Squirrel would only bring him a prefold and a snappi.  He got with the program.  Now, cloth diapering is paying off even more because we get to use the diapers on another kid-SCORE!  The only issue is that Side Salad was 2 pound heavier than Popcorn was at birth, and we didn't cloth diaper him until he was about 5 months old.  He has lots of dipes but they are entirely too big for her. I went ahead and got half a dozen newborn prefolds, 4 small covers (the Thirsties Hoot <3 and Kushies are here now, two more Thirsties will be here Monday), and the three newborn fitteds (they fit up to 15 lbs) that are on the way. Those should hold her over until she can fit what we have.

I <3 owls!

Side Salad NIP at age one

Mama Update: Well, I've pooped 3 times since I had the baby. This is such a good thing. Other than that, I feel pretty good most of the time.  I have been having some leaking. I use the term "some" lightly. When Popcorn nurses on one side, milk floods out of the other.  I should put a bottle or something up to it and save it for a rainy day.  You know, the kind where rain means alcohol....  It's only an issue at night, when I am too sleepy to bother with bras and nursing pads.  I sleep on a towel.  It comes in handy when Lettuce annoys me.  I am not above using these puppies as weapons.   Side Salad finds it amusing. This maybe his first time seeing a baby be breastfed. I wish I'd taken more pics of him nursing. I found a couple on the old blog.


Can I tell you something?  Everyday, I feel like I feel every single emotion that I've ever know. I love Popcorn but she cries an awful lot. It can be really frustrating, even though she's my fifth.  I really get down sometimes. I try to keep things in perspective.  Popcorn is a baby; she can't talk. She can't tell me what she wants. She's in a new environment and it can be overwhelming.  Plus I love her so doggone much.  That surge of love hormones business is serious!  When she cries, I feel bad and overwhelmed but I feel so much for the young mothers because I was young when I had the Astronuat (18 and 4 months out of high school) and the single mamas (Lettuce and I have been together for 8 years. The big kids are 9 and 11. You do the math.) because it's hard.  Sometimes I want to cry.  Then she stops crying and all is well. But if I were to be overwhelmed, I could hand her to Lettuce. Not every one has that luxury.

Breastfeeding can be a double edged sword. I provided food and comfort, which is beautiful and makes me feel like, I don't know, Gaia.  I feel like my body cradled her and created her and nourished her before she was born, and now that she is born I am doing the same. At the same time, I provided food and comfort, which is exhausting  and makes me feel like I am handcuffed to the baby.  She's a needy little sweetie, that's for sure.  It's important to keep things in perspective. I can only do this for a little while, in the grand scheme of things. And she won't always be 2 weeks old.  In a few weeks, she'll even out a bit.  In a few months, she'll be doing other stuff.  Right now, all she does is sleep and grow.

I also remind myself of how much work I'm saving mystuff. You see, she'd still cry and need to be held and fed if I wasn't breastfeeding. But if I used formula, I'd have to make bottles and heat them up and wash them, etc. I'd have to get up at night instead of simply rolling over. I'd have to go to the store. It's just too much on top of what I already have to do. Anyways, this entry is getting a little long in the tooth so I'll stop for now but that's pretty much it, just loving my life and the people in it!

Day 9: I know she's growing because she can wear CLOTHES

Popcorn is 9 days old now. She's starting to develop a little personality of her own. This is how her nursing sessions go:

1. P frowns and rubs her left fist in her mouth while waving her right hand.
2. I pick her up and uncover the boob that she didn't start on at the last feeding.
3a. If it's the right boob, she latches on perfectly and snuggles. Then, looks around and enjoys the sights while she nurses.
3b. If it's the left boob, she refuses to open wide enough and I have to hold left hand in my left and while also using my left thumb (yes, her head is on my left arm) to pull her chin down so she can get a good latch. Then, as she squirms, I use my right hand to smush my areola as small as possible to get as much in her mouth as I can. This sounds complicated. That's because it is.
4. Baby nurses and look around for 20 minutes. Then she either goes to sleep or simply stops nursing. Meanwhile, either my lap or my cleavage fills with the milk running from the other side as I look wistfully at the box of nursing pads on top of my jewelry box across the room an curse myself for poor planning.
5. Suddenly, P stops nursing and looks at me. She makes a face. It looks like she's going to smile but morphs in to a lopsided grimace-one eyebrow up, the other down with a squinted ey, mouth twisted to one side, lips pursed-and proceeds to fill up her diaper in an explosive way.

Pause: At this moment, I pat myself on the back for using cloth. Otherwise, my lap would be full of baby poo.

6. I sight and reach for her diaper change basket, lay her down, and start undressing her.

7. P begins to shriek.  She's not a fan of mid-meal changing sessions.  She expresses her displeasure occasionally by pooping or peeing during the change.

8. I finish changing her and put her on the other boob.

Fun times, fun times.

Many times, people worry about if breastfed babies are getting enough nutrition because they don't know how to gauge their consumption.  KellyMom.com is a great source of information on knowing if a baby is getting enough to eat but here's a little information on it.

• One way is by weight. That's probably the easiest way.  Unfortunately, I don't have a baby scale or fish scale to weigh her.  
• A more common way is diaper counting. However, if you use disposables, this can be difficult.  Sposies absorb a lot of urine before they feel wet. Cloth diapers are easy to count because they feel wet immediately.  Popcorn poos a lot but some bf babies only poo every couple of days. That's normal. 
• Finally, there are visual cues that let you know a baby is growing. The baby is happy, shiny eyed, bushy tailed and all.  The skin is soft and supple. And most of all, the baby is bigger.  Today, Popcorn wore an outfit.  That's right. She's wearing more than onesies and gowns now. Furthermore, it's a 0-3 months size outfit, not newborn. So I know she's getting bigger because she can wear clothes.  

All dressed up with no where to go

Boom.

Day 7: Getting in the swing of things

Popcorn is a week old today and we are really getting in the swing of things.  She sleeps at night and naps at reasonable times.  She eats lot and though I am pretty swollen and leak a little, I'm not engorged. Engorgement can be super uncomfy to say the least-like sleeping on two giant red, leaky boulders. I nurse very frequently, on demand, so this isn't an issue. She's gaining weight nicely and interacts with us. She can lift her head, too.  I made her birth announcement today :) I like to wait a little while until that newborn newness wears off before taking pics, but Popcorn is crazy cute. She didn't peel at all, probably because she's never had a bath. I'll elaborate on that later. Anyway, here's the announcement:

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Okay, about the bath. I recently read some literature that indicated bathing immediately after birth could interfere with bonding. She was wiped down, though she really came out relatively clean anyways.  She hasn't been bathed since.  Unlike the other children, she never peeled and her umbilical stump has already fallen off.  The other kids, that didn't happen until they were about 2 weeks old. I only cleaned hers with water and used rubbing alcohol on the others.

Popcorn sleeps a lot better than the others. She takes timely naps and sleeps for long stretches at night. She tends to cluster feed, but I actually prefer cluster feeding because it frees up long stretches of time where I can do other things, like hang with the big kids or bathe.  She's a really good baby and I feel so blessed to have her! The kids treat her with so much love. Here's Side Salad singing to her:



I was looking at last year's Easter pic and it looked like someone was missing.  It already feels like she has always been her, like she's always been a part of our family.  It's amazing how she fills a void I never knew was there.

day 6 and I'm blogging kindle style!

My laptop is acting stinky and blue screening me so I haven't been on much. Then I remembered that I can do almost *anything* from my Kindle Fire so here I am.

Popcorn is 6 days old. She has her one week check up yesterday and she is just perfect! She's gained 3 oz over her birthweight and looks fantastic. Her umbilical stump fell off yesterday, too, giving me a new spot to kiss on. She's also picked up the unfortunate nickname "Pig." She roots around, grunting, and smacks her lips. It's so cute!

Oink!

{Postpartum TMI: my bowels finally moved yesterday. I am relieved, in more ways than one. Today, I had horrible gas pains that had me in tears. I may need to up the alfalfa...}

My mind has been in overdrive trying to come up with ways for me to continue to be a SAHM. Last night, I tried my hand at making a tutu and a couple of head bands. They came out kinda cute and I'll add pics when I can get my computer to work. My plan is to show Pig off with them on and hope people want to buy them. I also plan to make big girl head bands for Princess and Squirrel to wear to attract the tween and kindergarten set. If supplies for 3 headbands cost $5 and I sell them for $5 each, there's a profit of $10. That's not including tutus. Hopefully, I'll make enough to help Lettuce and have fun doing it.

First attempt at a tutu and headband

And another headband

And here's Popcorn rockin' her mama's creation!

Me Time

My life tends to be busy.  In the course of ten years, I completed my bachelors (cum laude), almost all of my masters (3 classes away), had 4 children, and got married-not necessarily in that order. People are always asking me how I do it, because apparently I make it look easy. When you work, you can take a sick day, AKA a mental health day.  When you are a part-time SAHM, it's a little harder.

The answer is that I carve out time for myself. I'm not rich by any means but I do make little splurges.  They are little in that the most expensive one is $25, the least expensive, free.  Here are a few of my Sanity Savers:

• a pedicure-manicures are a waste of time for me. I work a lot with my hands and I also wash them a lot. The polish will chip by the end of the day.  I can't stand fake nails.  But a nice pedi will last weeks.
• Movies!  I love, Love, LOVE going to the movies.  They always make me happy!  This year alone, I saw: The Immortals, Breaking Dawn, HP and the Deathly Hallows, Real Steel, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Super 8, Cars 2, The Hangover 2, Bridesmaids, Fast 5, X-Men: First Class, Bad Teacher, Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon, Columbiana, and The Help. You'd think this movie habit costs me a lot but AMC near me has $5 matinees.   And the drive in is 2 moves for $7 for adults, $3 for kids AND you can bring a cooler.
• Coldstone Creamery!!!  Can you say Like It, Love It, Gotta Have It?  Worth. Every. Penny.
• Reality TV. There's nothing like watching Phaedra, Kandi, Cynthia, Kim, Nene and their friends cut up. That's what very rich people do.  Then there's Chrissy, Em,Somaya and nem, the ones who don't even pretend to be wives because they aren't.  I actually just watch Baseball Wives for the first time and whew those chicks are wild, too.  Clearly, Biggie was right. Mo' money, mo' problems.
• And my favorite, early bedtimes.  My kids go to bed at 8, no later than 9. This is to ensure that I have some time to myself every single day.

What do you do to keep your sanity? 

My Breastfeeding Experiences

I am a lactavist. I staunchly belive that breast milk is to formula like diamonds are to cubic zirconia, a cheap imitation.  If you can't get diamonds, wear CZ, but if you had a choice why would you want something less?  This is especially true when you consider that the diamonds in this case are free.

I breastfed all four of my children. Each time, I had a different life situation but somehow I managed to make it work.  With my the Astronaut, I was an 18 year old single parent, four months out of high school.  I waited a year to go to college, but worked from the time he was 2 months old. Maybe one bottle of formula passed that child's lips.  It didn't make it down his throat because he spit it out.  He has quite a discerning palate.  My mom brought him to my job to nurse. I was waiting tables intially, and worked a semi-slow shift.  I left the state and went to college full time when he was nine months old and still breastfeeding. I expressed milk for him and he began whole milk at age one.  We made it 13 months, at which point he self-weaned.  Two months later, I was pregnant.

When I had the Princess, my son had just turned two and I was back home. I worked two jobs in her infancy, begin when she was 5 weeks old.  It was a much more difficult situation.  I was having problems with my then-boyfriend and with my family. I only made it 4 months with my sweet girl.  Then we fell into a vicious cycle of eczema, ear infections, and colds that actually cost me my job.  I didn't qualify for FMLA and my job wasn't very sympathetic to the plight of single mothers with sick children.

The Squirrel was up next. I was determined to make it with her. I returned to work when she was 6 weeks old. She was a fussy little girl, my smallest baby.  Caesar wasn't working then so he stayed with her. I began pumping and freezing as soon as she was born.We began bottles of pumped milk at 2 weeks to try to avoid nipple confusion and my Avent Isis and I spent lunch together in the lacation room at work. My precious girl girl was EBF for 7 months, then hit a huge growth spurt and depleted my stored supply.  She was BF/FF for two months and then FF after 9 months. She couldn't tolerate cow milk based formula and was switch to soy with moderate success. She developed severe eczema which she still suffers from. She's allergic to all nuts (peanut/tree nut), dogs, dairy, and dust. 

Three days after I was laid off from my job, I found out I was pregnant with Side Salad. My little chunky monkey (the biggest of teh babes) was born so fast we shared our first meal together less than 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital, he from the boob and me from the hospital cafeteria.  SS was the lucky one. He was born when I was at the ripe old age of 26, much wiser and more confident as a mother than I had ever been. Formula never graced the palate of my precious papoose. Before the big kids, my mom and I went on a cruise, I stocked up the deep freezer with the help of my Avent Isis iQ Uno.   This kid was EBF until he was 21 months old.  That's right; he was walking, talking, eating from a plate, drinking from a real cup, using the potty, and all.  It was a mutual decision. He just nursed less and less until one day, I realized it'd been about a week since he nursed. I offered and he refused.

You'd assume people who had known me for a long time would be used to my breastfeeding. 

You assume too much, dear reader.  In my next blog, I will outline the infamous "NIP makes you close minded" incident of 2009.

It's a hoot.