Breastfeeding & Returning To Work

Replace the young woman with my pump and this is exactly how I feel, but it's all for my sweet cheeks!

My #1 tip- Water, water, water....oh and MORE WATER!! It has made a HUGE difference in my supply while pumping at work. But we'll get to that soon. Ok so a lot of this information comes from the book I've been raving about.

Link here

I've also gotten advice from my coworkers, lactation consultant friends and other working Mom's. Everyone has their tricks of the trade and I'll take all the tips I can get. I will compile most of those tips here!

What you'll need...

-All of your supplies of course, but how you bring and store it may vary. I decided to use one set, rinse between use, store in ziplock bags and keep them refrigerated during the day. You may also choose to buy enough sets to be able to use them just once.

Bottles vs. Bags…or Mason Jar :)

And yes, that is a Classico spaghetti jar! 

Depending on the amount you are able to pump during your work day could determine what you bring to store your milk. Because of my 12-13 hour work day and my milk supply I need to have a lot of room for storage so a mason jar works great for me. I clean and sanitize the jar after each use. I pump anywhere from 16-21 oz so bringing enough bottles to store my milk just wasn't efficient for me. Pictured above I have the 2.5 oz bottles that I was pumping into, but I end up pumping more than that in one sitting so instead of stopping and pouring it into the mason jar mid pump, I started bringing 4 oz bottles and pumping into those to save time.

Once I get home I divvy up the milk into my breast milk storage bags. Noelle drinks about 3.5oz each feed so I try and put 7oz in each bag so I know 1 bag is 2 feedings.

I've switched over to more bags than bottles. The bottles are reusable obviously but they do take up more space than the bags. Freezing your bags flats is best for making more space. Also the bags thaw much easier than the bottles. 

*Side note- the wipes container you see in the picture above was something I saw on Pinterest as a way of storing your breast milk bags, but I could only fit 4 bags and it wasn't worth the space it was taking up.

 I haven't quite figured out how to organize my milk yet  > <  I'm having to dig to the bottom to get the bags that have the furthest back dates. I'll figure it out soon enough. Any suggestions?

Here are some of the things that have worked for me in order to keep up my milk supply:

-As I said before lots of water.

-Pumping once in the morning even when I am off. Your milk supply is greatest in the morning so making sure to pump during that time is important in making room for your body to keep producing milk.

-Mother's Milk Tea. I don't drink it as often anymore but I made sure to drink it everyday I worked when I first returned.
-Trying to pump as often as your baby eats (this can be hard, especially if your baby is still eating every 2-3 hours when you return to work, but try your best)
-Put your baby to breast as often as possible when you are with them. Before and after work if possible. Your baby is way better at emptying your breast than the pump.
-*For my nurse friends, I know an every other day schedule usually sucks rocks but doing that schedule when I returned to work worked best. Two 12 hr days in a row was murder to my supply.

Advice I've been given:
-Continue eating like you are still pregnant. This might sound like crazy talk for some of you preggo "savages" as my husband liked to call me, but it's really because dieting while breastfeeding can affect your milk supply.
-Drinking Beer…..something about the hops.
-Drinking Malt- non-alcoholic
-Lactation Cookies
-Lots of oatmeal and cream of wheat
-Pump while looking at pictures/videos of your baby

I know you're looking at my fat stash with milk envy. It definitely took some time for it to look like this. I started pumping on a regular basis when Noelle was about a month old. Building my supply for when we were to be separated. I pumped at least one time per day, in the mornings after one of her feeds. I continued this everyday until I went to work. My milk supply is so great now that I produce more milk than she drinks in the amount of time I am away from her. I am completely aware that a lot of Mother's aren't able to do this and I thank God for how easy it has been, I do not take this for granted. 

I definitely freaked out the first few times I pumped because I wasn't getting as much as I had previously but like the book says, bad pumping sessions do happen so don't get discouraged. If it happens consistently then you may need to make a change. 

My favorite breastfeeding products

Medela Pump In Style Advanced

Oh…I almost forgot! You might think what's the point of buying a hand pump when you have an electric one but believe me, it is so easy and fuss free, sometimes it's the best thing ever. Great for traveling with and when you have things to do you don't have to be stuck in one place. I use it frequently in the mornings when I'm getting ready for work. 

Happy pumping my friends!!!

We're Moving...

Noelle to her crib :(

I'm ready, I think? Noelle is 14 weeks now and we had always planned to move her into her own room and crib around this time. I am definitely ready to snuggle with my husband in our room alone but I am gonna miss her.

We will be using the Graduated Checking Procedure or Graduated Extinction to make the transition. In a nut shell the sleep training allows your baby to learn to self soothe without letting them completely "cry it out". You gradually reassure them without actually picking them up. I can't lie, I have some real mixed emotions but overall I think it's time. I know she will be fine, the question is will I?

I learned about this sleep training method after going to an infant sleep class at the hospital where I had Noelle. It was recommended by the Pediatrician and Nurse Practitioner who hosted the class. It was suggested to begin around 3-4 months when babies are better at self soothing. I wasn't quite comfortable with the cry it out method so this modified version seemed like a better fit for our family. I felt really anxious about making the decision but after talking to my Mom and a coworker who had successfully sleep trained her baby boy, I felt more at ease and decided to tough it out. With the support of my husband it was a go.

I couldn't find much information on this method so I took a pic of the handout I received at the sleep class and I did find this article from the NewYork Times which briefly mentions it.

We have a couple products to aid us in this transition.

Munchkin Lulla-Vibe Vibrating Mattress Pad

Nursery Projector & Sound System

Summer Infant Slim & Secure 2 Digital Color Video Monitoring 

Noelle was never really a fan of her bassinet and actually slept in her Newborn Lounger (which clearly says not for sleeping) for the majority of the time she was in our room. I can already tell that I probably won't be following all the "rules" lined out in the mother handbook. We placed the lounger in the crib to give her some sort of normalcy in her new space. 

We are on our 5th night now and it is going better than expected. Praying I can keep up the self control. She is so sweet, my sleeping beauty!!

Elle's 3 Month Update

Noelle's 1st Easter

Isn't she sweet?!!

Dress is Baby Gap/Shoes Target/Bib Carter's/Headband made by me :)

She did so well in church! Not a peep....get it Peep!

 I waited too late to order a headband online so I decided to make one on my own. Thank God for my friend Joanne who sent me a YouTube video on how to get started. SO easy!! Link below!

http://youtu.be/5wF8iDdxcXo

Next stop was Great Grandma's house...

Her Great Grandma Sallie!!

Last stop was Grandma and Granddaddio's for some Easter Egg hunting with her cousins

Madison, Drik and Tj enjoying the kids refusing to give up on finding EVERY egg!

With God Mom Blair :)

Lovely Lady Lumps

Who has 3....count em....3 friends to have babies due the same week?!!! That would be lucky me :)) So in honor of these beautiful pregnant ladies I have decided to dedicate this post to them!!! I am going to share some of my jewels for pregnancy, delivery and recovery here!

Joanne!!! Due July 27th

 Zonovia :)) Due July 28th

Erica XOXO Due July 31st

Isn't this crazy?!!!!! I pray they don't A) Have their baby showers on the same day B) Don't have their babies on the same day. I can't describe the pure glee I have for these three!! They are going to be such great Mom's. I am so happy to be able to share some of the things I've learned as a first time Mom so far that they can use. I know they are all such huge supporters of my blog so I wanted to do this just for them :)

There is no way that I am going to remember everything so I'll make updates to this when I think of something else.

As you reach the end of your pregnancy these things may become helpful:

1) Compression stockings- they worked wonders for my cankles after a long day of standing

2) Belly support band- I waited until the very end the get one of these and it could have done me some good much sooner

3) Your baby shower- make sure whoever is throwing your baby shower that they tell your guest to get at least ONE item from your registry.

4) If you plan on breastfeeding, start reading now! I highly recommend 'The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding' (find here). There was a lot of information that I didn't know until after the first couple of weeks of breastfeeding that I wish I had known at birth.

Packing your hospital bag! Some of the things I had, some I wished I'd brought:

1) Baby washcloths- Every hospital is different but where I delivered they only had really rough washcloths. I knew to bring some for me but I totally forgot about the baby. I had to wipe down poor Elle with those rough cloths and I felt horrible.

2) Button up pajamas- These were super comfy and the buttons were great for breastfeeding

3) Nursing tank tops and bras for obvious reasons. I got my tank tops from Target and bras from Diaryfairy.com. The bras are great because you can also use them for hands free pumping. I would suggest not getting the bras until after your milk comes in because there is no way to predict your breast size. The tanks can hold you over until then.

4) Nursing pads- I took them to the hospital but really you won't have to worry about leakage until your mature milk comes in.

5) Overnight pads- You might not need as many as you may think. Of course everyone is different but I bought entirely too many. You may be surprised by how short you have a heavy flow. Plus the hospital usually provides them.

*By the way you may want to use of the hospitals clothing items (gowns, socks, underwear) during labor because there are a lot of leaking fluids that you don't want on your own clothes. I had no idea that you continuously leak amniotic fluid after your water breaks up until the baby is delivered.

Caring for your newborn:

1) Swaddle consistently- I didn't swaddle Noelle during the day and eventually she wasn't going for it when I tried doing it at night. There is no harm in not swaddling your baby at all but it is supposed to keep them from having a startle reflex that will wake them up.

2) They say to wait until their umbilical cord falls off to submerge them in water but I would suggest waiting a few days after it falls off. It still has some healing to do and getting it really wet could open the scab, increasing the chance of infection.

3) Do what comes natural. You will soon be told by EVERYONE what you need to do with your baby. Right now I am currently exercising some serious self control as you could probably imagine. If you thought people telling you what you need to do while you are pregnant is annoying, OH just you wait!!!!!! For a first timer of course we don't know much about being a Mom but you do know your baby better than anyone!

Caring for YOU:

1) Use the Lanolin cream (or any other nipple cream you prefer) for your nipples if you are going to breastfeed from feed one! I brought it to the hospital. Because they feed so often in the beginning it can get really uncomfortable but try to apply after each feed to prevent cracking.

2) Sitz bath, sitz bath, sitz bath!!!! I cannot express this enough!

3) Seriously the sleep when they sleep thing....people don't just say that because it sounds good! DO IT! And you'll have to sometimes tell people that you'll need to reschedule their visit because you need rest. Don't feel bad about it!!!!!

I love you three and CAN'T wait meet your offspring!! If there is anything you'd like me to add or address please let me know!!! So excited for our endless play dates :)

Elle's 2 Month Update

Umm Hello God, Blue Is NOT My Color!

2:13am on a Friday morning I awake and realize I've woken up without the help of my little sweet thing. "You need to go outside" something tells me with very strong conviction. "What?" it's two in the morning I tell myself, go outside for what? I toss and turn for a few minutes trying to figure out what this sudden rush of anxiety is about. I've never felt such uneasy feelings so strong before. I start to feel claustrophobic, panic. I throw on some clothes and run downstairs. Pacing back and forth in front of my home taking on huge deep breaths, I am so confused over the loss of control. Why can't I stay asleep when I am SO tired. I wreck my brain for a few more minutes before I decide to get out of the cool air and go back to my bed. I choose not to wake my husband fearing he'll think I'm as crazy as I feel.

The next day I tell my husband of my odd experience, thinking it won't happen again and that it was just a weird night. He tells me to wake him the next time it happens and that I don't have to feel that way alone. Comforted, I spend much of that next day making excuses for what may have caused the episode the night before. As the weekend passes and Monday comes I find myself feeling more anxious as the sun goes down.  After being home with the baby all day, having not left the house even for a walk. I break down hysterically crying knowing that another sleepless night is waiting for me with the large chance I'll have to go outside in the middle of the night with this awful feeling that scared me to death. The difference this time is I call my mother immediately as the mood strikes me. She talks me threw it and encourages me to divulge all my feelings to my husband. I know I can talk to him about anything but again I'm afraid he'll think he married a "crazy" lady. He gets home and I spill my guts.

So, where do we go from here? My family and I devise a plan. The deal is I tell Tj anytime I feel anxious so we can talk threw it together. I make plans to leave the house daily. Now this I struggled with because knowing the old school theory that you don't take your newborn babies out of the house until they get their first set of shots continuously ran threw my head. But being healthy for my little sunshine was more important than abiding by the old wives tale. So as long as she wasn't exposed to a lot of people and was safe, away we went. I was never home alone when the sun went down. A couple of my friends were aware of my situation and called often. My friend and hair stylist cleared her shop just for us and our small babies so that I could get my hair done without worrying about anyone in her face. My God send of a husband planned a stay-cation with the help of our friend at a swanky Orlando hotel to have a change of scenery. The baby came along and we had a great night, not completely free of anxiety, but still great. Then my brother kept her that following day so that we could go to the Strawberry Festival with our friends. Getting away from the baby was good but not for too long because that would make me uneasy. I wanted her near but I knew I needed some time to be old Leah too.

I can only describe the feelings as a sense of purposelessness. I had worked since I was 15 years old so having no job to go to made me feel like I had no purpose, no sense of accomplishment. Of course I knew my job was to take care of my baby but there was not much ration in these feelings. Loneliness, my husband took off the first week, my mom took the second week and my friend Sheontee took the third. But after three weeks of constant company I found myself alone with nothing but the TV, which later became a huge trigger for my anxiety. I had to get away from it. My mom suggested getting a book to help take my mind on a vacation. This was a great suggestion. Fifty Shades of Grey was my choice! A complete loss of control, I had never before struggled with depression or any type of mental anguish so the baby blues took me for a loop. As a health professional knowing how "baby blues" can turn into postpartum depression freaked me out even more. On the reality show Tia and Tamera (which I was an avid watcher) there was an episode where Tamera, who has suffered from depression sought help while pregnant because she was concerned that she would develop postpartum depression. She had lunch with her friend Lisa Rinna, who described to Tamera her battles with postpartum depression and how bad it got. She had had thoughts of stabbing her baby and harming herself. The shear thought that this could be possible for me scared the crap out of me.

Having the baby blues in all honesty pissed me off. WHY ME? Seriously!!! I planned this baby, I waited and prayed for this baby. The only feelings I wanted and expected to have were of pure joy and happiness. I could not understand why I was going through this. I have never really questioned God but I asked Him straight up. Why are you allowing this to happen to ME? This is Leah, HELLO!!!! And while I can tell you I still haven't gotten my answer, He has been so good to me. The ONLY reason I am able to share this with you is Him. The first thing I knew to do when faced with this challenge was to get on my knees and ask Him for help. I felt helpless and He was the only one who could pull me through this. As much as my husband, mother, father, brother, family and friends love me, HE was the ONLY one who could ease this hurt. I started reading scripture and quoting it multiple times a day. The 23rd Psalms, "I am more than a conqueror", "I can do ALL things through Christ". His word became a constant comfort, I've never needed and yearned for it more. Gospel music has been my playlist. The encouraging words have brought me great strength, every song speaks to my heart and soul.

WHEW!!! I wasn't quite sure I was strong enough to share this. Although things are so much better, everyday is still a challenge. I have good days and bad but I thank God that He has shown me that this is only for a season and things will get better. The fact that so many women suffer from baby blues is shocking because I have never really heard many people talk about it. I was able to speak with a couple of people who have suffered previously and it brought me some comfort. But if I can bring any awareness to this through my blog, well then maybe that was God's plan. If nothing else it has drawn me closer to Him which I am always grateful for. This is a REAL thing and no one should suffer alone. I thank God I was able to recognize this from the beginning and start talking about it. I would also encourage talking to your doctor and going to a new mom support group which is something I plan on doing. I'm excited about getting back in the gym next week, it should give me some relief and release some endorphins. I will be going back to work a little sooner than I anticipated but getting back into my normal routine will be good for me. I pray this helps you!

I kept on a smile even though I was going through. I wasn't going to let this take my joy!

Strawberry Festival with the crew!

Noelle with her friend Ezra at the hair salon!

Shopping with my friend Joanne for our baby girls

UCF event with the Hubs

Dinner the next night!