And a woman I'd never met today saw me sitting on a hay bale, nursing Lola and said, "I applaud you for nursing in public!" And we went on to have a 5 minute conversation about the importance of normalizing nursing in public.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Feeling the love!
And a woman I'd never met today saw me sitting on a hay bale, nursing Lola and said, "I applaud you for nursing in public!" And we went on to have a 5 minute conversation about the importance of normalizing nursing in public.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Here's to you, ladies.
I am so blessed. While I may not always appreciate it or understand it, I have gone through these trials and tribulations for a purpose.
Having IGT has allowed me to "meet" (online, anyway) such a wonderful, supportive sisterhood of women. Women who have walked in my shoes (pumped in my flanges?), felt the same frustration, cried the same tears, and every single one of them has done the absolute best that that they could with what they had.
I am so happy we have a place to discuss openly the ups and downs of living with IGT, free of judgement/shame/awkwardness.
And I am so glad we've found each other.
Dedicated to the Women with IGT facebook group members.
(Want to join the group? http://www.facebook.com/groups/316544128361585/)
Having IGT has allowed me to "meet" (online, anyway) such a wonderful, supportive sisterhood of women. Women who have walked in my shoes (pumped in my flanges?), felt the same frustration, cried the same tears, and every single one of them has done the absolute best that that they could with what they had.
I am so happy we have a place to discuss openly the ups and downs of living with IGT, free of judgement/shame/awkwardness.
And I am so glad we've found each other.
Dedicated to the Women with IGT facebook group members.
(Want to join the group? http://www.facebook.com/groups/316544128361585/)
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
More teeth, and other new developments
Lola's cut her third tooth (with her fourth not far behind), and I am THRILLED to report that she hasn't been biting this time around. What a relief!
Lola's also been taking less supplement lately. I still offer the same amount every time, and some days she takes more than on other days, but, she's been taking about an ounce of formula per feeding most days, compared to 3 ounces per feeding a month ago. The change in my diet seems to be doing good things for my milk supply, and my energy levels are the highest they have ever been while breastfeeding!
As soon as I have a little extra money, I want to buy the book "Mother Food." You can read the author's blog on lactogenic diet here. She, too, is an IGT mom.
I am so in love with breastfeeding. Seriously, if I could take a picture every single time we nursed, I would. I love the way her little body fits so perfectly next to mine in our favorite nursing position (side-lying.) I love the way she touches my face and looks up at me with her big brown eyes when we nurse in the cradle hold. I love nursing her in our wrap as we walk around. I can't wait until she becomes completely mobile, and comes to me and nurses. And I love that I am finally going to nurse for at least a year (hopefully much longer), I have NO doubt about it!
Oh! And I've been signing with her for just over a week, and a few days, she signed "milk!" to me! It was awesome. I did a little baby sign language with her big brother, but skipped it with her big sister for some reason.
Well, that's all for now...
Lola's also been taking less supplement lately. I still offer the same amount every time, and some days she takes more than on other days, but, she's been taking about an ounce of formula per feeding most days, compared to 3 ounces per feeding a month ago. The change in my diet seems to be doing good things for my milk supply, and my energy levels are the highest they have ever been while breastfeeding!
As soon as I have a little extra money, I want to buy the book "Mother Food." You can read the author's blog on lactogenic diet here. She, too, is an IGT mom.
I am so in love with breastfeeding. Seriously, if I could take a picture every single time we nursed, I would. I love the way her little body fits so perfectly next to mine in our favorite nursing position (side-lying.) I love the way she touches my face and looks up at me with her big brown eyes when we nurse in the cradle hold. I love nursing her in our wrap as we walk around. I can't wait until she becomes completely mobile, and comes to me and nurses. And I love that I am finally going to nurse for at least a year (hopefully much longer), I have NO doubt about it!
Oh! And I've been signing with her for just over a week, and a few days, she signed "milk!" to me! It was awesome. I did a little baby sign language with her big brother, but skipped it with her big sister for some reason.
Well, that's all for now...
Sunday, October 16, 2011
7 months!
Another month of nursing!
I am so happy to still be nursing. I love it. I love looking down at her little face, snapping pictures with my brain and wishing she would always be my little nursling.
I was having a rough afternoon today and feeling extremely up-tight... and then, it was time to nurse, and as she latched on, all my stress melted away. Better than valium! :)
In other news, I'm no longer gluten-free, but I am focusing on whole foods, lots of raw fruits and veggies, good protein, and limiting sugars and bread. Even whole grain bread leaves me feeling sluggish and down, I've found.
I am so happy to still be nursing. I love it. I love looking down at her little face, snapping pictures with my brain and wishing she would always be my little nursling.
I was having a rough afternoon today and feeling extremely up-tight... and then, it was time to nurse, and as she latched on, all my stress melted away. Better than valium! :)
In other news, I'm no longer gluten-free, but I am focusing on whole foods, lots of raw fruits and veggies, good protein, and limiting sugars and bread. Even whole grain bread leaves me feeling sluggish and down, I've found.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Going gluten-free.
Something had to be done. I was feeling like a giant sea slug, and the scale showed I weighed a pound MORE than I weighed at 41+ weeks pregnant.
At first, my plan was to do a yeast elimination diet, but that was a pretty extreme jump, and I'd probably have given up.
So, I'm going gluten-free.
It really hasn't been that bad, considering how much I love all things bread. The second day gluten-free, I was SO hungry. I ate at least once an hour. But I ate raw fruits and vegetables, and homemade chicken soup. The third day, I wasn't so ravenous. Today's day 4. I'm already down 5 pounds! I'm ecstatic! Even if I can't lose ALL the weight, I'll feel much better having lost SOME of it.
If I'm able to lose a significant amount of weight, I won't feel so strongly the need to wean after a year. With my other children, I couldn't lose any weight until I weaned, and then it just fell off. Well, I probably couldn't lose any weight because I ate mostly BREAD! It probably sounds terribly selfish to want to wean just to lose weight, but my self esteem has been exceptionally low, and I don't think I could take another year and a half of that.
Now, I believe I'll be able to wean when Lola's ready, and not when Mommy can't take another second of being fat!
At first, my plan was to do a yeast elimination diet, but that was a pretty extreme jump, and I'd probably have given up.
So, I'm going gluten-free.
It really hasn't been that bad, considering how much I love all things bread. The second day gluten-free, I was SO hungry. I ate at least once an hour. But I ate raw fruits and vegetables, and homemade chicken soup. The third day, I wasn't so ravenous. Today's day 4. I'm already down 5 pounds! I'm ecstatic! Even if I can't lose ALL the weight, I'll feel much better having lost SOME of it.
If I'm able to lose a significant amount of weight, I won't feel so strongly the need to wean after a year. With my other children, I couldn't lose any weight until I weaned, and then it just fell off. Well, I probably couldn't lose any weight because I ate mostly BREAD! It probably sounds terribly selfish to want to wean just to lose weight, but my self esteem has been exceptionally low, and I don't think I could take another year and a half of that.
Now, I believe I'll be able to wean when Lola's ready, and not when Mommy can't take another second of being fat!