Breast Feeding

One of the first things my mother asked me after she had recovered from the initial shock of me being pregnant was, "Are you going to breastfeed?" This is a common questions for people to ask a pregnant woman (at least those that know you well enough). I usually told people that I was going to try. My mom nursed me for 14 months, Chris for 8 months, and Emily for 2 years. I really didn't read much about it during my pregnancy, I just wanted to try it out.

Well, it is the best decision I have made. I honestly don't know why you would choose otherwise, unless you physically couldn't do it. It is the most powerful, rewarding, and wonderful thing. I remember when they wheeled me in from recovery from the c-section. The nurse came in and was rattling all this stuff at me. Then she asked if I was going to breast feed. I said yes, and she said "Let me see your nipples." weird look to nurse, pull down gown "Oooo, you are going to have a hard time. You have flat nipples." Ok, side note. If you are pregnant with your first child and want to breast feed ask you doctor about this ahead of time! This is not the moment you want to find this out. Anyway, I was very sad. They brought me a nipple shield and my mom stayed to help me try it. When I tried to feed Marley for the first time without the shield we did not have very much luck. But as soon as I put it on, she did great. Nursing her in the hospital was rather easy. Every time she was hungry I would try without the shield first, but most of the time we needed it. Other than that, it came naturally. I know that most women have more problems than this and there are plenty of reasons why breast feeding is hard. But, I think it is so worth it.

When we got home from the hospital, I was determined to not need the nipple shield. Asa kept telling me not to worry about it, because I was lucky to be able to do it in the first place. But it was such a hassle. I was going to make this work. After about two weeks, we had it. We threw away the shield and never needed it again.

I am very lucky that things have gone smoothly since then. The feeling of being able to give your child the best food for them is amazing. I am in no way bashing anyone who doesn't do it because I truly believe it is a personal decision. You have to do what works for you and your baby in the long run.

Besides the obvious benefits for Marley, here are some benefits for me:
- I get way more sleep at night. Being able to put her in bed with me and not have to hold anything means that I can just go back to sleep while she eats.
- No work needed. When out in public, you don't have to find somewhere to get clean water and mix a bottle. It's right there, perfect temperature, ready to go.
- It reduces your risk of breast cancer.
- It is such an intense bonding experience. Here is this thing that only you can give your baby. And your baby knows it. There is nothing better than her pulling away and giving me a huge smile. It gives you the feeling that you are best mom in the world and that you are giving your baby the greatest gift.

This is all the incentive I need to keep going. I plan to do it as long as Marley wants. I am very lucky to be able to have her at the office with me during the day. I know it would be easier for me and even Carrie if I was bottle feeding her, but this is so important to me that it is worth it. And it doesn't embarrass me. I have not fed her in a restaurant yet... I have planned around it so far. But, I am sure I will. I have every right to. And anyone who is embarrassed can look the other way.

For anyone who is thinking about breastfeeding, at least try it. Get help if there is a problem. Just because our bodies were meant to do it, does not mean it is easy. I am actually looking into becoming a lactation consultant. I think it would be a very rewarding job for me.

So, thank you Mom. You gave all of us a fabulous gift and I appreciate you more every time I sit down to feed Marley. I hope that one day Marley will appreciate what I am doing. It is not any easy job, but it is the best job.

Sick Little Baby

Marley is sick. She is very congested and has a pretty nasty sounding cough. She does not have a fever, but I am constantly feeling her head. She has now been asleep for about 3 hours. I know she had a really long weekend with everyone visiting and us not being at home very much. So, being tired and sick is not good. We really should have stayed home a little more this weekend instead of carting her everywhere.

We went to Asa's dad's house Friday night for a party. Saturday morning was graduation for two of Asa's sisters, so we went to that. We asked Emily V. to text us when they started to call names. At like 9:45 am she sent us a message and Asa is like, "We have to go right now!" (This should have been the part where I said, "What exactly did the text say?") We rush around and throw things in the car and speed up to the school, illegally park, and rush in. They haven't called a single name. Asa gets out his phone and tells me what the message said. It had actually said, "I will text you when they start calling names..." Good job, Asa. So, Marley slept through it luckily and it was over in like an hour. Then, on to another party at Asa's mom's house. See the previous blog to find out how that went...

Today, my Mimi came into town with a family friend, Linda. They visited for lunch on their way to Arkansas. Mimi will be back tomorrow to take care of Chris and Emily while my mom and Joel go to Rockport for a vacation. Needless to say, she was held by a lot of people this weekend... some she liked and some she didn't...

We went and bought a warm mist humidifier and we are trying to keep her suctioned. Other than that there isn't much we can do. Except extra lovin'! Her little cough is so pitiful and cute! She is getting so big too. I don't know how it can possibly happen so fast! she still hasn't rolled over since Thanksgiving. She doesn't even try anymore. So, I don't think it counts really. Her legs are really strong though. She can stand up for 30 seconds or so with me holding her with one hand. Since she hasn't been very happy the past few days, I feel like she hasn't been learning very much. It might be silly to feel like that. But I do. She just wants to sleep all the time right now... which is good for the laundry in our room, but bad for learning time.

Sassy Mama

I really feel like I have turned into a bitch the past few days. I have make sassy remarks to Asa's family and given really bad looks to other ones. Maybe I am just in a bad mood... maybe I'm stressed... or maybe I'm tired.

Today, there was another party at Asa's mom's house. His Grandma Shirley was also there. This was the third time she had met Marley. I feed Marley in the other room and then come out into the living room where everyone is waiting. They can't stand to wait for Asa to burp her, so he has to hand her over immediately to Grandma Shirley. So, what does she do? She spits up... like all babies... Then, this is what happens:

Gma Shirley: I think someone fed her too much!
Me: Oh, she always does that...
Gma: No, you fed her too much.
Me: evil look
Someone else: Oh, that's normal.
Gma to Gpa: She fed her too much.
Me: Maybe if you quit bouncing her she wouldn't spit up on you...

What the heck! She is my baby and I know how much to feed her! Excuse me if I have been doing it every three hours for four months now and you haven't done it once! Get off my butt!

Ok, maybe this story doesn't sound that sassy, but if you know about the fact that I am normally a quiet person who keeps her mouth shut no matter what, then this is pretty impressive. I imagine saying stuff like this all the time, but rarely do. It kind of made me feel like a grown up to get an attitude, but it made me feel mean at the same time.

A video!

I did it! I did it! Ok, Asa did it! I can finally put videos on my blog! Now, I can bug you with all of my videos that I think are completely adorable and you'll probably get annoyed by! Yay!

Start with this one. Ignore my voice...

Random News

Asa got a job! I can't even explain how happy I am. It is a part time job as a maintenance guy. He will be the only one, so he is THE guy! He will work everyday from 12 to 5... so he will still be able to spend time with Marley! He will also literally be right around the corner. The ad was in the paper, so I thought he would have a pretty slim chance. But when he went in, the lady said that he was the only person who had passed the background check! So, yay for that.

Marley's new favorite thing to do is blow raspberries. She does the tongue-out version as well as the tongue-in version. Spit blows out of her mouth with either option. I got a cute video of it, but we cannot figure out how to put videos on the computer yet. It is quite entertaining though. Make me want to do it back to her. Minus all the spit.

Yesterday, I was feeding Marley on the couch and there was a jacket with a flower pattern sitting next to us on the couch. She stopped eating and started blabbing away. She literally talked to my jacket for 10 minutes while I just sat there and laughed at her. She had her hand in her mouth most of the time, just talking away. It was hilarious. I moved the jacket eventually so that she would go back to eating. But she cried until I put it back. Evidently, she had not finished her story.

Tonight, we went with my mom, Joel, and Emily to the SFA Christmas Reception. Mom got to show off Marley and we got eat some good food. Marley was a perfect angel until the very end when she was ready to go home. There were some smart people there that brought their babies in carriers. I did not. I was dumb.

Speaking of carriers, I used my Moby twice today and it was so nice! I love it. We also got our Christmas cards today! They look pretty good. I wish I has gotten the glossy paper that actually looks like a photo, but I didn't. Now, I have to actually send them out. That's the hard part.

I can't wait for school to over for my mom so that I can go Christmas shopping with my mom! Marley loves shopping!

My child really needs some warm clothes. I ordered her a hat from Old Navy, but it is too big. How do you move a baby around in this freezing weather? Right now we just keep her in the car seat and pile blankets on her while we walk in to the store or whatever. But it's so heavy! If I put her in a jacket, hat, gloves, etc. then we get in the car and she gets too hot. So, she totally needs a hat that fits her and keeps her ears warm, but I have no idea what else to do besides piling blankets on her like we have been.

Shots

We took Marley to her appointment this morning. We were running late, so we literally rushed to get there. Now I feel like an idiot since we waited in the waiting room for at least an hour! Those people are so slow. Asa said he was going to "yell" at them if they made us wait... but I told him to forget about it. Every single doctor's office is like this. We once waited for 2 hours in the waiting room of the OBGYN. She was probably delivering someone else's baby. Didn't she know I was WAY more important?!

Anyway, we are waiting with all the sick kids again when they finally call our name. She gets weighed (14 lbs 10 oz.) and measured (24 inches). I can't believe she is so big already. I just look down at her all the sudden and she is so much bigger than the day before. I swear she gets noticeably bigger every night. So, then we stand in the hallway until they have a room for us! I felt so awkward waiting outside the doors where I could hear everything that was going on inside them. I just stared at the walls and waited. Finally they let us in.

I had planned to tell the doctor that this time she had to do the exam first and then the shots so that I could immediately comfort/feed her. But they did it that way without me having to tell them. The doctor said "good mama" when I told her I was still breastfeeding. She said that I need to start giving her a vitamin everyday. I'll look into that...

Then came the shots. She was okay for like 5 seconds and then realized what had happened and started screaming. They only gave her two shots, but it made me so sad. As soon as she was done, I swooped her up and fed her. It took her a while to calm down enough to eat, but she did. And we even got a smile before we left the office.

It is now pouring here. The windows at work are rattling when it thunders. Perfect napping weather. But, instead Asa and Marley are at home napping while I work. I would give anything to be in my warm bed with my babies right now.