World Breast Feeding Week

I have been working on this post all week while trying to prepare for our family reunion so sorry if it is scatter brained.

I am a real supporter of breastfeeding. From the get go I planned on nursing Grayson for as long as I could. I took the breastfeeding class offered by the hospital, read, and was ready. I did not buy ANY formula for the house (although I had 2 cans that were sent to me as samples by the formula companies...go figure). As soon as Grayson and I were in the recovery room (after my emergency c-section) he was on the breast and nursed for an hour straight. It all went very well while in the hospital.

However, the day we went to go home we were told that Grayson had lost too much weight and we ended up supplementing. My milk came in on day 6 and we backed off the supplementation. By 2 weeks Grayson was 2 pounds over his birth weight. (I learned later that c/s babies weights are inflated so they will lose more than those vaginally delivered and you do NOT need to supplement right off.)

2 weeks later, I went to the lactation consultant because I noticed Grayson was very frustrated with his feedings, I never felt like I had milk for him and he didn't seem to be gaining weight. And I was right. In fact, he had lost weight. Grayson had some problems eating but I also had a low supply of milk. I was heart broken that I was not giving my baby as much milk as he needs to grow. So we started supplementing again while I did everything I could to up my supply. I pumped after every feeding and sometimes inbetween. I took herbs (fenugreek, blessed thistle, goats rue, etc). I put him on the breast as often as possible. All the while feeling like my body had failed me.

I had a point where I thought I should just give up. I am so grateful for Mike. He was really there for me as I spent many nursing sessions crying as Grayson would get so frustrated while trying to get out more milk that was not there. I also had great support from an online group of gals that I have gotten to know through my pregnancy. Had it not been for all these people, I probably would not still be nursing today,.

I decided I was going to make this work. Any breastmilk is better than none and if I had to supplement, so be it, but I was not going down without a fight.

I took our roadtrip as the time to up my supply. I pumped A LOT on that trip. I continued taking herbs too. When I got home we had gone down from 8 oz of supplementation a day to about 4-5 oz.

I am still working on upping my supply and am down to 2-4 oz of formula a day. I have had a few days with no supplementation. I have an infant scale so I can weigh Grayson to see how much he is eating and to make sure he does not start losing weight again.

Through this struggle I have learned a lot about breastfeeding. Here are some of the things I have learned.

• We need better education for moms-to-be. I was never taught ways to up my supply. I was never taught that nursing is going to be a constant, all day thing. I was just taught it may be hard to get baby to latch for a while, how to hold the baby, what the hunger cues were, and that baby will nurse every 2-3 hours. That is it. No, your baby may nurse every hour at first, or a nursing session may take a full hour or as little as 5 minutes. I was told you had to nurse for at least 10-15 minutes on a side. Now there are times that Grayson can drink 3 oz is 5 minutes. He doesn't need to nurse 15 minutes on each side.
• There are things that you can do WHILE pregnant to help your supply if you know you have hormone problems. I really wish I had known what I know now. I really feel like I will breastfeed my next baby with much more success because I know what I can do to help that.
• We need more support. Breastfeeding is natural and beautiful. I can not tell you how much it bothers me when I hear someone say they are not going to breastfeed because it is "perverted" or "wrong." That is what our breasts are there for. This is how God intended it. Also, people need to be more understanding of babies that breast feed. Yes, they feed more often, they don't sleep through the night right away and they are quite attached to mom....but they are getting the best nurishment that can be provided for them.
• We need to get rid of "fake support" This is the one I really am bothered by. All the pumps and pamphlets put out by the formula companies. When I got the sample formulas in the mail, right with it was a pamphlet on how to breast feed. They act like they want you to succeed but yet, they give you formula for when it fails?
• We should not view a certain age as the "weaning age." Granted, I will admit, I am not the nurse forever supporter (age 9 is a little too long as I read in one article), but so many people want women to stop nursing as soon as the baby starts teething, eats solids, or turns one year old. Why? The WHO (World Health Organization) reccomends babies be EXCLUSIVELY breast fed for 6 months to a year and continue breastfeeding to age 2 or beyond. Why? Because it is HEALTHY!

I have a lot more I would like to say, but I will keep it short.

I know that this is a topic that usually takes people to one extreme or the other. "Breast is best- do not supplement" or "Formula all the way" However, I am the middle ground person. I understand that there are some of us who are not able to strictly breast feed. I have my own beliefs as to why I think this number is on the rise. (More hormones given to our food sources=more hormone issues in women=more breastfeeding issues.) However, I do believe that breastfeeding is important, any breastmilk is better than none, and that everyone should be more supportive and that breastfeeding should not be looked down upon. Don't glare at the mom nursing her baby in public...smile. It makes a huge difference when people are accepting of nursing mothers.

Day Zero Project

I just wanted to let everyone know about a project/challenge I am taking on. It is the Day Zero Project where you list 101 things that you want to accomplish in 1001 days. I am still trying to make my list at this point but I wanted to share this with you guys. It is such a great idea. The things can be as simple or as hard as you want. Some of my items are:

Make a coloring book for Grayson to learn his ABC's and 123's
Read the Book of Mormon in 30 days
Do a photographic journal for one week
Teach a FHE on Faith
Make a FHE Book

I have always felt that it is VERY important to continue learning and growing as a person. This is just one way to do that. If you want to take on the challenge go to dayzeroproject.com to make your list. 1001 days is almost 3 years so you have time to complete it. If you decide to do it please let me know as one of my goals is to inspire someone else to take on the project.

Journal To Baby

A gal I go to church with does this and I thought it was a great idea. Some of you may already do this, others may have so many children that it would take FOREVER to do it. But I thought it was a great idea so I wanted to share it.

She keeps a journal for her husband and each child. Including the one she is expecting this December. In it she will write every few days or so when something happens she wants recorded for them. She will also put things like love notes, bowling score sheets, etc in there so that the family member has that to remember that moment by. I really thought this was a great idea. I know there are some things that Grayson has done that I want to be able to tell him about when he gets older that I will probably forget.

So I wanted to share this idea in case anybody else would like to do it. If you get too busy to write in it the exact day an event happens, keep a notepad with dates and a few words to help you remember what you want to put in it. I am going to head out today and find a journal to use for the one I want to do for Grayson.

Omaha and Mount Rushmore

As I mentioned before, Grayson got in his first road trip by 2 months of age. He did quite well and we had a lot of fun. We went with my parents. Originally we were planning a trip that included Nauvoo but when we had Grayson and he had some feeding issues (on top of my supply issues) We decided trying to pack that much more into the trip would not be a good idea. So instead we headed straight to Omaha, NE. My parents served their first mission here. It is where Winter Quarters is.
The first thing we did there was go to the Henry Doorly Zoo. If you have never been to this zoo it is worth the trip to Omaha just to go to it. It is one of the best zoos in the country, if not the best. They have several large "domes" that are themed. We loved the Gorilla Habitat because they had TONS of gorillas and they are so human like in their actions. Just like this guy below.

Grayson loved looking up at the skylights in the domes. He did really well at the zoo. We tried to stay mostly in the domes as they were air conditioned. The temps were "feels like 110" after you factored in humidity. Hot and Sticky!

We loved the Aquarium. It had the tunnel where the fish swim over you. This shark reminded me of the one on "Finding Nemo" ~"Fish are friends, NOT FOOD"~

Ever since my San Antonio Trip in December/January of 2008-09 I have been anxious to get another jellyfish photo. These jellyfish were in a cylinder container that had neon lights making them appear blueish color

After Omaha we headed to Mount Rushmore. We first did the night time but I saved that picture for last. We went back the next day. We took pictures with all of us but we had to stand in the shade for Grayson and it was a really bright day. I didn't trust to give my DSLR camera to the nice lady who offered to take our picture (and she said she wouldn't be able to figure it out) and our small point and shoot was not able to give light to us in the shade. So it will take a lot of editing to see if it is even usable. However, here is one of Mike. It was his first time there as well as Graysons.

And, as I said, the night time picture of Mount Rushmore. It is so wonderful. It was really neat at night they have a whole program telling you about the different presidents on the mount. It was pretty educational. It also taught about the carving of the mountain.

After Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills, we headed home. We went through Yellowstone to get to Joyce's and then stayed the night at her house there in Island Park. The next day we headed home but stopped by my grandma's house so she could see Grayson. I posted that picture the day we got back. It was a good trip. Grayson did as well as you could expect. I will not put a 2 month old through 7 straight days in a car again though. At least, that is what I say now.
Our next adventure is camping next week for our family reunion. Then we are heading to Lewiston to pick up Mike's niece for the week. Then we go back up the weekend after to take her home and visit with family. After that we will stay home for a while until we go to Texas in November.

Dr Suess for Nursing Mamas

A friend posted this on a group I belong to. I thought it was really cute and wanted to share.

Dr Suess for Nursing Mamas

Would you nurse him in the park?

Would you nurse him in the dark?

Would you nurse him with a Boppy?

And when your boobs are feeling floppy?

I would nurse him in the park,

I would nurse him in the dark.

I’d nurse with or without a Boppy.

Floppy boobs will never stop me.

Can you nurse with your seat belt on?

Can you nurse from dusk till dawn?

Though he may pinch me,

bite me, pull,

I will nurse him `till he’s full!

Can you nurse and make some soup?

Can you nurse and feed the group?

It makes her healthy strong and smart,

Mommy’s milk is the best start!

Would you nurse him at the game?

Would you nurse him in the rain?

In front of those who dare complain?

I would nurse him at the game.

I would nurse him in the rain.

As for those who protest lactation,

I have the perfect explanation.

Mommy’s milk is tailor made

It’s the perfect food,

you need no aid.

Some may scoff and some may wriggle,

Avert their eyes or even giggle.

To those who can be cruel and rude,

Remind them breast’s the perfect food!

I would never scoff or giggle,

Roll my eyes or even wiggle!

I would not be so crass or crude,

I KNOW that this milk’s the perfect food!

We make the amount we need

The perfect temp for every feed.

There’s no compare to milk from breast-

The perfect food, above the rest.

Those sweet nursing smiles are oh so sweet,

Mommy’s milk is such a treat.

Human milk just can’t be beat.

I will nurse, in any case,

On the street or in your face.

I will not let my baby cry,

I’ll meet his needs,

I’ll always try.

It’s not about what’s good for you,

It’s best for babies, through and through.

I will nurse him in my home,

I will nurse him when I roam.

Leave me be lads and ma’am.

I will nurse her,

Mom I am.

Grayson is 2 Months Old!

Grayson is 2 months old today! Time has just flown by. There are times I feel like he has not grown at all since most of his 0-3 month clothing is still too big, but then times I realize how much bigger he is now.


Today he met his Great-Grandma Farrar. Here is a picture.

Some things to note:
This last week, Grayson went on a road trip with us and my parents and has now been in 7 states...WOW! In 7 days none the less. He visited Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Winter Quarters and family as well as a few other sites in cities along the way. He did pretty good although I think he will hate the car seat for a LONG time.

Grayson weighed 9 lb 15 oz when he was weighed tonight before his bath (we have an infant scale to weigh for his feedings). When he had his doctor appointment on the 6th he measured 23 1/4 inches.
Grayson smiles TONS now.
He holds his head up and prefers to be carried looking over your shoulder or facing out so he can see things around him.
He will tell you a story but only if he wants to.
He has started having some little giggle sounds.
He drools like none other!
He has started grabbing things and putting them in his mouth...mostly fingers. He will help hold a bottle, he will pull out his soothie (pacifier).
He loves seeing cartoons with big shapes on the TV.
He almost sleeps through the night. He will sleep from 9:30 pm to 3:30 or 4:00 am and then eat and sleep again until almost 8:00. (Although the trip may have ruined that)
He will not nap well though.

As far as motherhood, I unfortunately am still having to supplement with formula some. I took this trip as a chance to work on that and nursed/pumped quite often to increase my supply. I have spent a lot of time the last month or so educating myself about low supply and PCOS and other issues. I feel like I will do much better if we are blessed with a second child. It has also made me realize that the education on breastfeeding that is available is not keeping up with the times. There is such an increase in hormonal problems and that in turn effects nursing...but the education has not yet realized how many women have problems with supply, etc. But, that is a whole other post.

I will post pictures and stuff from our trip later. I have a lot of laundry and unpacking to do but wanted to post on Grayson being 2 months on the day it happened.

Mike and the Moby

Just thought I would share a picture of Mike wearing Grayson in the Moby Wrap. We are going to really give baby wearing a big try (read- long periods of wearing while walking) when we go on vacation this week.

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

I shared this a few days ago on facebook and some friends have also posted it on their blogs, etc. As a new mother this put me in tears. As someone who tried so long to have a child, felt like I must not be worthy of this sacred duty, I know how both the mother and the one trying feel. I hope that every woman knows that in some way she helps to nurture and teach the children around her and that she is a mother. We, as women really do have a sacred calling and partnership with our Father in Heaven.

Grayson's blessing was on Sunday, July 4th, 2010

Yesterday was Grayson's blessing. We chose to do a blessing in the evening due to family schedules and we already had 2 other babies being blessed in Sacrament meeting that day.

For those who do not know, Mike was not active when we met and married. He has come very far but was very nervous about the blessing. However, he did great. The blessing was beautiful and the Spirit was so strong. It was nice to have an intimate blessing. We went to the church house and had it in the Relief Society Room since our apartment is too small to have fit everyone.

I am not a fan of the fancy blessing outfits that look like the baby is in a wedding or going to prom. However, we were able to find some white pants and then we also bought an outfit that had this shirt under some coveralls. Grayson looked so handsome in it. His hair was still CRAZY as we can not get it to go any other way.

These are the wonderful men (minus the Bishop) that were able to be a part of this blessing. I am so grateful for men like them that live their lives in a manner that makes them worthy to hold the Priesthood and bless the lives of their loved ones.

(I LOVE camera remotes!)

Here is a picture of the entire group that attended. We were happy so many were able to make it seeing as it was a Holiday weekend. We are especially grateful that Mike's Aunt, uncle, and cousin (and his girlfriend) were able to make it down from Lewiston. It was a very special occasion. Having his blessing on Independence Day reminded me how lucky I am to live in a country that allows us the freedoms we have. Especially the freedom to worship as we please so that we may have the Gospel in our lives. A country, established to bring forth the Gospel in these last days. I know the founding father's were led by the Spirit as they established this country and wrote the Constitution. I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July and that you were able to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy in this great country.

Update From the Homefront

I can hardly believe that Grayson will be 6 weeks old in just a few days! Time has really been flying by recently.

Here is what has been happening in our household.

Grayson gave us a good scare with weight gain when he only gained 2 oz in 12 days. We had to up our supplementing and I just recently bought a infant scale so we could figure out how much he was getting when he nursed. I have been taking More Milk Capsules and I think my body has finally caught up and is producing more milk. We are going to start backing off the supplementation. Grayson's weight gain has picked back up and in the last week he has gained 7 oz. YAY! He is now 9 lbs even! (Unofficially since is on our scale at home and he had just eaten.)

I have been loving being home with Grayson but am also finding it a little hard to not be working because Grayson loves to be held and will only be put down for 10-15 minutes at a time. He will not nap in his bassinet (except today I have gotten him down a few times for 30 minutes here or there) and he likes the floor until he gets bored (usually about 10 minutes). So, I decided a couple weeks ago to start using my ring sling. I LOVE IT! I have been wearing Grayson to church in it since we walk and it is WONDERFUL! I wear him around the house and yesterday we went to a gathering at a local park for a friend's child's birthday and wore him in it most of the time. I am glad I have started using it as it does use different muscles so then when I wear it on our trip in a few weeks it will not put me in pain. Mike is going to try the Moby Wrap as I will not let him use my ring sling because I have adjusted it to fit me. (I am going to order him one. HERE is where I order mine from.)

Mike has done a great job at maintaining his weight, even with not having been able to work out since Grayson was born. He is still a few pounds from his goal weight but he looks really good and has really made a lifestyle change this time.

My weight loss....UGH! I lost quite a bit after Grayson was born and was actually 20 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. But with my low supply and Grayson's slow weight gain we had to re-focus and I had to make sure I was getting plenty of calories and work-outs took a back seat to more frequent and longer feedings (even when Grayson may not seem hungry). I have gained back 10 pounds and am kind of bummed. Now the weather is really hot and I am not sure I will be able to start walking again anytime soon. Hoping that as Grayson starts letting me put him down more I can get on the exercise bike and as my stomach muscles heal I can begin to do ZUMBA.

We will be blessing Grayson this Sunday, July 4th, at 5 pm at our meetinghouse for those who are interested in attending.

One Month One Day Picture

It isn't the best picture but isn't he cute? Not that we are biased or anything. This is his Monkey Hat we bought him so we can keep him out of the sun when we go on our road trip next month and camping and to the coast in August.

One Month Old

I should have posted this yesterday but with church and Father's Day I didn't have time.
Grayson is 1 month old (as of Father's Day).


Here is Grayson in one of his church outfits. This was actually last week. I am such a bad photog mommy I didn't even get a picture of him on his 1 month.

Some developments that have happened recently:

He started cooing at the beginning of June.
He discovered his tongue on June 13th
A few days ago he started wanting to touch faces. Especially mommy's and daddy's.
He kicks SUPER hard and during tummy time this actually makes him scoot across the floor.
His hair ALREADY needs cut as it is constantly in his ears.

Unfortunately, Grayson has not gained much weight. We have a weight check today. He has been a very fussy eater, both at the breast and bottle. At first, he lost too much weight but then he gained more than expected and then 2 weeks after that he had only gained 2 oz. (that was last Wednesday) so his feedings have become a HUGE priority. Luckily, I have been able to increase my supply some but we are still supplementing with 2 bottles (2 oz ea) a day of either formula or pumped milk (if we have some) so that we can know he has 2 good feeding a day. It is times like this I wish our bodies were equipped with measuring marks so we could know how much our baby is eating. I am really thinking about purchasing an infant scale so I can know how much he gets at each feeding.

My dad told me yesterday how he remembers Grayson's name. I didn't ever think of this. Listen to the Kingston Trio's song "Tom Dooley". A line of the song says, "If it weren't for Grayson, I'd be in Tennesse."

Family Pictures

A gal in my ward took some pictures for us. Thank you Sue Anderson ~ Reflections Photography

Mommyhood

WOW! What a crazy 3 weeks it has been. Time has just FLOWN by I have been adjusting to mommyhood. Especially this week as Mike returned to work and they had mandatory overtime so he worked 50 hours this week! CRAZY!
First, Grayson did great during his first Sacrament meeting on Sunday. It was fast and testimony meeting and he slept until 10 minutes before it was over when I did have to take him out and feed him. We only went to Sacrament as I am still having a hard time sitting without proper support/positioning from my c-section. Partially because I overdid it a little the day before. It still felt like a great success though.
Second, I have been struggling with nursing. Not because I don't love it. I do love nursing. The problem is I have a low supply and we are trying desperately to get it up because I am not liking having to supplement with formula. Grayson lost too much weight at the beginning and then he gained it back fast enough that they said I could stop supplementing (slowly) but he is STARVING all the time in the late afternoon and evening if I do not supplement. I have spent a lot of time with the lactation consultant and today we went again. I always feel better when I leave there. She gave me some good tips on things I can do to increase my supply. I am going to take some vitamins that are known to help. My OB had also given me a prescription that helps but you only take it for a week and that is past now. The same issue that made it so hard to get pregnant is the one that is making me have a low supply. The good thing is through my research I have learned things I can do next time while I am pregnant so that this hopefully will not be an issue again.
Finally, Grayson and his sleep. UGH! In the hospital Mike would often hold him and sleep. This was not good. Grayson got so used to it that by the middle of this week, we could not get him to sleep in his bassinet. Finally, I posted the issue on facebook. I had a lot of friends give some good tips, and also words of encouragement that this will not last forever. Last night, he slept in his bassinet for 2 stretches of sleep and then I got a good hour nap with him in it today. SUCCESS!
I survived my first week home by myself. Although, I must admit, the first day was really rough. Mostly because I still felt trapped in the house. But each day since, we have gotten out of the house when the weather has been decent (each day has had some time of sunshine luckily) and I feel much better with that. We have a route we walked when I was pregnant and trying to encourage Grayson to drop that we walk. It is about 2 miles. I think it may have been a little too much though as I am pretty sore at my incision today. I will take it easy this weekend though.

For those that are interested, we will be blessing Grayson the 4th of July. We are not sure if it will be in Sacrament meeting or a in-home blessing at this time because of family travel arrangements. We should know after Sunday.