I've been blessed with an abundance of breastmilk since I first started nursing Jacob. I've been able to pump 2-3oz easily whenever I pumped, and from my reading I've found that 1-2oz is considered 'normal.'
So, when I started getting engorged from overproduction a couple days ago, it occured to me that I might try looking for the group I'd heard of that let mothers donate their breastmilk directly to other mothers in need.
After some searching, I found the Yahoo! group MilkShare. When I posted that I was in central Oklahoma and looking to donate breastmilk, I got four inquiries right off the bat.
I feel guilty that I can't express enough milk to feed all four of the babies that the mothers are seeking milk for, but I am comforting myself with the knowledge that I CAN help one or two, and that eventually the other mothers will find a donor for their babies.
It has made my nursing experiences the last few days much more intense, looking down at my son and feeling so grateful for the ability to nourish him this way, and to know that I am able to help nourish other babies with the best nutrition on earth for them.
If you're a nursing mother with a little extra milk on hand, I definitely encourage you to consider joining MilkShare and offering to give some of your expressed breastmilk to another mom who may be desperate to provide the best for her baby but be unable to do so on her own.
I'm going to go nurse my son to sleep now. Thank God for being such an effective "milk cow."
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Conversations
It is so rewarding seeing Chris blossom as he gets to know his son. I love watching their little conversations with each other, the two of them getting to know one another through squeals and smiles.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Too big, it would seem
Jacob is outgrowing his changing table. Sometimes, when I lay him down, it's an effort to find a place to put his head without getting his feet tangled in the wipes warmer and the handkerchief of corn starch (we powder his bottom with that, whenever we do powder).
Aren't these tables supposed to be good up until toddler-hood? He's only ten weeks old!
I suppose it's a good thing we're doing EC and don't have to change diapers that often... because I don't know how much longer we'll be able to squeeze the baby onto the table!
Aren't these tables supposed to be good up until toddler-hood? He's only ten weeks old!
I suppose it's a good thing we're doing EC and don't have to change diapers that often... because I don't know how much longer we'll be able to squeeze the baby onto the table!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Getting it done
One nice thing about being a mother, I've discovered, is that even when I feel completely exhausted or utterly lazy, I can get things done because they need to be gotten done. I can't put off doing the diaper laundry simply because I'd rather sit on the couch and read - we have to have something to put on his bottom if we're not planning on being super-vigilant and concentrating 100% on EC.
That's not to say I don't take it easy. I am still enjoying spending lots of uninterrupted time with Jacob, getting to know his unique personality. I am finding that he has a wonderfully horrible combination of both my and Chris' bull-headedness. When he doesn't want something, he fights it with every ounce of strength in his tiny body. And if he DOES want something, he goes for it whole-heartedly.
I am glad we'll be working on doing both Montessori and unschooling with him, because I think in a traditional educational setting, he'd be a nightmare child.
Thinking over what I've written so far, I am vaguely amazed at myself. My goal was never to be a stay-at-home mom. I'd never made a strong and fast goal, other than being published someday, but I had always assumed worked out of the house would be in my future. Chris and I both intend for me to do a little part-time work once Jacob is around five to six months old, but we are both very aware that it will be extremely part-time - probably not even 20hr a week - and that once I get hugely pregnant with our second, I will be leaving work probably for the forseeable future.
With any luck, I will be able to write from home at that point, but I won't expect that outcome. He and I just know that we want the absolute best for our kids, and the absolute best is mommy being at home and accessable to them. And somehow, I'm okay with that future. Interesting how things change, isn't it?
That's not to say I don't take it easy. I am still enjoying spending lots of uninterrupted time with Jacob, getting to know his unique personality. I am finding that he has a wonderfully horrible combination of both my and Chris' bull-headedness. When he doesn't want something, he fights it with every ounce of strength in his tiny body. And if he DOES want something, he goes for it whole-heartedly.
I am glad we'll be working on doing both Montessori and unschooling with him, because I think in a traditional educational setting, he'd be a nightmare child.
Thinking over what I've written so far, I am vaguely amazed at myself. My goal was never to be a stay-at-home mom. I'd never made a strong and fast goal, other than being published someday, but I had always assumed worked out of the house would be in my future. Chris and I both intend for me to do a little part-time work once Jacob is around five to six months old, but we are both very aware that it will be extremely part-time - probably not even 20hr a week - and that once I get hugely pregnant with our second, I will be leaving work probably for the forseeable future.
With any luck, I will be able to write from home at that point, but I won't expect that outcome. He and I just know that we want the absolute best for our kids, and the absolute best is mommy being at home and accessable to them. And somehow, I'm okay with that future. Interesting how things change, isn't it?
Friday, June 5, 2009
Pure cream
I know Jacob was growing by leaps and bounds, but today I've found out that my breasts apparently produce pure double-Devon clotted cream. My nine-week-old son weighed in at 17lb 3oz and is 25 1/4" long at his two-month Well Baby Check today.
On the one hand, I'm delighted that my son is growing so well and thriving. On the other hand, I'm a little saddened that he isn't staying a "tiny newborn" for very long.
Jacob also got two vaccinations today. So far, he has had a minimal reaction... been a bit fussy, but mostly he's spent the day sleeping, waking to nurse and have a cuddle then drift back to sleep.
I know a lot of "crunchy" parents forgo vaccinations, and I debated it... but I honestly feel the danger of vaccinations is minimal compared to the dangers of him getting a disease and not being able to fight it off. Plus, due to my SLE, if he has a rather nasty infection, I may not be able to care for him as well as I'd like. And even though we're not planning on using public school now, that might change as he gets older, and I'd like him to be protected before spending time with what I lovingly call "tiny germ factories."
I did concede to a more drawn-out vaccination schedule; we're using Dr. Sears' schedule in the hopes that it will minimize the stress on his system, not having so many vaccinations grouped together.
Amazing how many choices we have to make as parents, so many roads we aren't sure are the right road, or even a good road, let alone 'right' or 'wrong.' If this job weren't one of the most rewarding possible, no one would do it.
On the one hand, I'm delighted that my son is growing so well and thriving. On the other hand, I'm a little saddened that he isn't staying a "tiny newborn" for very long.
Jacob also got two vaccinations today. So far, he has had a minimal reaction... been a bit fussy, but mostly he's spent the day sleeping, waking to nurse and have a cuddle then drift back to sleep.
I know a lot of "crunchy" parents forgo vaccinations, and I debated it... but I honestly feel the danger of vaccinations is minimal compared to the dangers of him getting a disease and not being able to fight it off. Plus, due to my SLE, if he has a rather nasty infection, I may not be able to care for him as well as I'd like. And even though we're not planning on using public school now, that might change as he gets older, and I'd like him to be protected before spending time with what I lovingly call "tiny germ factories."
I did concede to a more drawn-out vaccination schedule; we're using Dr. Sears' schedule in the hopes that it will minimize the stress on his system, not having so many vaccinations grouped together.
Amazing how many choices we have to make as parents, so many roads we aren't sure are the right road, or even a good road, let alone 'right' or 'wrong.' If this job weren't one of the most rewarding possible, no one would do it.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Getting older, unavoidably
It hit me today that Jacob is over two months old now. It shocked me; I still remember his birth and the aftermath as if it were only a week or two ago. Now I look at him and I see a round, happy, strong little guy who's learning how to roll over and can hold his head up with very little assistance.
I always noticed the passage of time as sort of a dim sidebar. I'd look at myself in the mirror and not see a 13-year-old girl anymore, and be vaguely surprised, as if at 26 I was still expecting lingering baby-fat and a bad perm.
Now, I mark the passage of time in leaps of baby development. He went from a studious, serious, staring baby to one who interacts and coos, smiles and shouts in joy. He's doubled his birthweight in only two months, and has grown so long that it's hard to hold him against my chest without his feet kicking me in the upper thighs.
Time is zooming past now, while at the same time going as slowly as a leaf drifting earthward. It's amazing. From day to day, he gains new abilities... but every hour goes by so slowly as I potty him, change him when I miss a pee, nurse him, hold him while he sleeps, or just talk with him and dodge his waving hands and pistoning legs.
I never knew becoming a mommy would mean so much to me, especially since I've always found other people's children to be annoying and distasteful. Suddenly, I have my own and he captivates me more than the best book. How did this happen? I have become a planet, circling my own tiny sun.
I always noticed the passage of time as sort of a dim sidebar. I'd look at myself in the mirror and not see a 13-year-old girl anymore, and be vaguely surprised, as if at 26 I was still expecting lingering baby-fat and a bad perm.
Now, I mark the passage of time in leaps of baby development. He went from a studious, serious, staring baby to one who interacts and coos, smiles and shouts in joy. He's doubled his birthweight in only two months, and has grown so long that it's hard to hold him against my chest without his feet kicking me in the upper thighs.
Time is zooming past now, while at the same time going as slowly as a leaf drifting earthward. It's amazing. From day to day, he gains new abilities... but every hour goes by so slowly as I potty him, change him when I miss a pee, nurse him, hold him while he sleeps, or just talk with him and dodge his waving hands and pistoning legs.
I never knew becoming a mommy would mean so much to me, especially since I've always found other people's children to be annoying and distasteful. Suddenly, I have my own and he captivates me more than the best book. How did this happen? I have become a planet, circling my own tiny sun.
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