NMY Graduates Love Thread, Part 4 - Page 6

[TwilightJoy]

Originally Posted by ~Shanna~

Sooooo......anyone know of traditional food meals that freeze well???

KerryAnn used to have a yahoo group on batch cooking (cooking a lot and freezing). She would be one to PM.

Also, I've made spaghetti, frozen pizzas, chicken and rice, taco pie, and a few other things for the boyfriend's freezer when he moved into a new apartment. I mostly TF'ed everything.

[witchygrrl]

Originally Posted by zoebird

thanks all!

we're napping in shifts, nursing is a bit of a struggle but we're getting there. hawk is eager, and when the "service" is slow, he is quick to lodge a complaint to management.

he was quite certain that this establishment catered to babies, but now he's not so sure!

right now, we try the breast, scream for 5 minutes, then i give him pumped milk with a dropper (about 3/4-1 oz), and then a bit of water (dr's orders on that one--when did i ever listen? anyway, it makes sense for the now), and then i try to pump and oz or more--whatever i can to create a reserve for the next feeding.

we have a small tube now, and surenge (sp?), to attach to the nipple and see if it will help him make the connection. we've only had one good nursing session--yesterday--but we have hope.

the LLL ladies are really greatl; the leader called today after we were at yesterday's meeting. that was really great.

night time isn't bad either. i'll need to learn some different ways of nrusing (not just sitting up), but we'll get there.

so that's us. not a lot of time here. having a snack before pumping, so i'll probably be reading and pumping while hawk and dad nap!

It'll happen, Zoe. Keep up the good work! It wasn't easy for us either, but we got the hang of it!

Can't wait to hear about you and Hawk.

[Sihaya]

Zoe, please let me know if you are in need of a Lact-aid system. I have four of them just lying around now that Calvin is back on the boob full time. I would be happy to sterilize one and mail it to you, overnight if necessary. Please let me know.

[Maela]

ZB, I'm so excited for you! Glad to hear the LLL ladies are giving you good support. I'm sure things will improve. Your baby is so beautiful.


I have been thinking a lot about the next pg too. We're still 10-11 months away from TTC, but it's been on my mind a lot lately. I find myself planning how I'm going to handle pg if I'm really nauseaus (sp?) again with a 2 yo. And how I'm going to eat better. And how I'm going to get in some exercise with a 2yo. And still cook homemade healthy dinners (like I've been doing for a month now! to me!). And how we'll arrange Dd's room to accomodate new baby's stuff. And how if I want to find out gender. And if I want to announce the pg before i'm in the 2nd trimester. How we're going to save money for another homebirth. And on and on... I've always been a big planner, so this makes sense. I'm not really dreading it all, just anxious. I really want the next birth to go better than the last one did (although I must admit until the pushing it was a pretty good labor). And I really want to be calmer and more relaxed during this next pg and newborn period. So I've just really been working on preparing myself mentally. I've got a lot of physical and mental work to do in the next year and a half before the next baby comes.

So, I guess I'm just saying, Shanna, that I think I know what you're going through.

[~Shanna~]

Originally Posted by TwilightJoy

KerryAnn used to have a yahoo group on batch cooking (cooking a lot and freezing). She would be one to PM.

Oh, great idea! I have her site bookmarked around here somewhere.....

Originally Posted by Maela

I have been thinking a lot about the next pg too. We're still 10-11 months away from TTC, but it's been on my mind a lot lately. I find myself planning how I'm going to handle pg if I'm really nauseaus (sp?) again with a 2 yo. And how I'm going to eat better. And how I'm going to get in some exercise with a 2yo. And still cook homemade healthy dinners (like I've been doing for a month now! to me!). And how we'll arrange Dd's room to accomodate new baby's stuff. And how if I want to find out gender. And if I want to announce the pg before i'm in the 2nd trimester. How we're going to save money for another homebirth. And on and on... I've always been a big planner, so this makes sense. I'm not really dreading it all, just anxious. I really want the next birth to go better than the last one did (although I must admit until the pushing it was a pretty good labor). And I really want to be calmer and more relaxed during this next pg and newborn period. So I've just really been working on preparing myself mentally. I've got a lot of physical and mental work to do in the next year and a half before the next baby comes.

So, I guess I'm just saying, Shanna, that I think I know what you're going through.

It feels a little insane, when on most days I don't feel like I can handle what I have. Partly, these types of planning dilemmas are just what I love to think about when I can't sleep. But it's becoming a little obsessive.

[snozzberry]

zoebird, congratulations!!! : : :

Hang in there with the nursing. It sounds like you have some great support, though, which is great.

Hawk is beautiful! When do we get more pictures?

Shanna & Maela, you're making me start to sort of maybe think that one day I might could possibly entertain the idea of having another one. I LOVE planning and when I can't sleep, I lay in bed trying to think of something to plan for. It's calming for me.

But then again, the idea of taking care of a toddler while feeling nauseous...not so appealing.

So I will for now live vicariously thru your exciting planning and talking about planning.

Gotta run, need to get to bed before Abby wakes up to feed again...

[MujerMamaMismo]

Y'know Shanna & Maela,
The strangest thing has happened to us in the last 2 weeks. With 14 weeks (give or take) until the first is born, we're putting serious thought into our second. And we think we might do it sooner, rather than later. Might even start TTC when Squeak turns 1.

Of course, I'm still not 100% convinced that it's a smart idea to ever have a 2nd child, but if we did it does make sense in terms of my career and further study aspirations to have them close together and study part time while they're young.

I can't wait for the second wave of grad babes to be conceived! :

zoebird - I dreamt of Hawk last night. He was truly beautiful and it made me very excited about the impending arrival of my little boy. Can't wait to hear more about him and you. Good luck with the breastfeeding challenges

[PiePie]

z.b., everything gets way easier once the breastauarant is fully stocked. trust me. we learned to nurse lying down at 6 w; my LC said not to expect it till 2 m. but then it gets way easier.

[Sihaya]

Next baby - I think I've shared this here more than I probably should, but I've been thinking about, dreaming of, and planning for our second since about a week before Calvin was born. The week after his birth, DH and I were considering and discussing whether we wanted to UC next time. I am really looking forward to being pregnant again. I loved it and miss it and want to do it as often as possible!

All that said, I know me and I don't think I could handle children closer together than ~3 years, so the countdown is t minus 20 months until we'll be TTC #2. Fortunately, it looks like I may be able to live vicariously through some of the other NMY Grads between now and then

Side-lying nursing - I agree with PiePie -this definitely made things so much better/easier. We were able to do it at ~3 weeks IIRC.

[cking]

Originally Posted by PiePie

z.b., everything gets way easier once the breastauarant is fully stocked. trust me. we learned to nurse lying down at 6 w; my LC said not to expect it till 2 m. but then it gets way easier.

i agree. we were able to do it early on (on the left side at least) but J didn't really seem to appreciate it until a little later. THen around 3 months, that's all she wanted to do. Now she's finally 'requesting' to nurse in my lap occasionally.

hang in there ZB!

Originally Posted by snozzberry

So I will for now live vicariously thru your exciting planning and talking about planning.

me too. i have more to say about this, but for now that's all i can get out.

[snozzberry]

Abby actually slept thru the trash trucks coming down our street this morning, which is a first. Woot!

Originally Posted by snozzberry

But then again, the idea of taking care of a toddler while feeling nauseous...not so appealing.

So re-reading my post after a night's sleep makes me realize this may not seem like the most supportive statement for our mamas who are thinking about TTCing soon. I'm sorry if it came across that way--I was just trying to express where I am in my journey to another pregnancy.

MMM, you're getting so close!!!! :

Originally Posted by Sihaya

Next baby - I think I've shared this here more than I probably should, but I've been thinking about, dreaming of, and planning for our second since about a week before Calvin was born. The week after his birth, DH and I were considering and discussing whether we wanted to UC next time. I am really looking forward to being pregnant again. I loved it and miss it and want to do it as often as possible!

I totally get that. I had an easy pregnancy and loved the feeling of growing a HUMAN! Made me feel powerful.

Oh dang, Abby's up...

[accountclosed3]

thanks all. i know that it is coming together. things take time.

got good rest last night, too. sure, we were up every two hours no question, but slept well in between. so far, i feel that it is all going well.

and, i can hardley describe how much i love this guy!

[witchygrrl]

We can do side-lying, but not football. But I feel like side-lying works better for comfort than nutrition...my boob always feels so squished. But yeah, zoe, I agree with PiePie. Once fully stocked, it will get MUCH easier.

In other news, I think I had a real smile from Rhea this morning. I'll try to capture a pic of the next one.

[Maela]

Originally Posted by snozzberry

So re-reading my post after a night's sleep makes me realize this may not seem like the most supportive statement for our mamas who are thinking about TTCing soon. I'm sorry if it came across that way--I was just trying to express where I am in my journey to another pregnancy.

No, I agree with you; that's one of the things I've been worrying about. I remember saying during my first trimester, "How in the world do people do this with a toddler to take care of?!" I could barely take care of myself, and I couldn't take care of the house. But I'm sure we'll figure it out. We live closer to the gparents now and closer to Dh's work. My MIL is only working three days a week now, so I think I'm going to take advantage of her offer to come spend time with DD a couple of times a week when I'm really sick.

::::: <------ Maev loves this little guy. This is for her.

[Maela]

I would love to have our kids closer if it weren't for the fact that I didn't really enjoy pg all that much and, like Sihaya, can't really imagine myself being able to handle them being close. I get kind of stressed easily.

[~Shanna~]

Originally Posted by witchygrrl

We can do side-lying, but not football. But I feel like side-lying works better for comfort than nutrition...my boob always feels so squished. But yeah, zoe, I agree with PiePie. Once fully stocked, it will get MUCH easier.

In other news, I think I had a real smile from Rhea this morning. I'll try to capture a pic of the next one.

Posting on the run, but thought I'd share - I love side-lying while nursing, but only after I discovered this trick: Lie on my side, and then roll to a halfway-between-my-back-and-my side position. It's like you're lying more at a 45 degree angle. If you prop yourself up with pillows under your back and butt, you can get really comfy this way. They DC can nurse off bottom breast without it being squished. Does this make any sense?

[witchygrrl]

nak

Makes sense, Shanna...I'll give it a whirl!

[~Shanna~]

I'm the last person to give Palin a thumbs-up, but.....

Have you seen this?

I would LOVE to see a politician campaign while babywearing. I would HATE for it to be someone I wouldn't vote for !

[witchygrrl]

Ok, that's the first positive thing I've seen Palin do. Otherwise, she makes me want to :Puke

I'm insulted that the McCain campaign would hope I would vote for her because we're both genetically XX. Uh, no.

[annettemarie]

Ladies, FYT is not the place for political commentary. We like to keep things civil here. Thanks for understanding!