So here I sit at work…thinking about how much longer that I need to sit here and warm my seat before being able to go pick up my little man…and I was thinking that it has been a while since I have updated my regular blog and now my little one is almost 3 months old and I still haven’t written shit about anything and the changes that have gone on since his birth…so here I go…back to bloggerville I go, or more appropriately, into Medelaville I go…since my Medela PISA goes with me pretty much everywhere
A brief synopsis of the past few months of mommyhood…
After 3 days of labor, 2 epidurals, and 1 day after my water had broken, I finally became a mommy via a c-section to an 8lb 8oz, 21.5 inch long little boy
I was on maternity leave for 6 weeks, thankfully my hubby was able to stay home for the first 14 days to help me, esp when I was on narcotics for my incisional pain and tried to overdo things in my haste to become active again.
I came back to work and had two back to back work trips after being back to work for two weeks…we drove to Manassas to get some donated breast milk for Layne to eat during those trips since I can’t seem to pump enough to stockpile any extra breast milk for little hungry man…however, he decided that he didn’t like the new milk right before the first trip and we ended up supplementing with formula during that week.
Now he has once again decided that he likes the donated breast milk, even though it does give him a bit more gas than my milk, at least he is getting all the mommy nutrients that he needs.
We are going to Seattle next week for my brother’s wedding, and I am looking forward to seeing my family, and I am only a little apprehensive about how the trip will go (cloth dipes/airport/etc)…I guess I will just try to nurse him when he gets fussy lol
Anyway, back to where I was before the synopsis…bored at work…it really is one of the few times that I don’t have a mountain of things to do to keep my more than occupied during my work day…so I am kind of reveling in the time that I get as a ‘break’ even though I know that things can quickly snap right back into hyperdrive at an instant.
I never knew what a challenge and delight it would be to be a mommy…there are frustrating times when he cries and won’t stop no matter what you do (dipe change/feeding/burping/etc) and times where he smiles and laughs when he looks at you and it melts your heart…I can honestly say it is the best job I never knew I wanted. I didn’t want to have any children of my own until I was about 25 and then it took me many more years to find the right man to have in my life to have a child with. A man that I trusted and knew would always be around…even through my crazy preggo mood swings and crying when I thought the doggies liked him more than me…really, I did say that…what a roller coaster that was lol
And it really is a good thing that I am not shy…even less shy since my c-section and multiple cervical checks while I was in labor…I have really become a milk wagon on the go…I have pumped in multiple airport bathrooms and a couple of times while riding in vehicles on major highways. Sometimes it makes the driver (if they are a friend or co-worker) uncomfortable, but my hubby doesn’t seem to mind…after all, I am doing this to feed my son and that is the best reason of all…
Now if only I could come up with a great line to say when I need to walk out of the office to go pump…I have thought of saying I’m going to the lab (since I work at NASA), or I’m going to the farm…but I really need to come up with something that doesn’t necessarily talk about my boobs, but lets my conservative bosses know where I’m going/what I’m doing without spelling it out every time…some normal sounding phrase that will convey that I need to go pump without saying those words…esp when we are on a business trip…pumping in random bathrooms during lunch breaks has been interesting lol
And now we are going on our first flight/trip with little man and I’m about to be whipping my boobs out all over the place…poor hubby, I think he is the one who is more embarrassed about it than I am…but not because I am feeding our son, but because he doesn’t want another guy/person to look at me weird I think…I’m not really sure but his concern is really sweet
So, I’ll end with a list of things I always knew I would do as a mommy and some things that I never thought I would do, but that work great for our new family.
I always knew I would use cloth dipes…just didn’t know about cloth wipes or the new dipe covers…but have to say that I love them
I always knew that I wanted to breast feed, and just hoped that I would be able to…so far so good
I always knew that I would be organized, but now I don’t worry so much about the small stuff…as long as I have clean dipes and breast milk for little man, then I am ok
I always thought I would put little man straight into his crib, but I started co-sleeping once he came home and I love it! It makes nighttime nursing so much easier, and I love being able to snuggle with him.
I thought I would cry if I had to give him formula, but I would rather my son not starve than withhold food…so he has gotten formula before and is doing just fine.
I always knew that I wanted to make his baby food and I can’t wait to start doing that…I have recently started canning food and it is a lot of fun…lots of prep work, but totally worth the effort.
I always thought I would let him CIO if I needed to get a shower, go to the bathroom, etc…but I find much more comfort in comforting him and only when he is really colicy have I laid him down when he was crying and taken a few moments to collect myself.
I always worried that I wouldn’t know what to do (mommy instincts) when little man arrived, but so far so good…and daddy is doing great too
I always thought I would be sad to leave him and go back to work, but I am thankful for the opportunity to work and take care of my family and I enjoy the adult interaction that I have at work…it makes me a better mommy to be able to have that space and I connect with him so much more when we are together.
So I think that is quite enough for my first blog back…hope to connect with some AP/NL mommies tomorrow at the National Breastfeeding Celebration at the Portsmouth City Park…at least I will be getting out of the house, which means I get a shower in the morning and not the afternoon lol
