Next contestant for The Voice, right here.

Someone recently discovered his voice! At ear-piercing volumes... often times near my face...

(It's cute as hell, though. :))

Elimination diet is actually helping.

After seeing that Tycho has been doing well with my milk, I started adding back eggs and gluten, carefully adding each so as not to cause a reaction. I'm still off dairy considering his intolerance, and I have to admit that I've been feeling a lot better (though I missed the hell out of pizza).

The verdict:

• Eggs are no problem at all. I added them back with no adverse reaction.


• Gluten may be an issue, but seems to be okay in small doses -- "gluten-lite", if you will. He reacts okay save for gas, which is reduced when I cut back -- not out -- on the gluten.

I'll admit that I'm excited to add back the gluten, even in small doses! At least now I can have some cheeseless pizza. ;) And I'm not, nor have I ever considered myself, vegan.

Nothing else in my diet seems to have any effect, though I notice that he'll get gassy shortly after I eat something that makes me gassy, even without gluten, so I need to watch my broccoli intake. Aw darn. ;) I'm also careful about alcohol consumption by following KellyMom's advice, which works well to maintain my dark-beer-a-night thing for milk production.

Otherwise, things are going well! He nurses in the morning before daycare, takes two and sometimes three 6oz bottles of formula while at daycare, nurses when we get home, and either nurses and gets a bottle of expressed milk with me or a bottle of expressed milk with Matt. Nighttime depends on how much I managed to express that day and who feeds him at night -- since I'm still only getting 6-7oz per workday, it's switched between formula and breastmilk.

I'm happy where we are right now. While my goal is still to EBF by the time 2014 rolls around, this is much better than it's ever been. He's cut down from 5 to 6 bottles of formula a day to 2 or 3, and my supply is only getting better.

My regimen:

• Domperidone, 30mg 4x/day


• 2 Tbsp brewer's yeast, in morning smoothie


• 2 tsp flaxseed meal, in morning smoothie


• One dark beer each evening after Tycho goes to bed


• Oatmeal whenever possible

What I'll be adding:

• More Milk Special Blend, 1 cap 4x/day (I had discontinued this for a while as I ran out, starting back up tomorrow)


• More Milk Plus, 1/4 tsp 4x/day (given to me by an amazing couple friends, Christian and Ali!)


• Fenugreek, 2 caps 3x/day

My hope is that I can cut out the Domperidone bit by bit, to replace with everything I'll be adding -- cheaper and, let's be honest, not as pharmaceutical-y. I also plan on trying this tincture from my friend Sarah, with more galactagogues in it!

AND... I need to rave about these lactation cookies I got from my friends Gena at Bake All The Things and, mommy-related, Miracles for Mommy! Because they were delicious AND helped tremendously. :)

Keep rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin'... AAAH!

So guess who learned how to roll from back to tummy yesterday!

That's right... THIS BOY!

[caption id="attachment_2098" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Look at those feet... LOL[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2097" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Am I doing it? Or am I teasing Mommy...?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2102" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Hanging on for dear life...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2101" align="aligncenter" width="667"] SUCCESS!![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2100" align="aligncenter" width="667"] Very proud of himself! :)[/caption]

(Also, "Rollin'" was released by Limp Bizkit in 2000. Guess who feels old now...)

Relactation Journey: Breast is Best the second time around

At our last lactation consult, we discussed the amount of milk I was making and how the elimination diet was going. It seemed through pumping that I was making an adequate amount for about 1/4 of his feeds per day (6 or so ounces when he takes in 24 at least), but she pointed out that Tycho is going to be the best way to remove as much milk as possible, and to put him to the breast as often as I could.

So, with my mom's support (she went to the appointment and helped me that weekend), we tried to get Tycho to latch again.

And we were successful. :D

[caption id="attachment_2092" align="aligncenter" width="752"] Latching and pumping, Relactation Day 37![/caption]

Since that visit, we managed to wean off the nipple shield (thank god -- while it was helpful in the beginning, it was a real pain to put on, and I was glad to rid of it!) and Tycho has been breastfeeding directly for his morning feed and one evening feed. Any milk I pump, and I'm consistently making about 6oz per day, is given to him either that night if Matt puts him to bed, or overnight for his 3-4am feeding.

I'm so incredibly happy to have had the opportunity to bring Tycho back to the breast. While we're not exclusively breastfeeding or providing expressed milk yet, we're hoping to get to that point before the end of the year -- just means I'll need to pump enough to meet his needs at daycare.

This journey has taught me so much about hard work, dedication, and putting someone else before myself. While I did have a great time challenging myself, and I'll admit that's been a big part of wanting to try again (to prove to myself that it can be done!), I did it mostly for my son. He thrived and continues to thrive on formula, but I'm happy to have that bit of bonding back and for both of us to experience it with no discomfort.

It has also taught me that breastfeeding itself comes with its own challenges, too. For instance, there are many times that he'll pop off or, even worse, try to drag me with him while nursing as he tries to get a look at something. Covering him with a blanket isn't terribly helpful -- he wants to see the patterns! I've heard from many breastfeeding mamas that this was a phase that their babies went through, too, and that is what has been keeping me from thinking it was just me.

It's also a bit uncomfortable from a few standpoints: I mean, my nipples need to get back into the swing of things and not feel so injured after the fact. It's getting better, especially now that we're off the shield, but it still remains. (Part of me thinks it's actually nipple blanching, which I may write more about later.) And there's the issue of breastfeeding outside the house, which we have yet to do but is something that will become an inevitability -- while it's convenient to not have to pack bottles and formula, I do feel a little uneasy still about "whipping it out" in public. More time and exposure (pun intended) will help, I'm sure, but it's still an uncomfortable challenge!

So that's where we are now. I'm happy to say that about half of Tycho's feeds are now from the breast and that the rest is a combination of expressed milk and his wholesome, organic soy formula. I'm even happier that, no matter how we've been feeding him, so long as we keep his needs in mind... he's been doing amazingly, and will only continue to do so. :)

And now, just because he's so damn cute:

Daycare!

When I dropped Tycho off for his first day of daycare back in early July (and I cried, I have no shame! I cried like a baby!), I had no idea I'd come to a point where I was happy to leave him in such capable, loving hands. But I am, and I have Ms. Heidi and Ms. Gellener (and formerly Ms. Alissa) to thank!

These are some pictures that they've shared with me since he started. It really warms my heart to see him smiling at his providers when I drop him off, but I have to admit I feel a huge surge of motherly love when I scoop him up at the end of the day and he leans back in my arms to give me huge grins. ;)

Relactation Journey: Day 40 - Good morning, indeed!

This sure was a surprise when I pulled the flanges away this morning! :)



Compare to even 19 days ago:

FYI (if you're a teenager)

I'm often incredibly glad we have a son. Matt and I sometimes walk through the toy aisles, waxing poetic about all the fun stuff Tycho will get to play with when he gets older (and yes, this includes "girly" things like play kitchenettes and dolls). We both shudder a bit, though, when we walk through the girl's aisle, which resembles a modern-day, sparkly Lisa Frank vomit-fest. The fact that girls' toys trend towards all that is pink and glittery is a rant for another day, but for purposes of this post, Matt and I are just glad that we get to bypass that aisle altogether.

We also don't have to deal with a lot of crap that little (and not-so-little) girls have to put up with, like how their dress or their behavior may be seen as "inappropriate", "unladylike", or my personal favorite, "slutty". While I do agree that today's trends could use a bit of tone-the-fuck-down, it's not so much a gender issue as it is a societal one.

Which is why it ruffled my feathers a bit when I read this post from Given Breath:

[...] We hope to raise men with a strong moral compass, and men of integrity don’t linger over pictures of scantily clad high-school girls.

Every day I pray for the women my boys will love.  I hope they will be drawn to real beauties, the kind of women who will leave them better people in the end. I also pray that my sons will be worthy of this kind of woman, that they will be patient – and act honorably – while they wait for her.

Girls, it’s not too late! If you think you’ve made an on-line mistake (we all do – don’t fret – I’ve made some doozies), RUN to your accounts and take down  anything that makes it easy for your male friends to imagine you naked in your bedroom.

Now, this irritates me on a few different levels, not the least of which is slut-shaming and blaming teenage girls and women on the whole. After all, are we solely responsible for a man's wanton sexual desires? Should we cover every last inch of our bodies or, on a less extreme note, moderate each item of clothing we own to be sure it's "appropriate" for a male population that obviously can't keep it in its pants otherwise?

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a level of modesty. However, it's because I appreciate a culture that is a bit more refined, not as a determining factor in whether a girl is "asking for it" (whether "it" is an unwanted sexual advance or even a "harmless" ogle). Rather than teaching the boys that they need to control themselves and treat women with respect no matter the circumstance, it puts the onus solely on women.

So, as an FYI to teenagers of either sex:

• Know your worth. Know that you're an incredible, independent, intelligent, capable individual who can choose what is best for yourself and who will try to do well to others, including in your attire and your manner.


• Treat others with the same respect as you would want for yourself. Young men, treat women like ladies; young women, treat men like gentlemen. Everyone, treat human beings as such!

And to my own son: I hope to raise you to become a young man who respects women, who sees them as his equals rather than his inferiors or as objects, who treats them with the dignity they deserve. I trust wholeheartedly that you will even exceed my expectations! For I know you'll be a young man who takes responsibility for his own actions and his own thoughts, regardless of the reason, and not only because you want to make your mother proud... but because you would want to treat every woman as you would your own mother.

... and I know you plan on treating me well. ;)

 

(Also, LOL @ her posting with her boys scantily-clad, if you will. She did post what I assume is an "apologetic" post with everyone covered up, but still. Major eyeroll at the hypocrisy.)

 

(Also also, read this post by From One Degree To Another (I love love LOVE this one). "I’m not telling you to not look at women.  Just the opposite.  I’m telling you to see women.  Really see them.  Not just with your eyes, but with your heart.  Don’t look to see something that tickles your senses, but see a human being.")

Teach Me How to Breastfeed [video]

This made me LOL. What a great video! I wish I knew about it during Tycho's first weeks, it may have entertained me while I struggled to breastfeed. ;)