After a caregiver informed me of our baby's milk splurge, I was just in shock. How had she drank so much in such a short amount of time? However, I quickly changed my expression and my voice tone, because she had the most worried look on her face. Had she done something naughty? Was mommy upset with her? A few smiles and reassurances brought her happy demeanor back. (Drawn by Althea Peterson)
I really am young and naive and thought this would be easier. That first month after giving birth was a major shock, not just from lack of sleep. I dropped at least 25 pounds in less than two weeks, leaving me wrapped in blankets as much as possible. It was also an extreme hunger time, as I was starting to nurse the baby. (Drawn by Althea Peterson)
Baby questions of the week:What bad habits and lifestyles do you (try to) give up when you become parents?What is your greatest concern when it comes to your child's health?What are the hardest things to change for the sake of your child?
I let my daughter down.
That was the first thought that crossed my mind when I finished pumping one morning. I was at least an ounce below normal, at a time when I usually have the most of any pumping during the day.
Time for evasive action. Time to order a large pizza and hydrate to the extreme.
Nursings moms can't diet
Every time I think I am mastering the motherly ways, my baby changes her battleplan.
As she is nearly half-a-year-old now (time flies when you don't sleep), she is growing and so is her appetite. While 12 ounces of milk used to be enough to send with her to daycare, it soon grew to 14 ounces. Now it's 16 ounces.
Here's my plan to produce more:
Drink more fluids. I mix Gatorade before I head out the door in the morning. I have Crystal Lite packets inside my desk drawer. I try to drink the water (I really don't like the taste) from the nearby fountain. Drink, drink, drink.Eat more food. I don't care if I have to gain all of my pregnancy weight back in the process (I'm not, but still...), I am determined to keep my baby off of formula as long as possible!Relax more. My husband suspects that my panic over not being able to feed our daughter has resulted in my production going down. He's probably right. Looking at baby photos on my phone, drawing silly sketches for this blog and even closing my eyes taking deep breaths seems to help.Plan ahead
You never know when your baby will suddenly have a growth spurt and demand more to eat, so it helps to plan ahead.
1- Save a freezer stock. Milk stores for up to 6 months reportedly, so I have breastmilk dating back to June. It used to be May before these baby appetite changes.
2- Pump in the morning. Even after you're done feeding, pump again in the morning. It's the time you're likely most relaxed (perhaps half-asleep) and also when you have the most milk.
3- Don't slack off on weekends. This is your best opportunity to have extra milk during the week. Save, save, save!
4- Give strict feeding instructions. Why does our baby's grandparents and caretakers always seem to feed her more often (and more milk) than we do? Is it because she's so cute when she eats from a bottle? Is it because she won't fuss if she's occupied with eating? In any event, have a schedule and try to stick to it.
-- Althea Peterson
PS: Please leave a comment and then join me again next week Monday for baby hives. They are NOT as cute as they sound.
Trimesterly tribute: One way to ensure that your pregnancy stays secret for as long as you want, other than not telling anyone, is to lose tons of weight before trying for a baby. I did this through regular morning exercise and limiting lunches (read: cutting out the fast food). You will be able to fool many with this method for the first and possibly second trimester, but parents? They've already figured it out.
Mommy moment: Upon arrival at daycare one morning, I sympathized with a very fussy boy one morning, and thought "Maybe if I smile and talk to him while the care provider cleans up his diaper explosion, he'll stop howling." No. Howl. Are you sure I can't smile at you a little? NO! HOWL! I am apparently not the baby whisperer.
Baby bit: One night, our baby is practically asleep as I feed her, when my husband shows me this online cartoon. "Welcome to Ohio" this cartoon-faced Ohio proclaims. Then he scrolls down to the punchline: "
Ha ha, now you are stuck in Ohio." I could not contain my laughter. But, Ohio gets the last laugh. Our daughter woke up when I laughed and WOULD NOT SETTLE BACK TO SLEEP FOR ANOTHER HOUR. I am never laughing at Ohio (right before baby bedtime) again.
Althea's previous entries:
Aug. 20: Mom's hospital stay after the baby arrivesAug. 13: Returning to work after maternity leaveAug. 6: Life as a single, working mother with a babyJuly 30: Dealing with a baby's first sick timeJuly 23: Delivering a baby by Cesarean sectionJuly 16: Introducing a new baby to your pet cat and dogsJuly 9: Breastfeeding a baby is a challenging decisionJuly 2: Baby airport travel requires patience and timeJune 28: Baby means there's never an awkward silence
Althea Peterson is the proud mother of a five-month old girl. Althea returned to work at the Tulsa World in May after two months of maternity leave. Baby advice, baby questions or baby words of encouragement can be sent to althea.peterson@tulsaworld.com. Also, follow Althea and other parents on Twitter at twitter.com/twbecauseisaid.
