We Want to PUMP! YOU UP! (My Double Electric Breast Pump Has Arrived!)

Yes, I have been so eagerly awaiting the day that my Medela InStyle Double Electric Breast Pump would arrive! I absolutely adore breastfeeding my little boy, but I am also a working mom. While I am blessed enough to be able to work from home and also have an area to bring my son to work, there are times when meetings are on and I need to leave bub with someone else to take care of him.

Because I've been breastfeeding exclusively, I've really been hesitant to use formula even for those occasions I had to leave my baby with someone else. I know breastfeeding is not for everyone but since it is something that is working for us, I wanted to maintain what was going into my son's body.

My pumping journey has been a bit on the hilarious side.

1. First, I tried a manual pump from a friend. I started out very optimistic., picturing an abundant flow milk pouring from my bosom. Then came the reality check. After about 15 very uncoordinated minutes, I found myself with a cramped hand, and an ounce of milk. I was so discouraged!

2. I then rang the chemist as I heard they hired out electric pumps which would hook up into this manual pump. I had to ring a few places before I found success and it was $30/week! Great for a once-off but not a good long-term solution at all.

3. A couple of days later I happened to be at a friend's house. She was moving out of the country and had a few items to get rid of so I was stoked to see that one such item was a electric (battery operated) pump. This was the funniest experience to date. I hooked up, convinced this was going to be the pump that changed my life. As soon as I got it connected, I cried out in pain! It literally felt like my nipple was going to fall off! I finally understood women who say they have great pain in breastfeeding and immediately felt horrible for them! Determined as I am, I continued to try but no milk came out. My midwife happened to be coming the following day for a home visit so I asked her about it. After showing her what I was going, she said, "First of all, this pump is too small for your nipple." (Hence the awful ripping feeling!) None the less, the battery faded out within the time that it took to try and show my midwife so I gave up on that one!

4. My husband and I decided to suck it up. We have been very thrifty with our "Baby Bonus" but this was going to be worth it. We did lots of homework online - and asking other breastfeeding moms - and decided to go with the Medela In Style Breast Pump.
Even the packaging indicates that THIS is the real deal! It arrived in a beautiful backpack with a compartment for the actual pumping mechanism on the bottom and a section at the top for bottles and the cooler bag (included.) There are all kinds of practical compartments which really excites an organised mom like me. It even came with a manual pump just in case!

My first pumping experience was in the evening and my baby was going through one of those big eating stages. He had all but sucked me dry but I still managed to pump 2 ounces. I couldn't believe how comfortable it was compared to the other pumps I had tried! It felt like a miracle and I waved the milk in my husband's face in joy!!

I now pump regularly to keep up a stock for those just in case times and always have a great yield in record time and with a lot of comfort.

Its a real blessing. This morning, our baby woke up about half an hour early. Being the weekend, my sweet husband grabbed him and gave him a bath while I kept sleeping (yes, exhausted from the other 3 times I had fed him in the night!). I started to hear my son's hunger squack but by the time I had come out from bed, there was my wonderful husband feeding our baby a bottle.

We love our Medela In Style Advanced Breast Pump and would DEFINITELY RECOMMEND it!

Happy feeding times!

What's Your Motivation?

Whether you call it that or not, I think everyone has a parenting philosophy - a set of thoughts, values and ideas that drives why we care for our children the way that we do. I find that there are lots of good principles to chose from among advice from friends, parenting books, etc, but as I consider the decisions I make with my son, I constantly come back to one thought:

What is my motivation?

There are obviously a lot of motivating factors that drive what we do - from the big things like the way we were raised, our values, our spouse's values, and even our circumstances. (Let's face it, if you're child is hungry but you are about to wet your pants, you might go to the toilet quickly first and then come back to feed your child.)

I've identified 2 motivating factors that often challenge me in the wrong way.

1. What makes me happy.

Yep. I said it. Sometimes, when I'm looking after my son and I think about all the sleep I'm not getting or all the things I could be doing, I think to myself, "I have to find a solution so that I can get what I want! More time to myself! More sleep!" Sounds terrible, doesn't it? When I realised this is part of how I was thinking I was so disappointed in myself. How selfish!!

But there was another motivating factor equally as bad...

2. What makes my son happy.

I am a sucker for my sweet little boy's smile. It is so addicting. And making him laugh?! Oh my goodness, I never want him to stop! Sometimes I equate the smiling with the happy child I want him to be and his crying or disappointment as this negative thing that I want to protect him from. I think we all want that.

But reality is, being happy 100% of the time isn't life and the thought of raising my son to think that made me equally as disappointed in myself.

Life is about compromise. Its about what we do in the midst of disappointment - even if that disappointment is a meal delayed by 60 seconds because mum had to go the bathroom.

And that's when I realised that the answer to what motivates me has to be both - it has to be what makes me happy AND what makes my kids happy. But it also has to be more than that. It has to be what makes my husband happy. And what makes the world around us happy. I'm not talking about people pleasing - I'm talking about kindness, compassion, friendship and brotherly love. And not in the fuzzy wuzzy way - I'm talking about the difficult way - the way that highlights just how selfish we really are - the way that means that caring about others has to come above our own selfish desires.

Its important for my son to know that most of the time, his needs come first and his mum and dad are 100% looking out for him. Its just as important for him to learn that there times when mum and dad make the decision that something else is more important or equally important and his needs might have to wait a little bit.

So with that said and my son sleeping, I'm gonna go spend some "me" time with his daddy,

Huggies Nappies on Sale at IGA

We're still in the process of trialing all of the disposable nappy options out there. In the mean time we are stocking up when sales are on. (For the record, we would love to have a go with disposable... so comment if you know of any good sales on some quality options.)

Huggies Nappies are on sale at IGA for only $20.99 for the large package. For newborn nappies that means only 19 1/2 cents per nappy... even cheaper than the generic brands.
We've found Huggies nappies to be very good (and have been recommended by friends as the best to handle those yummy mustardy newborn blowout poos!)

Happy Shopping... and nappy changing!

Let's Get Our Jog On!

Who isn't eager to get out after that baby and lose that tummy!? I didn't gain much excess weight, but I really am not into the little "souvenier" that is hanging on my almost flat tummy!!

That's why I was thrilled when we received the "City Elite Stroller" as a gift for our new baby. I love walking and tolerate jogging because I know its good for me... and I love doing it with my little one inside his pram!

This pram is FABULOUS! In my pre-baby days have helped numbers of friends get their prams in and out of cars and always feel like the most incompetent child-carer because I can never seem to get them to fold or open. Literally the very first time I used the City Elite Stroller, I was able to both open and close it - with their patented one step process. It was SHOCKINGLY easy! It left me feeling like the most confident mom in the world! (Heck yes, I can do this!)

Its also very lightweight, and even though our tiny, fuel efficient car doesn't have heaps of boot space, we are able to pop one wheel off to fit easily in the tiniets of compartments.

Other things I love?

• The easy grip handle bar... with adjustbale heights
• The locking front wheel for easy navigation
• The quick-tap locking break right at the back
• Ventilation options for our very hot climate
• The padded (and nearly fully reclining seat) - perfect for resting on the go
• The efficient shade cover for the hottest of days and good sleeps for my little one
• The ability to add on cupholders and other accessories
• The ability to add on a toddler seat
• TWO storage compartments

We have used the City Elite on dirt trails, roads, and concrete pathways and we love it! Most importantly, our little one is very happy in side!

The kangaroo and I both have our "joeys"!

You can purchase your own City Elite Pram on Amazon!

Well on my way to loosing that tummy,

Sleep in (Adorable) Peace

I am not the mom who found I was pregnant and went out and bought anything and everything. I love organisation and detest clutter. As much as I love a good gadget, I was not about to fill my house with baby stuff I'd never use.

Add to that the fact that I'm (along with my husband) incredibly frugal. I had a candy stash that lasted me from holiday to holiday when I was little and saved almost every penny (literally! pennies still exist in the States) that I found.

So when it came to decorating my baby's room, I was not about to spend hundreds purchasing a matching set of cot sheets, wall hangings, nappy holders, and light switch covers.

I found a $6 set of cot sheets on a clearance sale at Spotlight, and as much as I love the clean look of all white, I just could not do that to my little baby.

In fact, I had one of those ridiculous preggo emotional outbursts about it to my husband one day. Sobbing in the car I irrationally asked him, "Am I already such a bad mother that my baby's room has no colour?! I have to do something!"

Fortunatley, my girlfriend mentioned that she had found an inexpensive - but awesome set of sheets at IKEA. Even though we don't have a shop in town and they don't ship, I hopped online and picked out my favourite set. The next time I knew a friend planning to go, I asked her if she would mind picking me up the set. She didn't and I have to say, I am stoked with how our little man's room turned out... for only $14 for the sheets!!

We chose this set for a few reasons:

1. The fab deal
2. Bright colours for stimulating our little one
3. Its not gender specific so in case our ultrasound proved wrong, we wouldn't be caught out... AND when we have number 2, it won't matter either way!
4. I loved the adorable little receiving blanket that came with it

We love it! Its super soft, washes well, and our little man looks very handsome sleeping on it.

May your penny-pinching be rewarded with fabulous results,

Choosing Where to Give Birth

Choosing where to give birth is an important part of preparing for your baby. Every family, of course is different, but here is some of our journey:

We had four options for places to give birth in our town.

1. The State Hospital - as Aussie residents, this would be covered by our public health insurance (awesome!). Most of our checkups, however, would be with whatever midwife or doctor was on duty (not so ideal!)
2. The Private Hospital - Not having private health insurance, we would've had to pay outright for this. No thanks!
   
3. The Birth Centre - also included in health insurance (YES!) and our checkups would be with one midwife the entire way through.
   
4. Home Birth - There's only one midwife who does home births in town and he (yes, he) must be paid for outside of public insurance.

After seeking lots of advice, we considered some of our values and preferences and decided to go with the birth centre. Here's why:

1. Cost. Being that it was covered by our public insurance made it a BIG bonus.
2. Low intervention. I really wanted to have our first baby drug free. A big part of this was to see whether I could do it - I love a challenge! But as we did our research, we became concerned about some of the effects that drugs could have on our baby and that gave us even more motivation.
3. Low cesarean rates. Obviously, there are times when a cesar is needed and I am SO glad that the technology is there. We have so much to be grateful for in the developed world! However, with hospitals being over 30% cesar rates in my town, I was concerned that perhaps I would be sent to cesar without truly needing one.
4. One-on-one care. We liked this option more because it meant we didn't have long lines in the hospital; however, after getting to know our midwife, having one-on-one labour and breast feeding training, and developing a trusting relationship, we cannot recommend this model enough!
5. Beautiful environment. Some hospitals are built for this; others are not. Our State Hospital has lots of good birthing aids, and does their best, but it still feels very much like a hospital. Its small and clinical and loud.
   
6. Short recovery time. Again, I like to tough it out and I liked that generally a birth centre recovery only lasts 4-6 hours.

The room we laboured in with our little boy.

The Birth Centre is not for everyone. We were fortunate enough to have a "low risk" pregnancy - bub and I were healthy all the way through - so we were able to have that option. Unfortunately, due to some complications somewhere between 8 & 10 centimetres, we had to be transferred to the hospital. You can read the story here.

Having our amazing midwife made that transition GREAT. The hospital was a corridor away. She was a champion and really helped me through the whole rest of the delivery. I don't think it would've gone as well without her. Plus, she fought for us in the decision making when things were chaotic because she knew our prefernces. AND, since the birth of our sweet little boy, we have loved the follow up visits (usually at home!) and someone we can ring at any time with questions. If we had to do it again, we would definitely go with the birth centre again!

Soothie Soothes My Baby

Dummy. Pacifier. Binkie. I'll be honest. No matter what you call it, I was the kind of mom who said I'd NEVER give my baby any "sleep aides."

And then I actually became a mom... of a crabby baby.

Let me tell you, things changed FAST. I know they say that crying is healthy. "Its your baby's way of communicating." "Its your baby's only form of exercise." But every mom knows, sometimes you're just desperate to help your baby calm down.

Fortunately, my mom was about to fly across the Pacific to the land down under and before she left, my sister (who has been through just about every pacifier in the shops) handed her a two-pack of Soothies as she was leaving.



According to the manufacturer's website, "Soothie is a premium pacifier designed for newborns and babies without teeth who are successfully bottle or breastfeeding. Its one-piece construction adheres to the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines."

From a mom's point of view, my first thought was, "I can't believe I'm succumbing to this." The second was, "Wow. My child looks ridiculous!" HOWEVER, when I saw how happy it made him, I was stoked! The Soothie is small enough to fit in his mouth and flexible enough to feel pretty close to the real deal. When he's not hungry but wanting to suckle, this is the perfect solution. Plus, it gives Daddy a way to help soothe him too. Good for bonding and to give mom a rest.



The best part is, Soothie's are very affordable. You can purchase them online at a number of outlets including, The Preemie Store. A 2-pack is only $4.29 (USD) and they ship to Australia!




Please comment if you know where to pick one of these up in Australia!