Adventures in Mommyhood- week 16

This last week marked the one year anniversary of the digital readout on that plastic stick said “Pregnant”, yet another thing that most moms don’t notice but I did discover that I’m not the only mom that celebrates “silly” things like that.

We’ve gotten enough “OMG your baby is so cute!” comments that Shammy is now in a Cutest Baby Contest, so please go and vote everyday for the next 8 days to help him win.  Click here to vote

Shammy has been laughing for a while now but recently we experience the first delight that is a non-stop giggle/laugh session, it was just too freaking cute.  Specially because his daddy wasn’t doing anything that funny to warrant so much laughter.

I have volunteered to be a mentor mom to another pregnant woman that is due on July 2011, I don’t yet know who I will match up with but I look forward to being able to help someone the way that I would have liked to have been helped while pregnant.

It has also been suggested that I become a Site Administrator and founder of a Treasure Coast chapter of the Mommies Network, at 501c3 nonprofit to help moms network.  It is very tempting but don’t know if I should commit so much time to such a task as it will take about 15 hours a week to get this organization off the ground, we’ll see…

This has been a week of reorganization, in that process I found a large batch of clothes in Shammy’s current size that had been shuffled in his closet.  It’s a good thing that I discovered them now while he can still wear them for at least a couple of weeks.

I also reorganized his cloth diapers, got small baskets at the dollar store to sort the diapers on the shelves under his changing table; night diapers, regular diapers, covers, doublers, contours, prefolds, they all now have a designated place.

Now I just need a larger diaper pail… but I’m managing just find and it’s small size keeps me from procrastinating on the cloth diaper laundry.  I will admit that I LOVE washing cloth diapers and prefer that over any other domestic chore.  I’m so happy that daddy Fox helped install an umbrella drying stand in our backyard and I was giddy with excitement as I watched the first batch of cloth diapers drying in the wind.

I also figured out how to fold his cloth wipes and put them in a recycled wipes container so that they pop out like disposable wipes.  I’m very proud of myself.  I have just enough cloth wipes right now but could use another dozen or 2.  I cut up some flannel receiving blankets but I don’t know how to serge the edges to prevent fraying.  It may be easier to just break down and buy some…

Once I get at least another dozen cloth wipes I’ll be able to ditch the disposable wipes from the diaper bag and there will be one less thing to buy. I absolutely love how we never have to worry about having to go to the store to buy diapers, formula or wipes.  At this rate I plan to make our own baby food as well.

I never thought that I would say this but the dog ate the diaper.  I wasn’t there but I sure would have loved to see that happen.  When grandma was last babysitting Shammy, one of her dogs decided that one of his cloth diapers looked like something fun to chew on, I didn’t see the results but I can only imagine.  Days later I still laugh when I think about it but the dog needs to realize that there are better chew toys than $18 diapers, lol.

This week was the first time that I missed Shammy’s bedtime.  Thankfully it was just a one time thing while I participated in a focus group.  It still sucked coming home and baby was already down for the night.  It was like the first day back to work all over again.

I’m now on the quest for a new pediatrician for Shammy, at least temporarily.  I love Dr. Punger and don’t want to stop using her but she doesn’t accept Medicaid and with me working so few hours I can’t afford to pay cash for visits.  I’m hoping to find a pediatrician that won’t give me a hard time about delayed/ selective vaccinations, considering contacting the doctor that took care of Shammy during his first few days of life as we really liked him.  We’ll see…

On the sign language front, I got a [amazon_link id=”B002VH76VQ” target=”_blank” ]baby board book on sign language[/amazon_link], it’s very cute but it annoys me that in the sign for milk the picture shows a bottle and a pacifier and in the sign for diaper it shows a stack of disposable.  I can’t blame the author for being mainstream and I’ll learn to live with it.

Onto today’s rant…

Nursing in public prevents angry, screaming babies.  I hate listening to babies cry hysterically.  It’s the worst sound in the world – give me fingernails on chalkboard any day.  Every instinct in my body drives me to find the sound of the screaming child and fix it.   Evolution or God made people that way – we react strongly to the sound of a distressed child, our hormone levels changing, anxiety activated.

If the child is hungry, the solution is simple – feed the baby. I’d so much rather round the aisle in Walmart and see a nursing mom than have to hear her child screaming across the store.

I was about 6 when I first saw a mom nursing, this encounter didn’t repeat itself until I was in my mid 20’s.  My mother claims to have tried to breastfed me but said that I wasn’t interested and refused to latch on.  The nurse said that I was going to starve,  she believed her and formula-fed me.  None of them stopped to consider that I had just been born via c-section and had to recover from being drugged while adjusting to this new bright harsh world.  There was no lactation consultant to help my mother nor did she know to ask for help.

I was in my mother’s place a few months ago, Shammy was also born via c-section and was not interested in the breast for the first few hours.  I didn’t worry and gave him time, when he was ready he latched on and nursed like a champ.  I chose not to worry and rush into an unnecessary bottle.  That is the difference that making sure that I did my homework in advance does in the lack of proper support.

I took a class. I read books.  Why did I have to take a class to learn how to breastfeed? Why did I have to take a class to show me how to latch a baby on my breast?  The answer is simple – I had never seen it, up close and personal.  Is it any wonder how difficult breastfeeding is for most?

If you want to know why so many women attempt to breastfeed and fail, I would say to look there.  They didn’t learn how, when they were 10 and first learning how to care for infants.  Why can’t fathers support breastfeeding moms and give advice?  They never saw it, in real life or on TV.

Here’s the truth.  Babies don’t come with bottles in real life.  They come with boobs.  We are mammals, and mammals breastfeed their young.   You don’t ask the mother cat with kittens to “cover up” – right?  If nursing moms always cover up, little boys and girls have to learn about breastfeeding from a BOOK.

If you only feel comfortable with a blanket and your baby is cool with it, go ahead and use the blanket, but don’t feel like a blanket or the bathroom are your only options.

Babies are people too.  They deserve to eat when they’re hungry. and they deserve to enjoy their meals without a blanket over their heads.  Pretty simple stuff.