Well, finding time to write for this blog is hard! (I actually wrote this over a month ago and am just now posting it!) My life is
so busy and when I have time, I usually waste it. I guess for my first blog
entry I would like to talk about what I have learned in the last few months.
However, I don’t have a lot of time so I will present them in a list.
When you can least afford it,
everything will break – car, washing machine, breast pump (it was a 5 year old
hand me down), car again…. And somehow you will find a way to overcome and pay
for these things or live without them. When I was pregnant I spent a lot of
time worrying and stressing about how we were going to afford everything. I
cried about it. I got mad at my husband about it. Then after the baby was born
none of that mattered anymore. I didn’t even check my checking account for a
month post-partum. I think the moral to this is that pregnancy makes you really
worry about getting your ducks in a row.
You will not be doing any sewing
projects in the first 3 months of your baby’s life. You won’t have time for any
other crafty “saving money” projects either. Just forget about that. In your
spare time you will want to sleep, eat or just stare at your beautiful baby.
Pretty much all baby/nursing related stuff can be made at home, but be sure to
do it before the baby is born. Put that stress I mentioned above to good use
and make something.
Going back to work at 4.5 weeks
post-partum is hard. It helps if you can make it part time and then get your
stay at home husband to bring the baby to visit you a few times a week. My first
full time week back, I was in hysterical tears by Friday morning. This was when
it was decided that my husband should bring the baby to visit me at least twice
a week.
You don’t need to sanitize all
your pump/bottle parts all the time. Unless you have a preemie or an immune
compromised child then hot water and soap works just fine. Also for the working
day, if you rinse your pump parts off and let them air dry immediately after
pumping you will be fine. I was also advised that you could throw the pump parts
in a Ziploc bag and put them in the fridge. However, I don’t think my
co-workers really liked that. Also, those flanges/breast shields are really
cold on your boobs when you get them back out of the fridge.
Pumping while driving is a great
use of time! To make this work you must hook everything up before you start
driving. I highly suggest a handless pumping corset. You can cut holes in a
sports bra, but then you have to pull it on over your clothes and that is just
a pain in the ass, especially when it is cold. Also, get those pump bags that
hook directly onto your flange/breast shield. If you use bottles you must pull
over to the side of the road to take it all off. If you use bags it is easy to
take them off while driving. You also will need a car charger to power your
pump. They usually cost about $20. A light weight scarf is excellent for
pumping in the car because you can drape it around your neck and over your
breasts. This way people don’t stare at you at stop lights wondering what the
hell you have attached to your chest. I’ve only noticed one car staring at me
and it made me feel awkward. I think most people are too busy thinking about
themselves to notice your chest.
I had a non-complicated vaginal
birth. Getting out of chairs and roller skating was hard for the first month. I
tried skating at 11 days after birth and it was difficult. I ended up falling
down when I tried a 180 toe stop. I was shocked at how my muscles did not
respond the way they did before. I skated off and on during my pregnancy and
that was much easier than post-partum. I am now 12 weeks post-partum and am
back to scrimmaging at roller derby practice. It still hurts sometimes, but
when I am warmed up it is barely noticeable. Look up post-partum exercises
online like pelvic tilts and kegels to start training in the first few weeks if
you plan on trying to rush returning to your physical activities such as roller
derby. Your pelvic floor is stretched out and weak and it needs to be
strengthened in order to support your body while it exercises.
Make a sign that clearly says do
not enter on your pumping place at work. Nothing is more awkward then having a
conversation with the maintenance man while you are hooked up to the breast
pump and have nothing but a scarf covering your chest. Pumping break please
knock is not clear enough for some people.
My new sign has a picture of a cow being milked and a baby holding a
bottle on it. All the visuals!
Light weight scarfs make excellent
nursing covers. Better than nursing covers! And so much more fashionable! Sling
Rings with tails work also.
I am three months post-partum and
I am still wearing maternity pants. They slide down constantly, but at least
they aren’t too tight. My other option is too tight pants unzipped with a bella
band. I guess I will break down and buy
size 16 pants soon. I was hoping that I would lose 10-15 pounds soon. However,
after losing the initial 20 pounds my weight has been stagnant for 2 months. I
have 20 pounds left to lose to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. I will need to
lose an additional 10-15 pounds to get to my pre-miscarriage pregnancy weight.
I had a miscarriage before this pregnancy and I gained weight during and after
that pregnancy. I have recently been looking at nursing clothes and realized
that a lot of them double as maternity clothes. If I could do this over I would
only buy maternity clothes that doubled as nursing clothes. Even if they cost a
little more it would cost less in the long run. I didn’t realize that I would
be wearing the same size for so long after the pregnancy. You know what they
say about breast feeding peeling off the pounds? Not necessarily true. I know
that I am burning a lot of calories because I eat like a pig but don’t lose or
gain weight. When I try to eat less I am STARVING! I don’t want to affect my milk supply by
losing weight too fast so I eat whenever I’m hungry. Soooo, I guess I’ll be
wearing these maternity pants for a while! Or I’ll break down and buy those
size 16 pants.
I never thought newborns were very
exciting before I had one. My baby is just the most exciting, funniest,
entertaining, clever thing I have ever seen! The faces she makes are hilarious.
Breastfeeding is awesome. I know that not everybody can do this for various
reasons, so I don’t mean to make anybody feel bad for their situation. However,
for me, breastfeeding is just the best. It is worth pumping in the car and at
work and talking to the maintenance man while half naked so that I can maintain
my supply while away from my kid. In the beginning she would make a funny Christian
Slater in the movie Heathers face sometimes while latching on. Then sometimes
she actually makes a chomp sound when she latches on. Hilarious.
