Thursday, July 1, 2010
Not Knots!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
My Nursing History
My circle is widely varied. I know women who didn't nurse at all. They didn't even try. They had no desire to try. I know women who nursed their children till they were 6 years old. I know women who nursed their children for some amount in-between.
When I was pregnant I really didn't give much thought to nursing except that since it was best for the child I would give it a shot. I only really knew one women who had nursed, or at least nursed around me. Beth Wright in Louisiana in the early 1980s. I had baby-sat her two sons who were about 2 and 3 years old at the time, Brandon and Matthew. She not only nursed her toddlers, she also had a family bed. Both ideas seemed reasonable to me but seemed to shock some of our mutual friends.
So, I gave birth and started to nurse. I had trouble. I knew there was something wrong because there just weren't enough dirty diapers. He was dehydrated. I attended La Leche League Meetings. The women there were very kind and helpful. I learned how to nurse more successfully for me. Strangely (or not so strangely) I ended up nursing the way felt most comfortable to me instead of what all the books said. I nursed on one side for each sitting. The next time we nursed we would nurse on the other side. Just that simple and baby thrived.
At the La Leche League Meetings I learned about child led weaning. Child led weaning begins when your child is interested in food. It is completed when your child no longer asks to nurse.
Even though I just started out giving it a try, after 3 years I was still nursing my first child. He had been nursing just once a day, just to fall asleep at night when I ended nursing. One day my breasts were really tender. I explained to my child how they hurt to touch them and how I didn't think I could nurse hime to sleep. He only asked the one night and never asked again.
My second child was another story. At her birth, I had some trouble. Again La Leche League members gave me good advice from their own experiences. We had thrush and once that was cleared up we were a happy nursing team.
She nursed more frequently than my son but she thrived. At four years old, for my own sanity, I had to persuade my daughter to give up night-time nursing. She did not reduce the number of nursing sessions per day as my first child had. She only changed the timings of the sessions to all day time nursings. Instead of feeling like I was caring for my daughter and enjoying the one-to-one and that unique closeness I was still tired and feeling trapped. So I started asking other moms around at the park one day. One of friends said she had bribed one of her sons out of nursing with a truck that he wanted. On the way home, I just asked my daughter if there was something that she would trade for nursing. She was quick to answer, she wanted a big prize from Target (a department store). I told her when she had stopped nursing after one week we would go to Target for a big prize. That was it, she was a little nervous later that first day but that night was fine. I took her to Target a week later. We went up and down every toy isle but she couldn't find anything that was right. Target didn't have any dresses (the employee said that they were out of season). I took her to Bealls (another department store) where she picked out two very fancy dresses and a pink scarf.
P.S. She didn't ask to nurse again until she was sick (once in February and then again in May) and was easily comforted by sitting on my lap.
When I was pregnant I really didn't give much thought to nursing except that since it was best for the child I would give it a shot. I only really knew one women who had nursed, or at least nursed around me. Beth Wright in Louisiana in the early 1980s. I had baby-sat her two sons who were about 2 and 3 years old at the time, Brandon and Matthew. She not only nursed her toddlers, she also had a family bed. Both ideas seemed reasonable to me but seemed to shock some of our mutual friends.
So, I gave birth and started to nurse. I had trouble. I knew there was something wrong because there just weren't enough dirty diapers. He was dehydrated. I attended La Leche League Meetings. The women there were very kind and helpful. I learned how to nurse more successfully for me. Strangely (or not so strangely) I ended up nursing the way felt most comfortable to me instead of what all the books said. I nursed on one side for each sitting. The next time we nursed we would nurse on the other side. Just that simple and baby thrived.
At the La Leche League Meetings I learned about child led weaning. Child led weaning begins when your child is interested in food. It is completed when your child no longer asks to nurse.
Even though I just started out giving it a try, after 3 years I was still nursing my first child. He had been nursing just once a day, just to fall asleep at night when I ended nursing. One day my breasts were really tender. I explained to my child how they hurt to touch them and how I didn't think I could nurse hime to sleep. He only asked the one night and never asked again.
My second child was another story. At her birth, I had some trouble. Again La Leche League members gave me good advice from their own experiences. We had thrush and once that was cleared up we were a happy nursing team.
She nursed more frequently than my son but she thrived. At four years old, for my own sanity, I had to persuade my daughter to give up night-time nursing. She did not reduce the number of nursing sessions per day as my first child had. She only changed the timings of the sessions to all day time nursings. Instead of feeling like I was caring for my daughter and enjoying the one-to-one and that unique closeness I was still tired and feeling trapped. So I started asking other moms around at the park one day. One of friends said she had bribed one of her sons out of nursing with a truck that he wanted. On the way home, I just asked my daughter if there was something that she would trade for nursing. She was quick to answer, she wanted a big prize from Target (a department store). I told her when she had stopped nursing after one week we would go to Target for a big prize. That was it, she was a little nervous later that first day but that night was fine. I took her to Target a week later. We went up and down every toy isle but she couldn't find anything that was right. Target didn't have any dresses (the employee said that they were out of season). I took her to Bealls (another department store) where she picked out two very fancy dresses and a pink scarf.
P.S. She didn't ask to nurse again until she was sick (once in February and then again in May) and was easily comforted by sitting on my lap.
Friday, October 9, 2009
No more na-na at nigh-nigh Part 2
So with much guilt and tears I started telling my daughter on Saturday that Wednesday would be the last day that she could nurse at night. I chose Wednesday because that was the day that she has ballet class and I knew that day would stand out. I wanted to give her fair warning but not dwell on it. Each day I spoke to her about it and answered any questions she brought up. She was worried about still being my baby. She really wants to still be my baby so I assured her that she will always be my baby even when she is old. She was worried about falling asleep and I told her that she will be safe and we will all be there to help her.
On Wednesday she asked to nurse very frequently. I bet she nursed 10 times that day, just for comfort. I sewed her a little pink satin pillow cover that she could hold on to at night. We read several books then I sang lullabies to her. That night she cried for about a half an hour but went to sleep clutching the pillow. She woke up once around 3am and it started all over again. I sang to her again and she cried for another half an hour before falling back to sleep.
Thursday was worse. She cried several times during the day about not being able to nurse at night and she woke up three times during the night and it took 20-30 minutes each time to get her back to sleep.
Friday was better. She still nursed during the day but that night even though she cried to go to sleep initially when she woke up during the night she was comforted just with the lullabies.
By the following Wednesday, she was not asking to nurse at night at all and not waking during the night either.
Finally after 4 years, I got 8 hours of continuous sleep.
On Wednesday she asked to nurse very frequently. I bet she nursed 10 times that day, just for comfort. I sewed her a little pink satin pillow cover that she could hold on to at night. We read several books then I sang lullabies to her. That night she cried for about a half an hour but went to sleep clutching the pillow. She woke up once around 3am and it started all over again. I sang to her again and she cried for another half an hour before falling back to sleep.
Thursday was worse. She cried several times during the day about not being able to nurse at night and she woke up three times during the night and it took 20-30 minutes each time to get her back to sleep.
Friday was better. She still nursed during the day but that night even though she cried to go to sleep initially when she woke up during the night she was comforted just with the lullabies.
By the following Wednesday, she was not asking to nurse at night at all and not waking during the night either.
Finally after 4 years, I got 8 hours of continuous sleep.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
No more na-na at nigh-nigh Part 1
So I found myself starting to feel depressed. It really wasn't sudden. In fact, it had been a gradual decline. I knew that I was becoming more and more depressed by how easily I began to cry. I have always cried easily AND I cry when I am happy and when I am sad. I had been crying any time music was playing. At first, I noticed that the Beatles' "Happy Birthday" song brought me to tears. But honestly, did I have some sad memory from my childhood that only the song could surface? I just didn't know. But when Smash Mouth 's song "Hey Now You're A Rockstar" brought me to tears. I really started to wonder about my sanity or at the least my stability.
Luckily, I thought, I need to talk to someone and I did. I called a friend who listened and then innocently asked, "hey are you still nursing at night?"
Well, I certainly was, and nursing every 1 to 2 hours every night sure was tiring. My daughter is 4 years old. I had no idea that at 4 she would still be nursing this frequently and for whatever reason I cannot sleep through her nursing. So...
I'll right more tomorrow.
Luckily, I thought, I need to talk to someone and I did. I called a friend who listened and then innocently asked, "hey are you still nursing at night?"
Well, I certainly was, and nursing every 1 to 2 hours every night sure was tiring. My daughter is 4 years old. I had no idea that at 4 she would still be nursing this frequently and for whatever reason I cannot sleep through her nursing. So...
I'll right more tomorrow.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Life on Life's Terms
One thing that really bothers me is how important it is for me to find like minded individuals. Especially when many of my ideas are a little outside of the box. My education is in Engineering so these are just my personal observations. I have noticed that there are people like me who need groups and people who don't. I am married to someone who I believe could live in a cave. I need daily interaction with other adults. I need to have interaction where no one is tugging on my shirt tale or asking me where their shoes are.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Missing Soy Sauce
If you knew me, you would know that food is a comfort item and one of my favorites is sushi. I love to make a thick paste of soy sauce and wasabi and dip each piece gingerly into that loving "sauce." Traditional soy sauce was making me sick so I asked around. I have several family members who have also found themselves avoiding wheat. We have found ourselves to be braggarts. We love Bragg's Liquid Amino. I had my brother-in-law compare it to soy sauce. He thought the soy sauce was thicker. I can agree with that too but that doesn't bother me in the least. If it does bother me at some point I will just thicken it with some cornstarch. It was just the taste that I wanted.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Going Gluten Free
It seems that maybe I should go Gluten Free. It seems to run in my family as well as other allergies. I have already proven allergies to dust, cashews, mangoes, some milk products, and penicillin. My dad has serious poultry allergy and pretty severe sinus allergies to hay, pollen and dust.
My mom mentioned that some of the things that I was working around may just go away without Gluten. An example, I had already "figured out" that if I ate pizza and spaghetti with red sauce in the same day, I would be awakened with heartburn. What I didn't realize was that it was the bread that gave me the heart burn. I thought it was the tomatoes, I never dreamed it was the gluten. I also thought that I was becoming allergic to soy, because it seemed that some soy products caused me either heartburn or diarrhea. Well the soy products I was using had wheat and Maltodextrin in the ingredients list.
So I gave it a try. The first day, I just ate things I already have in my home: grapefruit, rice and beans, salad with home-made dressing. When I woke up on the second day, not only did I not have heartburn or diarrhea, I woke up with very little pain. I had been waking up with more and more pain. I used to describe it as "you know that feeling that you were hit by a bus yesterday" but no one seemed to understand that. That pain that I had when I woke up had been becoming more and more frequent over the last 15 years, until it was a daily feeling.
My mom mentioned that some of the things that I was working around may just go away without Gluten. An example, I had already "figured out" that if I ate pizza and spaghetti with red sauce in the same day, I would be awakened with heartburn. What I didn't realize was that it was the bread that gave me the heart burn. I thought it was the tomatoes, I never dreamed it was the gluten. I also thought that I was becoming allergic to soy, because it seemed that some soy products caused me either heartburn or diarrhea. Well the soy products I was using had wheat and Maltodextrin in the ingredients list.
So I gave it a try. The first day, I just ate things I already have in my home: grapefruit, rice and beans, salad with home-made dressing. When I woke up on the second day, not only did I not have heartburn or diarrhea, I woke up with very little pain. I had been waking up with more and more pain. I used to describe it as "you know that feeling that you were hit by a bus yesterday" but no one seemed to understand that. That pain that I had when I woke up had been becoming more and more frequent over the last 15 years, until it was a daily feeling.
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