Slinging it!

I am THE Sling finatic!! .  I can't get enough slings.. and actually am going to email my mom to make me a new sling.. *smirk*

I have the Maya Wrap.> Ok.. I have TWO.. I have my casual Denium Maya, and my little more fancy Blue one.. *smirk*.  I then have the Over the Shoulder baby Holder with a Stars and Moon theme.  I have an Infantino too!! I'm dying for a Kozy Kangaroo.. Or just a sling without a ring.. So I have 4 slings.. and I really have different uses for them.

Ok.. My fancy blue one and my infantino are my MOST used slings.. My infantino I like to use when I'm running around the house cleaning and the baby will just NOT quiet down.. Two minutes in this, and boom out like a light.  I can carry her like a over the shoulder bookbag.. I wear her way down low.  down past my waist.  I'll also bring this to somewhere that I might be a little more self concious to wear a sling in.

My fancy blue Maya Wrap, I guess I use the most out of all.. I keep one in the car.. (The Denium).  The Fancy blue one.. I use for nursing.. If I'm doing something that requires both hands, I can nurse in this.. I never figured this out until this baby.. So really it takes practice.. but you really have to WANT to do it.. Not sure why I didn't really WANT to do it with my other kids.. but baby 4 requires more things hands on, I guess.. haha.. I can tighten her way up high, pull out my breast over the side of the sling and it's perfect height.. Perfect everything.. You do have to remember to adjust the "midde" part of the sling to hold her up heigh enough..

My Over the shoulder baby holder.. I will bring this to my breastfeeding groups.. I like the extra padding.. but only on occassion.. I guess this would be my LEAST favorite.. just find it too bulky, and not easy to adjust.. Actually can't adjust it enough.. If it's the only sling you have, it will work.. just not my favorite!! :)

Well there you have it from the sling junky.. Oh I do have a Baby Bjorn.. but that's a baby holder, not a sling.. :)

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My breastfed baby slept through the night!

You know the #1 question after you have a baby..  "Are you getting any sleep?" or  "How you handling running on little sleep!" Well I would smile and say.. "Oh no, she is such a good baby.. She has slept through the night since she was two weeks old!!

After the birth of Eleanor (we call her Ella) I had some major complications with my c-section healing.  Basically, I was given a hospital borne infection.  Therefore my incision wasn't healing, instead the blood was just pooling, and two days after coming home from the hospital they had to open me all back up.  I went in to get my staples removed, and they actually in the office opened it all back up and stuffed it.. I mean packed it.. I felt like a gauze dispenser! I was so grossed out.. Anyway.. I tell you all this to say I had to live with my mom for a few weeks so she could take care of me.  Instead of hiring a visiting nurse for $40.00 a day, I moved in with my visiting nurse.  My mom is a wonderful nurse.  So she'd have the joys of packing my stomach for many weeks as it had to heal from the inside out. 

Anyway, one day she heard me telling someone that the baby was sleeping through the night, and has since two weeks old.. She just smirked when I said it.. I said.. "What.. She is!! " She said.. "No, I hear her every night crying. she's up every 3-4 hours.  I said.. "Well are you taking care of her? Cause I'm not.. I don't hear her!" She said.. "Jen, I've watched you.. You roll over, give her a boob and let her eat" I said.. "Your kidding me! I dont' even know that I'm doing it.. and I really don't..

I am so darn lazy.. I can't imagine getting up to make the baby a bottle.. Oh my goodness.. It's so nice to be able to sleep through the night.. *smile*  I will tell you now.. she really is sleeping through the night.. *smirk* I think. 

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Breastfeeding is NOT easy in the beginning

If your thinking about breastfeeding.. Do you realize that it's really not that easy in the beginning? Do you know that your nipples will be sore the first few days after birth? Well for me it was days 4-7. Like really painful. (I don't think it's any more painful honestly then those who are going to formula feed and your milk comes in and you have to sit in pain hoping and waiting for it to dry up.. OUCH! ) How bad do you want to breastfeed?

You have to really want the best for your baby in order to make such a commitment. Commit to the first 3 months, and you'd be suprise once your over the first 6 weeks, how great it is.. It's tough in the beginning.. it may hurt.. But it's sooo rewarding. It's such a bond.. and it's really wonderful to look back and know that even as busy as you are, you sat down held that precious baby of yours everytime s/he needed to eat. You were the one that made that little one grow in utero.. And now out.. I just look at my precious baby right now who is sitting on my lap bouncing around.. and I know, that I have totally created this baby.. I've been her whole source of nutrition.. I literally provided for this baby what nobody else could do for her..

Ok.. well there are some greedy factors involved.. First of all money.. Doesn't cost much to breastfeed.. A box of nursing pads.. and maybe some nipple cream for the beginning weeks. *smile* After that.. nothing..

Then there are no bottles to buy, clean, or sterilize.. WOOHOO! No bottle warmers.. And you don't need a big diaper bag to house your already prepared bottles.. or the powder. It's so nice to go to bed at night and not have to wash the bottles for the next day.. or make them for the next day.. or get up in the middle of the night for the bottles.. Oh my goodness.. it's just such an easy thing when you get it down pat.. :) I give people who do the formular route a lot of credit.. caring for a baby is hard enough..Having to keep a house clean is a killer when you have a precious baby to care for.. and then add cleaning bottles into the mix! Yikes..

What happens if you plan on being out for an hour, and it turns into 6 hours and you have no bottles.. Oh goodness.. I can't even imagine.. i think you always have to be prepared. I'm not one who is EVER prepared.. *smile* I run out the door and say.. Ok, do I have a diaper for each of the babies? (I have a 1 year old and 11 week old). And I just go! I'm not one of those moms who goes with toys wherever she goes.. or anything.. that's why my cellphone is all beaten up.. It's sometimes the only thing I have with me to amuse the baby! haha..

So if you are really considering breastfeeding.. I TOTALLY think it's the easy way to go.. and you WON'T regret it!! I love the fact that I was able to breastfeed my 3 girls. I am so fortunate to be able to currently be breastfeeding my last baby. You just have to really WANT to do it.. cause it IS tough.. There's nothing you can do really to prepare you.. Other than reading all you can.. And sometimes in the beginning you'll want to pull your hair out.. Is the baby getting enough.. Am I doing it right? Is the baby gassy? Can I eat this, can I take that..etc..etc.. But it's ALL normal! Get through it, and you won't regret it.

Why Breastfeeding?

Hi, I'm Jenny.... I'm 30 years old, currently breastfeeding my fourth and final booby baby! She's just 11 weeks old, but who's really counting.. I mean she's child #4.. so she's somewhere around that age.. LOL! Her name is Eleanor and she's been my easiest nursling. She's my little dream machine! She was early.. And for a preemie I was very anxious during my c-section if she was going to nurse or not.. All I could think of.. oh God.. This baby needs to be healthy and know how to suck.. I was sooo scared.. My last baby (did a tubal right there.) All I wanted was that bond.. Isn't it an awesome bond? I love it.

Well my precious baby girl came out with a few problems.. She had low blood sugar, and she wasn't breathing too great on her own. Luckily I was able to nurse her just 7 hours after birth. At first she didn't know what to do.. I was mortified. If anyone had PPD it was gonna be me if she didn't nurse.. Well about 15 minutes later, I tried again.. and that little champ, clamped on.. (literally) clamped on, and went to town.. She was a CHAMP.. and I was rooting her on!! WOOHOO!!!

We've had some small issues in the beginning but now we are both pros. And we dont' care where we are.. if she's gotta eat.. It's time to eat, end of story!!
She's doing well.. gaining slowly, but that's ok.. she's doing fine.

Anyway.. I have started this blog, because I am pursuing my dream (since the birth of my first daughter) of becoming a Lactation Consultant. I want to help other mommies through problems and issues that arise. I feel I've been through so much with my own nurslings, that I could help women going through it. I also would love to make a difference on the number of women who currently use formula instead of breast. BREAST IS BEST!