Monday, June 11, 2007

Plans shmans.

I am enjoying my first glass of wine post-baby! Oops, actually second. I mean third. Sheesh. OK first glass of wine at my house post-baby!

But on to the real reason I'm writing. I left a note on Anna's blog wondering why the heck we moms make plans. Kids don't read the plans. Kids (babies in particular) could care less about mom's plans.

I had planned on having plenty of breast milk available to pump. I had planned on Kate taking a bottle by now. I thought I had planned everything far enough in advance. I did not plan on being wrong. I do have plenty of breast milk but my breasts are not very fond of bestowing milk upon a pump. My milk can be pumped, but only in (relatively) tiny amounts. Then my body turns off. I know Kate is getting tons. The pump is getting hardly anything.

I am now actually in pain because of the pumping frequency and don't have hardly much more milk to show for it. I've tried all kinds of techniques and timing. It's tough to practice the bottle with Kate with so little precious milk because I want to save it all for when I'm at work. So Superman tried a bottle of formula with her tonight. She remains uninterested. Tonight she wasn't as much upset as she was annoyed. No sucking of the nipple, just gnawing and chewing and spitting back out the few drops that she got. And fussing at dad because can't he see that formula is weird and where the heck is the boob already?!? What, did mom just like, die or something!?


I have a feeling it'll be a rough few days at work. Praying it won't be; there's always a chance that she'll be delighted to receive a bottle 3 or 4 times from Grandma while I'm away. Poor Kate and poor Grandma! I wish my breasts were detachable. Ha. Now I'm imagining a faux-breast device. I'm afraid to google. =)

It'll be over pretty soon though. And what is four days of turmoil compared to the rest of her happy life? It'll all work out. We just need to grit our teeth and make it through.

My friend has a four-month old and just found out she is pregnant again. How cool is that!? I can't say I would be opposed to the idea if it were to happen to me... I don't know how long I could have a yearly baby without an epidural though. That kind of pain once a year is way, WAY too often.

Also, Kate has discovered her voice. Well, she's discovered more of her voice. Tonight she discovered how to hoot like an owl. She thinks it's the coolest thing ever and goes on and on. So now I have a little baby who hoots when she gets bored or excited. Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!


  1. Thanks Cate. Your sympathy is highly appreciated. Baby did very well today (I took her to Beck's work mid-shift for feeding) and I'm quite proud of her (as well as her exceedingly TIRED parents). Note to TAB: They've been around lots longer than either of us!

  2. haha, my mom said the word "boob".

  3. Poor Grandmas. I don't envy you! And it's still very weird to address either of you as "Grandma." :)But I'm a little confused...I thought you were done with work?

  4. Right-On!!! That's exactly what I'm thinking. I'm shaking in my boots already. :-) I wonder if Beck's workplace has room for a portacrib and a rocking chair. Of course we could just keep driving around in the car between feedings. We could hit Becky's workplace on every 45th lap around town.

  5. How about some sympathy from you commenters for the 'poor Grandmas' who will be trying to soothe one starving and neglected granddaughter while Mom and her milk-producing boobs are at work?! It's certain that Baby will be fine, while me and Super MIL will likely be emotionally scarred for life...

  6. I have a manual pump which I am so thankful for. It helps a lot on the soreness. As to actually getting milk when I pump, I found it helped if I pumped when I nursed my baby. My body likes the 'shut down if object extracting milk is not baby' mode. So, I trick it by employing the baby's help. Sometimes it means that I only get one side pumped, but the baby only gets one side nursed too, so the next time we switch. I try switching the baby and the pump before I think the baby has finished off it's side, but sometimes I'm not quick enough. You know you can layer freeze your milk right? It really helps when you only get a small amount when you pump since you can put together a decent amount for a feeding by adding the cooled fresh milk to the bottle of frozen milk and then sticking it back in the freezer.

  7. Don't tell me you "accidentally" drank two extra glasses of wine while you were typing this... and the first two were consumed while driving home?!?!Shocking! One should never type while driving.

  8. Did the wine help with a let down? I find that when I have a glass my boobs explode. I hope the pumping gets better!!!!I remember the pumping pain till I figured out the intensity I needed to pump to get what I needed, it can be so frustrating!! Kate sounds like she is stuborn, all too familiar! Praying for you!!!!!About the google search thing, ya it's out there!