Canada bound?

I'm thinking it's time to move to Canada. Not only does one reap the benefits of poutine, but also their fabulous health care.

Let me just say, we will have paid over 14k between medical bills and premiums (we have really poor insurance coverage), and our premium costs will increase from $6600 annually to $9768 as of January 1st, and our deductible is going up $1500. Let me just mention that S works for a large, well known architecture and engineering firm, one that due to their reputation, you would think they would offer better coverage for their employees....

I'm this close to setting up a flatscreen outside of our home and playing Moore's Sicko on repeat 24/7 for the next 3 months.

This Week

This week has been busy, busy, busy! S's mom flew in for a visit to see Anders and give us some much needed family time. Our last family visit included me getting over a nasty post-delivery infection and trying to get breastfeeding down with a non-latch friendly baby, and we barely spent any time with our visitors. This time we got to enjoy the visit, get out of the house a few times and spent most mornings in our pj's!

And I turned 24..... only 6 to 30, AHHHH! And I got a "mommy do" thanks to my MIL who once-upon-a-time was a hairdresser.
Before:

Mind you, that's also 1 week after giving birth....

After:

And I finally have a "normal" non-pudgy face back. And that is one VERY tired S.

And, finally, this week involved the end of our breastfeeding. We tried to go back to nursing (as opposed to our pump and feed which we have been doing since week 1) and my lazy latch baby is still just as lazy. We sit for HOURS and A is still hungry all the time. And the obscene amount of pumping was starting to destroy me, both physically and mentally. Essentially, our day involved me pumping anywhere between 8-10 times/day (which is the only way I can maintain a milk supply) for 20 minutes each time, and then feeding A as much as I could get (which was often only 2 oz total, and no where near enough for a baby craving 5 oz). A & I would spend at least a full hour to pump and eat-Anders is a VERY slow eater, 4 oz takes an average of 45-60 minutes to be consumed from a bottle. So my day was pump, feed, get 1-1.5 hours between, repeat. Not only were we spending 8-10 hours just to feed, but even with every ointment known to man, including prescription ointment, I have demolished my nipples to the point that I was crying in pain at every pump. And finally, after 7 weeks of fighting to feed A breastmilk, we are done. And I am fine with it.

Feeding Anders

This is a post about breasts. Just putting it out there well in advance for any breastfeeding squeamish parties.

Our tale begins as such: Anders seemed like a champion feeder at the hospital, we were rocking out the latch, loving the skin-to-skin contact, and generally a very happy mom and baby duo. At 5 days old we had our first "uhoh" moment at the pediatrician's office that gave us the feeling something might be funky. Anders was down from a birth weight of 7lb 8 oz to 6lb 10oz. Our wonderful pedi mentioned a quick weight check for the next day and to try and pump a little since I was majorly engorged. At 6 days old we went back, and Anders was down to 6 lbs 8 oz and very unhappy with life. He would sleep for 20 minutes then wake up starving, eat for 20 minutes, sleep for another 20 and then wake up starving, rinse, repeat. So our pediatrician suggested pumping and feeding from a syringe or having an alternative person feed Anders to prevent nipple confusion, and a repeat weight check the next day. After nursing, then pumping, and having my mom feed him from a bottle we got a great weight gain up to 6 lb 11 oz the next day. Which was the same day everything imploded for me.

I had an infection. In the teeny tiny little scratch I had from delivery, I had a nasty infection. And after diagnosing this at the midwives and being put on breastfeeding friendly antibiotics and painkillers, I stopped producing milk. I went from getting 3 oz of milk in 7 minutes of pumping to getting 0.25 oz of milk (total from both breasts) in 20 minutes of pumping. This was later discovered to be caused by my body trying to handle the infection and "focus" on what was necessary-healing.

I fought and I fought to get milk, and finally broke down 1 week after delivery and fed Anders formula. And he slept. And I cried. Something as "simple" as breastfeeding seemed to come naturally to everyone else, heck, even Kourtney Kardashian can do it! and I couldn't. Thus began the uphill battle to "bring back the milk" as it was so lovingly called by S.

First, let me say that when someone is having issues breastfeeding boobs suddenly become public domain. My mom, my dad, my friends, all doctors and nurses, friends of the family, my inlaws, etc... all know about the boobs, and you know what, I'm okay with that. When my mom first sent out the "update on M's boobs" e-mail to family and friends I had a minor mental freak out, then in poured the sympathy and the "I had the same thing happen" stories. I never knew how many people I know had trouble breastfeeding. And knowing I am not alone was wonderful.

To try and get the milk to come back in the following regimen was started: Fenugreek supplements 3Xday (until I smelled like maple syrup 24/7, a glorious side effect), goat's rue tea 3Xday, mother's milk tea 3-4Xday, pumping for 20 minutes every two hours, eating oatmeal and oatmeal cookies laced with brewers milk 6 times/day, 2 cups of malt a day, doubling the protein and water intake, and, finally, renting a hospital grade pump to replace my pump in style. This went on for 2 weeks and my production went from 0.25 oz (mind you, these counts are a total per pumping session, ie: from both boobs) to 0.50 oz. Still, not enough. I kept pumping and trying to nurse, and pumping and trying to nurse, and again and again. And nothing. Insert reglan.

My midwife perscribed reglan as a last resort, and after 1 week I had noticed my production went from 0.50 oz/pump to 0.75...and with the introduction of cracked nipples, I said "I'm done" on Friday and settled in witha  bottle of wine to drink away my feeling of defeat. And I woke up Saturday morning to porn star boobs. And I started pumping when I felt full and still supplementing with formula because I was only getting 5 oz/day with occasional pumping, not enough to feed our growing boy, but still more than ever before!

What's the end verdict? 3 weeks after I said, "I'm done" I now pump 5-8 times/day and Anders gets about 60% of his meals as breastmilk, which is all I can get out of my body. We stopped nursing for many reasons, at least until this week. I started nursing again to get that great skin-to-skin feeling, and even though he really doesn't nurse well, it's time that I just love with Anders. And we finally stopped using a nipple shield....

And hello double mastitis. Today, I discovered that my breasts had been replaced by 2 hot packs, pumping makes me scream and a 102 degree fever is my new bff. Insert one almost crying phone call to my midwife, another round of antibiotics and ibuprofen. Will this stop the breastfeeding??? Absolutely not, at least not after all we have been through just to get some breastmilk into Anders' diet. We are doing the best thing for us, which includes formula, and breastmilk, and a close relationship to my pump, as well as reglan and fenugreek, and I am finally happy with it. It took almost 6 weeks, and I am happy, and we will overcome this new hurdle, and be stronger for it in the end!