Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Milk Troubles...time for a Goat?

O where O where has my boobie milk gone......or where does it think its going!?

I am having difficulty with my milk supply. As soon as it happened I immediately went into panic mode. It was an intense feeling of inadequacy. I thought to myself "how can a be a good mother if I cannot supply my baby with the nutrition that she needs". I do not know why I have these feelings of failure. I did not breastfeed my premature twins exclusively and only managed to nurse them for about 5-6 weeks. The doctor wanted them to be on high calorie formula. I pumped as much "liquid gold" for them as I could while they were in the NICU, but they were still being supplemented. I was younger and naive when they were born. I was a first time mother of premature twins, I was so overwhelmed I admit I never thought twice about feeding them powder from a can! I did not have as much passion for a natural lifestyle as I do now. I did not have the understanding of the vast benefits that breastfeeding offers. Now I know different and my feelings run deep, I cannot imagine my daughter drinking anything but my milk. Artificial formula scares me to death. How do I really know what goes in there? Not to mention what kind of chemicals are seeping into the powder from the can. I do not even like the idea of organic formula. In addition to my freaking out about my daughter starving there is another road block to contend with. Adelea will not take a bottle for anything. I have tried over and over again with frozen breast milk and even a little juice, she doesn't care! She screams, gags and might as well be yelling "get this cold plastic out of my mouth!" You can't trick or even tempt this one. She is sure about what she likes and it is BOOBIE! I am avidly attempting to build my milk supply by taking fenugreek ( an herbal supplement that is supposed to help increase milk production),drinking lots of extra water, and watching my minimum calorie intake. I will by no means let my daughter starve to death, that is why I have been frantically researching formula alternatives. I had really not been familiar with any of these except for hearing talk here and there. What I have found that interests me is the option of using Goat's milk in addition to a vitamin supplement OR actually preparing a homemade Goat's milk formula myself. The formula would a huge task to take on, but I think if necessary it would be completely worth the time and effort! I would LOVE to buy a goat and milk it for myself..... mmmm...... raw milk. Nothing more sustainable then using your own animals for personal dairy production. You would almost have to own your own Goat since at least in the state of Virginia it is illegal to sell raw milk..what a shame that's the best way to have it, straight from nature.
I looked into milk banks and milk sharing, but I am skeptical about using someone's breast milk. I am sure it has worked out fantastically for some people, but I just cannot be sure what this donor mother is consuming. I would have no real idea about what my daughter could be exposed to. I think it is settled in my mind if NEED be I will work with the Goat's milk. Everything that I have read on the subject seems to be very good.(minus the lack of specific vitamins and minerals which can be supplemented!) It has been reported that Goat's milk is the most like breast milk and that babies are more likely to go back to the breast when being supplemented with Goat's milk vs. Cow's milk(and cow's milk based formula). I by no means want to lose the bond with my daughter that comes from nursing. I also want her to have the best nutrition available, which comes from me! I am just trying to prepare myself for the worst, to ensure the best out of the situation. If anyone is interested in the recipe for the formula or some of the links to what I researched let me know!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Cloth is...... what I've got!


I am in the process of deciding which cloth dipe I plan on reviewing first. There are some that I do hold a very dear love for. I am having trouble making up my mind. I've been contemplating the idea of reviewing a new diaper that I have never used before. My diaper stash has a very wide variety. I do have a bit of everything out there and honestly my preference changes with the wind. In the beginning I was a strict prefold and cover user. I thought that anything more than that was ridiculous and wasteful. Then, one day it happened, I bought my first fitted.( a very popular and pricey one at that) There went the days of prefolds alone. Soon after the fluffy mail started rolling in! Now I have fittteds,customs,AIOs,pockets,hybrids,contours,
wool,fleece,PUL covers you name it I've got it :) Lately I have been trying to convince the man of the house this is a serious hobby. My diapers are a part of an elite collection and not
JUST things used for function alone. I actually think that there are a lot of CDing moms out there who feel like this. It is perfectly okay, as long as your not spending bill money on your diapers! Make sure you at least keep a good balance, if your not reaching for some of your diapers sell them - make room and Paypal for some new ones ;) A great resource for selling your dipes and finding great deals on new ones it Spot's Corner on HyenaCart.
I am diligently working on the line-up for my reviews/giveaways. Hopefully, fingers crossed I will launch the first one for the week of March 29th! Stay tuned ladies!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Preparation


What a beautiful Saturday. We were supposed to be moving today, but I think that it being postponed due to a delay in the carpet installation. I am very busy arranging reviews and giveaways for this blog that I hope you will all be interested in! I really want to spread the word on amazing products that you will love. I have such a long list of things, but I want to be organized about it. I can tell you that in the works are the products from Yoreganics and a natural nursing necklace crafted by a WAHM. I am so excited to be sharing these things with you very soon.


I also wanted to touch on the baby-wearing scare. My mother called me the other day to tell me that she heard 22 babies had died in the Moby wrap. This has been my daughters main mode of transportation since she was born. I, like any other concerned mother hit the Internet to see what was up. Well her facts were wrong, but there was a whole lot of hype due to to a recent death of a one week old baby. If you search for dangers of baby carriers all kinds of things show up. I think there have probably been accidents in every type of carrier whether it be suffocation or a fall resulting in injury. My opinion on this is this: THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY SAFE! ( when used properly) Not to mention the undeniable benefits to mother and child from sharing that closeness. You can not blame the companies for the negligence of the consumer. It is ultimately your responsibility to ensure the safety of your baby. Please make sure your checking the position of your child when wearing them . You need to ensure that there is an adequate airway at all times. If your baby is curled into a C shape they can very easily suffocate and that is a tragedy that no parent should have to meet. When doing my research I came across some things that did concern me. When looking through all of the fan photos on Moby Wrap's facebook page I was astonished at what I saw. There were very large quantities of parents who had their babies in the Moby wrap EXACTLY how the book advises them NOT to. It was actually scary, you can tell by looking, that these wraps are being used improperly. The instructions that accompany all of these wraps specifically show the
Dos and Don'ts of their product. I want to encourage everyone to make sure that you are using your product properly.There are plenty of resources available if you are unsure. Look for local stores or baby-wearing groups who would be very willing to assist you in using your wrap,carrier or sling. BE SAFE your babies life is at stake!



Friday, March 19, 2010

BUSY...BUSY...BUSY

So I picked an interesting time to kick-off this new blog. I am moving tomorrow...I am not done packing AND I am trying to juggle all of this on my own. Thank the universe for the lovely skill of multi-tasking. I have been networking and trying to work own promotion for my blog this morning while nursing the baby. All the while I am downing multiple cups of coffee to try and counteract my lack of sleep last night. I have also been packing for the boys to go to my mom's house for the weekend, I am so happy she is able to keep them for us. We still have painting to get done and A LOT of things to move into the new house. I am thinking Adelea will be living in the Moby this weekend. We bought Olympic Eco paint so now fumes for us or the kiddos. I am waiting on really cool samples to try and then I will be writing up a review that will include a giveaway! For a sneak peak see the site- Yoreganics ! Okay I need to be out of here in 30 minutes and I am not even dressed yet....and by the look,sound and smell of things I have some poopy cloth to change :) Have a lovely Friday everyone!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

I'm new here :)

Welcome Mamas! I am glad to have you here. I am new at this whole blog thing so do not mind me while I work out the kinks along the way. I have been wanting to do this for a very long time. I honestly just have not had the patience to complete the details, until now. Everything is very busy in my life as it is in every mom's world. Between almost 4 year old twin boys and an exclusively breastfed baby girl we have a genuine circus. I have wanted to blog for several reasons, I really wanted to have a place to offer advice and suggestions to parents who already live an eco-friendly life and to those who are interested in trying it out. I want to be able to offer information and be very up front and honest about my experiences with products and businesses. I also want to be very open about my experiences as a mother. I already have a list of wonderful products and businesses in mind to share with all of you. I would love to kick off my blog with a giveaway, so when I get the details of that worked out I will let you know!
 

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