Breastfeeding with Baby #2

It's amazing how things can just click the 2nd time around.

I still look at my breasts and think to myself, amen.  My son had a great latch from the very beginning.  I remember the first feeding and the nurses praising his latch.  I fumbled on how to hold him, but it was just like riding a bike and it all came back to me after that first cumbersome hold. I was determined this time around to do my best and to not stress.  I knew if it didn't work out, that I would happily switch him to formula and life would go on. I didn't want to hold on to those stressful feelings I had with Jillian, and the pressure to provide breastmilk. And I was not going to be married to my breast pump for 4 months. No way!!

In short here is why breastfeeding is working this time around:
1) My son has a great latch
2) I am calm and not freaking myself out
3) I made sure for the first two weeks, that he was feeding on each breast for at least 15 minutes.  If he was done eating, I would still leave him there to sleep on me.
4) We nursed naked!  The skin to skin contact is supposed to help and I remember that being a very important way to stimulate my production
5) I nursed on demand. Which was every 2 hours or sometimes even 90 minutes.
6) I added in one pumping session (this was in addition to Weston's normal feeding) to help production.
7) I took fennel greek, ate a ton of food and drank a lot of water.


I contribute a majority of my success to the fact that Weston had a great latch and health wise, my breasts didn't get any clogs or infections. They were definitely sore and painful, but you have to tredge on.

My breasts are currently a 34 DD, which is crazy, because pre-baby I am a solid B.

I am beyond proud that breastfeeding is working.  It's this amazing gift I can give my son, and the bond we have shared so far has succeeded every single expectation I have ever had. I keep thinking, I get it now.  I wish I could have shared this with Jillian, but if there is any advice I could pass on, or give myself when baby #3 arrives, is that you just have to stay calm and determined. We all know the first 4 weeks is the hardest, but the saving grace is that it does get easier.  You hear that phrase all the time, but the beginning IS the hardest.

Craigslist Find --- Stroller

Jillian is almost 7 months old and is finally outgrowing her snap and go stroller. This makes me so happy. As much as I loved the snap and go and Graco carseat, I hated carrying her car seat up and down our stairs. I am anxious to get a permanent car seat she can grow into that stays in my car, and a new stroller.

Since the early days, I have always known that I wanted a light-weight umbrella style stroller. My heart was set on the Maclaren Triumph. A month ago I started looking at craigslist, daily, to see what I could find.

Last night, I found a gently used, 1 year old Triumph in red and black for $80. It was success. In a matter of hours, we purchased the stroller and brought it home. Tim loves it, I love it, and Jillian looks so cute in her big girl stroller. I can't wait to start using it.

Next up is a car seat, any recommendations??

Baby Shower

My baby shower is this weekend, hosted by my best friend, Lisa, with assistance from Mary and my mom.

I am super duper excited!!




My invitations were purchased through Etsy. Rock, Paper, Dove had just the look I wanted for my shower, without being over the top baby!

It's a GIRL!!!

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.

I still can't get over our gender reveal yesterday. I have mentioned in previous posts, that I was pretty certain that I was having a boy (despite the baby girl in all my dreams). Plus with Tim's side of the family being 4 generations of men, my odds were sort of stacked against me.

During our ultra sound, we informed the technician right away of our plans. We did not want to find out the sex in a cold informal way from a stranger. So she printed a picture of our baby, wrote the sex on the top and sealed it tight in an envelope. Rewind two days, and on Saturday I had ordered two cupcakes from Frostings. The inside of the cupcakes were custom made: one with blue inside and one with pink inside. So immediately after my doctor's appointment, I went into Frostings and handed them the envelope and told them to wrap up the cupcake that matched the ultra sound technician photo.




I left Frostings as giddy as could be. I had both the cupcakes, the sex of the baby in the envelope, and a huge dinner celebration planned with Tim. I spent the afternoon preparing for dinner and once Tim came home we opened a bottle of white wine and chatted about our day. We enjoyed a home-cooked meal of chicken enchiladas, and talked feverishly about our the doctor's appointment that day and possibly taking baby classes at our hospital. Meanwhile the two cupcakes were sitting on the table. I couldn't help but think about them even through our dinner, and was so ready when Tim finally said, any new predictions before we cut it open? We both laughed at this comment, figuring we were about to cut open a blue cupcake.

I held the camera steady to take pictures as Tim cut through the middle of the cupcake. I couldn't quite see the color of the cupcake, but once Tim yelled out "Whaaaat?!!" I knew something drastic was about to happen. I peered over to look at the cupcake from behind the camera, and all I could see was pink. We both just sat there with tears in our eyes, completely and UTTERLY shocked. We were both quiet, just eying the bright pink inside of this cupcake. After some hugs and some more tears, we still couldn't believe what we were seeing. Maybe they got the cupcakes mixed up? I grabbed the technician's envelope, quickly ripped it open, and pulled out the ultrasound picture. There it was; the picture of our baby's legs spread eagle and at the top of the picture in small writing: Its a girl.

We are ecstatic and overjoyed to have a little girl, but in our minds we always thought it was going to be a boy. I have always said from the beginning, that I didn't have a preference. I just want a healthy baby. But the idea of having a boy made itself very comfortable in the back of my head, and while I always thought it could be either, I guess that idea was a tough one to remove. So that is where we are right now....still trying to comprehend that we are going to have a DAUGHTER! A beautiful precious little girl.

We finally ate the cupcake and of course inhaled the second one too. Tears started up again and I tried my best to capture the evening through all the emotions...

We called our families right away and sent out a text to our close friends. It's finally real, it's the feeling I have been wanting to feel this entire pregnancy. I am so in love and enamored by this little girl and I can't wait to meet her in December.

I was shaking while taking these pictures, hence the blurriness. The pink wrapper was NO indication of the sex. This is how this particular cupcake is sold. It is called their birthday cupcake: Yellow cake, Vanilla Bean frosting with sprinkles.

Let's check the technician's note to make sure it *really* is a girl!

Still shocked...and please excuse my husband's half naked body! (it was hot in our house)!

The Crib and Crib Bedding

I have been meaning to write a post about the crib Tim and I purchased. Now that we have it in our house, I realize this post is over due.

I feel very lucky to have a husband that lets me have free reign, on most, if not all decor in our house. I definitely want his opinion, and if it is something he hates, then I would never buy it. Lucky for us our style is pretty similar.

I was drawn right away to the two toned cribs (whites and browns). I am not per say going for a contemporary nursery, but I wanted something that felt new and crisp, as opposed to vintage or antique. I also wanted something safe.

Most cribs seem to be ever-changing in their safety standards. In fact just recently some 10+ cribs were re-called due to issues dealing with malfunction or hazard causing materials. A complete list of which cribs were recalled can be found here. Luckily our crib was not one of these....

Because of my concern for safety, I decided to buy our crib brand new/current. I also wanted to make sure we purchased a crib that was made from solid wood. Most cribs contain some amount of pressed wood, which wouldn't be a huge problem, except for the glue that holds this wood together. Most glues associated with pressed wood usually contains toxic VOC's or formaldehyde. I also wanted to make sure the manufacturer was using non-toxic materials in their finishes, gloss, stain or paint. It's incredibly overwhelming to take all of this information in, and make a qualified decision. Then throw in budget and style and boom it becomes one of the hardest decisions we have had to make so far.

Thanks to Tim, the blogging world and consumer reports we made the decision to purchase the Baby Mod Parklane 3 in 1 crib in Amber and White from Walmart. It retails for under $300 and Walmart offers a ship to store site feature that allows you to save on shipping costs.

When we opened the box last night, I held my breath, hoping that it would meet all my expectations esthetically and it did! The dark wood is the exact color I had hoped for, and the material felt heavy and smooth. I looked at Tim, thinking how proud I was of us to make such an informed decision that will not only house our sleeping baby at night, but keep our baby safe as well.

The crib bedding is a long story, but I will keep it short and to the point. I purchased the bedding off Craigslist. It was brand new in the packaging for $50. The lady selling the bedding was told she was having a boy, and when she gave birth, out popped a little girl. She never had time to return the bedding, along with all the rest of the boy items she received at her baby shower. Could you blame her? She had her hands full with a newborn, so she made do with everything until she could take things back and exchange them. Lucky for me, the store would not take back her purchase and I walked away with the deal of the century. The set retails over $200 brand new. So you are probably wondering if the set is geared towards a boy?? It is, but the only part that is 'boy' is the fitted crib sheet in blue. So if we are having a girl I plan on swapping out the sheet for a bright green or yellow.

We are constantly checking craigslist and consignment stores for a chair and dresser, but right now I feel 100% content on our purchases!

The crib bedding above

The Baby Mod Park lane Crib above (note: this is not our crib, ours is in pieces on the floor waiting to be assembled).

Building...

Building....memories with the family at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach

Building....our tans at the beach

Building...up an appetite from swimming.

Building...a sea turtle in the sand

Building...a life for a baby. Crib, crib bedding and some clothes

Building....a crib, our first big purchase for Baby R

Building....a storage unit for Baby R's closet.

Boy or Girl? Old Wives Tale Version

One of the first things people ask me when they find out I am pregnant is do I want to find out what I am having? Heck yes I do! I am not exactly the most patient person and if you know me well, you know I am a planner/organizer! So waiting was out of the question.

Now that I am pregnant and almost 17 weeks you would think I would be leaning one way or another on if I am having a boy or a girl. I honestly have no idea. I admit I will be surprised if we are having a girl. On Tim's side of the family there have been NO girls in 4 generations. The only exception was when Tim's sister, Beth, popped out and surprised the hell out of everyone the day she was born. Ever since we announced to the family that I was pregnant, I have been teased by my father-in-law and Tim's uncles that I am for sure having a boy.

Just for fun, I copied fellow blogger, Risley, and took a poll of all the wives tales out there. Let's see how I tally up.

If the heart rate is under 140 you'll have a boy.

Heart rate has been way higher than 140, so girl.

If you are carrying all your weight out front its a girl, if your weight is around your
hips and bottom it's a boy.

I am not showing too much still, but I would guess Boy on this one.

If your bump is low it's a boy if your bump is up higher it's a girl.

Boy

If the baby is very active it's a boy.

I haven't felt any movement yet, but the ultra sound showed a very active baby so boy.

If you're craving sweets it's a girl, if you're craving salt you're having a boy.

I hate salt right now ugh!! So girl.

If daddy is gaining weight along with mommy it's a girl.

Lol, Tim is going to hate me for this but daddy is gaining some weight: girl.

When picking up a single key, if she picks it up from the thin end, it's a girl. If she
picks up the key from the base it's a boy.

Girl

If your face is colored in acne you're having a girl. If you have clear beautiful skin you'll have a boy.

Boy

Do you sleep on your Right or your Left side? Right you're having a girl, left you're having a boy.

I sleep on both, but I am most comfortable on my right, so girl.

If you are puking all the time you'll have a girl.

Boy

If your hands are dry you'll have a boy, if they are soft you'll have a girl.

Boy

If you're drinking lots of orange juice and other citrus you're having a girl.

Girl, I love OJ

If you feel graceful during pregnancy you're having a girl, but if you feel clumsy you'll be having a boy.
I haven't been clumsy once, so girl.

If you gain weight in your face you're having a girl.

Not yet anyways, so Boy.

If you are especially moody you'll be having a girl.

Girl.. lol

The Mayan tale adds the mothers age at conception and the year of conception. If the result is an even number then mom is having a girl. If the result is an odd number then a boy is on the way!

Boy

Pull down the skin under your left eye. If you see a "V" or "brancehs" in the white part you'll have a girl.

Girl

If you are the first born child, you will have what your mom had but starting with her second child. If you are the middle child, you will have what she had but starting with the third. If you are the last child you will have what your mother had in the exact order.

Girl

If you eat the ends of bread, it’s a boy. If you eat the middle of the loaf, it’s a girl.

Girl

The Chinese Gender Chart claims to have an accuracy rate of over 90%. It is based on how old the mother is at conception and the month that she conceived.

The Chinese gender chart said Boy for us!

You are having a girl if your beauty disappears during pregnancy. It is said that the girl “steals” the mother’s beauty. If you think that pregnancy has never made you look more beautiful, you might just be having a little boy.

hmmm?? I think I look the same..with maybe some added glow, so Boy.

If you have dreams that you are having a boy, you will have a girl. If you dream about having a girl, it will be a boy. Dreams show the opposite of what you are having.

Boy!!

When a pregnant woman craves meat and cheese, count on a boy.

Not really craving anything.

Are your feet colder now that you are pregnant? If so, you just might be having a boy. If your feet have stayed the same before pregnancy and during, you’re having a little girl.

Girl

If you are having headaches, you might be carrying a boy.

Got those! Boy!

It is said that when you can only think of specific names for a boy or a girl, you will have that particularly baby.

Well, we have a name for both but are very indecisive on what we like the best.



So according to all these old wives tales here is the score:

GIRL 12
BOY 12

Of course I have a tie!!! Only me!!

We will find out 100% either way on July 19th, during our next big appointment. Until then, make your guesses....