Despite its rising popularity since the age of our mothers, breastfeeding is still a highly private act. Most nursing mothers are so discreet that you wouldn't even guess what they were doing under that scarf. Thankfully, too, because even as a nursing mother the last thing I want to see at Olive Garden is a big random boob next to a plate of ravioli.
I think I went my whole life noticing only once or twice a mother breastfeeding her baby. So it is no surprise that my nine year old niece, Oli, was shocked one day to see me nursing Chloe. And I do mean shocked. As far as she knew, the only way to feed a baby was from a bottle. Didn't you know that the first Enfamil plant opened some 2.5 million years ago? She asked if Chloe was a vampire.
Since that day I think Oli has asked me eight or nine times why I "feed her with my *insert wild hand motions toward breast*" or why I "feed her from my thingy things." And rather than explain to her all of the endless benefits of breastfeeding like breastfeeding is linked to a lower risk of ear infections, respiratory infections, asthma, diabetes, childhood leukemia, and many other childhood illnesses; or that breast milk changes over time to meet your baby's needs, always containing the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein that is needed for baby's growth. Rather than saying breastfeeding is also good for the mother by lowering the risk of diabetes, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and postpartum depression; and that, most importantly, people think we are vampires, which is totally in right now (take that Bella Swan). I always end up telling Oli the same thing. "Because it is the way that God made us." And that is the truth.
This weekend when she asked me the same question I gave her the same answer. This time she thought about it for a minute and asked "Is that how Mother Mary fed Jesus?" I thought about it for a minute, too, trying to imagine Mother Mary milking some mangy goat or cow on her way to Bethlehem before I told her that I was pretty sure Mother Mary breastfed Jesus.
People go on and on about the cost benefits of breastfeeding (which, between the pump, nursing bras, nursing tops, storage bags, etc. I'm not so sure is true). The truth is that the real reason I chose to breastfeed Chloe was that it just seemed unnatural to not. God gave us this perfect food - one that is so perfect many doctors believe it is safe to feed your baby breast milk exclusively for a whole year. One that is so perfect that doctors and scientists have been trying to reformulate it for decades using over one hundred ingredients, most of which a college graduate cannot pronounce.
That is the reason I started breastfeeding in the first place. Now I have a whole list of reasons why I love breastfeeding. Like when Chloe wakes up in the middle of the night it only takes ten seconds to pluck her out of her crib and begin feeding her. I get to cuddle with her all of the time. Most importantly, it is something that only I can do and I love that.
It was so difficult in the beginning, but now it is the most amazing bonding experience, and it is by far one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life. I just thought I would put it into words so that for my next baby, when I'm feeling like a slave to the boob waking up every two hours to feed a hungry baby, I can remember that period is only brief. The long-term benefits are definitely worth the initial frustrations.
And in case you are wondering, I am not going to be one of those crazy moms who breastfeeds her kids until they are five or thirteen or something. I don't want Chloe to have any weird memories of sucking on my boob. That's just weird.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Memorial Day Weekend
Chloe had her first trip up to my parents' cabin for Memorial Day weekend. She was a good girl in the car on the four hour trip only getting restless during the last hour. Since Chloe loves being outside, she really loved being up at the cabin where she could enjoy the fresh air. The only problem was that we were attacked the entire weekend by huge black flies. It was pretty disgusting. But I guess the beautiful weather and views made it worth the trip.
Chloe and Andrew got a little play time while we were up there. It was so nice to be able to see Andrew outside of a family event. He is such a sweetheart and I just want to squeeze him and kiss him all of the time. When I get sad about how quickly Chloe is growing up I just think of how much fun Andrew is right now. Here he is playing with Chloe (he was actually playing with her face and ears).
We went for a little boat ride and Andrew got to drive the boat. We were joking about how this is going to become a major problem in the future when Chloe wants to drive the boat, too!
Chloe had to wear a life vest and I think she loved it (insert sarcasm)... I mean, wouldn't you?
The guys had to dig a new well.
The last time we were at the cabin Chloe was in my belly. It is crazy. I have a lifetime of memories at the cabin and now I get to share one of my favorite places in the world with one of my favorite people in the world - a person whom I didn't even know would exist until just recently. My wish is that Chloe has a whole lifetime of fond memories at the cabin, too.
Chloe and Andrew got a little play time while we were up there. It was so nice to be able to see Andrew outside of a family event. He is such a sweetheart and I just want to squeeze him and kiss him all of the time. When I get sad about how quickly Chloe is growing up I just think of how much fun Andrew is right now. Here he is playing with Chloe (he was actually playing with her face and ears).
We went for a little boat ride and Andrew got to drive the boat. We were joking about how this is going to become a major problem in the future when Chloe wants to drive the boat, too!
Chloe had to wear a life vest and I think she loved it (insert sarcasm)... I mean, wouldn't you?
The guys had to dig a new well.
The last time we were at the cabin Chloe was in my belly. It is crazy. I have a lifetime of memories at the cabin and now I get to share one of my favorite places in the world with one of my favorite people in the world - a person whom I didn't even know would exist until just recently. My wish is that Chloe has a whole lifetime of fond memories at the cabin, too.
Chloe - 4 Months
Yikes, I am a couple of weeks late on Chloe's four month update. Things have been so busy around here. We have had somewhere to be every weekend and there is no end in sight for the next two months. People would always say that once we started having kids we would be able to opt out of some of the events, but it turns out that we really do have to go to almost everything.
Chloe is getting so big! At her four month check up she weighed in at 13 pounds 10 ounces. She was something like the 75th percentile. She had her vaccines and cried hysterically while she got them of course, but when we got home she was as happy as can be. I did have to give her some Meijer brand acetaminophen in the afternoon to calm her and another dose the next day, but she managed to make it out pretty unscathed. We didn't have too many questions for the doctor. Chloe was on track with all of her developmental milestones like rolling over, playing with her hands, cooing and smiling, etc. We discussed starting solid foods at six months, which is what I had been planning anyway.
I did ask the doctor if Chloe was teething, because she has started drooling and chewing on her fingers. The doctor said that it didn't look like she was teething, but that her glands have started producing saliva and since she doens't have teeth she has no choice but to drool. I'm hoping she is a late bloomer in the teeth department!
Speaking of rolling over, Chloe spent the entire month trying to get there! I think it all started when she got this terrible diaper rash. It was so bad that I ended up getting a prescription for "Magic Butt Cream." The doctor called for a lot of naked butt time, and Chloe loved rolling around on the floor naked. It was the cutest thing. It turns out that something about being naked gave Chloe the insatiable desire to roll over. She spent like 90% of her day trying to roll over and she was always so close! On May 22 she finally made it. She had blown out a diaper, and it was the worst one to date. I don't think that any of the poop even hit the diaper. It was so bad that I just stripped her down and sat her on a towel while I ran a bath. After a while I heard her fussing in the living room, and when I came out she had rolled over onto the hardwood floor. There she was all butt naked on the wood floor thinking "what the hell?!?"
She didn't roll over again until May 28 when we were putting her to bed at my parents' cabin. Of course, at the most inopportune time she started rolling over in her Pack n' Play. Then she insisted on sleeping on her stomach no matter how many times we flipped her over. I think I checked to see if she was breathing twenty or so times before I turned in for the night. Now she flips over immediately after we put her in her crib. I love sleeping on my tummy too, so I really can't blame her.
Chloe's sleep schedule varied a lot with a week or two of waking up at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. followed by a week or two of her sleeping through the night. I really don't mind waking up with her, though. She gets her snack on and then goes right back to bed like a good girl. I appreciate any cuddle time I can get. She started taking some decent naps during the day, too.
I don't know if I have ever mentioned it on here or not, but Chloe loves being outdoors. If she is ever fussing I can just take her outside and plop her in my lap and she is perfectly content looking at the grass and trees. It is so cute. We can just lie her down on a blanket while we work in the yard and she will sit there and play.
I can't believe how much easier the second two months have been compared to the first two months. It is like night and day! Chloe hardly cries and she is always so sweet and smiley. We feel so blessed right now and I am enjoying every minute.
Chloe is getting so big! At her four month check up she weighed in at 13 pounds 10 ounces. She was something like the 75th percentile. She had her vaccines and cried hysterically while she got them of course, but when we got home she was as happy as can be. I did have to give her some Meijer brand acetaminophen in the afternoon to calm her and another dose the next day, but she managed to make it out pretty unscathed. We didn't have too many questions for the doctor. Chloe was on track with all of her developmental milestones like rolling over, playing with her hands, cooing and smiling, etc. We discussed starting solid foods at six months, which is what I had been planning anyway.
I did ask the doctor if Chloe was teething, because she has started drooling and chewing on her fingers. The doctor said that it didn't look like she was teething, but that her glands have started producing saliva and since she doens't have teeth she has no choice but to drool. I'm hoping she is a late bloomer in the teeth department!
Speaking of rolling over, Chloe spent the entire month trying to get there! I think it all started when she got this terrible diaper rash. It was so bad that I ended up getting a prescription for "Magic Butt Cream." The doctor called for a lot of naked butt time, and Chloe loved rolling around on the floor naked. It was the cutest thing. It turns out that something about being naked gave Chloe the insatiable desire to roll over. She spent like 90% of her day trying to roll over and she was always so close! On May 22 she finally made it. She had blown out a diaper, and it was the worst one to date. I don't think that any of the poop even hit the diaper. It was so bad that I just stripped her down and sat her on a towel while I ran a bath. After a while I heard her fussing in the living room, and when I came out she had rolled over onto the hardwood floor. There she was all butt naked on the wood floor thinking "what the hell?!?"
She didn't roll over again until May 28 when we were putting her to bed at my parents' cabin. Of course, at the most inopportune time she started rolling over in her Pack n' Play. Then she insisted on sleeping on her stomach no matter how many times we flipped her over. I think I checked to see if she was breathing twenty or so times before I turned in for the night. Now she flips over immediately after we put her in her crib. I love sleeping on my tummy too, so I really can't blame her.
Chloe's sleep schedule varied a lot with a week or two of waking up at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. followed by a week or two of her sleeping through the night. I really don't mind waking up with her, though. She gets her snack on and then goes right back to bed like a good girl. I appreciate any cuddle time I can get. She started taking some decent naps during the day, too.
I don't know if I have ever mentioned it on here or not, but Chloe loves being outdoors. If she is ever fussing I can just take her outside and plop her in my lap and she is perfectly content looking at the grass and trees. It is so cute. We can just lie her down on a blanket while we work in the yard and she will sit there and play.
I can't believe how much easier the second two months have been compared to the first two months. It is like night and day! Chloe hardly cries and she is always so sweet and smiley. We feel so blessed right now and I am enjoying every minute.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Chloe's Mom
A few weeks ago my boss coined a new nickname for me, "Chloe's Mom." He said, "Don't you realize that for the next twenty years or so you are going to be known as 'Chloe's Mom'?" Cute, but I just sort of laughed it off. The next morning I dropped Chloe off at daycare and a little girl there named Gracie was watching as I did. When I came to pick Chloe up later that afternoon Gracie noticed me and her eyes sort of lit up, and I realized that right then and there in her head she was thinking "Hey, that's Chloe's Mom!" I was cracking up about it on the way home. Now whenever I pick Chloe up from daycare Melissa will say, "Come say 'hi' to Chloe's Mom." It is just such a funny concept to me. In my life I have been called Cassie, Cass, Reiber, Babygirl, Reeber Reiber Rubber Butt, or Gaba Gaba, and as silly as it may sound sound, the most foreign sounding one thus far is Chloe's Mom.
Chloe's Mom.
Chloe's Mom.
I'm Chloe's freaking Mom.
Thank you, God, for trusting this girl...
To eventually be the mother of this girl...
Chloe's Mom.
Chloe's Mom.
I'm Chloe's freaking Mom.
Thank you, God, for trusting this girl...
To eventually be the mother of this girl...
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Sweetest Sound
I never thought I would have a "favorite sound." That's just not really something I've ever considered. The past two weeks Chloe has been waking up at 3:00 a.m. on the dot. I get up, feed her, change her diaper, and put her back in her crib. Then for the next five or ten minutes she will lie in her crib and tell her mobile and glow worm all about it. It's just "ahgoo, oooh, ahgaa" over and over again for ten minutes. And my favorite time of the day comes at 3:30 a.m. when everyone else is sleeping and I'm curled up in bed dozing off to the sweetest sounds in the world.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Look What I Can Do!
Chloe is getting so strong! She can hold herself up on her forearms and when we change her diaper she tries desperately to roll over. She is getting so close and it won't be long now!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Thoughts on Mother's Day
With my first Mother's Day fast approaching I am spent wondering if I will celebrate in the way my ancestors did before me (okay by ancestors I mean my mom and probably my Grandma if she had lived in a different time) - by slamming cupboards and storming around the house in a fit of rage. I have been getting to know my mom all over again now that I am a mother myself. I understand how she must have felt on a daily basis, and lately I have been feeling a little run down. It seems like I do it all and when I take a step back to assess the situation I am overwhelmed and shocked that I haven't collapsed.
A few nights per week I am still getting up for 2:00 a.m. feedings followed by a 2:30 a.m. diaper change that ends up resulting in a full hour of sleep loss. When I wake up I get myself ready and do another million things to get Chloe ready, drop her off, and go to work. When I get home I struggle to do the laundry, keep the house clean (at least on the surface), take care of my precious baby, attempt some sort of physical activity, pay the bills, and the list goes on. On top of that it takes a full week to prepare and pack for a weekend away.
I feel so overworked sometimes that I find myself rejoicing in the fact that I cannot prepare even a decent package of macaroni and cheese. Just for that I often have the urge to enter into enemy territory and do a victory lap around the kitchen. By the time I turn in for the night I feel as though I have been on an assembly line all day, only I'm not the employee, but the little part that has been shimmied, shaken, and flattened only to be rejected because it is too chubby to fit into its jeans.
But please don't worry about me, Internet. I don't have postpartum depression or depression at all for that matter. This is just my way of storming around the kitchen slamming cupboards and clattering pots and pans because a Hallmark card and flowers from D & W just seem like an insult for a year's worth of blood, sweat, and tears. I feel better already just having got this off my chest, and in an hour or two I will forget all about how hard it is to be a mother.
So thanks again, Mom, for being so great and for working so hard for us even though we are a full grown. The job is never over and your love and dedication continue to inspire me. I love you! Happy Mother's Day.
A few nights per week I am still getting up for 2:00 a.m. feedings followed by a 2:30 a.m. diaper change that ends up resulting in a full hour of sleep loss. When I wake up I get myself ready and do another million things to get Chloe ready, drop her off, and go to work. When I get home I struggle to do the laundry, keep the house clean (at least on the surface), take care of my precious baby, attempt some sort of physical activity, pay the bills, and the list goes on. On top of that it takes a full week to prepare and pack for a weekend away.
I feel so overworked sometimes that I find myself rejoicing in the fact that I cannot prepare even a decent package of macaroni and cheese. Just for that I often have the urge to enter into enemy territory and do a victory lap around the kitchen. By the time I turn in for the night I feel as though I have been on an assembly line all day, only I'm not the employee, but the little part that has been shimmied, shaken, and flattened only to be rejected because it is too chubby to fit into its jeans.
But please don't worry about me, Internet. I don't have postpartum depression or depression at all for that matter. This is just my way of storming around the kitchen slamming cupboards and clattering pots and pans because a Hallmark card and flowers from D & W just seem like an insult for a year's worth of blood, sweat, and tears. I feel better already just having got this off my chest, and in an hour or two I will forget all about how hard it is to be a mother.
So thanks again, Mom, for being so great and for working so hard for us even though we are a full grown. The job is never over and your love and dedication continue to inspire me. I love you! Happy Mother's Day.
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