Welcome to the World Monkey!

We're proud to announce the birth of our second boy

(to be officially known as "Monkey" on the blog!)

He was born April 23rd after a natural birth of just 11 hours.

 He was a healthy 8lbs even, and 21inches long!!  

As you'll see, he seems to get his eyebrows, nose, and lips from daddy and only his eyes from me! 
I'll try to post more pics by the weekend. I know I've been negligent. So sorry!!

Like Munchkin, he's a very 'happy' baby. And thank goodness all the tasks of his care are repetitive and simple! (SOME part of the birth and infancy has to be simple, right!?)  Overall, we're doing pretty well, trying to be patient with ourselves and eachother! Having two kids is different ballgame for sure - much harder on a marriage. But we try to keep things light-hearted. I keep reminding myself that things will become more of a routine soon, and Munchkin will be back in preschool too. So that will at least give me some down-time to 'catch-up" on SO many tasks that have been put off since mid-pregnancy! 



Joys of Breastfeeding

From his first feeding, he has been a champion eater. The only glitch we ran into was that he tended to just 'hold' the nipple in his mouth, not sucking. Almost like he thought he didn't have to do any work ;-) It quickly passed though, lasting only about a week or so.

As each day went by, I was reminded of all the real benefits:   

It forces you to sit down and relax every 2-3 hours!
Doesn't stain/stink like the "formula smell"  and I'm sure it has to taste better to him.

It supports his immunity in these early weeks/months.

It's way less expensive than the formula we would use.

Munchkin's poo doesn't smell as bad as formula poo! (What more can you ask for.)

My favorite part has to be the "reward" of how cuddly he is afterward, and the little sounds he makes!
As a bonus, it's so sweet to see him play with his hair - heehee!!   

That's all for now. Thanks again for everyone's encouragement and support!
**If you leave a comment below, please remember to not use baby's name online - thanks.**

Munchkin is 5mths old!

More pictures can be seen in his online photo albums,

which can be found on the left side of the blog as Munchkin (4-6mths) etc.

Now, it may seem trite, but it really does feel like just last week that we brought him home from the hospital. And now he is actually using his arms to push his chest up when he's on the floor and "stands" in his exersaucer (which he thoroughly enjoys), and constantly makes *raspberries* with his lips, and with his food ;)

Speaking of food, as some of you know, he hasn't taken the bottle well in the past. So I was concerned that weaning him from the breast would not go well. We tried the new Breastflow bottles with the double nipple system. They were impossible to use, and he would gag cause the flow was so fast. So we had been using the Adiri nursers with some success, but just in the last 2 weeks my mom found a bottle that has worked very well for him ( NUK brand)!  Thus far, he's successfully replaced one breast feeding with a bottle feeding! I'm so proud!  I'm also proud of him that he's been a better sleeper lately, with some exceptions!  The past 2 nights he has soothed himself when he woke in the middle of the night.  For him, not needing to nurse to go back to sleep is a BIG achievement -- and one I welcome!

His latest, greatest feat is that he sits unsupported now! How incredible is that!?  I think it's quite wonderful --particularly for the fact that he can now sit in a  shopping cart, and I will no longer have to lift him out of the car (in his car seat) and up onto the cart. He's a heavy boy, mind you...18lbs + the car seat's weight!

Speaking of getting a workout -- I have decided to join a gym to do my workouts!  Everyone (books, lactation consultants, doctors, friends, etc) had told me  I'd lose the pregnancy weight quickly because I was breastfeeding.  I feel that statement should've come with a warning: "But you'll be hungry ALL the time, so plan healthy snacks!"  20 of the 30 pounds that I had gained came off by my 6wk checkup -- I had been

walking at least twice a week, and doing my yoga routines once or twice a week.  But I had been doing those as much for the "feel good" effects as the weight loss!  Then the heat of the summer came and those activities came to a halt quickly ;P   So those last 10lbs or so have been TERRIBLY difficult to lose.

What's worse is that it means I'm still having to wear my preggo clothes, which I'll admit hasn't helped my mood. (Hubby can attest to that!)  My greatest challenge has been to coordinate my 50min yoga routine + a quick shower with his short naps & feedings. I had thought of doing a yoga class that's a great deal at only $5/class. But was limited to only twice a week (by their schedule and hubby's work schedule)

So my solution? To find a place that has yoga AND childcare!  And hallelujah, I was able to find one *really* close to home!  I'm hesitant to "leave" him with strangers, but they were recommended

by a fellow mommy friend who works out and takes her kids there, and I'll still be in the same facility, so I can check on him if I feel the need to :)  I'm also hesitant to let him around other kids with it being flu season and H1N1. So we shall see how it all goes. Maybe hubby and I can coordinate my workouts so I won't even need the childcare! Here's hoping!

And I figure I'll be more disciplined if I post my goal here! So, "I want to strengthen my arms/shoulders and my core (abs/back/hips), lose about 15lbs (would put me almost back to my wedding weight),

and I want to reach my goals by the end of this year." Wish me luck!!

Update: We did work it out that I haven't needed the childcare since joining!!

In other news -- I've been more active with a local Meetup.com group for moms/dads.  And I'll host an "UnderOnes" Playdate at my house at least once a month, which will be great for Munchkin to be around other kids in these "pre-preschool" years!  Soon, I'll start to take him to the "BookBabies" time at the library since he's old enough now to enjoy being read to, and to watch other children play, etc. (I don't know why they call it by that name...they don't open one book, but instead they sing/dance/do hand motions to rhymes and songs.)  I had taken him around 3 months, but he, nor I, got much out of it :P

So I'm looking forward to that!

And I have really been crafting up a storm lately! When I actually set out to take pics of it all it seems like I've been very productive; but, while I'm working on them I don't feel that way 'cause I'm thinking about the 15 other project ideas that I HAVEN'T gotten around to yet!! HeeHee!  But in any case, here's the latest project pics for you all to enjoy.

I crocheted a bumble bee for Munchkin to play with!

He likes to suck on the bee's stinger (too funny).

I've also been working on a crocheted baby blanket for a friend who's having a boy.  I think the colors will turn out beautifully. Check back soon and I'll have pictures of him sitting up for you all!

My first "Mommy Instinct" :)

Warning; Warning!!

This post may only interest other mommies out there,

especially ones who breastfeed or have breastfed their children in the past.

So fellas, consider yourselves warned! HaHa!

Here's how it all went down...I know I'm a new mom, and frankly, munchkin hasn't been in the world long enough for me to know much about him. But I quickly learned how he likes to be soothed, what a typical "poo" looked like, and whether he had spit up a "lot" or a "little," and so on. So, a few weeks ago he started to do some things "out of the ordinary" for him: coughing during his feedings, starting and stopping, he had some stools that were green and small, a few of which had "threads/streaks" of blood in them, but not always. And the green poos were 'frothy' - hey, that's the only way to put it!! He wasn't necessarily fussy, but his bowel movements were certainly explosive, and he still tooted a LOT even after I cut out milk from my diet for a few days. (Since birth, he had been gassy and had nasal congestion since 2weeks old, but they never seemed to bother him before this and now they seemed to be getting worse.) So, the blood appearing overlapped with his2 month checkup, and his pediatrician said it was "Infant Milk Protein Allergy," suggesting I cut out all dairy products, soy, and nuts, and only use a hypoallergenic formula from now until he was a year old (saying that's when the allergy mysteriously goes away). I was breastfeeding and didn't want to stop abruptly; so, I called my Lactation Consultant (LC) for advice. In the meantime I had read a lot online about this so-called "milk-protein allergy," and came across 2 articles that seemed to describe what was going on to a 'T;' yet, they had NOTHING to do with an allergy!  


They were articles about a situation called "breastmilk oversupply" and/or "foremilk imbalance." (I've included links to the articles below.) In talking with my LC, she agreed that there were too many variables (dairy, soy, nuts, etc) in my diet, aside from the foremilk imbalance possibility, to really know the cause of the blood in his stool, with 100% certainty. So she suggested that "before I go changing my diet (risking him not getting the nutrients he needs, like calcium and protein from the milk, cheese, soy, and nuts) that I should try pumping out the foremilk (2-3minutes) and feed him only the hindmilk from one breast to see if his stools improve." Adding that "if he wants the 2nd breast, do the same. I asked, "So, how will I know if it's worked." She replied, "If the stools returns to normal. If they don't, it's the allergy." I thought, Okay, simple enough! And did just as she suggested for the next feeding.  

Result: his stools have been totally normal "breastfeeding poo" ever since from that first feeding - yellow, creamy, and cottage-cheesy! Ultimately, he DID NOT have some weird allergy, nor true "lactose intolerance," which I've read is actually pretty rare. He was just getting too much lactose, which his body didn't have enough lactase (lactose's enzyme) to break down, which irritated his intestinal tract. And the bloody diapers were *inconsistent* because sometimes he was getting too much foremilk and sometimes he was getting just the right amount. In other words, sometimes my breasts were "fuller" than other times.  

I can see why his PED didn't identify the foremilk imbalance--- she didn't even ask any questions about our routine, and whether I ever found myself engorged or him coughing, etc. And besides, if she had known it was the oversupply or imbalance, she probably wouldn't have known how to adjust our routine to help it, nor how to down-regulate my supply (and surely that isn't ANY pediatrician's expetise -- thank God for LCs!). But I will admit that I'm the type of person who gets skeptical when any Dr. states something like "we don't know why the allergy suddenly happens" and "we don't know why it goes away on its own." (Come on. When you're talking about SEVERELY changing the mom's and as a result, the baby's diet, and lifestyle, get a second opinion Doc!)

Anyway, now, with guidance from the LC, I'm balancing out the imbalance without having to pump the foremilk. And yes, his poos have stayed completely normal!! I'm sooooo glad that I did my homework and listened to my mommy instincts, and that my husband encouraged me to do so. Cause if I had to cut out all dairy and nuts....Good glory, I would've had to call up my dietician friend, and had a seriously long discussion with her, and maybe even hire a personal chef -- haha! I mean, being Italian I would have had to totally RELEARN how to eat!
Morals of the story: Trust your instincts, Don't be afraid to challenge your Pediatrician or get a second opinion, Use your resources--a quick (or long) call to the Forsyth Med Center's Nursing Mothers Center is free! Only if you go in for a formal consultation is there a charge :) And there's plently of LLL groups around, though I've never been.

The LaLecheLeague Articles I mentioned above:

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/oversupply.html

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/foremilk.html