Flirty Spice ... #2

I thought Julia was a flirt. She had nothing compared to Miss Jacqueline. She is so expressive with her face - eyes, mouth - so very happy to see you. It is going to be SO interesting very soon. I love how much more social she is. Thank you! I've almost survived the 3 months of "Baby Boot Camp." : )

Aunt Susie visits during Spring Break

Old post - title, nothing else started so winging it again from memory.

It was wonderful to have Susie here in Nashville during HER spring break (MNPS is not until April). Jacqueline is 8-9 weeks old so slightly older than when Susie first met Julia, but we all enjoyed our time together. Julia got some extra attention, really needs it right now as some of the novelty of having a little sister wears thin. Taking care of a small baby is a lot of work even with 2 parents. I do not understand how single parents do this & definitely don't know how you handle more than 1 child. I am grateful for the awesome support from family & friends. We received meals from family & friends for about 6 weeks & it was so great to not have to think about preparing those meals. 

Susie is gluten free/vegetarian so we got lots of fun things to eat that we do not buy, like tahini, while she was here. Another gift is her daily green smoothie. Julia likes it, I tolerate it, Jai hates it. I know we're slightly healthier while she's here. A week is never enough time, but I'm happy to have than time with her. Hopefully we'll be able to play tennis when she's here in June for Jacqueline's baptism.

A Lesson Learned

She lays on the bed and says "Come here, sweeetie." in a mock child voice.

As she pulls up her shirt she explains its time to feed you, let's see if you will latch on. Finally the look of satisfaction as her favorite lays across her chest to feed.

No, this is not Tara feeding Jacqueline. This is the scene of Julia breastfeeding her stuffed bear, Sawyer.

The Weights of JSS

Another old post, relying on memory for my original intent ...
It has been an interesting experience the past few weeks as I watch Jacqueline grow & grow she has.
After my stressful/scary times with Julia's weight challenges, I was prepared to have a similar experience with Jacqueline, especially as she was smaller at birth. Ironically my anxiety created a very vigilant attendant to feeding & making sure she was on the breast often. The scale (we bought one when Julia was 6 months old, best purchase EVER!) keeps saying she is gaining as do the number of diapers we change. However, for many reasons I cannot relax, continuing to not believe the scale or reassurances from family, friends, LLL leaders. I mark the daily chart religiously in case I need the information to discern when & where the problem began & how to fix it. I also pump most mornings & evenings in case I need extra milk. Really there never has been a problem other than in my head &amp. Also I have a freezer FULL of breast milk ... another post on that situation/dilemma. It's a good dilemma to have actually, but a potential conflict at times too.

Keep growing healthy, strong & beautiful, Jacqueline. You're doing an awesome job & I thank you.

Beyonce in the news again!

It's been 2 months since B had her baby girl, days before Jacqueline was born. This time the headline was about Beyonce breastfeeding in public. http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/05/how-beyonces-public-breast-feeding-changes-the-nursing-in-public-debate/

So interesting how this is a big deal. It is! Beyonce is a HUGE celebrity as well as as woman of color. NIP is such a hot button subject for debate. Should you do it? Should you cover yourself? The funny thing about it is that I have seen no pictures of Beyonce feeding the baby, but even if there weren't, it is still awesome that it's gotten people talking about it. It doesn't matter to me, I'll breastfeed in public no problem. However, some people are more shy or concerned about possible confrontation.

The law states that you can feed your baby any public location you are allowed to be. Private locations like someone's home are different, but I feel like if you're at someone's house & they give you grief about feeding your baby, then you need to leave anyway, you're not really welcome there. However, if I'm at at a restaurant, the park, my daughter's school, I can feed my baby where I am, not asked to leave or go to the bathroom. That gets me, with pumping at work, too, when people suggest the bathroom. Do YOU eat in the bathroom? No, so why should my child have to eat there?

I don't try to call attention to myself, but I also do not want to hide myself because you might possibly see part of my body & realize a baby is at my breast. There is also the possibility that you will skip a feeding because you cannot find a private space. That is not good for your baby or your milk supply. This could lead to possibly not being able to breastfeed your baby as long as you want or is recommended by AAP or WHO (at least 1 year).  This happens & it's a public health & economic issue when children are fed formula instead of breastmilk.

Then there's the person of color factor. That's huge! Not just about NIP, but as an example of breastfeeding. We all need to see people who look like us, saying it is possible, showing that it's OK to feed your baby this way, most definitely in the black community. Our numbers are low, really low, for initiation definitely, but even after that for continuing for 6 months, much less for 1 year. So many people, black, white, other, are amazed that I breastfed Julia for a year +. We all need support, encouragement, role models, but especially in the African-American community.

Thanks, Beyonce, for being a celebrity role model. Thanks, Jessie, who is a white friend, for sending me the article. Inspiration comes in all forms! : )

The Smiles begin

I'm guessing that this is when Jacqueline started smiling, but it is awesome! It seems a bit earlier than Julia, but we figure she was really hungry so not so much up for smiling. : ) Jacqueline is a really happy baby, not that Julia wasn't, but her sister seems really content. Part of it could be me, I'm much more relaxed parent, second baby syndrome I guess.

Plus our house is pretty busy with a 3 year old and a dog plus both parents home often. Jacqueline is on a crazy ride, hanging out for the fun times. She definitely observes the busy activity level, seems so easy going, maybe just see what happens next.  The smiles are great!