Dohm saves the day!

One of the things that has brought us a lot of freedom as parents is playing white noise when Kiyomi sleeps.  We live in a small condo, so it can get quite noisy.  Around the 1-month mark, we burned a CD (yes, we're still living in the 90s and have a vast collection of CDs) of white noise and popped it into the CD player on repeat.  Having the white noise allows us to par-tay (ha, not really wildly) into the wee hours of the night after Kiyomi has gone to bed.

But then, yesterday, my hubby decided he would put in some other CDs to find out what kind of music Kiyomi liked.

And now the CD player rejects the white noise CD.

AHHHHHH!!! 

Cue Dohm to save the day!



Apparently the Dohm white noisemaker is the most popular.  It claims to save marriages, even!  It is the "Official Sound Conditioner of the National Sleep Foundation".  Makes it sound so effective!  All I know is, there's a fan inside and it makes enough noise to cover our outside conversations, even though there's only a door between Kiyomi and the rest of us.  Amazing.  Babies sleeping...does it get any better?!

I don't know about marriages, but this thing really saved our social lives!

Lest you think that sleep training is easy...

I am currently staring at my baby monitor.  Staring at the image of my daughter, who has been crying on and off for 15 minutes or so.  I am confused.  Should I go into her room to get her, or do I continue to let her cry it out?

My husband put her down for a nap after she yawned a few times.  That was 45 minutes ago.  She proceeded to play quietly by herself for half an hour.  Usually, after a few yawns, we put her down, she plays and calms herself down, and then she's out in 15 minutes or less.  Today, she played for half an hour.  And then started crying.  In 15 more minutes, it'll be time for her next feed.

I'm so confused.  Should I just go get her?  She seems to almost drift off, and then wakes herself up and cries.  GAAAAAH.

I wish I had the Baby Whisperer here.  She would know what to do.

Things not to say to a breastfeeding woman

It figures that the day after I write a post about breastfeeding, that I would get one of the comments that still makes me unsure of my breastfeeding success.  I had just finished feeding Kiyomi, and passed her off to my friend.  He was holding her a while, and noticed that she started to suck on her fingers.  I know Kiyomi, and this is her self-soothing thing.  Anyway, he decided to give me a "you're a bad mother" look, and said that Kiyomi was obviously (really, though?  OBVIOUSLY?) still hungry.

And then.

You know what he said?

"You don't have enough."  And he pointed at my chest.

Seriously?  I'm still pulling the dagger out of my chest, thanks.

If he had said that to me 2 months ago, I'm sure I would have broken down in tears and cried in the corner for half an hour.  Today, I brushed it off, but it really made me think about how insensitive people can be about breastfeeding.

Never ever ever ever assume or vocalize something like this unless you are in a position to do so (you know, if you're a caring sister/mother/grandmother/lactation consultant), who is really looking out for the best interest of the breastfeeding woman.  And, I think, be especially careful about your comments/questions if you're a guy, or have never breastfed. 

Another thing that used to put me on the defensive was when people would ask whether I had enough breastmilk.  I'm not talking about other caring mothers who were trying to encourage me through the ordeal.  I'm talking your normal, everyday, never-breastfed-a-moment-in-their-life bystander.  Uh, it's none of your business, thanks.  And you asking me whether I have enough milk just makes me doubt whether I have enough.

It's funny that I now love breastfeeding (gasp, did I just say that?!), but being asked about my breastmilk production still shakes my confidence a bit.  Sigh.

These types of comments and questions are entirely different when you're asking them out of a place of love, and a desire to help the breastfeeding woman.  But really, I've had enough of these insensitive comments.

They may have meant well, but I want you to know, it didn't help.

My must-haves for breastfeeding

If you're not breastfeeding, never have, or never will, don't bother reading the rest of this post.  If you are currently breastfeeding (don't worry, it DOES get better), or if you plan to (it may be the hardest thing you'll ever have to do), read on! 


I remember wondering, numerous, numerous times, whether I would survive breastfeeding. 

I also remember wondering, many, many times, whether I had enough breastmilk for Kiyomi.

Well, I did survive!  But, I needed a lot of help.  Here are my top five must-haves for breastfeeding success!

1.  A lactation consultant.  Yes, go to the breastfeeding class, the clinic, go again and again until you feel comfortable doing it on your own.  For most people, breastfeeding is ONE THOUSAND PERCENT a learned skill.  Practice (I know, your sore, cracked, bleeding nipples don't want to, but IT WILL GET BETTER!), practice, practice.  Practice through the toe-curling and excruciating pain.  Remember how bad labour was in comparison (even though I know you don't remember it right now).

2. Nipple shields!  These brought back so much dignity to my life.  I couldn't wear a bra, let alone a shirt, without these!  Confession:  For the first month or so of Kiyomi's life, I went topless around the house.  Why?  I couldn't stand ANYTHING getting near my poor, sore nipples.  Then, I discovered these!  Put them on, slip on a bra, welcome back normality!  But don't hug anyone too hard, as they will feel these rock-hard knockers.  Apparently they are now available in a softer, more natural feeling silicone, but mine were hard plastic.  Second confession: I still use these sometimes, instead of breastpads, because they collect any leakage.

Breastshells saved my life.  I mean, my nipples.

3.  A breastpump.  If you can afford it, get the double pump.  If you think you'll be traveling with it, like I did, still, get the double pump, because who are you kidding...are you going to be traveling that soon?  I spent an enormous amount of time pumping in my early days to increase my breastmilk production, and to supplement Kiyomi's feeds with my own breastmilk (instead of formula).  I have a single pump, which takes 10-15 mins. per side.  That means 20-30 mins. total pump time.  That was on TOP of a 2-hour feeding time.  Seriously.  Get the double-pump.  I ended up renting one from the breastfeeding clinic for about a month, and now that I'm back to my single pump, I really miss the double days.

4.  A Milksaver.  You know the saying, "Don't cry over spilt milk"?  Well, you will.  You will cry over the barely 2 mL of breastmilk that you worked 10 mins. to squeeze out, when you spill it on the floor 10 seconds later.  You will cry when you accidentally dump it down the drain thinking it was expired formula.   Breastmilk is liquid gold, people, and this Milksaver helped me save every last bit.  I won't go into too much detail, but if you want to see what it does, go to their website.

5.  Faith and lots and lots and lots of prayer.  Unless you're weighing your baby before and after a feed, there's really no way to know how much milk the baby is drinking.  I was terrified that I didn't have enough milk for Kiyomi.  Breastmilk production is such a sensitive and personal issue (I HATED it when people asked whether I was producing enough)!  I really just had to have faith that God was helping me produce enough (and when I wasn't, that it was okay to supplement with formula).  I had many, many people praying for me, and I prayed SO many times, "Oh please please please let me have enough milk for Kiyomi."  God answers prayer!  Kiyomi definitely had enough wet and dirty diapers to indicate she was getting enough to eat.

I'm sure there are so many other things that make for breastfeeding success, but these were my top five!

While she's sleeping...

We've been trying to move Kiyomi's bedtime earlier and earlier.  We used to put her to bed anytime between 9:30-11:00pm, but I realized it was a little late for her.  Putting her to sleep later really came from not wanting to wake up too many times in the middle of the night, but now that she sleeps for a good 6-hr stretch, I can put her to bed earlier and still wake up only once in the middle of the night for a feeding.

Slowly, her bedtime has moved to 9pm, and we're working on making it even earlier.

So, what do I do with this newfound free time?  Blog, apparently.

And, I make cards!  Love love love crafty things!

Ingredients (all from Stampin Up):  Fresh Vintage DSP, Baja Breeze pleated satin ribbon, Reason to Smile stamps (stamped in Old Olive) for the flower images,  Sweetly Said stamps for the greeting.

Delicious and nutritious!

Confession:  I did not even attempt to make any New Years' resolutions this year.

Is it learned helplessness?  I don't think I've ever managed to keep a resolution the whole year.

I digress.  In lieu of a New Years' resolution, I seem to have decided to make a January 2nd resolution.  I feel like there's less pressure in making this resolution, than in committing to a New Years' one.  As if one day makes a difference?

This year, I want to cook more, and be a more organized mom/wife/person.  Maybe I'll even meal plan.

Ha, wait, let's not get crazy.  I'll start with cooking slightly more than last year, and we'll see where that goes.

So, I had a cauliflower head sitting in my fridge and decided to make this oh-my-goodness-looks-so-good soup from the Pioneer Woman.  I didn't follow her recipe exactly, mainly because my fridge if more of a place where vegetables go to die, as opposed to a plethora of culinary ingredients.

Can I say...IT WAS DELICIOUS!  And my husband, the vegetable hater, agreed that it was deeelish!  I think the secret is in making the separate white sauce and adding it into the soup.  I used 2% milk and didn't add any cream or sour cream, and it was still velvety smooth and thick.  I didn't have celery, so I settled for the carrot-onion combo.  I probably used proportionally more butter than she did.  In my defense, it is winter, and we need to up our body insulation, right?  Oh, and just to be clear, there were no soup tureens involved in my straight-from-the-pot version.

But, we got our veggies, which is a challenge in this meat-loving household.

And then...it gets better!  Tonight, I cooked again!  Two nights in a row!  Tonight was a little fancier, as I had some sushi-grade tuna sitting in my freezer.  We had tuna tataki (seared, raw tuna), sushi rice, and an asian veggie stir-fry.

Before you think I'm all Chef Morimoto, let me tell you that I called my dad twice for his help and used a recipe off of the back of the frozen veggie bag.  But, in the end, it was a success, and I'm hoping this will continue.  Let's see how long January 2nd resolutions last!

4 months young!

Dear Kiyomi,

Today, you are 4 months old!  You continue to make our lives so much richer, and we love watching you grow!

4 month stats:
Weight: 13 lbs, 5 oz
Length: 65 cm

Today, you had your 4-month vaccinations, and you took them like a champ.  The doctor says you are growing well, and you are gaining so much control of your head and limbs.  You can now hold onto our fingers and keep your head in line with your body when we pull you up.  You also learned to roll over from your belly to your back, and you love to grab onto the toys that hang on your playmat.  You can even sit on your own for a little bit before you tip over.  You have started drooling a LOT, and blow very attractive spit bubbles.  We think you're teething, but don't know when we'll see those first teeth poke through!

You have also become so adept at self-soothing!  You love to suck on your fingers or fist, and under the right conditions, it only takes you a moment or two to go to sleep once we put you down.  At other times, you can cry for up to half an hour.

You're no longer that interested in the toys on your vibrating chair, and the vibrations no longer guarantee that you'll poop.  Instead, you play with your teethers and your star toy, and you suck on the Tigger rattle a lot.  Your leg muscles are also growing stronger, so you can stand with assistance.

You are becoming a homebody, and are the most relaxed at home.  You're starting to become really suspicious of people you don't know, and will cry if someone besides you family holds you.  You still like to sing along when mom sings, "You Are My Sunshine", and talk a lot with grandpa Osakabe.  You are also starting to become more ticklish, and laugh a lot when we imitate you.

You've technically been in our lives for more than a year now, and we love you more and more everyday.  Your personality is starting to develop, and we love to see you smile and laugh.  You seem to do something new everyday, so we can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Love,

Your mama and papa