Breastfeeding

I was so worried about breastfeeding. Would my overly biopsied left boob do the job. Would it make milk? Would the milk ducts be blocked or would they work? Would it make enough milk for baby?
YES.
It did. I read a nice article while pregnant about a woman who had 5 children including a set of twins, who fed all of them on one breast. (She had a childhood accident involving a bad burn on the other side of her chest.) It was inspiring and left me hopeful.
So it started a bit crazy, my nipple seemed flat and almost inverted. The nurse showed me a nipple cover that would give baby something to grasp onto. I used it for her first 9 1/2 weeks and wanted very much to wean her off of it so that I could more easily breastfeed away from my little corner of the living room. I started to try to wean her as per the lactation consultant's advice, and try it slowly giving her the chance to latch first and then take it away once the milk was flowing. I tried that for a few days once a day and then amped it up to almost every time I fed her and then she refused to use it all. She only wanted the boob. She forced me to go cold turkey! Ack.
But it went very well and as long as I remember to put lanolin lotion onto the nipple after every feeding I am experiencing no adverse effects.
Or is it affects? How am I to know? I have studied the definitions and worked my brain silly and still have no idea if it is effects or affects. Alas.
A few days ago Fred and I introduced Ken and Diana to our favorite breakfast place, Barrone and our favorite classy Goodwill, Goodwill. :) I actually fed baby in the car! Wow, and it worked and we stayed out for longer than 2 hours. It was lovely.
Today, as it is Thanksgiving, we are once again venturing away from the home and I will be feeding baby out. I've never tried the boob cover, so will probably use a bedroom. It's nice that she is such a fast feeder. About 10 minutes is it.

Baby - 11 Weeks

As baby grows bigger we are figuring more out. She doesn't like a wet or poopy diaper for long. It must be changed. She doesn't like to be doing nothing and needs held or entertained, but then not for long and wants to be put down again to play by herself. She hates to nap and almost never does and then when she does it is only for 20-40 minutes and only when being held and rocked. Too bad if you have to go to the bathroom, she will wake up and not go back to sleep. She sleeps for about 2-3 of these small naps a day and that is about it.
But! She does sleep really well at night. From day one she has slept in 5 hour chunks. Usually from around midnight until 5 and then after a feeding, she will sleep again for another 3 hour chunk. So I have not had the sleep deprivation that so many people talk about, because I have gotten a 5 hour sleep every night since she came to us.
I love living where we live. I can put baby in her baby bjorn and walk her to the grocery store or the coffee shop or just a quick walk with people all around. Downtown Mountain View is a great place to be with a baby. I don't feel alone or cooped up because there are so many walkers on Castro street for lunch and so many stores to window shop.
Emily is very beautiful, everyone says. We say whenever we see other people's babies, how beautiful she is and what a good job we did.
I am so happy I found flylady before having baby. I keep things pretty well straightened here. I "take a lick at a snake" as the saying goes and whenever things aren't making me happy I fix them up. If I'm disturbed about the state of the stove, I wipe it down. If there are lots of crumbs on the carpet or the living room floor I vacuum or sweep. If the place begins to look sloppy I set the timer for 15 minutes and do a straightening. I keep the sink empty and clean during the day and most nights I do all of the dishes and shine it up before bed. I've been "flywashed" and clean for myself, not as a martyr but just because I know it will make me happier if things are the way I like them. I have also learned that it takes less time to just fix something up than it does to feel stressed and complain about it. It only takes me about 10 minutes to do the dishes.

Baby - 11 Weeks Old - So far

It's almost baby's first thanksgiving. We'll be visiting a coworker of Fred's and I have only to make stuffing! Easy peasy, I'll be making celery onion and apple stuffing in the slow cooker.
It has been an interesting 11 weeks with baby.
Fred was off the first 3 weeks of her life. We managed pretty well together but I was so worried for when he was to go back to work. Thankfully I only had a few days alone with him at work before Connie came. Whew! She helped with baby when she screamed during the night holding and bouncing her to ready her to eat as I pulled my boob out and placed the little plastic nipple cover on.
Then Bill came for a few days towards the end and they were sleeping in the living room. Connie on the couch and Bill on the folded over 2 inch memory foam cover that we had purchased for our bed. Even cramped, it was a nice arrangement and glad to have them over.
Then a few more days alone with baby and my mom came. Yay! She was able to manage through the plane ride, to her own consternation. She has claustrophobia and stress induced asthma and was worried that she would panic. But she held it together and made it here. Then stayed for 3 lovely weeks. It was nice, we got to walk together with baby and leave fred home with baby and go to breakfast etc... The she went home on the train, not wanting to face the airplane again. Not a pleasant 51 hour train ride so it seemed. Uncomfortable with people falling over you as they sleep and loud snorers. Overly expensive crappy food etc...
And then there were three again. But now it is Thanksgiving week and Fred has off Tuesday through Sunday.