Posted on 06/10/2005 6:37:55 AM PDT by Gabz
I know, I know - it not technically summer until the 21st - but the weather here has finally broken, I'm knee deep in updating the Hurricane Alert ping list, and today is the last day of school for my daughter - so in a way it is already summer :)
Lots of folks mentioned camping and/or RV'ing for summer plans - I don't do either, but my husband loves camping and my daughter is dying to try it - so I'm all ears folks.........the whens, wheres, how-to's, and WHYs of it all from those of you are experienced veterans!!!
You and me both :)
But now I really must think about doing some roughing it - I need to get out into the garden so that I can go off and play this afternoon.
My baby sis is doing well and I am so proud of her.
She has learned a valuable lesson and the last I spoke with her she said,"I am just glad to have AJ here- he is a gift".
She is going to be a great Mom... because she cares about what is important for her child and she knows to listen to that "little voice" in her head and question if someone is telling her something about her child which does not make sense.
IMO-At the end of the day that is really the most important thing we can do for our kids.
I breast fed and even thought about becoming one of those breastfeeding specialists for WIC. But I changed my mind after seeing the tactics used by some of those women. It was downright nasty and mean. Good luck to your sister and I hope her and your new nephew go home healthy and happy. And tell your sister that she has the right to go with her gut instincts and tell the women to find some one else to badger. PRONTO!
Maybe your sister could use a nursing (nipple) shield. Once AJ gets a good flow going, she can quickly remove it and he can latch on. I used one, I gave bottles when I was having trouble nursing, or if the baby was still hungry and I was dry. I used pacifiers as well. Babies CAN go back and forth easily. Tell her not to give the baby bottles, but anyone else can. My specialist said that the baby should only associate nursing with me. If she is serious about breast milk, she could get a good pump (I had Medela Pump In Style), you can rent hospital grade pumps rather easily, and give her son bottles of expressed breast milk. My cousin was so efficient, that she stopped pumping after a year and still had a year supply in the deep freezer!
I nursed my kids, but I do not begrudge someone who doesn't. Tell your sister she will have enough guilt in her life when raising her kids. She doesn't need to start out with it as soon as she leaves the hospital!!
My husband and I are camping next weekend and I can't wait! We're leaving the kids for a fun weekend with grandma and grandpa and getting away by ourselves for awhile.
We "rough it" in a tent but you'd be amazed at all the conveniences out there! We're actually going to a music festival at Clinton Lake in Lawrence, Kansas. We have a tent, air mattresses, table and chairs, sun shade, baby pool for bathing and a mini port-a-potty. I didn't feel like hauling my hiney to the public restrooms in the middle of the night 10 times(baby sitting on my bladder!). We'll lounge at the lake for hours in the morning and early afternoon then head over to the various stages to listen to live music.
Although there will be an overload of "hippies", in an arrangement like this we've noticed no one talks politics. We're going with like-minded friends so we won't be completely outnumbered!!
I love the cooking outdoors and lazy afternoons. It's so peaceful! I don't have to worry about laundry or making a bed. It rained on us last year and we wound up sleeping in the back of the van all weekend. Surprisingly comfortable!! If I get too hot this year I will do this again and just run the air conditioner every once in awhile. Hee-hee!
I would love to have an RV someday and take the kids across the country on vacations. It is a dream of ours. Unless a really cheap one that runs perfectly falls into our laps, it's not going to happen any time soon! I believe we will get there eventually.
What I am thinking is that we need to have some compassionate "specialists" in the hospitals.
These people, some of them nasty, are working on these new parents right away to rob them of their instincts for their child.
Can you tell I am on a "instincts" Jag today???
I get like that sometimes! Hehe!
My heart is breaking for your sister! I went through a similar situation with my first child. My milk didn't come in like it was supposed to and he was losing weight. He had no interest in latching on to me and I could never get him to wake up to try. The hospital gave him a bottle. The lactation nurse yelled at me over the phone and I just bawled my eyes out!!!
After a couple of days (in our own home without all the stress of being in a hospital room with people coming and going at all hours) it all settled down. My son never did nurse exclusively. We always used a combination of breastmilk and formula for him. He is an extremely bright, healthy 6 year old. It didn't seem to cause him any great harm!!! Your sister will be fine. Give them a few days to get used to each other and she will figure out what is best for her unique situation.
All the best!
I picked it up, instinctively. :)
Without a doubt.
Your weekend sounds FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Especially the part abut leaving the kids with the grandparents :)
We still have a few more days of school, and they are going to be difficult. Our school district is closing the kids school. Today, there is a big ceremony, and I know I'm going to start balling.
Lots of my friends are moving away because of the school situation.
I just want next week to be over and done with.
Oh, that's absolutely awful. I feel so for you and the kids. I had so hoped and prayed something was going to change for you all.
Thanks for the prayers. I'm definitely in a anti-California mood right now. There are just times when I think this state is run by a bunch of loons, and this is one of those times.
I can't imagine many school districts closing a National Blue Ribbon School and moving those kids to a school that is underperforming. Out of a school of 430 kids, about 100 are moving out of the district. Right there, the district loses money. The district was only going to save 300,000 a year by closing our school, and they have already lost 500,000 because of kids leaving the district.
It doesn't make any sense to me.
I'm ready for no school. I'm ready for summer. Let the fun begin.
The same thing happened to me. My daughter was born with an injury so they took her away from me and gave her a bottle. I had specified that I wanted to breastfeed and after the bottle she wanted nothing to do with me! She would scream at my breast...I find it funny now but then it was really hard for me.
That is just plain nuts. I don't blame you for wanting school to be over.
My daughter will be home sometime in the next 30 minutes and that's it until after Labor Day........the only dealings I will have with school over the summer will most likely be pushing for the teacher I want her to have next year..........there is a bit of bickering amongst the 2nd grade teachers because they all want her in their class. I want her in the class with the teacher who was her reading teacher this year, the woman is super.
After feeding AJ 2-3 ounces from a bottle, to satiate his immediate hunger, set the bottle aside and put him to breast. If possible, finish the feeding session at the breast, five minutes each side. It is possible that he may decide that there are comforts to breastfeeding that he's not getting from the bottle. And make sure she tells the "lactation consultant" where to get off. In fact, have her tell the hospital administration what has occurred and how it has made her feel. The last thing a new mom needs is harassment from a Boob Nazi.
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