First Time Mama Drama

Things that are on my mommy radar:

1. Sleeping at night: Julian is now 7 months old and just this week has shown us that he is capable of only waking up 2 times at night. I know many of you are wondering if you read that last sentence correctly. Yes...ONLY waking up 2 times a night. For us, that is a miracle. Even just a couple of weeks ago, he was waking and crying sometimes up to 6 times a night!! Sure, I've probably made my share of mistakes in precipitating this matter, but as a first time mom I didn't (and still don't) have all the answers. I have a lot of shoulda-coulda-wouldas, but I'm done dwelling on those now. It's a new dawn and a new day. We're proud of Julian's accomplishments in regard to sleeping this week and continue to hope and pray that it just keeps getting better.

2. Food: We've found a winner: Banana Puree! He LOVES it! Finally, something he will devour! We are also so thrilled that our doctor is completely on board with using breastmilk as his primary source of nutrition for now if that's what we want and just supplementing his diet with fruits and veggies as Julian shows interest. Our doctor made it clear that introducing fruits and vegetables is just to create Julian's palette for different tastes but his only nutritional requirement is breastmilk. He said eventually we can replace a feeding with an avocado since it has healthy fat in it that baby needs. The doctor supported not giving Julian grains yet as well. It felt good to know we're on the right track and I'm no longer worried or wondering if there's something different I should be doing.

3. Germs: OK, so how dangerous are germs? I can't spend my whole day cleaning and wiping down Julian's toys that he drops. When you think about it there's a lot of nasty yuck on the ground...but really do I have to wipe down everything everytime? Is it just a wive's tale that the germs will build up his immune system or am I just being naive?

4. Babyproofing: OMG, this has recently become such a battle! We knew our house wasn't babyproofed, but I am just shocked at the things Julian manages to find! Shoes, papers, cords, dvds, wii controllers, remotes, phones, magazines, vases,...and the list goes on! If it's not meant for him, you can bet that's the first thing he'll migrate towards. I am finding myself saying "nonono", but all the while realizing it's my fault for setting him up. You should see some of the makeshift babyproofing gadgets we've come up with! Why does he love crawling into the bathroom of all rooms? Why does he like hiding behind the couch? Why does he insist on kicking the papasan chair over? Why does he seem to enjoy hanging out right at the corners of shelves, tv stands, cabinets, etc? I could make an entire post on this topic...which I plan on doing soon...including all the hilarious pictures of Julian getting into places he shouldn't be.

Here's a pic of our sweet boy trying to scoot underneath the couch at a playdate with his cousin.

Who would have thought I could be a "lactivist"?

Who would have thought that I would become a "lactivist"? How is it that something that I really didn't give much thought about my entire life could be such a hot topic for me now? I guess because prior to having a baby and being a nursing mom I didn't pay much attention to the way that each mother chose to feed her baby. I think I remember times as a child that I witnessed women nursing in public and got the nervous giggles...because I was a child and thought it was funny to see part of a boob I guess. Thankfully once I became an adult, I matured beyond that and ceased to find humor in seeing a baby being fed. Now that I have taken a ride on the motherhood rollercoaster, I have a whole new perspective on the issue and am blown away by our society's views and often ignorance on breastfeeding. Case in point...the recent Target Scandal. And reading the almost 800 comments, mostly negative and hateful, towards breastfeeding mothers.

Here's how I see it: The way a mother chooses to feed her baby is her own decision and thankfully we have a legal right to nurse in public or I'm sure places would be kicking us out left and right. I personally would LOVE to always have a private place when I'm in public to nurse but unfortunately that is typically not the case. I have found back corners of restaurants, back hallways of businesses,  have sat in my car on numerous occasions, and have made all sorts of curtains/shields on airplanes thanks to whoever sits by me.  Of course, I think it's a good idea to cover yourself as much as possible; I am a modest woman. However, I do realize that sometimes it's hard to wear a nursing cover with a fidgety baby like my own. I just want people to know that as much as they don't want to see a nursing woman in public, I don't want them looking at me anyway....so wouldn't the world  be a more peaceful place if people would mind their own business and not look! That would benefit us all!

So, does it make me a "lactivist" because I want to be able to feed my baby when he's hungry despite where we are? I wouldn't think so...but it seems I've had to become one. There are too many nay-sayers out there and this is a cause worth fighting for. It's hard enough to make the decision to breastfeed without all the negativity from people who should not have a say in the matter and women need support, encouragement, and praise for making a healthy choice for their babies.

Here's my sweet boy after being nursed to sleep on a flight. I'm sure the same people who are annoyed that I nursed in public would have also been annoyed to hear him cry the whole flight had I not nursed him. Thankfully, God has blessed me on every flight with a pro-breastfeeding person to sit by...how blessed am I!!