Parenting – Sannipanni

11 Things I Wish I Had Known About Breastfeeding

November 19, 2016 No Comments

What I wish I had known about breastfeeding before I had my baby

Now that we’re four months into our breastfeeding journey I feel like things have fallen into a nice routine for baby Leo and me. He’s got the concept down and when he’s hungry he happily chomps away at the milk bar. I love glancing down at him and knowing my body actually makes all that he needs to grow. The whole concept is still mind-boggling and just amazing to me.

However, breastfeeding wasn’t all roses and butterflies from the get-go for us, though, and in hindsight there were a few things I wish I would have known beforehand. Our nursing story starts a little different than most families’ but keep reading as these tips should be super useful for any new mom.

Baby, Boy#1, Family, Parenting, Pregnancy

On Becoming A Mom

October 4, 2016 2 Comments

OMG I am a Mom! I’ve become that person that a wee little one relies on for nourishment, safety, cuddles, and guidance as he figures out the world we live in. No pressure. No seriously, the thought is just a tiny bit overwhelming still, even after being on the job for almost 3 months. But so far the kid has survived our parenting so we’ll call that a success (knock on wood).

Leo joined our family on a summery day in July after 23 hours of labor (but I’ll spare you the details) and then had to stay in the NICU for 5 days. That was completely unexpected as he was full term and all the ultrasounds had indicated we’d have a perfectly healthy boy. Needless to say, after the exhaustion of labor and birth with no sleep and then the worry about our boy and the hustle and bustle of the hospital I felt more like a zombie than ever before. I know everybody tells you that you’ll worry for the rest of your life as a mother but I surely did not expect that much worrying right from the beginning.

Anyone will tell you the NICU is a tremendously emotional experience and they are spot on. Thankfully the NICU staff was awesome and our son hated his breathing aids and was determined to get rid of them pretty quickly. He pulled the tubes out of his nose and no one noticed as his oxygen and breathing values didn’t set off any alarms. So as the days went by we received much positive news and he was finally discharged with a clean bill of health. Hoorah! We truly feel lucky and blessed as we know all too well that not every NICU story has a happy ending.

I SHOVE MY C-PAP OUT BECAUSE I HATE IT
That navy strap is supposed to be under his chin and the clear tube in both nostrils. Leo had shoved it half out because he clearly didn’t like it.

Then our crazy first month at home started. I can’t say enough how lucky we were to have saved up enough dineros for Husband to take off six whole weeks from work! Between taking care of baby boy, washing breast milk pump parts and bottles, keeping the dog alive, my postpartum recovery (which no one ever tells you about that part of having a baby, so, surprise!!), personal hygiene and eating our days were pretty busy and exhausting.

But, I’m happy to report things have gotten a ton better! Leo now pretty much sleeps through the night and nurses well. Almost every day he learns something new and it is so fun to watch and help him figure things out. It absolutely melts my heart when he smiles at me and I am completely in love.

And… he just woke up from a nap. So leave me a nice comment to read while I go deal with some poop….

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Me, Myself & I, Parenting, Pregnancy

The Waiting Game

July 1, 2016 3 Comments

As I’m nearing the end of my fairly uneventful (knock on wood!!) pregnancy we are now playing the waiting game. I’m considered full term (wooohooooo!) this weekend and so our little guy could make his appearance any time in the next days or weeks. For me the uncertainty is driving me just a tiny bit insane although of course I do feel that baby knows best and he’ll pick his birthday when he’s ready to continue growing outside of me.

This past week we’ve finally completed his nursery. After having false labor way too early back in May and worrying that our son could arrive sooner rather than later (which he hasn’t – yay!) I got really antsy to finish baby-related stuff. You can imagine how happy I was when after a manufacturer’s delay the comfy glider chair was finally ready for us to pick-up. Phew!

All of baby’s clothes, bibs, blankets, burp clothes, sleep sacks, swaddle blankets, carriers, diapers, changing pad covers and whatever other random baby gear has been washed. You’re picking up on what I’m putting down here? There is a ton of baby stuff in our house now and that even with us trying to be somewhat minimalistic about the baby item explosion everywhere. I suppose that is just something we’ll have to learn to accept as we transition into parenthood: Our house will be our son’s house just as much as ours. So it won’t just be husband’s golf putter, Alfi-Dog’s tennis balls or whatever book I’m reading that create tripping hazards. From baby swing to play mat to bottles to toys, I’m just a tiny bit anxious about all that stuff and the little space we have in our home but I am making peace with it.

Moving along in the preparations, we’ve installed the car seat base in my car, packed our hospital bags (with probably way too much…), finished all our birth and parenting classes (I was only half joking when I said that birth class was one of our few hobbies these days…), had a wonderful baby shower, and finished reading almost all of the pregnancy and birth books I ever wanted to read (and then some).

So ya, we’re just waiting here for things to get started. It is super surreal to think we could have a baby in as quickly as one or two days (or 4 weeks). Probably not something that will feel real until a few days after his arrival. In any case, we’re as ready as we’ll ever be for this new adventure and are so very excited to meet our little guy!

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