Being Sara

I’m not sure how I became a target, but somehow Xander has decided that spitting up on me is the best place to get sick. It doesn’t matter how vigilant I am with a burp cloth, Xander will save his spit-up for times when I’m not burping him, and have of course forgotten the cloth over my shoulder. In the past 3 weeks I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been on the receiving end of spit-up. One eventful night Xander got my t-shirt - but I was prepared for that, and had a spare t-shirt next to the bed. After I changed my t-shirt, I nursed Xander, and he managed to spit up on my pants. I wasn’t prepared for that, so Zach held the baby while I changed my pajama bottoms. As I took Xander back, he managed to spew spit-up into my hair (I had it pulled back, that kid just has a special knack for getting spit-up everywhere!), so at 4:30 am I found myself in the shower… Yesterday Xander managed to spit up on two sweaters (both dry clean only…), and this weekend he managed to spew what looked like 4 ounces of milk all over the both of us - before I could even get him to the burp cloth on my shoulder! Why is any of this interesting? Because Xander doesn’t spit up on anyone else - just me. Well, to be accurate, he did catch our friend Sandee with some this past weekend, but other than that isolated incident, I think I have caught all of Xander’s spit-up, and I don’t spend as much time with him these days, as Zach is at home with him during the day, and gets up with him at night. Somehow in the 6 hours during the week and the weekends Xander manages to save all of his spit-up time for me - I don’t wear perfume, Zach and I use the same shampoo, laundry detergent, etc., so I’m hoping that it isn’t something about my scent that makes my kid ill, but at this point I’m starting to worry that something about me makes my kid sick…

babies, baby, burping, illness, infant, nursing, sick baby, spit-up

Related items

• Alexander Tirrell - A Year In Review
• Xander Week 51 - LUVS Second Attempt
• Xander Week 50 - Birthday Party Planning
• Xander Week 49 - Transitioning to Milk…
• Xander Week 48 - First Ice Cream Cone

I imagine that many women get the same question I got when I was pregnant - are you going to breast feed? My answer was “I’m going to try.” So, after Xander was born, we set to work at learning how the whole breast feeding process was supposed to work. The first time the nurse brought Xander in to nurse, he latched on quite easily. That first night, I was encouraged that things were going to go smoothly. For the past month I think that some days, and then other days I wish that we had decided to bottle feed the little guy. One of my nipples was blistered and sore for over 2 weeks. My mom said to keep going and it would get better. It did finally, but it was a long two weeks.

Since the first painful 2 weeks, we’ve been on a rollercoaster. Some days I think that Xander and I have the routine down - he latches on easily and eats well. Other days, it takes 10-20 minutes just to get him latched on, and he’ll absoultely refuse to latch onto my left breast. Most of the literature talks about breast feeding being a bonding experience for mother and child. It’s not that I don’t feel like breast feeding is a bonding experience, but I get bored. Sitting in a quiet room for 40 minutes every 3 hours gets dull after a while. I’ve taken to reading or watching television while nursing. I worry that since I’m not talking to Xander through every experience maybe I’m depriving him of some bonding experience.

I have found some useful products through this process. I need a breast pump, mostly for when I return to work. After a great deal of research, I settled on the Medela Pump In Style pump. According to the reviews I read, and the nurses that I spoke to, this is the “cadalliac” of breast pumps. I have found it to be a very good pump, though I haven’t used any others, so I don’t have anything else to compare it to. I do like that it pumps similarly to the way a baby suckles, and I like the portability of the unit, which comes in a discrete black bag that can run on AA batteries or be plugged in. No electric breast pump is cheap. I have heard of people paying upwards of $300 for this particular pump. I found the best deal for this particular pump on BabyCenter where I paid about $225. It is now listed at $250, but they are including a free Medela Harmony Breast Pump with the purchase.

I also found that a breast feeding pillow made life much, much easier. Initially, I thought that I could simply use pillows that I already had. It was amazing the difference that a pillow designed for breast feeding. I purchased a Boppy Pillow. Partially because this one is the one I read about most often in my research, and partially because they are sold at Target, and I had a gift certificate. I LOVE the boppy. It holds Xander in exactly the right position for me, and I don’t have to put in much effort. Since his body is supported by the pillow, it frees up a hand for me to read, drink a glass of water, etc. I also use the boppy when I’m just holding the baby. I chose to buy the original boppy instead of the “naked boppy” because it was cheaper. I learned since then that I should have invested in the “naked boppy” and purchased a cover for it, as Xander has leaked through his clothes and onto the boppy. Instead of cleaning the whole pillow, I could have simply cleaned the cover. I guess I’ll know for next time. The other plus to the boppy is that I can take it with me, so if I need to nurse someplace other than my house, I don’t have to seek out pillows and an appropriate chair and space, I simply need a quiet room, and I can sit pretty much anywhere. I would highly recommend that any mother planning on nursing purchase a nursing pillow.

Finally, the nurses in the hospital gave me some ComfortGel Hydrogel Pads from Ameda. They are reusable for 5-7 days, and work best if kept cool (in the refrigerator). I wore these gel pads 24 hours a day for the first week and then some (I wore out the pads!) These pads did wonders in soothing my sore nipples. If you can’t get samples from your hospital like I did, you can purchase them at the Ameda site. They cost $28.75 for 4 pads. I also found some disposable breast pads from Lansinoh. These pads have lanolin in them, which is also nice for limiting dryness and cracking. At Target, you can get 60 pads for $7.79, which I thought was a pretty good deal.

So the nursing challenge continues. Some days are easier than others. I am glad that I can provide for my child this way, and I do enjoy the bonding time. I also enjoy the fact that I’m not spending $1,800.00 in formula each year. However, I think once I’m done nursing, I won’t miss it either.

ameda, baby, boppy, breast feeding, breast feeding pillow, breast pads, breast pump, infant, lanisoh, medela, nursing, nursing pillow

Related items

• I Am A Spit-up Magnet!
• Alexander Tirrell - A Year In Review
• Xander Week 51 - LUVS Second Attempt
• Xander Week 50 - Birthday Party Planning
• Xander Week 49 - Transitioning to Milk…