Hiding the Crap

You read right. It's well know that with kids comes a load of crap. Literally and figuratively. This time we aren't talking dirty diapers. We're talking toys.....toys and more toys. Then there's the necessities of life, diapers, wipes, bottles. Random shoes and socks that surface, blankies. SO. MUCH. STUFF.

Unless you have a superhero cape around your neck and are probably delusional there's no way to keep the house picked up all the time. Well....until now. I have a saying in my house, it's about the illusion of clean. Basically you're house doesn't have to be totally clean to look clean. So, what's the trick right? Decorative storage. Yep. Hide the crap. :) This isn't perfect parenting remember. It's REAL parenting. We have got to quit comparing ourselves to our neighbors. We all have them, the one that always looks like a million bucks, house is always spotless, kids are dressed better than our best. So what have they got that we don't? Either money to pay a housekeeper and a nanny OR the ability to hide it all.

Example #1
It appears my hallway is so clean. Right?

Haha! Think again. I just found this awesome collapsible box at Walmart for like $10 and behold.....

All the crap.....hidden away.

Again.....Where on earth are all the videos, game systems, books, any other crap that needs a home? Looks like a perfectly clean living room right? That's cause today I have my Wonder Woman cape on. No, not true. I don't even have a cape of any kind and I have no time for Wonder Woman between work, mental breakdowns and failed crafting.

Yes, that's Timmy Turner. It's after school snack time, what do ya want?

It's by no means an organized cupboard but it is the perfect "I don't have time to clean but need my house to look organized" storage place.

Seriously folks, in that cupboard is every movie you could ever imagine on VHS and DVD, the Wii accessories, my husbands record collection (yep, records), an old pillow, some books, a few CD's. Last but not least what used to be the toy dump bin but is now transformed into our electronic cord storage container......(and of course, the color coordinated basket on top for my yarn. remember? failed crafting?)









 

Seriously folks, don't waist all that precious time with your family cleaning and tidying. The thing I especially like about our storage solutions is that my kids can clean up the mess and there's no way to put it away wrong. Keep your eyes open for a sale. Don't ever pay full price for things like this if you don't have to but if you can find the right item at the right price it can simplify life so much. No more feeling guilty, just tuck it away and wait for a rainy day. Once every so often you can go through and throw out or reorganize your "hiding" spots but it makes the day to day SO much easier. 

Sibling Rivalry

Sibling Rivalry

You waited, you planned. It's so exciting. The new baby is here! Didn't anyone tell you the joke? "Do you know what causes sibling rivalry?" "The birth of a second child!" Lol. If all the sudden your house feels more like tomorrows football game then there may be a good reason. It's not only hard for you to adjust to having another child. Your 1st baby is really going to feel it. Your toddler is used to being the center of attention. While you and I both know that the addition of a new baby doesn't mean that you love your first any less, try to convince your toddler of that. All the sudden your time and attention will be divided. 

I had a client recently that brought home a new baby. A cute baby. Very cute. :) Anyhow, her 3 or 4 year old son became pretty jealous. He didn't dislike his sister, he was just really mad at his mom. He quit talking to her for a couple of days, then eventually he chose to speak to her again. Only when he did it was a yell. Everything was a yell. My cute client looked at me and said, "well, at least he is speaking to me know." Lol.

I've researched, I now what the professionals say, I know what I experienced. It sucks. You love your baby so much. Both of your babies, and all of the sudden you have to divide your time. There are a few things I compiled that I found and think you will find most helpful.

1. Prepare your child for the new baby by reading and sharing books. Introduce them to the idea of a sibling.

2. Get a small gift for your child from the new baby. Make it exciting to them that the baby is finally coming/has arrived.

3. Encourage your family and visitors to  fuss over your 1st born. Pay special attention to him.

4. Expect some regression. It's gonna be a life changing event for everyone. Your toddler may regress in potty training and behavior. Take time, even say things to your toddler like, "let's pretend you're still a tiny baby" he will probably happily indulge in your attention for just a few moments and then be off to play if he isn't just gently remind him he is a big boy and ask him to go find his favorite "big boy" toy.

There's no magic trick to cure sibling rivalry. Take it day by day and just be patient. In the long run the winning team will prevail. It will be one big happy FAMILY. Well, for a minute anyhow. Until your new addition is mobile and takes that favorite "big boy" toy.

Good luck and GO BYU!

Wanna come to dinner? Placenta stew.

Placenta. It’s what’s for dinner.

Placenta Pizza.

Do you think I’m crazy? I’m not but someone might be! Warning, this post is kinda gross and probably offensive. I don’t care if you read on but read on at your own risk. If you choose to participate in the discussion please keep offensive language out or your comment will be deleted. With that said, sit back, relax and enjoy the afterbirth. Lol.

·         I received the following on the Time 4 Me facebook page several days back, "Did you see the article about women eating their own placenta because it's supposed to help prevent postpartum depression? I think it was on Good Things Utah...not sure. I'll try to find the link. I'd love to hear a discussion on it!"

OMG! I searched and read and googled and read and then contemplated it until my head hurt. I just can’t wrap my head around ingesting one’s own placenta. Ya’all may be offended at my lack of open-mindedness  on this subject and I guess that’s ok. We can agree to disagree but please don’t invite me to dinner when you have placenta stew. 

There was an article on msnbc.com that I loved. I’m pretty sure the writer and I think alike, a little. The article is discussing the fact that there isn’t much if any research to support the effects that these women are claiming to receive from ingesting their placenta. They are quoting Diana Dell who at the time of the article was the assistant professor of ob-gyn at  Duke University. Drum roll please……favorite quote, “There’s certainly no data,” Dell says. “And, truthfully, the only place there may be data is in veterinary journals.” Excuse me? Veterinary journals? I have experienced the miracle of birth. I have experienced it 17 times. I have 2 children and I have watched 2 litters of puppies be born. You didn’t think I had that many kids did you? Bwahaha. So here’s what I know, my dog did ingest some of her placenta, but not if I could help it! My dog also licks her own butt, that of her puppies and for the first several weeks licks up their poop and pee! Are you trying to tell me that one of the arguments in favor of eating our placenta is because of the facts that we are mammals and other mammals do it? If that’s your argument I want you to think about one thing…..butt licking! I’d like to think that I am a slightly more advanced species of mammal.

I try to avoid being completely one sided on topics. So while I obviously don’t think this is much of a yummy topic I wanted to give you the reasons that people DO do this. One problem, there isn’t any actual factual research to support the benefits of placenta eating. Now I can’t say that if I had cancer and traditional treatments weren’t working that I wouldn’t try it, in capsule form, if someone, many someone’s told me that it worked to cure or slow the progression of the cancer. When it comes to post partum depression and milk production I can think of many artificial means to cure those ailments that I would try many times over before resorting to consuming my own placenta. But….if you are interested in it read the NY Magazine articles. If you already do this I would love, love, love to hear your side. What it does for you, how you felt before and after, where you found your research, anything that you have to say that could help me to understand. I feel like I am a pretty open minded person but like I said, I just can’t wrap my head around this one.

Contest Closing!

Alright, the contest is closing up. If any of our new followers want to get it on it look back through our older posts. Go to the "Contest" post and comment with something you like about the blog, a topic you want covered or whatever. Go to the Time 4 Me facebook page "like" Time 4 Me and find the status that asks, "What makes you crazy as a mother? Any pet peeves you have? and comment on it. Then post on your facebook wall the link to the blog. That's it! Your name will be entered into the drawing for the I-tunes gift card! Contest closes Thursday September 1st! Thanks for participating and good luck!

I had the opportunity last night to have dinner with some of the most amazing women I've had the pleasure to ever know. Currently I am visiting my parents in Ohio and I met up with some girlfriends from H.S. for dinner. They are all gorgeous, talented women and every single one of them is also a mother. I suppose that anytime you put a bunch of mothers together to catch up on old times there will be much talk of the children. What mother doesn't wanna talk about her kids? Even when we say we aren't going to talk about them we do. Lol. Part of our conversation went to how to build self-esteem in our children. I got to thinking about that and decided it was totally post worthy. So, what's my take on it? I have a few thoughts. I think the most important is teaching your kids when they are with their friends that they don't have to give in to peer pressure. It doesn't matter the seriousness of what it is they are being pressured to do. Our children have their own thoughts, opinions and beliefs and they should stand up for them at all times. The next would be honesty. Remember children no matter how small learn from example. Teach your children to be honest at all times. The last of the things which I hope I am instilling in my children and which I think are important are the ability to love others, love work and to be spiritual. Whatever that means for your family. None of which are taught overnight and none of which are easy.  I found the following poem that I thought fits this post well. Whether you are a new mom or an experienced mom, teaching our children to be strong and to stand up for themselves is something we are continually teaching. Do you have any thoughts or comments? I'd love to hear comments from you more experienced mothers and from you new mom's as to what you are doing or have done to aid your child in having a strong self-esteem.

Myself

by Edgar Guest

I have to live with myself, and so,
I want to be fit for myself to know;
I want to be able as days go by,
Always to look myself straight in the eye;
I don't want to stand with the setting sun
And hate myself for the things I've done.
I don't want to keep on a closet shelf
A lot of secrets about myself,
And fool myself as I come and go
Into thinking that nobody else will know
The kind of man I really am;
I don't want to dress myself up in sham.
I want to deserve all men's respect;
But here in this struggle for fame and pelf,
I want to be able to like myself.
I don't want to think as I come and go
That I'm for bluster and bluff and empty show.
I never can hide myself from me,
I see what others may never see,
I know what others may never know,
I never can fool myself -- and so,
Whatever happens, I want to be
Self-respecting and conscience free.

Bananas, Peaches and Peas. Oh my!

Humans, even little humans won't last long on a liquid diet.We have so many food choices for us big humans, or should I say, more experienced humans that it's hard to decide what to feed ourselves. Now our littles are dependant upon us for their food choices too. Ugh. Luckily as parents we usually do better by our children than we do by ourselves. The first 4 months or so are the easiest in the fact that it is a liquid only diet. Breast milk or formula ONLY. Remember, while I am trying to give you the perfect facts I am far from perfect. I am the naughty mom who's baby wasn't gaining enough wait (although she was bottle fed) and who had reflux so bad that the thin formula would undoubtedly come right back up SO, what's a new mom to do? Nope, I didn't seek out medical advice. I wasn't that smart. I googled. Lol. I cut an X in one of the nipples of her bottle and I mixed some rice cereal with her formula. Not only did she quit refluxing so bad but she also started sleeping through the night longer. There, there is my dirty little secret. Do as I say not as I did, right?
So how do you know when your baby is ready to start experimenting outside of the world of breast milk or formula? Here are some things to watch for.....

• Can he hold his head up?
• Will he sit in a highchair?
• Does he shows interest in food? No, not your Diet Coke, your food. Mama doesn't EVER share her Diet Coke. Lol. (If only that was true, right?)
• Does he move his tongue back and forth? If you give him a little something is he able to keep the food in or does he push the food out with his tongue?
• Is your little tank still hungry after 8 to 10 feedings of breast milk or 40 oz. of formula in a day?

Alright, baby looks ready for a real meal. Now what do you feed? If you are worried about allergies or anything my suggestion would be to start slow. It's better to avoid more allergic food like soy, dairy, eggs, fish and wheat. By slow I mean introduce something new only every 4 days. Feed baby breast milk or formula and then get some "food" ready. Start first with infant rice cereal. Mix 1tsp of cereal with about 4-5 tsp of formula or breast milk. It will be super runny but we are just introducing baby remember.If something you introduce baby to seems to not be a favorite just try it again in a few days. There is no "right" amount to feed your baby. He will require different amounts at different times. Don't try introducing new foods to baby if he is grumpy or tired. Some other great choices after infant rice cereal are pureed bananas, peaches, sweet potatoes and pears. Just like us babies would rather have sweet things so make sure and give your veggies first.
Keep feeding your baby breast milk or formula. There's no way you can replenish the important vitamins and nutrients that baby gets from breast milk and formula with solid foods. In addition to the nutrients imagine the calories. That little needs more calories than solid foods could ever cover.
So enjoy experimenting with your real life little person. Don't worry when he dribbles sweet potatoes or spits green beans at you. It's not the cooks fault or a problem with the food. It's all part of the fun for a baby of finding all the fun things they can do and the reaction they will get from you. Lol. Have fun getting the green beans out of your babies ears and don't forget to take time to stop and smell the baby lotion.

Got Milk?

Alright! It's no secret that I haven't been as supportive of breastfeeding as I could be. In fact, I work on a postpartum unit as an aid and I frequently THANK HEAVENS that aids aren't supposed to do any breastfeeding teaching. I bottle fed my babies because when I tried to do the nursing thing with my first it was a night mare. Strange old ladies touching my boobs. No way I was doing that again with baby #2. SO....I have become the #1 supporter of the formula companies. I once recently joked with the Similac Rep when he came to the hospital that I would like to grow up and have his job one day. Changing the world one bottle at a time!
I have to admit though, lately, I am starting to see the error of my ways. I'm not admitting that breastfeeding is for me, I'm just saying that perhaps breastfeeding isn't as bad as I pretend it is. I have a friend that recently had twin baby girls. She is amazing. She will be the best little mom. She is VERY dedicated to strictly breastfeeding. She would never do so if it for any reason was dangerous for the babies. (for example if they had low blood sugars or lost too much weight) This got me thinking, for the moms that are really dedicated and determined to make breastfeeding work and work for the long term what could I do to be more supportive. So, let my research begin........here's what I learned. The most interesting for me wasn't how to build and sustain a good milk supply, it was the mechanics behind breast milk. I went HERE and learned about what they call endocrine control of milk which basically means that in the beginning your hormones control your milk supply. I love the way they describe it as "a safety net for the milk supply in case things between mom and baby don't get off to an ideal start." Then after the first few weeks as your mature milk comes in it is called the autocrine control of milk. This period basically means supply and demand. Your body is going to produce based on what is emptied. So if you have a baby that doesn't eat well or if you are spending long periods of time away from your baby then your milk supply will decrease. SO, what was the best advice I found on  keeping a good milk supply? Pump after each feeding. Keep in mind if you have a crappy pump then it's not going to do you any good. Best advice for if your milk supply decreases? POWER PUMPING! Anyone know what that is? I sure wish I had. Apparently the advice from lactation nurses is to power pump. To power pump you pump for 10 minutes then rest for 10 minutes on and off for 1 hour.  It's like tricking your body into a growth spurt. Well, a milk spurt. Lol. The other thing I found that they recommended was to take fenugreek. Stay tuned. Who knows maybe my next post will be about breastfeeding holds and other tips. Well, maybe not either. :)

If I have favorite lactation consultant the author of this book is her. Anything good I know about breastfeeding is from her. I <3 Michelle. Check out her book.

I found the following review of her book and I love it!

"When my daughter was born and wouldn’t latch on to my breast for the first ten days of her life I felt very helpless and alone. I had no idea that breastfeeding would be this difficult, had no one in my immediate circle who was able to help me figure things out and had no time to read a book. I eventually sought out the help of a lactation consultant and La Leche League but I wish I had Mommy’s Little Breastfeeding Book: 101 Tips Your Baby Wants You to Know About Nursing by Michele Leigh Carnesecca, RN, IBCLC in my hands.
Though there are plenty of breastfeeding books out there, what I like about this one is how to-the-point and easy-to-read it is. Written by a registered nurse and lactation consultant who realized that she was repeating the same breastfeeding tips over and over again to nursing mothers, the book is divided into three categories — Before the Hospital, At the Hospital and At Home. Each page offers important information without scaring off the reader. I also like that it offers product suggestions and can, at times, even be funny while still sharing crucial tips. The book’s small size is also appealing as it can easily be carried in a bag."

Carseat Canopy DANGERS!

You probably all have one? Right? Heck, I want one and I don't have a carseat to put it on.

 They are just that cute!

I wish that someone would have thought of this when my babies were babies! I love it! So why am I devoting an entire post to it? Well you see, I am thinking that someone, anyone may be like me and be a little sunny side up. You know? Glass half full kinda girl. I see things, I think they are wonderful and I want it. I am lucky though in that I have friends to bring me back down to earth and remind me to look at something fully when deciding to use it. Just like this. Super cute, eliminates the need for a blanket draped over the top, keeps people from coughing and sneezing all over my newborn, keeps strangers from staring at my baby. It's dark, baby sleeps. IDK, all around fantastic.

Well, maybe not. Maybe pretty wonderful but there are a few things to remember when you are using one of these. They are perfect for protecting your baby from the wind or rain or whatever mother nature is throwing at us that day. Like I said earlier, they are also great for keeping stranger from poking their heads in close and for keeping people from coughing or sneezing all over your baby. The risk involved here is when baby is covered there may not be adequate air flow. While that's the idea it's also the problem. If baby is "rebreathing" it's own Carbon Dioxide it could potentially cause SID's. Just make sure that if you are using one of these covers you take it off when the baby is safe in the car or house and that if you are leaving it down while you are in the store, maybe just make sure to vent out the sides or pull up one side only. While this isn't something that we hear all over the news it's definitely something to be considered. You don't wanna be the one to make the news. Right? At least not for that. Better safe than sorry.

Your car seat is how old?

Just like you wouldn't feed your baby expired milk. You shouldn't use an expired car seat. Well, I guess if you'd take a big swig of chunky goodness yourself then you would perhaps feed it to your kid, but NOT me!

Ever noticed the sticker on the back of your car seat? It's there, don't worry. It gives the manufactured date of your car seat. Did you know that car seats expire? Just like if your car seat has ever been involved in a car accident you aren't supposed to use it, the same is true with expired car seats. Generally car seats expire 6 years from the date it was manufactured. Why do they expire? They don't grow mold or explode. But technology changes. Well, technology advances. Along with advances the government is always changing its standards.

On another note let's talk about the switch from the infant carrier to the bigger car seat. The current AAP recommendation is that your baby ride in a rear facing seat until the age of 2 or when it meets the highest weight or length allowed by the manufacturer. That doesn't mean that you have to keep your 1 year old in it's infant seat, you can advance them to the bigger seat, just keep them facing the back. The AAP doesn't just make up a bunch of stuff they think would be funny to watch us as parents try to enforce. There is a science and real life situations to back it up. When it comes down to it you are the parent. It's your child and you are making the decisions regarding your babies safety. I just have to wonder at times if we are in such a hurry to have our kids grow up or to have that super cute car seat or to quit listening to the baby cry because it's sick of facing backwards. There are a million reasons we decide to turn our child's carseat to the front. But how many of them are good, truly good reasons. You know, selfless ones? How many of them are educated ones?
I'll admit right here right now. I was a carseat idiot. I made poor choices and thank Heavens my kids weren't hurt because of it. I didn't understand what I do know about why they should face backwards. I totally switched my kids to the front facing at 1 yr old. Even though my daughter was seriously too small for a front facing carseat. You and I as adults are fine to face forward. In a crash we are usually sent into a forward motion until our seat belt or car seat straps stop us abruptly at which point our head continues forward and then back in what we refer to as whiplash. If you've ever been in an accident you know that whiplash sucks!
It's not like that for infants and babies. They are very "top heavy". Their heads are heavier than their bodies, so, in an accident their heads are going to be thrust forward with 4x the force as ours would be. Now imagine them in a forward facing seat. I know right? Not to mention that their spine and spinal cord are different than ours in that the bones of their spinal cord are stretchy and flexible while their spinal cord itself is not. So....they can whiplash forward with little damage to their spine but the spinal cord itself is gonna snap. Paralyzed baby!
I get it. I really do. I know that your babies legs are getting longer and they are kicking your seat. I get that they freak out cause they can't see out like everyone else. I know that the bigger carseat is so weird strapped in backwards. I get all of that. Sometimes it's enough to make a mama down right crazy. BUT....now that you know WHY your baby should be facing backwards until they are 2 or big enough that they outgrow the length and weight recommendations on your carseat, do you still want to turn them front facing? What if it's that one time, that one moment. The person in front of you slams on their brakes and so you do the same. Too little too late and you run into their bumper at a pretty good pace. You have a sore neck and some bruises, but what about your baby? Kinda gives you that sick feeling in your stomach hu? I've got it right now just thinking about how stupid I was. Do everyone a favor. Keep the baby facing backwards. You're the mommy and you make the decisions. But I also know that you love your baby and would do ANYTHING to keep it safe. Just saying...........

Excuse me.

Sorry for the double picture use friends. Apparently I need more sleep in my life. That and I am trying to get ready for Girls Night Out and I will be taking a blog time out for a few days for some family stuff. Anyhow, thanks for checking the blog anyhow and sorry about the picture. I'll find some new material and do my posts during a fully awake period. Lol.

Excuse me. Did you wash your hands?

It's that time of year. August signals the start to fall. The kids start back to school and whether you have school aged children or not you will undoubtedly be exposed to the same things growing in those petri dishes we call school. Doesn't matter if it's public school, charter school or private school. Whether it's your first baby or your 6th, the risks are the same. Fall starts the beginning of cold and flu season. Which for your newborn can be devastating. How are you going to protect yourself and your family this year? I did the work for you, researched the sites and filled their fact with plenty of my opinion and the following is the result of my efforts.

1. Proper nutrition. Whether it is you are baby or your toddler, make sure everyone is eating healthy choices and drinking plenty of water. Stay away from refined sugars as I personally think they feed those stupid germs allowing them to multiply and take over. If anything they for sure restrict your bodies ability to ramp up the immune system and fight of virus's. Remember, babies immune system is very immature. Something that may be easy for our bodies to fight of could have serious complications if baby gets it.

2. Get your flu shots. Not just you, everyone in the family. I know all the arguments, I work in health care remember? I've heard it all, even from my colleges. You don't believe they work, or the last time you got a flu shot you got sick, or you get the flu anyhow so why bother? That perfect, beautiful baby is why bother! Your baby is depending on you to keep yourself healthy and in turn keep him healthy. You would give your life to protect your children right? So why not a stiff arm for a day to help protect them? While we are on shots.....everyone caring for baby should be current on their Tdap too. It's not the tetanus part as much as the pertussis. Pertussis or whooping cough has been making a come back in recent years. I can think of very little as sad as watching your baby cough until it turns blue and vomits or passes out or worse.

3. Hand washing is always important. Not only for good health but it is also just plain socially unacceptable to not wash your hands. It's super important for anyone who will be holding your newborn, especially during cold and flu season. It's not rude and it shouldn't be uncomfortable. It's your duty as a parent to insist that any visitors wash their hands. The only problem with hand washing is that often people don't do it effectively. If they are washing with soap and water they should do so thoroughly for at least 30 seconds. My favorite is to have hand sanitizer. I mean everywhere. I have it at each of the sinks in my house and I keep a big bottle just inside my front door. While it isn't the greatest decoration, if it's very visible people are more likely to just take a squirt. If you don't want to have to tell people and you think they will miss the hint of a huge bottle right inside your front door then post a sign. Just a little sign reminding visitors to wash their hands hands before holding the baby.

4. Don't take your newborn in public. Don't go to church and to the family holiday get together! It sucks to have to miss it. It's true, but it also sucks to spend a night or more at the hospital with your baby! Once flu season is in full swing, get yourself some indoor activities, find some help or someone to come in and take care of baby while you go out, or wait till your husband can be home with the baby.

5. So what if you do have to go out? You are just not capable of staying home. Covering the car seat with a blanket or those cute carseat canopy's that people have while in stores or public places or at family gatherings will help discourage well meaning admirers from touching your newborn and unknowingly spreading germs. (Just be sure to pull it back when in the car and keep a side or something pulled back when you are out. You don't want baby rebreathing to much of his own carbon dioxide) You should be sure to wash your own hands after touching door knobs and shopping carts and before you touch your baby. Pocket hand sanitizer is great for that.

When you practice these basic illness prevention strategies you can help prevent some serious complications from the cold, flu, or RSV. By making these simple changes you are making your newborn’s health a priority. Good luck and keep it clean. My favorite winter strategies are hand sanitizer, Clorox cleaning wipes and disinfectant spray.

Good luck and may good health be with you!

Oh the sadness

This is one of the happiest times of your life right? So why so grumpy and where are the tears coming from? Your poor body has been through the ringer. Preganacy and child birth are no walk in the park. Unfortunately for some of us it's not our favorite color but more the way we feel. Blue. The baby blues are a common during the week or two after you deliver the baby. Your mood changes are caused by the sudden shift of hormones. Things like stress, lack of sleep and the new lifestyle you have with the baby at home can add to or make the baby blues worse. Generally the baby blues will go away on it's one without any treatment. Just take time for yourself each day, get some extra help and rotate with your partner or another helper during the night for babies feeding. You need to get some sleep.
If the baby blues don't go away, you may have postpartum depression. After a month or so if you are still or begin to experience anxiety, a disinterest in your baby, you want to sleep often and are generally lacking motivation, or even if you are having trouble sleeping it may be postpartum depression and not just a case of the baby blues. My advice, see your doctor. Talk openly with the Dr. about what you are feeling. We can't control certain aspects of our bodies and this is one of them. Give yourself a break. It's ok to admit what you are experiencing.
I couldn't figure it out after my second baby. I had no problem with connecting with him and never had any thoughts of self harm or harming him or my daughter, but man did I cry at the drop of a hat. I'm pretty sure I nearly bit my husbands head off more that a dozen times a day and I SO didn't want to clean or cook. Well, I still don't want to do that. Lol. I don't even remember now what I went to the Dr. for origionally. All he had to say was, "how are you today?" and I burst into tears. How embarassing! NO! I am so lucky that it happened at the right time and to the right person. For whatever reason I guess I didn't really think about depression. My baby was 6 months old! The good Dr. gave me and antidepressant and within a week I felt like a new woman! With in 2 weeks my house was clean again, by week 3 I could sleep at night between the babies feeding. IT WAS WONDERFUL!
My advice to you is to not ignore the little signs. If you feel "not quite yourself" then you probably aren't. It's ok to seek out advice especially from a Dr. Medication doesn't always have to be a permanent thing. Just use it to get you over the hump. However, DON'T stop taking it without your Dr.'s instructions to do so.
Be happy or get happy. It's so much more fun to enjoy the baby and your new life when you can really ENJOY it.

Let's be specific

Let's get specific here. Comment on this post with topics that you would like covered. By covered I mean topics that you want researched and reported on. Topics that you want the "real" deal on. None of the typical answers carefully thought out and graphed by Dr.'s and specialists. Topics that you want covered by a real life mama. Yep, that's me! Let me have it. Circumcision, baby clothes, car seats, sleeping arrangements, food introduction, bathing baby. Pretty much nothing is off limits. Ask me and I will do my best to answer.

Expanded....

Nope, not my waistline after my lunch at Olive Garden today! Today was an awesome day out with my friends. It was what we have started calling our "sanity lunches" just fun, food and friends. While out with my friends I was looking around the restaraunt and it got me thinking. While I am focusing my time and energy with this business here on the home front, that doesn't mean I am not willing to travel. There aren't a great number of businesses that cater to women during the postpartum period like I do. So far the info I have found seems to be limited and pricey! Contact me for info if you are not within the state of Utah but interested in having Time 4 Me come and assist you during those first few days home from the hospital with your brand new bundle of joy. Check out our updated pricing page for an idea of what you may be looking at, but as always, these are just estimates. We need to discuss your families needs for me to be able to give you a solid figure. Thanks for looking and have a good night!

Baby Boot Camp

You have earned the carseat carrying rights into motherhood. Delivery is over, you are EXHAUSTED but thankfully you also have at least 2 days with Dr's and Nurse's that know what they are doing. They see over 300 babies a year. This newborn thing. They've got it! Thank goodness for modern medicine right? So, while in your exhausted stuppor what will be happening? Once you are transferred to the post partum unit you and baby will be again reunited. Where has baby been? In the nursery. One on one with a nurse, getting a full work up. As long as everything checks out normal (don't worry, that cone head that's all squishy on top or the bruise your baby has on it's arm, even the little baby zits that have appeared, all normal) your pediatrician most likely won't see your baby until tomorrow. What are the normal things your nursing staff is watching for? They are listening to your babies heart rate, counting it's breaths per minute and taking it's temperature. Are you freaking out because your babies hands and feet are blue! Holy Crap! Just kidding, perfectly normal too. Your baby is learning to regulate it's own circulation and temperature. Cuddle your baby close and give it a couple of days and this will subside. :)
So what is the nursing staff expecting from you? We are expecting you to let us know if baby has wet or messy diapers. We want to know when it feeds and for how long. If you feel like you are nursing ALL the time, you very well may be. Colostrum digests in 45 min. No wonder baby acts hungry hu? What should you expect from us? We will check mom and baby to make sure things are normal and staying normal. While we will help you take care of things, we want you to be as independant as possible when you go home so you don't go through the oh holy crap I can't push the call light here syndrome.

My next few thoughts are just dirty little secrets that I have learned over my many years working on the postpartum unit and from having raised 2 little blessings myself. But, before that, I found an awesome article on WebMd with great info on those first few hours/days with baby and what's normal/not. It talks more technical talk then I would get into here but non-the-less I thought it was an awesome article. Go here: Is my newborn normal if you want to read it. Now the dirt. (Disclaimer: keep in mind these are my opinions, there may or may not be medical evidence to support them but I have seen A LOT of babies and several different types of family dynamics) 1. Most of the staff doesn't believe in "nipple confusion" 2. Sometimes until your milk comes in a little (5-10ml) formula will make all the difference in the overall contentment of the baby. 3. We don't mind when you send your baby to the nursery for the night with a bottle. But don't expect to breastfeed exclusively and go 3-4 or more hours between feedings. If you feel like you just sent your baby to the nursery and now we are bringing it back to you. That's because it's hungry again! Lol 4. Hand hygiene is IMPORTANT, make sure your visitors are using hand sanitizer and/or washing their hands. 5. Don't let visitors come if you are tired! It's ok to say no. If you don't wanna turn them away, we are more than happy to do so. That also goes for your other children. Send the daddy home! He can watch over your little family while you and baby get the needed rest to Take On Life after the hospital. 6. Most of the delays in your care or discharge are due to the Dr.'s. We have to call them, wait for them to call back, give them certain test results or information and then implement whatever instructions they give us. It's like kindof a process. 7. Going home isn't just as easy as putting baby in the car seat and leaving. (stupid legalities and paperwork) 8. We really DO want to do whatever we can to help you in the decisions you have already made for your baby. You just have to be open and honest about what it is you want. We don't read minds. 9. Be flexible. We have to be and the nature of parenthood should make you do so to. :) and last but not least......10. Remember that we can't go home with you (although, you could hire Time 4 Me) but we want you to be prepared TO go home so listen and take in as much as possible. Write things down, whatever you have to do. Although it is a job for the nurses and Dr.'s we really are so excited for you. This is a major life milestone and is such a blessing. Congratulations and best of luck. The newborn period goes by so fast. Take time to smell the baby lotion and snuggle your little.