Call us brave or dumb but we went camping over Memorial Day weekend. It was such a cold chilly weekend, not like I had hoped our first camping trip with Reagan would be. The amount of items to stock a camper for the first trip is a lot and it is expensive. Add a baby on top of that and whew the amount of stuff tripled.
I was nervous about her sleeping schedule. She has always been such a good sleeper and I don't want to jinx it! Well, I didn't have a darn thing to worry about, she kept her normal schedule. She was a tired girl when we got home on Monday though because she slept the whole way home and took a 3 hour nap in the afternoon.
Since it was so cold, Reagan only went on a short boat ride and didn't get to do any swimming =( but we did go on plenty of walks and I'm not sure who loved it more, Reagan or Zoe. I have so many pictures to upload off of my camera and do you think I remembered it, of course not.
I'm sure a lot of mom's would agree with me that there just aren't as many pictures of the kids and you as maybe just the kids or dad and kids because we are usually the ones behind the lens. A local photography that I follow on facebook (and who is actually going to be the photographer and my brothers wedding next year) offered a mini session called Mommy and Me. I jumped on it because I knew I would get some good pictures of Reagan and I. Boy was I right. Here are a few of my favorites!
I am still pumping for Reagan but I can only get about a 5oz bottle a day. I've tried Moth.ers milk tea and other herbs but not really any luck. Drinking a beer after a pumping session does increase the next 2 but I'm just not a big beer drinker although Sum.mer Shan.dy is good as well as shock.top and ber.ry we.iss. On pin.terest one day I saw a recipe for lactation cookies. Cookies that could help my milk supply I think it is a complete win win! They used whole wheat flour (I got mine at the amish bulk food store, wayyy cheaper than any grocery), flax seed, and oats. It calls for brewers yeast but I have yet to find it. I was in the baking mood on Sunday and made a single batch which yielded about 2 1/2 dozen. OMG they are so good! Matt even ate them and loved them. I'm not sure if I truly am seeing an increase but in my head I think I am so hey whatever works.
Wow your pictures turned out amazing and that outfit she is wearing is perfect for her. The traveling little Reagan. Glad she is out going and doing things that you guys love. I always tell Al that having a baby will not slow our pace on camping trips!
ReplyDeleteAww! Those photos are great! We have a ton of pics of just the babe and also the babe with her papa because I try to grab the camera and catch them together. Unfortunately, my husband is not so inclined to do the same for me and we have very few pics of me with our daughter. It is so special that you have these sweet images with Reagan!
ReplyDeleteIf you have a Whole Foods or co-op near you, they should have brewers yeast. I know you can also order it online. I was planning on making those same cookies in a couple of weeks when I'll be away from Felicia (taking a 5 day Responsive Classroom class and will be away from her 7:30am-4pm or so and will have to pump!). Right now I usually pump 1x daily just to get her used to her sippy cup. Yes, sippy cup...silly babe refuses bottles :( The oats alone should help your milk supply, so the brewers yeast is not completely necessary, but would possibly increase your supply even more. I have yet to find a brewers yeast labeled "gluten free" so I'll probably be leaving that out and subbing the flour with gf flour. I've considered adding nutritional yeast in its place, but that might be weird since it has a slightly cheesy flavor...I'm wondering if the amount is small enough that it wouldn't come through? Good luck with increasing your supply!
My friend made lactation cookies and it definitely increased her supply, as well as drinking mother's milk tea two times a day. The only other thing that will increase your supply is letting your sweet girl nurse as much as possible, and letting her stay latched on and suck. You know those little tiny sucks that they do when they are done eating? It's those sucks that tell your body to make more milk. I try to let my little guy stay on a little longer when I nurse on weekends to keep my supply up. When I pump on Monday's and Tuesday's back at work, I always have a TON more milk than I do the end of the week. Also pumping frequently. I pump at 5 am, 10 am, 3 pm, nurse at 5ish, and again at 7:30 for bed time. I usually can freeze about 4 to 5 twenty ounce bags a day.
ReplyDeleteYour pics are beautiful and you are 100% right, there are way more pics of daddy and babe, than mama and babe. Such a special time!
You guys are beautiful! What great pictures! They really capture the feeling.
ReplyDeleteThose pictures are absolutely BEAUTIFUL! And you are so right, I feel like we hardly have any pics of just Ellie and I!
ReplyDeleteHang in there with the pumping! I know it's tough, but just remember that any breastmilk you're able to provide Reagan is awesome. You're doing a great job!
The pictures are awesome Megan, so sweet!! Also - add in oatmeal, it should increase your supply. (I did all kinds of things to increase my supply, but since the boys stopped nursing after I went to work, it didn't help much). Nursing trumps it all! But, if you need any advice or questions about it let me know. I nursed/pumped for 7 months, whew, alot of work, but worth it for me. Everybody is different and you need to do what is best for you and your little one, so keep that in mind, it can't just be one or the other :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I love the pictures!! So precious. Glad the cookies are good. I hope they help! Can't wait to see camping pictures.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous pics - such a good idea to have them taken! Congrats on your first camping trip; sounds like a success. And I'll keep that tip about beer-after-pumping in mind for the (hopefully near) future!
ReplyDeleteAdorable pictures!!!
ReplyDeleteMegan, such cute photos! I second what Danielle said-eat lots of oatmeal. In the beginning, I had to cut out oatmeal because I had too much milk production but now that I'm back to work and pumping, I've added it in. I make these no bake energy bites to have on hand: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/no-bake-energy-bites/. They are yummy. Also, I find lots and lots (and lots) of water helps! Hope it gets better for you :). Pumping is such a pain but worth it!
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