My Review of Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra

Originally submitted at One Step Ahead

Finally: a truly comfortable (and flattering) nursing bra! This seamless, butter-soft Bravado nursing bra molds to your body for a perfect fit, and the stretchy fabric grows and contracts to support your changing shape. The cups unclip with one hand and may be fully lowered when nursing, as recomme...

Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra

THE BEST NURSING BRA! I own five!

By dazed81 from Illinois on 9/21/2009

5out of 5

Gift: No

Pros: Nice Pattern, Good Size And Fit, Soft, Easy To Wash

Cons: Stains Easily

Best Uses: Newborn, Toddlers, Preemies, Nursing Moms, Infants

Describe Yourself: Breastfed two children, Parent of Two or More Children

I have five of these bras. I purchased them at a local bra specialty shop and was professionally measured as a 40G. because this bra is microfiber and adds LOTS of stretch, it was recommended and was the most comfortable bra I have ever tried, and I have tried A LOT of nursing bras, alot of different styles, brands, etc.
I was advised that it is not a good idea to wear the same bra two days in a row, because it is hard on the elastic and doesn't allow it time to regain it's shape. I purchased two and went back to buy three more because I loved it so much.

The ONLY downside that I see is that after a long day, the bottom band (which is Really nice and soft, but still wide) can be curled up a bit from all the weight.

These wash nicely. I use the handwash cycle on my washer and some unscented specialty lingerie soap. I hang them dry.

I love that these look so smooth and seamless and are very nice under all types of clothing. The only thing I can't wear them under is a lower cut blouse, or something with a really wide neck, because the straps and front of the bra may show.

I actually can release these straps with one hand, and re-hook them with one hand.

The bra has built in "pockets" and removable "padding" that can be used to help conceal nursing pads. I used these initially, but once my milk supply is regulated I don't need nursing pads anymore, and it was nice that I could just remove the bra's padding. Very nice quality.

Very pleased. I have had the same five bras for 6 months now with not a single issue.

(legalese)

Shiva is the only person I know with enough arms to apply diaper ointment to an 8 month old.

I am loving. Staying at home. I have so much that I could type here, but I still have several things to do before bed so I will make it short and sweet.

I have been hella busy. I have barely been online *gasp* and that's okay. Evan took pieces from his computer and put them into my computer, doubling the memory and adding another hard drive and a DVD Burner. We reformatted the machine and I am in the process of installing new software, the Adobe Creative Suite (CS3) and Microsoft Office 2007.

This past weekend we had alot going on. I don't know that I checked my email at all until briefly Sunday night. We were without power for 4 hours on Saturday, and I spent the time picking up the house and playing with Ardyn. I had the dryer going, the washing machine, the dishwasher, had JUST put the baby down for her nap and was going to sit down and pay bills online, and vacuum the house, when the power went out. That was a bummer. Saturday night Evan's band (Driftwood) had a gig and my sister and I went to watch. I was busy clear up until the moment I walked out the door that night and didn't get home till 2:30 in the morning Sunday, and then was up with the baby at 5:45 again, and at 7:30. Sunday I was pretty much zombie- and Evan worked in the yard (mowing, etc) and I did more laundry and washed diapers, cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher twice, made my grocery list for the week, picked up Ardyn's room, and then Ardyn and I took a late bath together. She stayed up until 10pm (stinker) so I was up until 1:30 am because I had so much to accomplish before today. I had cleaning people coming, and because we had already been so busy, and I brought home everything from my office, and unloaded everything from my car when we bought the van, AND had the computer tore apart and software and hardware strewn all over.... I really needed to clean up. I felt like if I could make it through this weekend with all the things I needed to have done by Monday, then I would survive.

Today I woke up and cleaned more (this place was really a wreck) and Ardyn and I got dressed and packed the van up for a grocery trip. We ate lunch and I did lots of preparing for errands, packages to mail, stops to make on the way to get groceries, etc. I needed to refill all my perfume at Good Scents and make an appointment for a haircut. I wanted to wash the van and open Ardyn's savings account at the bank. I needed to get the mail (software for the computer had arrived) and drop off a UPS package. Then we had to get groceries. And get home in time for making supper and seeing Evan before he went off to band practice. I also had to call the Dr.'s office and get a prescription for Ardyn (she got a yeast infection diaper rash right before leaving daycare, that miconazole wouldn't clear up, so we needed Nystatin) and then had to pick up the prescription.

So we made it to everywhere we needed to be today, and also had an oreo blizzard and got $216 worth of groceries. It made me sad, but I had to buy my second pack of disposable diapers this week, because the creams and treatments we are using on her would ruin her cloth diapers. I feel terribly guilty about that. I know that I can use lay in liners for the diapers but they always seem to "move" in there, and I also want to eliminate the possibility that the yeast could be growing in her diapers (which I proved that it isn't, I was pretty confident in my very strict and efficient washing routine, not to mention my soap and oxyboost) She wears disposables 4 times a day and overnight when I put the cream on, but wears her cloth diapers for the rest of the day. She also has been going naked as much as possible to help clear it up.... she was naked for 3 hours straight on Saturday.

My milk supply is way up now since I don't have to pump all day. When she goes to bed at night, I pump once before I sleep and I am getting more than twice what I was getting when I was working full time. Wonderful. Building up my freezer supply feels good, although I feel like I might never need it! It should help me out when it comes time to wean though.

I am also really enjoying NOT washing pump parts and bottles every night. What a pain in the ass! The dogs are thrilled because instead of being in the kennel all day long, they have been out laying in the sun in the yard. They are enjoying it thoroughly.

I was able to get some jeans out on the line last Friday, which was awesome. I am working on carrying Ardyn AND a laundry basket outside with me. It's not hard when the basket is empty. I put her in the carrier that Amy bought me, because she loves to face forwards and look around, and it's the only carrier I have (out of 5) that allows her to face out. then I sit her in the grass and she plays and watches and grazes (ha) while I hang things on the line. She has been especially grabby lately. She can get into anything within 3 feet of her body in like .3 seconds. Today when I was getting groceries, she was trying to unload the cart as fast as I was loading it. She threw (literally threw) a tub of hummus (my favorite red roasted pepper) onto the floor and it went like 5 feet from the cart and broke open all over the floor at the end of the aisle. I looked around for a salesperson to help me, and per usual, when you WANT one there aren't any (damn *Mart*) so I just ran like hell. Does that make me a bad parent? Probably. But after I waited 50 minutes for my daughter's prescription to be filled and then 10 more in line with 9 other people while she screamed and fussed and kicked at me.... just to finally pick it up.... and 20 more minutes in the checkout line and then put everything onto the conveyor one-handed while she whined in my ear.... I didn't give a rats ass about that hummus anymore.

She was hungry because she hadn't eaten since like 1pm and it was 4pm, and she had skipped her naps because she refused to sleep when I put her down for her regular nap, and although I have breastfed while walking the aisle of Wal-Mart before, I am not able to do it when I am alone because I can't feed her AND push the cart at the same time. Today (while changing a diaper, holding two kicking legs up with my left arm and two flailing hands out of her crotch with my left hand, holding the diaper down flat under her with the other arm while I used the right hand to squeeze out ointment onto my index finger AND apply it) I asked my husband what kind of cruel sense of humor God must have to give us moms only two arms. Honestly. Shiva has 8, and that bitch is wicked awesome. (I say bitch because I am referring to Shiva in the form of Ardhanarishvara, half man-half woman. And I don't mean bitch to be derogatory here. AND I should also clarify that Shiva can be depicted with anywhere from 2-8 arms, but usually at least 4. Wiki it if you are not sure what I am referring to.) Are 8 arms to much to ask? Octo-Mommy sounds pretty cool to me. I mean, wouldn't they go well with those eyes we get in the back of our heads?

So as I write this I have finished my night. I have put away all the groceries. Made Spaghetti and Garlic Bread with Cheese for supper. Fed the baby and myself and my husband. Rinsed the dinner dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. Nursed my daughter and put her to bed. Helped my sister shop online for a doghouse for Arnie. Washed two more loads of clothes. Taken the tags off Ardyn's 4 new pair of summer shortie pajamas. AND checked my email and decided that I have time to either blog or respons to emails, but not both. I bought the remaining supplies to make Dotty the Owl... and hoped to do that tonight, but at this point in time, it's already 10pm and I still have to unload stuff from the bed, put away laundry, make my list for tomorrow, read the book on how to set the water softener, let the dogs out one more time, brush my teeth, take my medicine, and go to sleep. AND probably pump and switch the laundry one more time. So, Dotty will have to wait. Another day.

I hope everyone is enjoying their spring. I know that I am!

I can't keep my pants on....

Yes. I am a dirty tramp. No no. Just kidding. I am too skinny. Well, maybe not skinny. But my pants are all way to big. Now they are about two sizes too big. I am getting so sick and tired of yanking my pants up all day long. Especially when trying to carry all the baby gear, I don't have enough arms to hold everything and keep my pants up. I imagine that I will just be walking along and suddenly my pants will be around my ankles. And my shirts are too big. I look like I had bariatric surgery. You know how those people look when they lose a bunch of weight and then their clothes don't fit right anymore? That's how I feel. My mom said "You have no butt. Where is your butt?" This is, of course, a good thing. When sick, I lost another 10 pounds, making that a total of 46 pounds lost since Ardyn popped out. Isn't breastfeeding grand!?

I have come to the realization that I need to get some new clothes. Badly. I have them picked out. Eddie Bauer and LL Bean staples like colored v-neck shirts, khaki pants, and shorts and capris. My jean shorts from pre-pregnancy should all be 3 sizes too big this summer, and that just won't work. Next paycheck, I am ordering new clothes. And I need to clean out my closet. But I can't possibly order enough new clothes to replace everything I already wear, so I will have to be a little forgiving I believe, and keep several things.... too big or not. I have a tote of jeans and pants in the attic that I believe I need to bring down, because they should all start fitting me. Then I think that if I get pregnant again, I will be starting my pregnancy much smaller, so there's always the chance that my maternity clothes might even be too big. But I am sure to swell up enough to make that doable. :)

So, we have no internet at home. Insight sold all it's Illinois Customers to Comcast. And. Comcast. Apparently blows. As soon as the switch was made, we started to see problems with the internet and our VOIP. We bought new phones. Still problems. I bypassed the router and went directly through the cable modem. Still problems. There is a potential that it could be the cable modem, which we own because with Insight you purchase your own modem. Well, with Comcast they want to RENT you your modem, which costs an arm and a leg, and by the time you have rented it for a year, you could have bought your own, not to mention that after 5 years you could have bought five of them. So we don't know if we have a modem issue, because since we switched from Insight (unwillingly) they don't know how to troubleshoot the modem. And as of last week we have NO internet service, and they can't get a technician out until MARCH FOURTH. Yeah. I am not pleased. I called on Sunday and they told me I would hear back or have a technician out by Tuesday morning, and by Tuesday afternoon I called them and they couldn't figure out why no one had called me. March 4th is a long long long ways away when you have no internet or phone service. When I asked about getting a credit for the service we are not getting, they told me that I would have to ask for the credit after it is fixed. Yeah, because I have nothing better to do but call you over and over to get problems resolved. That's pure wonderful customer service. I called Comcast to try to get to a supervisor and their "high call volumes" meant that they wouldn't even connect you to a person. So I emailed them and expressed my displeasure. Not that it will get me anywhere. But come on. Two weeks? When Insight was called, even with "high call volumes" we got a technician within 24 hours, even on the weekend and in inclement weather. And I bet you money that if I called Comcast and wanted new service, they wouldn't tell me I had to wait two weeks. So how can you treat your customers like that?

Let's see. What else is new? Monday night was Grandpa Bob's birthday, so we all went over to Great Grandma's house for Spaghetti, which was awesome. We had a nice night and Ardyn was still going strong at 9pm. Yesterday we got our taxes done, and we get a fairly substantial refund, but all of it will go towards the hospital bill for Ardyn's birth, leaving me about $600 more to pay on the bill before it's completely gone. Of course we will get another $1500 this May for the tax "refund" break.... $1200 as a married couple and $300 for Ardyn. It's time to get a newer vehicle as mine nears the 200 thousand mile marker.... so probably a new van or a Durango. That's the plan.... although I would KILL for a vacation somewhere sunny.... A new vehicle is what we need.

Last night I watched the new episodes of John and Kate plus 8, which I Love. It was the one where they go to Utah on a ski trip and their 8 hour flight gets turned into a 12 hour flight when the runways in Salt lake City are closed due to snow, and they get send to Idaho and are stuck on the plane with all 8 kids. Poor Kate breaks down and I felt so bad for her that I wanted to cry too. I can't imagine what that was like! I wouldn't even be able to take MYSELF on a 8 hour flight, 4 hours is about when I get to my wits end myself, let alone with kids. NO way. That's hell. And then I saw their rental house in Park City Utah, and it made me laugh because we were actually IN Park City, and saw those houses, in August of 2006, when we went to Roy Utah to see Carrie. We flew into and out of Salt Lake City, and we went shopping in Park City at the outlet malls, and I bought some baby clothes at the Osh Kosh Outlet and new Shoes at the American Eagle Outlet. We strolled downtown in Park City and ate lunch and did some shopping. They had a Roots Park City store there, and I love Roots.... and I bought some flip flops and a hat there. So anyway, it's pretty hard to watch John and Kate pack up all those kids. SO much work. But I can understand her desire to take them places and allow them to experience. But holy cow. Stress.

So that's about all I know. Things might be kinda quiet from me until we get our internet fixed. Stay tuned....

P.S. Ardyn is now eating carrots, squash, and peas. Photos are on Flickr!

Birthdays, Bum Genius, and Breastmilk

last night we gave Ardyn Oatmeal mixed with breastmilk. She loved it. Evan fed her and I taped the whole ordeal. She got it right away, even more so than our attempt at rice cereal at 4 months, and she eagerly grabbed at the spoon and tried to feed herself. She also would lunge in for the next bite. Of course she was more gassy and fussy at night, I think part of the fussiness is teething and part is digesting. She was up from 2:30 till almost 4am, and then awake again at 5:30 and pretty much sleeping fitfully next to me between 5:30 and 7am when she finally woke for the day. Of course, that means that she was taking her first nap at 9:30 when we left for daycare this morning.

I took oatmeal to daycare today and we also started putting the sippy cup handles on her bottles, getting ready to hopefully transition to sippy cups this month. The poor daycare girls will think I am crazy.... but I did write them a page of information about what I was trying to achieve. We arrive right in the middle of morning nap at daycare, and usually they have their hands full with crying babies trying to fall asleep, so I knew we wouldn't be able to get in a clear conversation before I left.

Last Friday our newest diapers arrived. Thirsties came out with an AIO Pocket, and that means that the absorbancy is built right in but there is also a pocket for added stuffing if necessary. They also have the wonderful Thirsties Leg Gussets, which I love, and so when they arrived I was super excited. 6 of them ran me about $100, which was really a great deal considering. I got free shipping and a $10 discount on my order, so it was great. We tested them over the weekend and Evan and I both instantly fell in love with them. They are so trim under clothes and the velcro tabs are really nice and clean. I also like that the tabs will overlap and the leg gussets work beautifully, just like on our Thirsties covers. So now once my last bunch of secondhand drybees arrives, I will have 15 diapers suitable for the daycare rotation, which is two days worth and will allow me to really wash only every other day. Washing every night is no big deal, but it becomes a little bit of a hassle if you want to go somewhere on a weeknight, especially if like me, you like to be in bed by 9:30 or 10:30. I took pictures of the Thirsties, but I am a little behind in uploading pics. The hard drive of my laptop is 100% full, so I can't empty my camera cards, and I have two of them full now. So I need to work on unloading the laptop to my portable hard drive so that I can unload the camera cards and upload more pics.

I also heard that diapers.com started carrying Bum Genius Cloth Diapers, which we use for nighttime. I have two Bum Genius 3.0's and we love them for overnight.... but that means that I have to wash every night or the next night we will be OUT Of overnight diapers. She can wear a prefold overnight but I am not a fan of how the prefolds don't keep all that overnight wetness away from her skin, like a Bum Genius does. Someone gave me a $10 off coupon code and I got free shipping there too, so I got the $18 diapers for about $14 each, which is cheaper than you can buy them used. I got three, and that will give us 5 nighttime diapers, which also helps if we ever have to change her halfway through the night. They are also an excellent investment because they are one size diapers, so they snap down and up in size and she will be able to wear them throughout her entire diaper career, before they are passed on to siblings.

This weekend is my mom's birthday, Evan's grandma's birthday, and Evan's dad's birthday. I have everyone's birthday cards ready, except I need to make one for my mom yet, and I keep telling Ardyn that we are going out to dinner this weekend with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Liz for my mom's birthday. I can't wait! I hope more than anything that she can be good and stay awake. I think she will be fine because she will be home with me all day and be able to take good long naps, which should allow her to be awake late enough for supper. In the past week we have determined that her 8pm bedtime needs to be 7:30 now, because she has a huge meltdown and is exhausted between 7:15 and 7:30. Last night I started feeding her at 7 and by 7:30 she was in bed. That is the third time in a row that she has been so tired. Poor Beeb. It's hard to get home from work and daycare, feed her, feed us, and get in any playtime if she is getting ready for bed at 7pm. Especially if it is bath night. But we will make it work.

So that's the scoop for now. Sorry no pictures in this post.... gotta work on that camera.

Letter to Avent, Makers of the Avent Isis Duo and Uno Breast Pumps

Avent Products I use: I use EVERYTHING by Avent. Isis IQ Uno, Isis IQ Duo, Avent Tempo Nursers, Avent bottles, Avent breastmilk storage system (for freezing), Avent Microsteam Sterilizer, Avent Pacifiers, Avent breast pads.

Features I like: I love the pump bag for the Duo. I like the ability to change the suction rate to encourage letdown and make the pumping more like nursing my baby.

Features I Dislike: I dislike how I have to lean forward to prevent milk from flowing backwards between the massage cushion and the pump horn. If you lean forward, you get backaches, and if you don't, you leak/lose milk.

I HATE the fact that I can't purchase an extra set of horns/massage cushions. I think this is the most disappointing thing of all. Every other pump manufacturer offers this ability, and even different sized horns. I would love to have an extra set, right now I have to pump at 10:30pm before bed, and have to stay up an extra 20-30 minutes to wash the pump parts and sterilize them so that I can take them to work the next day. An extra set of pump parts would save me lots of time and get more sleep for me. This is very important as a working mom.

I dislike that the Isis DUO seems to have higher suction on the side with the control handle, and this issue is discussed by many users of the pump in online forums, and everyone who calls the Avent 800 number is told that this is "not true" but when they attempt to troubleshoot they can't fix the issue. It is very easy to see that when many moms see the same issue, it isn't a fluke.

I dislike that you can't see the power light when the pump is inside the pump bag. That is a bizarre design. I dislike that the pump horns are top-heavy and therefore empty bottles tip over if you try to set them upright. I dislike that the pump can't be used handsfree because the massage cushions prevent full on suction, and even with a handsfree bra, the suction isn't right or the angle of the pump horns causes the leakage back between the massage cushions as mentioned above.

Suggestions for Improvement: I am not a huge fan of calling your support line. The people who answer your calls appear to have no breastfeeding or pumping experience, and that frustrates me to no end. They had never heard of boiling the silicone pump parts to shrink them back to "normal" and increase suction. This is something that is widespread information on the internet regarding the Avent pumps, and listed on Kellymom, but your staff knows nothing about it. These types of things frustrate me. It also frustrates me that when I call they can give me no information about when and if replacement parts might be available. From the three calls that I have made, I frequently felt that they were reading the troubleshooting from a script, and not stating anything from memory and experience, which leads me to believe that I have as much or more knowledge about the products than they do.... this is not a good feeling and prevents me from being confident in your support.

Germ Guardian Nursery Sanitizer Review

Retail Price: $48-$59
Lowest Price: Wal-mart.com with 97 cent shipping or Amazon.com with free shipping

I bought this item before returning to work because I thought it would simplify my sterilizing routine for my breast pump parts. I also liked that It was dry sanitizing, so I was excited to sanitize items like teethers, small stuffed animals, etc. I wish that I had seen all the reviews on amazon before purchasing. I assumed by the photo that this was a much bigger item, and that I would be able to fit lots inside.

I was sadly mistaken. When the germ guardian arrived I was shocked at how small it was. Unlike other reviewers stated, I was able to fit all of my double pump pieces inside, both horns, both diaphragms, and all the sterile caps, etc. However, that was about all I could fit. If the unit is completely empty, I can fit four, 4 ounce avent bottles in it, but none with the pump horns. The avent 4 ounce bottles must be in the 4 corners, otherwise the lid hits them and won't close. Anything larger than a 4 ounce bottle will only fit on it's side. Because of the strange plastic divider pieces that are in the container, only ONE 8 oz bottle will fit inside, on it's side. Strange! So when I thought that I would be able to come home and sterilize Four bottles and all my pump parts in one load, I was sadly mistaken. I can fit almost 50% more items in my Avent Micro Steam Sterilizer.

If I didn't have to pay for return shipping on this item, it would be going back. The small size of the chamber is just ridiculous. They could have at least made it deeper, if not wider dimensionally... that way it would take up very little counter space and still handle a nice sized load.

Another thing I wasn't expecting, the bottom of the container is "open" with spoke-like dividers radiating out from the center. Instead of being a nice grid design like say, a colander, it allows smaller pump parts and even pacifier handles and small MAM Pacis to fall through. That is crazy to me. I am always afraid this will cause something to melt or drop through.

That said, the sanitizer is easy to use. It does it's job. It's nice to walk away and come back to clean, dry, sterile pieces.

Another thing I was shocked about? You can't use this to sanitize teethers! The directions state that no toys with liquid inside can be placed in the sanitizer in case they get too hot and burst. I was shocked and disappointed at this. You also can't put in any toys with light or music/sound features. So no light up keys or musical rattles. I thought that as a dry sanitizer, it would be able to do these things for me. That even ruled out the stuffed animal that I wanted to sanitize, because his hands are plastic and filled with a teething gel.

Another downside is that wet items cant be placed inside. So while I thought I would save drying time, I still have to wash and hand dry all the parts before they can go inside. I thought they would probably dry while in the sanitizer, since it uses heat much like a dishwasher. However, the directions tell you that it is NOT A DRYER and that Wet Items are not to be placed inside. If wet items are inside, they won't get hot enough to be sanitized.

I was extremely frustrated with the lack of information about the product that was available before I purchased.

This could use some serious improvements. The idea is great but the design is not.

Would you see this on TV today?

Probably not, and it's a shame!

Zzzz Zzzzz Z zz ZZ zzzzz Z z Zzzzzzz.....

Last night. Was rough. Ardyn was awake from 4am until 7:50am. Ugh. Then she woke up again at 9:50 and at 11am to eat. I drug my ass out of bed at 11. I was just putting one foot in front of the other, but We started off our day with apple cinnamon oatmeal and yogi's mother's milk tea. I got a free issue of Brain Child Magazine,and when I finished my oatmeal and banana, I held her and nursed her while drinking the rest of my tea and reading several articles. It was a nice morning. Then we wrapped ourselves up and cuddled in the glider in the nursery, and rocked for a while, and nursed. And nursed again. And rocked some more. Around 3:30 she went down for a nap, and so did I! It only lasted about 40 minutes before she wanted to eat again... but at least it was a nice nap. I felt a little better then, but alot better when Evan brought home chicken for supper, and we ate, and I got to take a bubble bath and read some of my book. Ahhh. And now she was in bed at 9:45 and I am soon to follow in case we have another night like last night.

I am really enjoying the "I was a great mom before I had kids" book. It talks about how mom's hold themself to a high standard and that they expect more out of themselves than is physically possible of anyone. It also talks about how society (other mom's included) also expect unbelievable things from moms, and it makes it all even harder. It has a great take on choice. I talks about how we have so many choices in our lives today, for ourselves, our kids, and our families in general. There are so many choices that it's exhausting to just make decisions constantly, and that while dad's may even take care of their share of household or child-rearing tasks, they don't generally make all the decisions that the wife does. Everything from what your child wears, what activities they take part in, where they go to school, who they have for daycare, what your family eats... to paying bills, household finances, fixing household items, family vacations, correspondence with other family members and friends, planning babysitters, date nights, house maintenance, etc. The book discusses how the constant decision making process puts your brain on overload on a regular basis. You are constantly investigating, weighing pros and cons, putting the decision making process in place, and then whenever something doesn't work out perfectly, no matter what it may be, you are second guessing your choice, thinking that the problem was indeed just a bad decision on your part. Then you feel guilty. You feel like you let your family down, and you feel like things aren't "right" because of your decision. So while we fought and fought to have so many choices, now we have overwhelmed ourselves with constant choices to make. Isn't THAT the truth? So I am supposed to learn from this book what is REALLY important to me, and to my family, and trying to forget and let the rest "go." Focus on what is really important in order to enjoy your life and be happy. I will keep you posted.

Well, I did try out the new Avent Isis IQ Duo breast pump tonight, and it's incredibly powerful. It was more powerful than the Isis IQ Uno pump (wow!) and more powerful than the hospital grade Medela that we used in the hospital in order to get contractions going. I was able to do the complete setup, pumping, and cleanup in less than 12 minutes. And that was the first pumping ever... so that was awesome. I think that being familiar with the setup of the Uno pump made it easier to setup the Duo. It really got the milk flowing though. I am sure as I continue to get used to this pump, the milk will flow even faster!

Have a nice night and wish me SLEEP!

Growth Spurt!

Ardyn is back to the eating every hour or two. Ack. Must be having a growth spurt and trying to build my milk supply. So that means lots of waking up in the night to change diapers and feed her, and plenty of feeding during the day. Today when I put a shirt on I regretted it because I spent the entire day feeding her. I did get in a couple of naps, but it's hard because she only naps for 20 minutes to an hour now, because she keeps waking up to eat.

Tonight I watched the Season Premiere of Grey's Anatomy and I Tivo'd My Name is Earl. Evan and I took a walk with Ardyn in the stroller tonight. Of course all night she did nothing but eat pretty constantly. I reheated some Corned Beef Casserole that my mom brought over last week and we had frozen. In the time that it took me to eat it, She had an intense meltdown, but I can't hold her and eat something that is so hot, I needed two hands, and she was NOT cooperating. It's too bad a baby doesn't understand that parents need to eat too. She did the curdling screaming cry while I shoveled in my food. Eventually she gave up, which surprised me, because it was pretty intense. But I had to eat something, it was 10:15 for god's sakes! So I fed her straight from 9 until 10pm, alternating sides, and from 10:30 till 11, alternating sides again. FINALLY I was able to change her diaper, put her in the sleep sack and swaddle her, and feed her a bit more and she finally went to sleep. Whew. I did some reading on kellymom and LaLeche League, and another website.... all about growth spurts. Sounds like I am doing all that I am supposed to be, and explains why I am so thirsty today, and why by 1pm I was so starving.

I am trying to work on doing something while breastfeeding that feels like it's for me. Since I can't reach my toes to paint them with a kid on my boob (ha ha) I am trying to perfect the one handed book reading skill. Turning the page one handed is not easy for me, but I am doing okay. Today I just ready some breastfeeding books and magazines. I also got some magazines read while we waited for the bathtub to fill. Speaking of which, we had a major diaper blowout this morning. Our first major blowout. I had changed her like 4 times overnight, but in her last sleeping stretch, I heard her poop, and when I went to change her, it had escaped her diaper and gone UP her back, and while changing her she got it between her toes and on her leg. LOL. Luckily we were "getting up" for the day and it didn't happen at like 4am.... so after wiping her down with wipes, we filled the tub and scrubbed her clean.

Tonight I also watched an episode of Throwdown on Food network, that Evan had Tivo'd and wanted me to watch. It was a macaroni and cheese throwdown where he took on Delilah (best macaroni and cheese in the USA.) It made me want macaroni and cheese, but we didn't have any. Bummer.

I bought a hotsling yesterday and will buy some more nursing shirts from Motherwear. Mom gave me birthday money! I have my ring sling, but I don't like how she sways back and forth and isn't tight to my body. It makes me a little nervous to do anything and I feel like I am holding one hand on her all the time. Plus she is lying down too much and I can't correct it. I could probably tighten it up a bit but it's such a pain to have to adjust. I do love the carrier that Amy bought us for the baby shower, and I have used it once, but she is still a bit small for it. She can stay in it but her head flops a bit too much when she falls asleep... and that's pretty much immediately. I like that the hotsling is like my ring sling but has stretch to it and no ring. If it arrives and I don't like it, I can always return it. I ordered a cool black and white pattern that looks like this.... What is awesome is that it shipped today. Immediately. I am so used to being frustrated by Target lately, and the 3-4 days it takes to ship something. Especially when they take forever for it to arrive, and their tracking system is all messed up and doesn't show when it will actually be delivered, so I have to login to target, copy the tracking number, go to the UPS website, and track the stupid package for the real lowdown on where it is and when it will get here. It is so refreshing to have something ship immediately and arrive in a respectable and flattering amount of time.

Well, here's to hoping that she sleeps longer stretches tonight after all that feeding.... but something tells me that's just wishful thinking. Wish me luck! And patience. And sanity!

Hopefully I can tear myself away from repeats of scrubs and go to BED!! It's almost like I hate to lie down because I know my sleep will be SO short it's almost like I feel better just staying awake. Crazy.

Update

SPEAKING OF THE MOVEMENT--BREASTFEEDING UPDATE: We have exciting news on this front: You all are amazing! Last week in response to news that a ticket agent forced a mother off a Freedom Air flight run by Delta Air Lines for breastfeeding on-board, MomsRising put up a petition and you responded. In less than a week the petition gathered over 20,000 signatures telling Delta Air Lines that breastfeeding mothers should be supported, as well as supporting the Breastfeeding Promotion Act before Congress. Over 20,000!

Emails and calls from MomsRising members, as well as regular updates about the high number of petition signatures, pushed both Delta and Freedom Airlines to issue statements underscoring their commitment to allowing women to breastfeed onboard planes. Freedom Air also noted that the incident would serve as a training opportunity for all employees.

DELTA AIRLINES STATEMENT: "Delta Air Lines supports a mother’s right to breastfeed her baby onboard our aircraft. We regret the decision to remove the passenger from Flight 6160 as it was not in keeping with Delta's high service standards, and we are coordinating with Freedom Airlines to ensure that they deliver the level of service we expect for all of our customers."

NEXT STEPS: Right now, Delta Airlines is contemplating officially supporting the Breastfeeding Promotion Act which is currently before Congress. So please give Delta a call to thank them for taking a strong stand on behalf of breastfeeding mothers, and encourage Delta to actively support the Breastfeeding Promotion Act. Getting more signatures on the petition helps let our leaders know that citizen support is strong.

*To sign the petition (and ask friends to sign on), go to: http://www.momsrising.org/breastfeeding-petition

MomsRising is committed to making it possible for all mothers who want to breastfeed their children to be able to do so. In an effort to build a country that's truly family-friendly, MomsRising supports policies and programs that allow mothers to make that choice—including policies like paid family leave and flexible work options.

Together we’re building a more family-friendly America. Thank you! – The MomsRising Team