Can I Spread It Out For You In A Nutshell? Part 2!

It's been 13 weeks. Only 13 weeks...but 3 months sounds a lot longer. This is a picture from her earlier weeks when we were still waking every 2 hours throughout the night to eat. I wanted to post another list of a few things that are important to me and wanted to share with you all.




1. REALLY REALLY nap when they do. Even if you don't fall asleep, try to rest. NOTHING is more important than your sanity! The dishes can wait. The laundry can wait. Ask for your partners help as often as you need to and DO NOT FEEL GUILTY!!! Trust me. I wish I would have rested more.

2. If you choose to breastfeed (which I HIGHLY recommend. For more information check out THIS link), there will be a point in the beginning of feeding where you will want to quit. Everytime your angel latches on, it will feel quite like being electrocuted. It may even bring you to tears. If this happens to you, DO NOT DESPAIR!! Just hang in there. It only lasts for a couple of days. Check your latch to make sure you're doing it correctly. If you are, your nipples just need to toughen up.
       ***For this I'm very serious! It was about a week or so after we started to latch regularly. It felt like everytime she ate my nipples were...well, they were attached to a battery jumper...Find a bottle that has a nipple that matches yours (I used Playtex Drop-Ins) and PUMP!!! Do not be afraid of this! You're going to have to let your nipples rest. Also, hand express some milk out, spread out around your nipple where it hurts the most, and let air dry. Breastmilk is pretty amazing stuff.
     If you still have pain and are thinking about giving up, contact your hospitals lactation consultant for help and advice. That's what they're there for! Do not be nervous to call them. 

3. Speaking of breastmilk, you know those little pimplie things that are ever so common on babies faces? Dab a little breastmilk on them!! Seriously! Whenever M&M had that, within half a day they are gone. :D I also use it if she scratches herself. Its amazing.

4. People are going to want to touch your baby. Especially here in south Texas where the population is primarily hispanic. It's part of their culture to touch your baby if they see them to prevent them from getting El Ojo. Most of the time they just touch the top of their heads or their feet but if it really bothers you, when you go out, keep your baby covered or before they touch simply tell them "please don't touch her..." They will most likely give you a dirty look but hey, its your baby. Pull up your big girl Mommy panties and handle it.

5. Take all advice with a grain of salt. If I had my baby bundled up like my grandmother wants her to be, she'd get heatstroke in this south Texas heat. (We went 3 months in triple digit heat) So you can tell them "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." or "Thanks for that advice, I'll ask the doctor" and do what you feel is best. They are your child. OOOORRRRR you can just do what they say till they leave. I love my grandmother to bits and I always want to make her happy so when I go over to visit with them, I make sure to put thin pants and socks on the baby before I go in. Then I take them off when we get back into the car. It's a win win that way.

That's all I have for now. I hope this is helpful!