1m2aSandbox

Back safe and sound from Wisconsin, I believe I can say our trip was a resounding success.  Madeleine got to meet her great-grandparents, as well as a couple great-uncles and –aunts and even a few cousins.  I was so proud of her good-naturedness, her willingness to be driven all over the place and passed around to strangers.  And she flew like a pro!  That nursing on take-off and landing definitely works.  On the flight out, we had her in the Bjorn the whole time; I called the airline ahead of time and they suggested a front carrier as the safest way to travel with her.

Madeleine’s a week away from her three month birthday, and so interested in the world around her, she gets really frustrated when she can’t make her body do what she wants.  Over the past few weeks she’s gotten in the habit of grabbing my thumbs while lying down and using them to help pull herself up to sitting.  She’d rather sit than lie down, and she’d infinitely prefer to “stand” than sit.  Unfortunately, her muscle strength and balance hold her back from standing, but I have found something to help her sit.

We’re getting ready to take Madeleine on her first plane trip, and I called on the Mommy Focus Group for tips on a fuss-free ride.  They unanimously recommended feeding her while taking off and landing; the swallowing is one of two ways she can equalize her ears, crying being the other.  So I started looking around for a couple of nursing tops to wear on the plane, thereby avoiding inflicting my post-partum tummy on the unsuspecting passengers.  And you know what I found?  There’s an unbelievable amount of ugly nursing wear out there.

The breastfeeding thing seems to be under control now; Maddie’s eating like a pro and I’m all healed up.  We’re a great team.  I cannot forget, though, how hard those first couple of weeks were, and it seems everything happened correctly with me!  Madeleine latched properly right away, never refused to eat, my milk came in on the fourth day and has never stopped, I’ve never had an infection, and so on.  If I had so much trouble and everything went right, how hard it must be for everyone who doesn’t have it so lucky.  As it was, I maintained constant email contact with my girlfriends, seeking sympathy and reassurance.
But what do you do if you don’t have that network?  There are a lot of nursing-related issues that all new moms hear murmured ominously – thrush, mastitis, improper latching, and so on.  Where can you go to find out if your soreness is normal or cause for alarm, without calling your OB 10 times a day?

The breastfeeding thing seems to be under control now; Maddie’s eating like a pro and I’m all healed up.  We’re a great team.  I cannot forget, though, how hard those first couple of weeks were, and it seems everything happened correctly with me!  Madeleine latched properly right away, never refused to eat, my milk came in on the fourth day and has never stopped, I’ve never had an infection, and so on.  If I had so much trouble and everything went right, how hard it must be for everyone who doesn’t have it so lucky.  As it was, I maintained constant email contact with my girlfriends, seeking sympathy and reassurance.
But what do you do if you don’t have that network?  There are a lot of nursing-related issues that all new moms hear murmured ominously – thrush, mastitis, improper latching, and so on.  Where can you go to find out if your soreness is normal or cause for alarm, without calling your OB 10 times a day?

The breastfeeding thing seems to be under control now; Maddie’s eating like a pro and I’m all healed up.  We’re a great team.  I cannot forget, though, how hard those first couple of weeks were, and it seems everything happened correctly with me!  Madeleine latched properly right away, never refused to eat, my milk came in on the fourth day and has never stopped, I’ve never had an infection, and so on.  If I had so much trouble and everything went right, how hard it must be for everyone who doesn’t have it so lucky.  As it was, I maintained constant email contact with my girlfriends, seeking sympathy and reassurance.
But what do you do if you don’t have that network?  There are a lot of nursing-related issues that all new moms hear murmured ominously – thrush, mastitis, improper latching, and so on.  Where can you go to find out if your soreness is normal or cause for alarm, without calling your OB 10 times a day?