Breastfeeding Mistakes: Learning From My Past Experiences

I want to give my children the best start possible. That is why my breastfeeding goals are the recommended first full year of life. I was unsuccessful with my first baby, breastfeeding for only five months. I significantly lost my milk supply during the fourth month because of my own errors. I was new to breastfeeding as a first time mother and did not truly understand what was required to maintain a steady milk supply. I am slightly embarrassed and feel guilty about the mistakes I made with my first child. My second baby is definitely getting the better deal as I am more experienced... and more mature!

My first mistake was introducing the bottle too soon. I was so ready to drink again that I decided to introduce the bottle at only two weeks of age.  There was no issue with nipple confusion, like some babies experience but I really started to enjoy the breaks that bottle feeding offered. I started bottle feeding with breast milk. That alone will not necessary decrease your milk supply. However, it is necessary to pump if you give your baby a bottle.

The second mistake was introducing formula. I don't remember exactly when I introduced formula to my first baby but it was within the first month. I did not keep a large milk bank in the freezer for babysitters so I let them use formula. I also had easy access to formula because I could receive it free from the WIC program. If you supplement with formula, it means you are not using your milk supply; therefore your body does not produce the exact amount of milk needed to nourish your baby. Your baby completely controls the amount of milk your body makes. If the formula is nourishing your baby, why would your body even need to produce milk?

The third mistake was skipping pumping sessions.  I started off pumping every time that my baby was fed a bottle. However, I slowly started to give my baby more bottles throughout the day and my pumping sessions grew further apart. If my baby was at a sitter, I might not have pumped to mimic my baby's feeding schedule. I ended up breastfeeding 75% of the time and giving formula the other 25%. My body was only used to making enough milk to feed my baby 75% of the time.

I started to worry and look into ways to boost my milk supply. I tried Fenugreek and More Milk Plus by Motherlove herbs (shown above) known to boost milk production but it did not work for me. You have to take a lot of capsules in order for the herbs to be effective and I simply could not keep up.

Eventually my milk supply completely dried up and I was left with only formula to feed my baby. I remember the last time feeding my daughter and it was one of my saddest memories ever. I lost that connection and special bonding experience that only mothers get to cherish. I was very disappointed with myself. Therefore, I am very adamant about strictly breastfeeding my second baby. I do not want to make any mistakes.

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Current Breastfeeding Goals:

1. Minimal to no bottle feeding until I return to work.
2. No formula ever.
3. Pump directly after feedings to boost milk supply. 
4. Keep a large milk supply in freezer.
5. Continue nursing for at least one year. 

At 7 weeks of age, my baby boy is nursing extremely well. It is exhausting to feed him around the clock, but I know how important it is to my son's health and my well being. I have grown to truly enjoy looking into his little alert eyes between 1:00-5:00am!

When I return to work full time, I plan on pumping at work a minimum of three times per shift, as many times as allowed. Then I would like to continue nursing at home. I don't want to lose that special bond and I want to do everything possible to keep a stable milk production that fulfills my baby's needs. I plan on taking Fenugreek herbal supplements just in case. I would also like to try the special teas that help boost milk production too. I will probably choose either Organic Milkmaid Tea or Mother's Milk Tea. Amazon has pretty good deals so I will be purchasing the tea soon, before returning to work. 

I am fully optimistic that I will be successful this time. I have a Medela Pump In Style Advanced with the On the Go Tote. I initially had an Ameda Purely Yours breast pump, which was the worst pump ever. More on that later. But if I do run into the slightest problem upon returning to work and breastfeeding, I will attend a breastfeeding support group and/or speak with a lactation consultant immediately.

I will not fail! I am keeping my fingers crossed for luck. If anybody has any additional breastfeeding advice, especially about returning to work, please share below! It would be greatly appreciated.  

How to Save Money on Baby Expenses

We saved a lot of money with our first child and plan to save even more with our second baby. We cut back on literally thousands of dollars, making raising babies significantly more affordable. It has been said that the total cost of raising one child is around one million dollars. Regardless if that is true or not, parents know that raising children is still very expensive. With our student debt accumulation, it is essential that we save money in any way possible.

Here is a quick break down on how much you can save on baby expenses before I go into greater detail.

Total Savings (Bare minimum! There is potential to save even more.)

1. Cloth Diapers: $1901.70 (1 child) or $4197.40 (2 children)
2. Laundry Detergent: Pay $1.76/ 178 loads ($0.00988/load) instead of the average $8.00/ 160 loads ($0.05/load)
3. Cloth Wipes: $110.68 (1 child) or $221.36 (2 children)
4. Breastmilk: $1795.23 (1 child) or $3590.46 (2 children)
5. Nursing Pads: $14.95 for the first month of breastfeeding only
6. Other savings ideas listed below

Use Cloth Diapers: 

• The average child goes through 8149 diapers from birth until potty trained. 
• The average cost to use disposable diapers for one child is $2444.70. If you have two children, you pay $4889.40. Triple or Quadruple for even more babies... Ridiculous! 
• Stats from Awesome Beginnings 4 Children
• We decided to buy a hybrid type of cloth diapers called gDiapers. They were a little more expensive than other brands of cloth diapers but they will be used for two children. (Unfortunately we stopped using gDiapers around 7 or 8 months and switched to disposable so our diaper costs rose significantly. We bought disposables for our first child for 16 months!! It makes me sick... but we are still saving a lot by using them for 7 months and for the entire diaper period of our second child.) See the breakdown of total gDiaper costs. You may even be able to save more by switching to a different brand.
• Total: $692 for laundering costs & gDiapers instead of $4889.40 for two children
• gPants: $140 for 12 gPants & 12 liners in two sizes up to 28lbs
• gCloth inserts: $240 for all sizes, 48 cloths
• Extra liners: $46 for all sizes for 12 liners
• Disposable liners for use when solids/formula are introduced: $5.50/100ct, ~$60
• 20% discount with free shipping from Diapers.com. Use my promo code for the same deal: MXNE9597
• Order in bundles to receive further discounts. 
• Total gDiaper cost: $400
• Laundering costs are estimated to be $73 per year or $292 for 4 years.
• If we need to buy a larger size, above 28lbs, we will only have to spend $70 on 6 more gPants. The other accessories accommodate the larger size gPant. (This number is excluded from total costs.)

Make Your Own Laundry Detergent: All detergents only require 1 tbsp per load of laundry! I have tested the dry and cloth diaper detergents below and they produce clean clothing. The detergents can be enhanced by adding a few drops of essential oils.

• Clothing: Dry Detergent for use with hot water only (Fels Naptha will not melt in cold water.)
• 1 cup Borax
• 1 cup Washing Soda
• 1 bar Fels Naptha
• Clothing: Liquid Detergent - $1.76/ 128 loads
• Recipe is the same as above except it is cooked and you add water. 
• Use Budget101.com's Recipe found HERE.
• Cloth Diaper Safe Detergent - No Soap
• 1 cup Borax
• 1 cup Washing Soda
• 1 cup Oxyclean (I use the sensitive skin version that is free of dyes and perfumes.)

Use Reusable Cloth Wipes: If you are already using cloth diapers, then it is not any more difficult to add cloth wipes to your laundry. In fact, it is easier than using disposable wipes because it eliminates the need for a trash bin next to your changing station. You can buy them or make your own.

• 8149 diaper changes results in a minimum of 8149 wipes. 
• Wipes in bulk at Walmart cost $9.00/500ct. 8149/500 = 16.298 boxes required for $146.68
• Buy handmade cloth wipes for around $1 per wipe on Etsy. You should only need 24-36 wipes total. $24-$36. 
• Sew your own: These are cheaper and easy to make. Stick to clearanced flannel!
• For 1 layer wipes, cut a piece of flannel approximately 8" X 8" and serge around the edges and wash with cloth diapers.
• For 2 layered wipes, cut 2 pieces of flannel and serge the two layers together. You can also sew the right sides together and flip right side out and top stitch if you do not have a serger.
• Tip: You can sew terry cloth on one side for more "wiping power". 
• Cloth Wipe Solution: (I am not calculating cloth wipe solution costs because you already have to buy baby wash and you only need a minimal amount.) 
• 2-3 cups water, infused with chamomile if desired
• 1 tbsp baby wash
• 1 tbsp baby oil (optional)

Breastfeed Your Baby

• It is recommended to breastfeed your baby for one full year. Breastfeeding is FREE. All nursing supplies are optional.
• It costs $1795.23 to buy formula. 
• Assuming your baby drinks the average amount of 10,104.5 fluid ounces in one year. 
• Assuming you spend $15.99 per can of formula that makes 90 fluid ounces.
• I used a chart from Kellymom.com that lists the average amount of formula consumed by babies daily based on their age.

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Use Reusable Nursing Pads

• In one month, I used 5 boxes of Nuk ultra dry disposable nursing pads 50ct that costs $7.19. Total costs: $35.95



Sew your own nursing pads

• You have to continuously buy nursing pads for as long as you leak. Each woman is different but you could end up using them for as long as you breastfeed.
• Phillips AVENT washable nursing pads (6ct) cost $6.99 on Amazon. If you bought 3 packages, you pay about $21.00 and get to reuse them again and again. 
• Nuk reusable nursing pads (6ct) cost $3.89. I bought 2 boxes for $7.78 and made my own thicker pads with left over fabric I had from making cloth wipes.
• Sew your own: Cut (2) 4-5" diameter circles of flannel and (1) 4-5" diameter circle using an old towel or other thick terry cloth. Place the flannel on the outside, sandwiching the terry cloth and serge around the edges. 

Do not use milk storage bags!

• Fill an ice cube tray with expressed breastmilk, placing 1oz per cube.
• Remove cubes from tray when frozen and place inside a sealed gallon freezer bag. You can buy 108 Glad gallon sized freezer bags for $11.97.
• Lansinoh milk storage bags cost around $10.00 in stores or $8.59 on Amazon for only 50 bags that hold up to 6oz of breastmilk. 

Thrift Shop for clothes!

• Shop only when stores are having a major clearance sale, like at the end of the season.
• Garage Sales
• Craigslist or local Facebook garage sale sites
• Sew your own... If you are talented and know how to find good fabric deals. 

Top 10 Most Played With Toys of 2013 (Toddler)

Here is a list of all the top 10 toys Miss A (2.5 years old now) has continuously played with throughout 2013. Many of the toys were gifts from her birthday and previous Christmases.

1. Step2 Lifestyle Custom Kitchen: Miss A loves making coffee in her kitchen. That is what she does almost everyday! She also feeds her baby food from the kitchen.

2. Dirt Devil Junior Reaction Vacuum Cleaner: Anytime I vacuum, she runs to her room and grabs her vacuum to help. This occurs 100% of the time. If she cannot find her vacuum she will whine and beg me to find it for her!

3. Graco Baby Doll Playset: Her favorite part of this set is the stroller. She is always strolling her babies around the house.

4. Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy: This was a gift from around the time she was first born. She did not touch it for the longest time but now she plays with it all the time. She loves singing with the songs. 

5. Magnadoodle: She loves drawing on this and it entertains her for hours! We even bring it in the car with us for long trips. 

6. Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Sing-with-Me CD Player: She has all the songs on this CD player memorized! She does not use the individual CDs yet but the buttons in front play songs.

7. Strawberry Shortcake Grocery Cart: If she is not strolling her baby in the stroller, she is strolling the baby in the grocery cart! She will often pile up all the toys she brought out into the living room for easy clean up. (I prompt her, of course!)

8. Uncle Goose Classic Embossed Alphabet Blocks ABC: She builds towers with these DAILY. She is so obsessed that I should have bought her two sets. Instead, I bought her better building blocks for Christmas this year. 

9. Design & Drill Activity Center: This is a super neat, skill building toy. She spends hours drilling screws in and out of a board. She will grow with this toy because it has dozens of sample patterns she can create with all the different colors. 

10. Radio Flyer Trike: We have an island in our kitchen and Miss A rides around it as fast as she can, for as long as she can. She even gives her babies rides because there is a small storage compartment in the back. It is awesome because she gets tons of exercise indoors throughout the winter! 

Easiest Way to Remember to do Kegels

If you are a smart woman, you know the value of doing kegels. Kegels strengthen the muscles in your pelvic floor and help reduce the dreaded womanly issue of urinary incontinence as you age. If you are pregnant and want to increase your chances of having a fast and easy delivery sans the dreaded tearing, do your kegels. If you want to be able to control your bladder and not accidentally pee yourself after you sneeze, do your kegels. ;)

What are Kegels? It is a simple exercise that builds your pelvic floor muscles. In the bathroom, if you stop the flow of pee, you can feel the muscles of your pelvic floor that you should exercise. It is recommended that you squeeze those muscles and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat this several times in a row. That exercise is called kegels and it should be repeated three times daily. You can read more about kegels on the Mayo Clinic website. 

There can be so many prenatal health and pre-baby tasks to remember to do when you are pregnant that kegels seem so easy to slip the mind. When your pregnant brain is already overwhelmed and hopped up on hormonal surges, it becomes impossible to remember to do kegels even once a day.

SO--

I figured out the easiest way to remember to do kegels! I am reminded to do them after going to the bathroom, simply because that is where I learned to do the exercise. It is important to do them on an empty bladder in order not to weaken your muscles. After you are done peeing, simply remain on the toilet and do some kegels. And since you have to go to the bathroom a billion times a day when you are pregnant, you have plenty of opportunities.

Kegel away and be healthy! 

70 Activities To Do With Your Toddler

This is a list compiled from actual activities that we have done with our toddler girl. She loved doing almost everything on this list. And when I say loved, I really mean love... as in she continued to ask to do these ideas day after day... week after week! Toddlers are so easy to please, as long as they are not tired or hungry! Many of these ideas are free or fairly cheap activities. Enjoy!

Outdoor Summer/Fall Activities

1. Go Camping, even if it is only in your backyard!
2. Go Swimming in pools, lakes, oceans, etc.
3. Go to the Beach & bring the sand and water toys!
4. Go to the Playground. 
5. Play in the Sprinkler. I set up a little slide under the water for even more fun!
6. Catch Butterflies and Bugs.
7. Pick fruit at your local farms. Apples, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, anythinggg!
8. Grow a garden. Similar idea to the one above but I grew tomatoes specifically for my daughter and she loved picking them all summer long. No one in our house eats them besides her. 
9. Go to the Pumpkin Patch. Pick out a pumpkin, go on a hayride, walk through a corn maze...
10. Visit the Farm Animals. Feed the goats and sheep. Pet the pigs, cows, even wandering farm dogs.
11. Visit the Zoo. 
12. Draw with Sidewalk Chalk. 
13. Go Kayaking. I never took my daughter, but my mom did it successfully using a tandem kayak. 
14. Go on a Bike Ride. We have an InStep bike trailer that holds up to two children weighing 100 lbs. 
15. Go Boating. We are fortunate to have family with boats. It is always a good time for toddlers. 
16. Go Hiking. Nothing too fancy. A little stroll down a nature trail next to the park will do. 
17. Go Fishing. Help them hold the fish. They will think it is cool! 
18. Blow Bubbles.
19. Jump in Leaves! Have your toddler help you pile up the leaves and then have fun. 
20. Go Garage Sale Shopping. Let your child pick out a book or stuffed animal to take home. 
21. Play Ball! Simply kick or roll a ball around outside. 
22. Walk a Dog.
23. Jump on a Trampoline. 
24. Rollerskate or Rollerblade. They made toddler sizes. 
25. Take them on a Wagon Ride.
26. Bird Watch. Teach them how to use binoculars. 
27. Have a Water Gun Fight. 
28. Stargaze. On a warm summer night lay a blanket out and point out the stars and moon. Find the man on the moon. 
29. Fly a Kite.
30. Watch Fireworks. There are fireworks on other days besides Independence Day too. 

Outdoor Winter Activities

1. Play in the Snow. Throw it in the air. Pack it. Roll in it. 
2. Build a Snow Man. 
3. Go Sledding. My daughter went sledding at 1.5 years old and held her hands sky high riding down the hills! 
4. Roll Down a Hill. 
5. Make a Snow Angel. 
6. Go Skiing. You should probably wait until you have an older, more stable toddler but I have permanent plans to take my daughter skiing next winter when she is 3 years old. There are always tiny skiers on the hills! They are never too young to start learning. 
7. Go Outside During a Snow Storm. It doesn't have to be longer than 5 minutes, but let them feel the snow fall down on their face. 
8. Eat Snow... if you dare. 
9. Snowmobiling. Bundle up your little one and take a ride on the snowmobile trails. 
10. Go Ice Skating. If they do well with skis or skates, try ice skating. They are available in toddler sizes too!

Indoor Activities

1. Buy Stickers. My daughter spends countless hours playing with stickers. Teach them to put the stickers on their clothing or paper only. 
2. Buy Temporary Tattoos. Same concept as above, except your toddler will just be showing them off to everyone they see! It is definitely entertaining for them.
3. Color with Crayons and Colored Pencils. Start with the crayons and then introduce the pencils when or if your child gets bored with them. My daughter never gets tired of coloring. Never. Ever.
4. Play with Play Dough. Get out your cookie cutters and old silverware!
5. Read Books. 
6. Dance to Music. 
7. Sing to Music. Suffer through toddler songs or simply sing to the radio. 
8. Clean House. My daughter genuinely enjoys helping me sweep, vacuum, empty the dishwasher, and just tiding up toys and clutter. She has also helped me scrubbed the floor voluntarily! 
9. Paint Pictures. Lay down the newspapers, strip your toddler's clothes, and use washable paints.
10. Play with Alphabet Magnets. Sit them in front of the fridge and bam! Fun activity. 
11. Draw with Chalk. 
12. Watch Educational Cartoons. 
13. Bake Something. They can attempt to stir or simply add the chocolate chips. 
14. Visit the Local Library. My library has a toddler section filled with books (duh), toys, stuffed animals, and puzzles. 
15. Visit the Local Humane Society. Look at and possibly pet all the cats and dogs. 
16. Yoga Workouts. It might not entertain them for long, but at least they will be amused. Any workout will do! My daughter pulls out a second yoga mat and tries to do the weird, balancing poses. It is adorable. 
17. Build Towers. Use legos, blocks, anything. 
18. Carve or Paint a Pumpkin. Your toddler will simply enjoy scooping out the seeds and playing with the pumpkin guts!
19. Tickle Time. Bring on the giggles. They beg you to stop and beg you to keep tickling!
20. Dress Up. Cowboy hats, daddy's baseball cap, bracelets, necklaces, sunglasses, funny masks
21. Dress Up the House Pets. Dogs generally tolerate this more than cats... but since we only have cats, they are the ones stuck playing dress up! 
22. Bubble Bath with Bath Paints. They are painting with colored soap so the walls get cleaned too! 
23. Visit an Aquarium. 
24. Story Time (without books). Use really big hand motions and funny voices. Make it simple. Our stories usually include a really big pink piggy that loooovvveess to meow like a kitty cat or a tiny little bug that loves to go boating... 
25. Play Hide and Seek. Mommy. Daddy. Toddler(s). Fun times. 
26. Play Musical Instruments. We have an electronic keyboard, but there are plenty of cheap kid pianos and xylophones to have fun with. 
27. Play Puzzles.
28. Do a Puppet Show.
29. Count Things. Count books, toys, stuffed animals, blankets, kitchen chairs, pets, people, etc... 
30. Build a Fort. Hang blankets in the hallways by shutting them in doors.