Momma help needed

 If you are a boy you definitely won't be interested in this post.  Exit now.

Question is in regards to feeding my babe. So here's the thing. I have a hell of a time pumping enough for Asher these days. I pump a lot, this is not the question. No I don't have a low supply, he's fine when we are together. Pumps aren't as efficient as baby. Yes I've done the fenugreek, fennel oil, mothers milk tea, all that. All that gets me is clogged ducts, because I have more milk & the pump can't get it out. I did get a manual pump though & yay no more clogged ducts. 
So as much as I didn't want to & as much as it stressed me out I started adding formula (1oz) to each of his bottles that they feed him while I'm at work. So this didn't work out very well... 
I have tried 3 different kinds at this point & all ended in constipation. 
So he had his 4 month appointment today & his doctor suggested either adding oatmeal to his diet(mixed with breast milk) or I could try a soy based formula or goats milk to supplement with. 
Rice cereal is not an option. My doctor said it will just cause more constipation, plus I had read the article below about it.
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/dangers-rice-cereal-infants-4267.html

Here are a couple other useful articles I have read regarding what to do.


http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/lv/lvdec99jan00p130.html


http://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/first-foods/

So if any mommies have tried any if these or have any insight please let me know. :)

Thanks.

Cloth diapering

You know what makes me super happy? When someone asks me about cloth diapering & my husband pipes in. He's all for the cloth & I love it. The other night he was telling one of the fellas how great cloth diapering is, and then last night he was giving someone a tutorial on how to correctly put them on Asher. He's so fantastic, I love him tons.

I am no expert on cloth diapering, but I know it's working great for us this far ! Someone asked me to write a post on cloth diapering awhile ago after realizing that it has come a long way, so I will try my best.


So the reason I even thought about cloth diapering was because of my cousins wife Bonnie (who I have only met I think twice) she is my parental role model. lol (If you read this Bonnie don't be creeped out) I just think she is a great parent/SUPERMOM!, she kicks ass & does parenting alone a lot of the time because she lives on base with no family near & her husband is deployed. He still hasn't got to meet their way cute little 5 month old Mina. :(
She has 4 kiddos. I don't know how she does it, it was hard having a newborn even with all the help I got & I don't have other kids. Anyways she has been really good to me, she made me a sling for Ash, some cute little animals & given me lots of advice(and not unwanted advice, I asked) from Thrush (still fighting it, boooo), to cloth diapering. Anyways... THANKS A TON BONNIE!


Sooo the most common thing that is misunderstood about cloth diapering these days is that people picture prefolds with safety pins. (below) People see them & say Oh that is not what I was picturing at all. That's a cloth diaper?

You can use these still, but cloth diapering has come A LONG WAY!

A lot of people use these on newborns. The One size diapers usually don't fit until baby is about 9ish lbs.

We used disposables that we were given as gifts until he was big enough for cloth.

Worked great.

Below are some of the diapers we use.

They have a pocket that you add an insert & that's what absorbs the moisture.

They are  called one size pocket diapers.

They will fit Asher until he is no longer wearing diapers.

The other question I get a lot is...

What do you do with them once he goes potty in them?

Well he isn't eating solids yet so there is no solid #2, if /when there is I will

be dumping in the toilet. As for now the thing that works best for us is

Putting some water and soap in the washing machine in the morning and throwing them in there as they get soiled. Then there are no stinky diapers to deal with later & no stains. Some people who cloth diaper use special detergents & such. We just use All Free & Clear. It's working great so far.

There are services that will clean them for you, but we just do them ourselves.

You use them when you go out too?

Yes , we use them when we are out and about. Maybe it will change when he is older, but so far it's no problem. We just take a grocery bag to put the dirties in. I did order a zippered wet bag today though. :)

My favorite things about Cloth Diapering

1- it seems so much comfier for my little guy

2- HELLO!! saves a boat load of money

3- good for the environment (every little thing helps)

4- they are super cute

5-don't have to worry about chemicals

If you are interested in cloth diapering the cheapest way to get them is with a co-op 

or today on Black Friday sales.

My favorite cloth diapers this far are Kawaii

Second favorite is Alva

Kawaii has some called Heavy Wetters & they are fantastic for nighttime now that Asher is sleeping longer.

You can click on the names of the diapers to visit their websites.

Stores need to start carrying cloth diapers in my opinion.

This far I haven't seen any in Utah. 

If I have forgotten anything please let me know. :)

He looks a little scared in this ha ha 

A GOAL!!!- Asher

Whoot this is my 100th post.
Mr. grumpster is now 10 weeks & a couple days! We are starting to get the hang of this thing. I took him to the doctor yesterday(moving up his well child checkup that was later this week), I suspected he had Thrush, sure enough he did. So sad, I feel bad for my little man. Hopefully he will be better soon, it looks painful. He also got his well child checkup. He now weighs in at 12lbs, and is 23in long.(I don't remember the head.) Well I guess  his weight is in the lower percentile, witch is not really what you want to hear. Doctor said he could use a bit of weight gain. I think being a Mom kinda comes with a lot of insecurities. I know he's eating enough when I'm home, but it's so hard to tell how much to have the babysitters give him of my breast milk. You don't get as much when you pump as when they are eating. Well I never feed him a bottle either, so I don't know how big to make them. Well I think I was making them too small, and no one really told me. Witch makes me feel like shit for starving my kid.  Well the bottles are bigger now, and I hope they don't go to waste. It is such a pain in the ass pumping & I'm still not producing enough. A work day consists of pumping on my way to work(yes while driving) at 7:30, then at 10am, again at 12:30, 2:00, 4:00 & on the way home at 5:15ish (one side so I can feed baby when home) I will now add a pumping session at night, at home as well. MY GOAL is to BF until he's a year old. Right now it feels like it's going to be impossible. If I didn't work, I know it would be no problem. I am so so DETERMINED not to supplement. (If you are a formula user that is fantastic, this is MY goal so don't be offended.) I sooo hope I can do it. Once solids are added I'm hoping it will be a bit easier. I heard a quote today & really hope it's not the case as far as baby Ash & BF goes. "God laughs when you make a plan."

I honestly feel like motherhood is the hardest thing ever,  full of so many decisions & they are all so hard to make. i also feel like motherhood is full of a world of people telling you "You are doing it wrong." It's not good for the self esteem.

On that note a 2 month well child visit includes dun dun dun... vaccinations. If you know me, you know I have hella been struggling with whether or not to get them. When I walked into the doctor's office yesterday I still hadn't made up my mind. Well I ended up giving him 1(the one that has 3 combined) DTaP, IPV, and hepatitis B. I still have anxiety about it. Can't I just move to a remote island & keep him in a netted area, away from all germs. I will grow our food, and no one will be allowed to visit. It just freaks me out and I hate putting bad things in our bodies. I don't even like to take Tylenol anymore. I will when my shoulders are having a very bad day, but I try to avoid it. Writing this is stressing me out. ha ha 

This post kind of turned into a rant/pitty party. I'm sorry. 

As far as Asher goes I love him whole entire world, I love the fussy baby he is & all.I wouldn't have him any other way.  I really wish I could be home with him every day, then I could have the time to fatten him up & teach him all I know. So I've been reading The Happiest Baby on the Block and the 5 S's are amazing. Mr. Ash gets so mad when you swaddle him tight(locking those arms in), but 5 mins later he passes out! It's fantastic. He has been sleeping so much better at night too, since I started swaddling him to sleep. Last night he slept a ton! He went down at 8, and didn't wake till 1am, then didn't wake till 5:30 & went back down after eating. I think it was because he didn't feel good though. :(  That doesn't mean I slept though. haha

I wish I was home with him right now....

Oh & just to add!! The babysitters have jumped on the cloth diaper train. WHOOT!!!

At first they all thought "cloth diapering, ewww I'm not doing that" 

Even Mike thought that before we had the baby. Once Mike saw them & started doing it.

He realized it's not any harder than a disposable. I'm so glad all the babysitters

are using them now too.

Adventures in new mommyhood!

Adventure adventure it is....
Yes being a Mom is hard!!! They tell you it's an adjustment, but that's an understatement. The cuddles make it so worth it though.  I remember when my Momma had Skyler, I was 14. That is honestly the last time I was truly around a tiny baby. I had forgotten how much work it is, or maybe I just didn't pay attention back then. We are getting the hang of it. It's funny how all the "I won't be doing that with my child, I will be doing this, my baby won't do that's" went right out the door. Just the same as my perfect natural child birth that I had planned did. (Holy shit that was nothing like I planned) From him not taking a binky to him loving it in a matter of a week to him deciding my left boob isn't good enough for him sometimes.   The truth of the matter is ASHER RULES ME he is my master & I am his slave & it's okay because I love him whole entire world. The hardest part was going back to work.  I  sooo didn't want to leave him. It's also very odd telling your parent's how you want things done.They look at you like "I raised you, it'll be fine." I'm sure some parent's are more laid back than me, but I am  not a laid back person. ha ha Things that gave me anxiety were comment's like "if I run out of breast milk I will just give him formula." UMMM HELL NOOO don't give him formula. You see that supply in the freezer,  I don't pump every 2 hours at work hanging out  like Harry Potter  in the closet under the stairs for nothing. It's not like it's fun & I don't see Hagrid coming to rescue me anytime soon. That is just an example of how different opinions in parenting can be. ha ha ....speaking of breast feeding it can be hard & a pain in the butt. It is a choice I have made & it's a lot of work, but I'm going to keep at it as long as I can(not too long) because I feel that it is breast for my child. Ha ha I'm funnny. If I have t use formula eventually I definitely will, it's not the worst thing that could happen. It's just not what I want. I'm just saying everyone is different & everyone has different ways they choose to parent & that's just fine. I will follow a lot of traditions/ parenting style my parents had with us & also have  a lot of my own. It's just hard leaving the one life that rules mine, even if it is with family. I know he is in fantastic hands. I just love him lots & don't like to be away from him.

Little things-
-He looooves baths with Mom. (too bad if you think it's weird + this is the only way I get long baths) The deep water is way better to kick your legs in.

-He is now smiling "for reals", not the gassy ones. Also trying to talk/goo.

-He is starting to fit in 3 Month clothes

-He hates kisses from the men with whiskers. (this makes Mike sad.)

-He is very ticklish & doesn't like tickles or rubs

-His hair is turning light(his dad's did too when he was young)

-Won't sleep without sound

-Likes to trick the babysitter's into holding him all day while he sleeps(wakes when they lay him down)

-Won't sleep in his own bed (mom doesn't mind)

We love him to death & I feel like all 3 of us get the hang of it more & more everyday!

LOVE MY LITTLE MAN

Asher Cal's Birth Story

As you probably already know Asher was still breech, so I was scheduled to have a cesarean section on the 28th of August. Well my body & Asher had other plans. I started having frequent contractions early in the morning around 2 am on the 20th of August. I was having them so often that I couldn't go back to sleep. I finally got in the shower and headed to work when it was time. I took a lunch break while at work & headed to the doctor that day to get checked because I was still having them. I was only dilated to a 1 & 80% effaced. They told me to head to the hospital if the contractions got more regular.

They continued to get more and more frequent and stronger and stronger. Wednesday morning the 21st I woke Mike up and we headed to the hospital for me to get checked. No dice, my contractions still weren't regular enough. At this point they were really getting strong, so I didn't go to work. They continued & continued. Pain & no sleep for 4 nights. Mike kept saying babe we need to go back to the hospital you can't go on like this. I really really didn't want to be sent home again so I wouldn't go. Finally Saturday morning the 24th at around 3am I woke Mike up and said okay let's go. My body was not doing so great. I swear I was going to start hallucinating any minute. I have never been so exhausted in my life. Can I just add that holy cow thank goodness for my HypnoBirthing training!!
I may not have gotten to have the Hypnobirth I wanted, but that is what got me through 4 days of contractions. I wouldn't have made it otherwise. I was have them anywhere from 5-20 mins apart the first day and 3-7 mins the last day. When we got to the hospital they monitored me again and they still weren't very regular contractions, but very long contractions averaging 2.5 minutes  each. I was now dilated to a 4 & pretty much all the way thinned out. I could barely talk my body was wasted, Mike was a hero and took care of everything! I was freezing and my whole body was shaking. This was from the exhaustion. After monitoring they decided Asher Cal need to be born today. Mom's body was in too much stress.

Mike was so so excited we were going to meet our boy!! He kept trying to get me all excited, and it's horrible but I just couldn't muster up excitement. I remember being scared as hell!! Thinking awesome I am about to be cut open & holy shit I feel awful I am so tired how am I going to take care of him?
After that it all happened really really fast...
They gave me the epidural & I was in surgery.
It only took 30 mins start to finish.
Asher Cal was born at exactly 8am August 24th at Utah Valley.
He was a week and a half early.

I was pretty jacked up between the exhaustion and epidural, but Mike filled me in on details.
They asked Mike if he wanted to watch them pull him out and he was said NO. OHHH NOOO. ha ha he was back behind the curtain with me comforting me and giving me tickles and kisses. I was shaking sooo bad! I don't blame him though. I wouldn't want to see him all bloody and cut open. After he was born I got ditched. ha ha Mike went with to clean him up. He said Asher was so so calm & wasn't even crying. Mike did amazing he remembered all the things I didn't want them to give Asher & the procedure's I wanted them to skip. He told me this later, but he said to the nurse "We will take the Special K shot" ha ha ha I laughed so hard when I heard this. The nurse laughed also and replied with "You mean Vitamin K" Good stuff. Pretty funny. After he was cleaned up I got to see him for 5 seconds & then Dad & Ash headed to the nursery. I didn't see them again for 2 hours. :(


When I did though it was all worth it. I'm so so happy my baby boy is perfectly healthy!! Even though we didn't get to do immediate skin to skin this little boy has had no problems bonding with mommy or eating. He was able to get the hang of things immediately & eats non stop! His favorite place to sleep at night (the only place he will sleep when fussy) is on moms chest/tummy. We love him to death and feel so lucky to have him in our lives. He is so perfect and has so much attitude already!! He looks just like his handsome poppy, What more could I ask for? And to think I thought I didn't want kids at one point!!!


Just to add...
Mike is already the most amazing dad in the world. He has been cleaning house, doing laundry and changing almost all the diapers. They are going to be best buddies!! I am truly lucky! That little stuffed dog below was Micheal Dean's when he was little. Mike wouldn't leave home without him. His name is Poocher. :)

Thirty Seven Weeks

Well I had an ECV done Monday. There was no luck turning him. I am still very hopeful he will turn on his own. If he can, he will. If not, then maybe there is a reason for it. Maybe he knows something I don't.
I am still trying all the tricks from spinningbabies.com, and yesterday I visited a chiropractor that has had great results turning babies with the Webster's Technique> If he doesn't turn at least my hips feel better.
We are  still  attending our last HypnoBirthing class, and have practicing away! Either way it is so close & we are so excited & so ready to meet him. They have scheduled me for a c-section on August 29th (only 2 weeks away) It's so crazy! I can't believe how soon we get to meet our little man.


How far along?  37 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  19lbs(I pigged out last week-stress eating)
Maternity clothes?  yes, but mostly dresses. I despise the maternity pants
Stretch marks?  No
Sleep:  I can fall asleep like a champ(hypnosis & breathing techniques), but don't stay that way
Best moment this week: Feeling him have a dance party when I try to get him to flip
Miss Anything?  Being comfortable
Movement:  Oh yes
Food cravings:  Nope
Anything making you queasy or sick:  No
Have you started to show yet:  Indeed
Gender: Baby Boy
Labor Signs:  Yep, Labor warm ups
Belly Button in or out?  gone, no belly button
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time:  happy, but this week has been a bit harder
Looking forward to: Meeting this little man. If I have to get a c-section we've only got 14 days, but hopefully he will turn & we will meet him on his own time!!

34 wks & California

I took a little trip to California as a last hoorah with a tiny in my life. Unfortunately Mike was not able to go with me. I went with Stephanie, Chelsie & Devin & we stayed at my Aunt Theresa's house. It was so nice, I love her house. Her pool & hot tub are the best! I feel kinda bad for her, her house is like the popular vacation destination! Yes I was in a hot tub, like literally a tub, bath water warm. She set the temp really low just for me so don't panic. It felt so nice. We did a lot of swimming & chilling in the back yard. A LOT of eating, well that was mostly me. We went to the beach for a day. It was the Van's U.S. open at Hunnington beach the day we went. Loads of people, we saw a member of Pierce the Veil (a band I like) We  had a bunch of fun!(minus the car ride for me & Ash, not so fun) Thanks so much to Theresa for letting us crash her house!!!

36 WEEKS !!!!!! Almost there!

How far along?  36 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss:  16lbs
Maternity clothes?  Mostly just  dresses
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep:  :( boooo
Best moment this week:  I'm getting a massage tonight. :)
Miss Anything?  Being comfortable
Movement:  Oh yes oh yes, Little man is active
Food cravings:  no, not really
Anything making you queasy or sick:  nope
Have you started to show yet:  ha ha ha WATERMELON
Gender:  Little Man
Labor Signs:  Oh yes, he is down low. Lots of Labor warm ups & cramping.
Belly Button in or out?  Lost
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy & excited
Looking forward to: Meeting & seeing our little man!! whoot whoo we are so so excited. 



So yesterday was quite the disappointment for me. I had a doctor's appointment & come to find out he is still head up.(breech) I'm not gonna lie I cried a lot after leaving the doctors office. I have been planning a HypnoBirth & I have been so ready, so excited & practicing a ton!! Mike & I have been loving the classes & have been preparing & getting so excited as it gets closer. So this was a slap in the face to me. C-section honestly hadn't even crossed my mind. So they scheduled me for a ECV (External Cephalic Version)on Monday. This is where they manipulate your stomach to get the baby to turn. They have to warn you of the risks, so this freaked me out a lot!! I talked to a bunch of people though & the risks are actually very small. There are more risks just having a baby & way more for a c-section. I am really hoping he will turn on his own before Monday, we are going to try some tricks. If not I will be heading to the hospital Monday praying it works & doesn't put me in labor. They said it's not very comfortable to get done, but they could/would give me drugs. Ha ha not happening, I will get to use my Hypno breathing (surge breathing) ahead of time. After the procedure I have to stay in the hospital for around four hours to monitor the baby & I then go back to get checked again Tuesday. If anyone has had this done please feel free to share. Thanks so much. Wish me luck. 

Baby Shower # 2

I had another amazing baby shower thrown by my besties on the 20th of July. I really really wish i would have gotten as many pictures at my Family shower as I did at this one. Thank you Kami for taking pictures for me. Between the two showers we were so so spoiled! Thanks so so much to all my friends & family that attended either shower!! Thank you to my friends who threw this shower-Kami, Megan, Britt, Cait, Sabrina, & Marsha & Jeff for having it in their beautiful backyard with the awesome tree house. Thank you to my awesome sistas who threw my Fam shower Chels & Steph. I love you all whole world!!

Now here are the pictures.

The entrance-

Tables & Gift bags for guests

 Gift opening station

Yummies(I'm a bit hungry right now)

Photo booth With messages for Asher or Mike & I

The lovely ladies that threw the party.

 Caitlin made Asher an awesome quilt!

Kay Banks always wraps her gifts so cute. 

Again thank you all so so much for all the amazing gifts & for coming.

i will do a post of his nursery soon. :)

The cupcakes, along with the bath salts, the lip balm, and the beanie owls(the gift bags) were all handmade by my friends and doTERRA essential were used in them.