Placenta Art

I knew before I gave birth that I wanted to keep my placenta and make a piece of art with it so I was sure to include in my birthing plan to not throw it away. Needless to say with a newborn (now an infant) and 2 other kids in school and sports the last thing on my mind was making something. This is gross but it has just been sitting in my fridge since after I gave birth. I didn't have room for it in the freezer with my enormous milk stash so that's where I left it. Finally today I got it out and came up with an idea so I could use it and throw it out. I got out a gift box spray painted it gold. While that was drying I got out the placenta, praying it wasn't molded and was still usable, luckily it was and used an old towel to absorb the blood. I used brown paint to cover the placenta and done a trial round first then put it on the gold. After that I put my sons hand and footprint on it in light blue. This may be gross to some people but I wish I would have done this with my first two and I think it is an awesome and beautiful keepsake.

After I made that I decided I would attempt to make an umbilical keepsake. I got on google and searched umbillical keepsake and I found instructions on how to dehydrate it. I cut it at the bottom, squeezed out all the blood/clots. Again, mine looks different as it has been sitting for quite a while but I laid it in a heart shape and popped into the oven, put oven on the lowest temp setting and cooked for 6 hours.

Afterwards I took it out and came up with a cute picture idea and got a beautiful shot with baby and cord.

Nursing in public

Nursing in public is a fear of so many women. They fear what othesr think or maybe you're modest and fear showing too much. I have known women who would formula feed and go without pumping because they didn't want to pump anywhere outside their house or feed around anyone except people they were comfortable around. Even with a cover some people still choose not to nurse in public. 

Then their are women who use a blanket or a cover. Atleast that way the baby is getting fed breastmilk and the breasts are covered. That makes women feel a little better about nursing in public and it usually reduces the stares, or does it?

I have 3 boys my oldest was formula fed, my middle son was mostly exclusively breastfed but over the course of 12 months we probably supplemented with about 3-4 cans of formula so I like to think I done good, and for this child he is exclusively breastfed. I have had my fair share of experiences with nursing in public.

Of course with a bottle no one cares and no one stares so with my first there was no problem. Then with Broox I had no problem nursing in public anywhere and every where but I did so with a blanket. I didn't have a cover so I just used a blanket instead. Yes, it was a little hard at first but once I got the hang of it I was fine and did so comfortably. I never had anyone make comments but while getting him latched on and everything fooling with a blanket definitely drew attention our way but I didn't care my main concern was getting him fed who cares what others think.

With my newest son Berran we no longer worry about a cover. I nurse in public without one and have found it is much easier and I feel as if I was doing it all wrong with Broox. I always wear a tank under my shirt and when he is ready to eat Pull down my tank and bra, get him in position and raise up my shirt and he latches right on.

No one has ever noticed me doing this and so many times I've had to tell people they cant hold or see him because he is eating. I even had a doctor examine him while he was nursing and she didn't even realize he was eating until I said something so yes it is discreet.

Us as mothers must know that our boobs are not sexual the world has just sexualized them and yes it is fine for you to few them as a sex symbol during certain intimate times but really they were made to nurture and feed our babies. It is not wrong to feed your baby in public, it is not gross, you are not trying to get attention or any of the above. You are trying to feed your child which is 100% natural and beautiful. A woman's body is remarkable we are able to make and carry a child and then continue to provide him with nutrients as long as we desire. That is just amazing to me and for some one to feel ashamed of nursing in general or in public, that saddens me.

So, for all you women who are scared or feel embarrassd nursing in public find a way that is comfortable to you. Practice in the mirror and in your house. Start nursing in small places out in public. Before you know it you will no longer feel that way and more than likely will graduate to no cover. Let's all come together and naturalize breastfeeding!

Kid lunch idea

Broox is the child who is not a fan of bread but loves his meat and cheese so for his lunch instead of sandwiches he likes meat and cheese roll ups. For this I use 1 piece of turkey, 1 piece of ham, and slices of cheddar cheese. I open up the meat place cheese on it and roll it up very simple. For this lunch we used...

•simple truth ham

•simple truth turkey

•sliced cheddar cheese

•ritz crackers

•sugar free gummies

•fresh watermelon pieces

•all natural squeezable buddy fruits

•Capri sun

Hello to 3 months!

 

Three months has came and gone so fast. The newborn stage is now over. It saddens me at how fast babies grow. I would love for him to stay small forever. I haven't been able to weigh him but I'm positive he is at least 14 pounds. He smiles all the time, loves to listen and watch me, daddy and his big brothers. He responds to us all with big grins and coos. He loves to watch the 'baby tv' shows on netflix he will sit and watch it for a good hour or until he falls asleep, which is nice for me mainly when I have to clean or cook. He still sleeps all the time, he loves to sleep all morning long until noon. He is also sleeping great through the night sometimes he sleeps all night 10pm-6am other nights he wakes up once between 3-5am. It has been a great 3 months!

3 months does not only mean he is 3 months old, to me it is much more special. 3 months means we have made it 3 months of exclusively breastfeeding which is my first breastfeeding goal. We have an awesome nursing relationship and I am thrilled that after we overcame the problems in the beginning it has been nothing but greatness. He nurses on demand, has a great latch, I produce plenty of milk, and have a stash built. I am beyond thankful to be able to provide his food and nutrients while being able to bond with him. Now for the next goal, 6 months!

Quick and easy Breastfeeding breakfast/snack

I am not a big oatmeal eater and until now I don't think I had ate oatmeal since I was a child. I had read how oatmeal is great for breastfeeding moms and healthy too! Oatmeal has many health benefits ; it helps lower cholestoral, contains complex carbs, high in fiber and aside from that it helps with energy and can help your milk supply. I thought I'd give it a try again. Now, I've seen a lot of people posting about chia seeds so while in Kroger I stumbled upon Simple Truth Organic instant cinnamon and cranberry chia oatmeal. Incase you are not familiar with chia seeds here is a picture from www.authoritynutrition.com with some information.

To me this seemed like something I could eat every morning to help me with breastfeeding, have energy, feel fuller longer and to be healthy. I bought some and decided to add my own touch. I added some fresh strawberries, blueberries, apple pieces and cooked it all together. Once it was ready I topped it off with some Simple Truth organic vanilla yogurt. This was a yummy treat that would be good any time of the day!

What you'll need:

 

•1 packet simple truth organic cranberry & cinnamon chia oatmeal.

•2 strawberries

•8-10 blueberries

•10 apple pieces

•water

•milk 

•organic low fat vanilla yogurt

1- pour oatmeal in bowl, cut up your fruit and add it in. 

2- add water just enough to soak the oats/fruit but not drown them.

3- I cook my oatmeal for 2 minutes but depending on your microwave it may be less. I cook them until all the water is absorbed and they are fluffy.

4- I add a little milk to cool it off and to make it a little more soupy as the water is usually completely soaked up after the microwave. Do as you please for the consistency you desire.

5- stir it up and top it with some vanilla yogurt. It kind of reminds me of a hot pie/cobbler with vanilla Icecream.

 

Hope you enjoy!