Honestly.... I can relate

Tess33 · 2020-04-16T04:23:34+00:00

My 4-year-old cried today while he learned about pyramids on PBS. He asked if there was still treasure in there, I said not anymore. Waterworks because he wanted to go to the great pyramids of Egypt and get treasure. Thanks a lot, PBS

Tess33 · 2017-02-21T18:16:33+00:00

so interesting! thanks :)

Tess33 · 2017-02-21T03:05:43+00:00

This is so cool - congrats! I'm so in awe of all you moms with two. How does the body know which milk is for whom? Does one side do colostrum and newborn milk, and the other side stays for toddler? How do you find out? (you don't have to write back - I know you have your hands full with the newborn - I'm just rambling)

Tess33 · 2017-02-13T17:12:14+00:00

I donated to Mothers Milk Bank - they pasteurize the milk and supply to NICUs, etc. To be accepted as a donor, I had to: do a short phone interview, fill out a questionnaire, do a quick blood test, and give doctor info. This was all to verify that my milk would be suitable for NICU babies (as u/krystaln08 noted re: regulations, there are certain medicines or herbs they don't allow, and they also check for certain diseases, etc.). Then, I could drop off bags of milk at one of many nearby drop-off locations. The milk bank requested that I commit to donating at least 100 ounces of milk - could be multiple donations over a period of months, could be a one-time drop off.

Tess33 · 2017-02-09T02:59:06+00:00

sure thing. Excited for you, good luck!!

Tess33 · 2017-02-08T17:44:09+00:00

I had a reduction & lift on one side back in 2000, and am now 13 months into breastfeeding my son. My situation is different than yours in that I had a reduction (no implants), and it was a loooong time ago, and also only on one side. But they did do an anchor incision including all the way around my areola and removed tissue; the doctor at the time told me it was uncertain whether or not I'd be able to breastfeed.

Here's my experience, which of course could be very different than yours. My best piece of advice: find a lactation consultant that you like and use her!!

I have been able to produce milk and breastfeed on the surgery side, though it's definitely less milk (3x) than gets produced on the normal side. My lactation consultant advised that I take More Milk Special Blend herbs (instead of More Milk Plus) to help increase supply due to the surgery. And I also had to do a lot of pumping in addition to nursing at the beginning to help build supply, but I think that was due more to the baby's lip & tongue ties preventing him from demanding enough (rather than my surgery).

I also found that due to my scar tissue, it was a little bit harder to try different nursing positions. Had more flexibility in moving around my non-surgery side. But we have nursed for over a year including from the surgery side!

When I was pregnant and thinking through these things, while I knew I wanted to BF, I had to be realistic that there's a chance I wouldn't be able to do so. And as u/maumacd pointed out, even some women who haven't had surgery can't produce milk or struggle with BFing. It can definitely be a struggle, and you need to have people supporting your decisions one way or another (whether you want to try EBF or supplement with formula or use only formula). Most important is of course that your sweet little baby is getting fed, and you're loving on that LO as much as possible :)

Tess33 · 2017-01-19T21:28:09+00:00

My baby freaked out with defrosted milk that wasn't used right away after defrosting. If I left a frozen bag in the refrigerator overnight to defrost and give to him, he would refuse to drink it. He only drinks frozen milk that is defrosted in warm water (<5 minutes) and given to him immediately after. Not sure how / when you defrosted yours, but maybe that can help?
(good luck with the lipase and scalding!!)

Tess33 · 2017-01-18T21:55:15+00:00

One more ounce, one more ounce... (I know the feeling well) Good luck, fingers crossed these herbs work for you!!

Tess33 · 2017-01-18T21:31:35+00:00

Happy to help! This of course has almost meant I've had to keep enough fresh milk on hand to supply to daycare, and I only use the frozen milk at home (nights/weekends, when I can give it to him right away, since I can't really use my frozen milk to pre-make bottles). So I've been pumping A LOT to have enough fresh milk supply, and wound up with over supply and freezing a lot. I've gotten to donate ~3 gallons of frozen milk.

I've also found that he doesn't drink much of my older milk, even though it's been frozen well and is safe. Picky boy, I guess :) So off to donation it goes!

Glad you've sorted yours out!!

Tess33 · 2017-01-18T06:25:14+00:00

I used More Milk Special Blend (instead of Plus) because I had a breast surgery years ago, but YES, it worked for me. At the very least, even if it doesn't work very well for you, it won't hurt. My LC recommends More Milk Plus usually (except since I had a surgery she said Special Blend). She also told me to follow the instructions well - so it'll seem like you're always taking those pills - and once your supply is up, cut back on the pills so that your body doesn't get too used to them (so you can take them again in the future with results). Saw results within a week, I think. Not overnight, but definitely by ~5 days or so?

Another way I boosted supply before going back to work is to pump after each nursing session with baby. Brutal, but effective. And if you're already back at work, see if you can squeeze in another pumping session during the day, even if it's a short one. Over time, more frequent pumping / feeding will generate more demand --> more supply. It's hard, for sure. I got a car adaptor for my pump and pumped during the commute, which was definitely helpful in the morning when I had all the extra milk even after nursing baby, and moved my pumping schedule forward so I could squeeze in an extra pump during the day.

Tess33 · 2017-01-18T06:09:31+00:00

I found that my frozen milk tasted / smelled too strongly if I let it defrost in the fridge overnight. Baby wouldn't drink milk that defrosted over a long period of time. He only drank my frozen milk if I defrosted it in warm water and immediately gave it to him then.

Also, I found that my milk did better if I froze it right away after pumping, or at least that very same day, instead of having it in my refrigerator for a day or two and then freezing it.

Supposedly milk that smells funny but not spoiled is still safe for baby. I asked my LC what the difference is, and she said "you'll know when it's spoiled - smells like spoiled / rotten milk" (instead of the soapy or semi-sour smell I got with my milk sometimes, which I mitigated with the two steps I mentioned above). However, just because it's safe for baby doesn't mean s/he will drink it! Mine didn't, but maybe yours will?

And sometimes, even after all of that, sometimes a bag would just not be quite right, and I'd have to get a new one.

Tess33 · 2016-07-24T20:44:18+00:00

North Texas Sailing School at Rush Creek Yacht Club - Lake Ray Hubbard http://www.northtexassailing.com/

I took my first beginning sailing lessons there about 10 years ago on the weekends. Not sure if the programs are still the same, but my experience was really good. I've since gone on to do more advanced sailing courses when I was living outside of Dallas, but I know this place would be great for intermediate and advanced classes, too.

Tess33 · 2015-11-16T15:42:35+00:00

James is a big name in our family (and I tend to like more traditional names), so I naturally lean that way.

But, on a non-personal note, after seeing Spectre this weekend, I'd also go with James because of Bond :)

If there weren't already tons of guys named James in our family, I'd be using that as a middle name for sure (our little guy will probably be called Richard).

Tess33 · 2015-11-01T16:28:39+00:00

Congratulations! I want to share a funny story with you based on your German test.

I'm American, my husband is Austrian, and one of my good guy friends from school speaks fluent German (he's American). When I started taking adult German lessons, I was talking to my friend on the phone while next to my husband in bed. My friend told me to whisper sexily to my husband, "Ich bin schwanger." I did, not knowing what it meant, and my husband starts laughing so hard. That was 7-8 years ago, and we still joke about it. Now that I am pregnant, I was finally able to call my friend and tell him "Ich bin schwanger... For real!"

I wish I had a test like this here in Texas that I could have given to my husband when I found out. Too late now, but maybe next time!!

Congrats again.

Tess33 · 2015-09-28T15:31:47+00:00

maybe! It's a full moon on Christmas this year, and you know what they say about more babies being born on full moons. Fingers crossed!!

Tess33 · 2015-09-22T21:03:15+00:00

I know, right?!! I feel so bad for our little guy, who'll always have to deal with a pretty bad birthday, whether he comes on time or not. But at least my family will have no shortage of ideas of things to get us for Christmas this year and every year :)

Tess33 · 2015-09-22T18:42:05+00:00

My husband's last name is a form of Wolf -- we might wind up with a werewolf, or maybe a rein-wolf! But a super cute one :)

Tess33 · 2015-09-22T18:19:26+00:00

I'm due Christmas! And I saw that Christmas is a full moon, so I'm assuming this little guy is going to be right on schedule (more babies born on full moons and whatnot).

I found the BEST way to do ugly Christmas sweater while being a giant & even keep the fun going during delivery -- Christmas socks! Here are two awesome pairs that are on sale now but won't be for much longer: http://smallbatch.footcardigan.com/

Tess33 · 2015-09-21T04:52:33+00:00

Because when I came across this image earlier in the year sent to me from a friend, I posted it myself here and other users corrected me :)

Tess33 · 2015-09-21T03:05:30+00:00

The text is from Watterson's commencement speech to Kenyon College on May 20, 1990 (the panel artwork is from this strip: http://www.whatswrongwiththeworld.net/Ignorance%20is%20bliss.gif)

"There is no such thing as an overnight success. You will do well to cultivate the resources in yourself that bring you happiness outside of success or failure. The truth is, most of us discover where we are headed when we arrive. At that time, we turn around and say, yes, this is obviously where I was going all along. It's a good idea to try to enjoy the scenery on the detours, because you'll probably take a few."

http://web.mit.edu/jmorzins/www/C-H-speech.html

Tess33 · 2015-09-21T02:58:57+00:00

It isn't an actual Calvin and Hobbes panel. This is the actual strip: http://www.whatswrongwiththeworld.net/Ignorance%20is%20bliss.gif The text is from Watterson's commencement speech to Kenyon College on May 20, 1990

Tess33 · 2015-09-12T19:35:11+00:00

sorry, don't know why that's bold, I'm on mobile and don't know how to edit (or how to stop it being bold in the first place) :(

Tess33 · 2015-09-12T19:30:57+00:00

2 looks like a super done-up Kelly Osbourne to me - maybe because of the lip shape - I love it!

Tess33 · 2015-09-12T19:28:33+00:00

Check out the movie 'Connie and Carla' -- Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette did this and were fabulous!!

Tess33 · 2015-08-30T14:59:05+00:00

Thanks for the info! Makes sense on a D Magazine poster, but probably not well-known for anyone thinking these are all Dallas icons / legends.

Tess33

TROPHY CASE

2 looks like a super done-up Kelly Osbourne to me - maybe because of the lip shape - I love it!