Breastfeeding

Let’s talk about breastfeeding…

For the first two weeks of Clark’s life his nickname was Titty Terrorist. That’s right, I called my sweet little baby a titty terrorist. The boy latched on in the delivery room and didn’t let go until he was two weeks old, and then only for short snippets at a time.  The first time he latched on he made me bleed. For the following two weeks in order for him to latch on he felt the need to “bite” down on my nipple just to make sure that it was in his mouth prior to sucking. Had I not been determined to breast feed for the first year of his life, I think that those two weeks just might have broken my resolve. I truly understood why so many women give up on breast feeding. Just knowing that his scheduled feeding was around the corner on the clock would make me cringe, taking my breast out of my nursing bra struck pure dread in my mind, and as soon as my sweet little boy caught whiff of me and turned his little face to my breast I would tense up, curl my toes, and wince as he terrorized my chest to fulfill his need for food.

Luckily the pain of breastfeeding only lasted for a small amount of time. The pain was momentary in those first two weeks, after the initial “bite” the pain subsided, and after those two weeks the pain disappeared altogether.  Clark got better at latching on, I learned his hunger cues and together we got through it. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I think that breastfeeding was my first lesson in motherhood, my first tutorial in how to read my baby and his cues.  I cherish those first moments of his life.

Breastfeeding now gives me one on one time with Clark, it provides me the opportunity to turn the world off and stare into his sweet little face. Sure, there are moments that I absently feed him and I have to remind myself that these moments are fleeting, that he will soon enough be running around and absent from my lap, that snuggling mommy will be too much to ask of him and the world will be calling, and in those moments I am usually smart enough to take a break from my thoughts to just breath him in.

I am by no means a lactation specialist and I know that breastfeeding is not something that all mothers are able to do, there are some extenuating circumstances that make it impossible, but I truly wish for all mothers to be able to share this special bond with their babies. Even when those little bundles of joy are titty terrorists in the beginning.

Was your baby a mammary murderer?

On to updates and baby food…

The last day of March we got to see Clark roll over for the first time! I cried like a baby. That’s right, I’m not ashamed, I cried! They were tears of joy, excitement, and sadness. I was overjoyed that my little boy was making the move, excited to see him learn a new skill, and sad to know that he is going to grow up and won’t be my little boy for long. Yes, I know just how crazy that sounds! He’s only 5 months old now (as of 19 April) we still have a “lifetime” to go, right? WRONG!!! I never knew how fast 5 months would fly by. People always say that it just flies by, and let me tell you… IT DOES!!! He’ll be off to college before I know it. So I have been doing my best to soak up all of his littleness…

April first brought the introduction of solids into his life. We started with sweet potatoes and have since gone on to butternut squash, plums, pears, and peas. So far he is not so much a fan of the plums or peas, but he really likes the other stuff. Next up bananas! I’ve decided that I am going to make all of his baby food because I am not interested in starting his life with preservatives and processed food.  So here is how I’ve made the purees so far:

Sweet Potato:  I stabbed a metal skewer through it and baked it at 450 F for one hour. After letting it cool, to a temperature that I could handle without sacrificing my first layer of skin, I scooped out all of the “meat” and placed it into my VITAMIX. Then I blended it to a fine paste.  When serving to Clark I add enough breast milk to thin it out.

Butternut Squash:  I cut the squash in half lengthwise and placed it on a cookie sheet “meat” side up. I added a quarter cup of water to the cookie sheet to keep the squash from drying out. Bake at 400 F for 45 minutes (though I started with 25 and checked it every 10). Again, once the squash has cooled enough that disfigurement of the hands from napalm like burns is no longer an issue, scoop the “meat” of the squash out into a food processor or super duper blender, puree.

Plums:  I took the advice of a friend and “poached” the plums by scoring the skins and then simmering them for 10 minutes. I then pulled off the skin that wasn’t holding on for dear life and proceeded to puree them. I will be trying a different approach next time, these turned out strange and Clark doesn’t seem to like them.

Pears

Pears:  I used 2 pears.  Peel the pears, core them, and then steam them for 5-7 minutes to soften. Place in super duper blender or food processor and puree. These are a little watery and are a great additive to the sweet potatoes or squash if breast milk is unavailable.

Peas: I used a bag of frozen peas. Steam the peas for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the pot but save the water that you steamed them with. Place the peas in a food processor or blender and puree. The peas will create very thick paste, slowly add a little of the saved water and puree some more. I continued to puree the peas until the hulls were no longer visible. I don’t want little pieces of pea skin to get stuck anywhere in the baby’s intestinal tract.

I add breast milk to the purees to make them a little thinner and to sweeten them up for Clark, you could use the water that you steam them with or even the pear purees.

Disclaimer: Speak to your pediatrician before starting your baby on solid food. Please make sure to discuss possible allergies and possible complications with your doctor before starting any new foods with your child.