Monday, June 9, 2014

Breastfeeding Advice & Lactation Cookies

First, thank you so much to all of you who emailed or commented on my instagram with advice on how to boost my milk supply. I read all 118 comments and was so encouraged and motivated to keep my breastfeeding journey going!

In case you or another mama you know is struggling to boost her milk supply, here is a condensed list of advice that was passed along to me: - Seek a lactation consultant - Join your local La Leche League - Eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast - Drink Mother's Milk Tea, dark beer, apple juice and lots of water - Vitamins & Herbs: More Milk Plus, Fennugreek, Brewers Yeast, Flax Seed - Relax - Nurse and pump often - Make sure to eat enough protein throughout the day - Get lots of skin to skin time - Reglan (prescription required) - Visit KellyMom.com - Lactaction cookies -Prayer! At the end of the day, you have to do what works for you. Personally, supplementing formula (as directed by my lactation consultant, pediatrician and OB) is absolutely necessary for me to give Caroline the nutrition she needs during such a critical time. The silver lining? By incorporating bottles almost immediately, Matt has been able to be involved with feedings, especially during the nighttime. The first few months are crucial for bonding with your baby, so if breastfeeding is preventing you from enjoying that time with your munchkin, don't be afraid or ashamed to throw in the towel. I had lots of moms (especially second time moms) tell me they were much happier once they started using formula. On to the sweet stuff - lactation cookies! I have tried half a dozen recipes so far and most of them seemed to leave a bitter after taste. After lots of trial and error I finally found one that I was able to slightly adapt to make it perfect!

Lactation Cookies

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

Ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons brewers yeast
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons organic unsalted butter
4 tablespoons organic coconut oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven the 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, yeast, flaxseed, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and coconut oil on medium speed until creamy. Add in the sugar and beat on medium to high speed until fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. Add in the egg and egg yolk, beating until combined, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and beat until combined again. Gradually add in the dry ingredients, beating on low speed until just combined and mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula until they are evenly dispersed.

Scoop the dough into 1-inch rounds and place on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms are just golden. Let cool completely before storing in a sealed container.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday, friends! - ONE - Today I am counting down the minutes until my bestie, May, arrives in Charlotte for the weekend! Even though this will be much different from her last visit {post here}, I am so excited for a low key weekend of catching up with her. I am also excited about sneaking away with her for a few hours while Matt watches the babe for the first time!

- TWO - It's amazing how quickly Matt and I can make huge decisions these days when you have less than two hours at a time to get as much done as humanly possible and your brain can't function properly. On Sunday we woke up and I had to immediately strip our sheets and wash 2 pairs of jammies, the boppy and 7 burp cloths all from one night of co-sleeping (Don't judge, but if you do, don't post mean comments. We are in survival mode.). Long story short, I flipped out over our teeny tiny washer (for the millionth time since moving into our house). Our awful dorm-size, stackable washer/dryer has sent me into countless tantrums after ruining so many necessities (ie: my Bump Nest pillow and now, the Boppy). I came screaming out of the laundry room about how I don't have time to hand wash large items like comforters, pillows, etc. and Matt immediately went online, compared sales, read some reviews and picked out a new washer/dryer set. Gosh, I love him. Within the hour, we selected a Samsung set, visited Home Depot to purchase it and sold our current set to Craig's List.

And because we were on a roll for big decisions and Caroline was still soundly sleeping in the k'tan, we drove down the street and purchased two pairs of reading glasses for Matt. Matt has been holding on to his current eyeglasses for over 10 years and we picked out two new pairs in 30 minutes.

Disclaimer: He thought this photo was being taken for his mom.

So there - we have this new ability to make incredibly impulsive decisions these days. I'm sure the first time we get 4 hours of sleep we'll wake up and realize what we've done. - THREE - Y'all know how much of a mascara junkie I am. Well, I was recently contacted by Younique, a line of naturally-based makeup and skincare products, to try out their best selling product, 3D Fiber Lashes. This product promises to dramatically enhance and magnify the appearance of your own lashes and is easy to use, organic, chemical free, gluten free and hypoallergenic. The simple three-step process combines Transplanting Gel and Natural Fibers to help create the appearance of incredible thickness and volume to your existing lashes. The 3D Fiber Lashes are water resistant but easily washes off with warm water and facial cleanser at the end of the day.

I tried it, loved it and wanted to share it with you!! Want the chance to win a set of fiber lashes? Enter the rafflecopter giveaway below! a Rafflecopter giveaway - FOUR - A few weeks ago I found Matt in the kitchen playing with my washi tape. He was busy creating a label system (using various colors and patterns of washi tape) for breast milk and formula bottles. I couldn't help but laugh and get excited all at the same time. I immediately joined in on the fun and the system has been working out pretty awesome.

- FIVE - Of course, we can't kick off the weekend without a weekly dose of our little munchkin, who we've lovingly started referring to as "Baby Koala" since she must be attached to Matt or me at all time. Is there anything more scrumptious than baby feet?!

Wanna join Darci, April, Natasha and I on the Friday fun? You can link-up on any of our four blogs every Friday! All you have to do is... 1.) Write your post about five things you're lovin' this week (or any five things you want to share!). 2.) Share the logo on your blog and link back. 3.) Link-up at the bottom of the post so some new readers can check out your five things and say hello!

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Caroline Grace {1 month}!

Our sweet little Caroline Grace is officially one month old today!! There is literally nothing I love more than being Caroline's mama.

Yes, I spend most of my sleeping hours awake, I am sucked on, pooped on and spit up on all before lunch (if I even get lunch), I haven't had a moment alone or a cup of hot coffee that hasn't been reheated a million times in over 4 weeks and I still look and feel about 5 months pregnant. On top of that, most days the house is a complete disaster, I haven't showered until daddy is home, a million errands need to be run, meals need to be cooked and dirty clothes are spilling out of the laundry room.

Being a mama is hard work but she makes it so worth it all. All day long she snuggles and loves on me. I cherish her little smiles, her "cheerio" and "frownie face" expressions. And although she's growing so fast and changes a little more each day I don't feel like the weeks have flown by because I am intentional about savoring every moment.

One of my greatest joys is watching Caroline with her daddy. I love them both so dang much. It is amazing how a baby has changed my relationship with Matt. I know it sounds cheesy, but I really do love him so much more than ever before. I love hearing them in the next room reading, watching them snuggle and catching Caroline's expression the second her daddy walks into the house from work. She is well on her way to becoming a "daddy's girl" and I don't mind one bit.

I don't think we could have survived the first 2 weeks without my mom. She took such amazing care of Matt and I so we could take care of Caroline. Without having to ask, she worked around the clock to cook, vacuum, do all the laundry, grocery shop, water the plants, walk Charlie twice a day, attend our doctor's appointments with us, run errands, bake lactation cookies and lots of other treats, cook and freeze meals for later and help us take care of the baby so I could take time to shower and put on makeup. Without her I'd probably forget to eat lunch, my fridge would be empty, our plants would be dead, Charlie would hate me and we'd be sleeping on the same sheets from before we left for the hospital. Not to mention, she was there to encourage me through the long days, breastfeeding challenges and Caroline melt downs. And with the confidence of having her with me, I was able to get out of the house quite a bit once Matt went back to work too which really helped me to feel "normal" despite being incredibly exhausted and sore.

Breastfeeding has been quite a journey. A few days after we left the hospital we attended our first pediatric appointment and found out that Caroline's weight was down from 6.11 lbs to 6.4 (totally normal for newborns during the first week). It wasn't until our follow up appointment 3 days later that we became worried when she was down another ounce and the doctor recommended that I start pumping and feeding the milk back to Caroline to increase her intake during feedings. Pumping was pretty discouraging. I would pump for an hour only to bottle about mere .5 ounces of milk. We decided to go see a lactation consultant the following week and I began using Fenugreek and Brewers Yeast supplements, Mother's Milk tea, upped my daily water intake drastically, started eating oatmeal with extra flax seed for breakfast, increased our skin-to-skin time, got a prescription for Reglan (a breast milk enhancing drug) from my OB and snacked on lactation cookies in hopes to increase my production. Our LC also instructed us to supplement small amounts of formula too once I'd run out of breast milk. The following week we were overjoyed to learn all of our hard work was paying off when Caroline weighed in at 6 pounds, 15.93 ounces (exceeding her birth weight)! It's been a uphill battle, but I refuse to give up!

One Month Highlights:

Caroline,

You weighed in last week at 6 pounds, 15.93 ounces and we were so happy you exceeded your birth weight!
You love to be held...all the time. If I even think about putting you down you get upset. You also love to be worn in the K’tan wrap.
You wear newborn clothes and diapers but they are getting more snug every day, and that makes me sad. I want you to stay little forever but I'm also excited to watch you grow.
You are so strong and constantly lift your little legs all the time. You can also hold your head up pretty good and roll to your side by yourself often.
Daddy gives you your baths and you love them, until it's time to dry you off.
You love the paci, most of the time.
You prefer tummy time on Daddy's chest.
We still can't decide if your hair is coming in thicker or falling out each day. Sometimes we think you have my auburn hair. Other days we think you have daddy's brown hair.
Charlie has warmed up to you quite a bit this month. Even though he ignored you the first two weeks, it's been so sweet watching him grow more concerned and protective of you recently.
You love our morning walks and so does Charlie.
We haven't decided who you look like, but most people are quick to say you look like daddy.
You've been held by so many friends and family members. People have flown in from all over just to see you and bring you little presents (and meals for mommy and daddy).