Breastfeeding out and about

So a long with cloth diapering I'm also  exclusively breast-feeding. I'm someone that doesn't feel the need to find a room to hide in or but a cover over my baby when she is eating. This does at times get some looks, in the  grocery store I have had some  Extremely  shocked women walk by and talk to each other about it. At other times I have noted the looks of shock from other people when put. So today when in a clothing store when my little one wanted to eat I thought nothing of taking her out of her  stroller and feeding her, I knew I would get looks from some people as I always do but I have never had anyone come up and say anything to me, that is till today. So when a women walked by me and looked at me and looked as if she wanted to say something but kept walking I thought to my self ok this is going to be the first time that someone bitches at me for feeding my kid. But to my  surprise what the women had to say was nothing bad but she walked back to tell me keep it up that she has been breastfeeding for 16 months and that she feeds in  public and hasn't had anyone say anything but that she also doesn't see others doing the same, and that I need to keep it up. It was great that the first time someone says anything about me breastfeeding out in the open that it's nothing  negative but something positive words and  encouragement From one mother to another! It truly was a  encouragement and empowerment as some other women that weren't to happy with it looked on.

Four weeks postpartum

so here I'm four weeks postpartum, and I have to say I think it's harder now then the first few days home with my little one. For many reasons this was the first full week that my husband was back at work, I truly valued and greatfull that he was able to be off work for almost a full three weeks. It not only gave him bonding time but did things like gave me time to shower use the restroom when our little one doesn't want to be put down because he could hold her, but with him back at work it's just me. It's been harder then I thought it would be now that his back, with the mix of not having someone to help and her being  extremely colicky meaning that I'm just completely exhaust. To top it off my in laws are coming this week to see the baby so at some point I need to clean the house, as it is I'm just  barely keeping up with Basic sensual laundry.
I truly don't know how women do this  completely alone, or the women that have to go back to work at this time or at the six week park. I'm hoping that in the next few weeks I'll be back to get back to doing some work for the shop because I have some great ideas for things. However right now the only thing I truly plan on doing is hoping to get some sleep now that the little one is  finally  Thank god asleep!!

Halo swaddle

when my little girl was first born, I mean the day she was born she was ok with being swaddled but after that she was having none of it. She cried the whole time so till two days ago I had given up on the idea that swaddling would be a way to  calm her and help her sleep. However after her not really sleep for two nights and most of the day, I thought what the hell Im going to give swaddling other try hoping that it would work even fore a little bit and to my great surprises  it worked! It was great  during the day but for some reason it didn't work as well at night, I wasn't sure why really, I thought maybe it was that I couldn't get her swaddled tight after I changed her diaper at night, partly becuase I was so tired trying to do it. I had been swaddling her the "old" way meaning using a   Receiving blanket, in truth I thought that the swaddling blanket that had the  velcro were something I didn't need after all I know how to use a blanket flooded to swaddled. But at this point  I thought ok I'm giving I. And getting one hoping that it would help. I have to say the Halo sleep bag swaddled combo may be the best thing I have spent money on. Here is why the bag part has a zipper, that opens starting at the feet making it easy to change the diaper with out un doing the swaddle of the upper body. That's great because that means baby doesn't wake up all the way! Making it easy to change and feed and get her back to sleep in just a few minutes, meaning that I get to go back to sleep! Before using the Halo swaddled the only way that she would go back to sleep was on my chest with me holding her meaning I wasn't getting much sleep or good sleep because it was taking her along time to get back to sleep.

Three weeks postpartum

 What a complete whirlwind the past 2 1/2 almost 3 weeks has been. I little girl was born and came home, I have to say nothing  truly prepares you for bringing a little one home that's definitely for sure.  Even with my husband having time off work and being here which I have to say has been great giving me the opportunity to as crazy it sounds leave her with someone and just step out for a few minutes and keep my bit of my sanity, along with my mother being here I have all the great blessings I truly do not understand how anyone can do this without help.  That being said I do know that I've had a relatively easy time with her, for the most part she's been sleeping through the night. I don't wake her to feed her if she wakes to eat then I know she's hungry and she wants to eat I am not someone that believes you should wake a baby to feed them if they're hungry they will weaken want to eat and when she wants to eat she eats.  However there have been a few nights where she is up and just doesn't want to sleep, however for the most part getting her back to sleep to be solved by her sleeping on my chest she just wants to be near and  held close, and I truly understand that after all the world is big and scary to her she's only been in it to an a half weeks being near me it's what she's known her entire existence. But the sleeping arrangement has been difficult for my husband I know because he's a very do everything by the book kind of person and all of the classes we took and books we read all are very against  Cosleeping for safety. However I do believe that cosleeping is in many ways much more natural at this age then to try and put them in a crib or bassinet and just let them cry. I did have a friend that came to visit I had a better week after she was born they did say something about well you know you don't have  to go to her all the time you can just let her cry, but to me I can't there is nothing more horrible for me to feel then to look at her crying and have a look of fear and anxiety and her face to me it is my job to comfort her and make her feel safe in this world so how  could I just let her cry until she exhaust yourself then she is  knowing anxiety and fear unnecessarily and I can't be the cause for that to start for her the world will do that enough to her now is the time for her to be comforted and that means I lose some sleep then that's the deal I made.

 For the first two weeks of her life my husband was home from work so it was really nice to not be alone and doing everything as well as it was great to see her bond with her daddy. The first day that he went back to work was a little hard I think mostly because she did miss having him here but that is the way that it has to be. Last night was the first night that she just would not go back to sleep no matter what so I was up with her because after all he was going up a very long day at work about a 16 hour day and I didn't want to make him try and stay up when if she's not going to go back to sleep she's not gonna go back to sleep no reason for both of us to completely lose sleep when I'm the one that's going to be home and have the opportunity to nap when she does,  so I got up and was up most of the night with her she's just had a growth spurt time wanting to eat and just be held every time I put her down she wake back up so I just set up and held her as she eat.  I read a lot and had a lot of people tell me oh swaddle her and she'll fall asleep, has continued to try swaddling her and for the most part she hates it she cries more and doesn't  sooth herself at all.  However luckily this afternoon
after a long night of very little sleep for both of us I decided to try swaddling her again and this time it comes her completely and put her right to sleep, I'm hoping that this is a new trend and that swaddling will be something that will work to help her rest and feel comforted without having to  be held all the time.  Not that I don't completely love and enjoy holding this little bundle of joy, but I do feel that it's good for her to be able to sleep without being held.