The Monday Snapshot...

Sunny spring days and another walk down to the park. James has learnt the word "flowers" and now everything is "flowers". Plants, bushes, grass all get the name "flowers".

This is part of PAILs Monday Snapshot. If you want to check out what is happening at PAIL or this weeks featured blogger, click on the PAIL button on my sidebar. 

Seven months...

Dear Patchy McPatch

Wow, seven months have gone since you unexpectedly came early and time has really flown. You have started to grab and hold toys over the past month or two without me even noticing. Happy to chew or wave your toys around once you get your pudgy hands on them. One minute you were helplessly batting things around and the next you are grabbing toys, hair and whatever comes into your view with real purpose.

You are now an expect at rolling and have also begun to pull yourself along to get into mischief or to get a toy. I can't put you down for a second before you start rolling away to follow your brother.  Your rolling was causing some sleep disruptions a few weeks ago, which have (hopefully) worked themselves out. 

You are sitting up by yourself more and love to see the world from a different view. You can't sit for long yet but we're working on your strength. You like sitting in your high chair rather than your bum.bo, your brother was the same way. 

You have been sick again this month, catching the flu from James. Your stuffy nose has been bothering you for the past two weeks and we had a couple of restless nights when you couldn't breath through your nose. You absolutely hate the saline and sucker but it works to clear your nose, so Mumma will keep using it. 

Breastfeeding is going great and we still have a couple more EBM feeds in the freezer to use before we start weaning in two months. Solids are going well too and this month we have added meat to your dinners. So far you have had beef (steak and mince), chicken, lamb and pork. I've also added more green veggies to your purées. Now that you are sitting up well and holding objects, we'll start with more finger food. 

Can't wait to see what next month brings!

Love you lots

Mumma

The Monday Snapshot...

When (toy) sharks attack!

This is part of PAILs Monday Snapshot. To find out more about PAIL or who this weeks featured blogger is, click on the PAIL button on my side bar. 

The Monday Snapshot...

Spring is here! It's the best time of the year, the days are sunny and warm and the nights are great. Terrific weather for sitting around the park. 

This is part of PAILs Monday Snapshot. If you want to learn more about PAIL or this weeks featured blogger, click on the PAIL link on my side bar. 

Infertility in the headlines...

Even now, with our baby making days behind us, I find myself drawn to any news on infertility "breakthroughs", advances in infertility drugs or IVF studies in particular. Just because we are no longer affected personally by infertility, doesn't mean my thoughts and prayers have stopped for couples still dreaming of their happy ending.

For the past couple of months in Australia, two news reports have really caught my eye. Especially since BJ and I are living proof of the this study performed here in Australia. 

After the years we spent TTC naturally, then to go through an unsuccessful fresh IVF to finally get the magical BFP with a frozen transfer, I truly thought trying to conceive without all the hoopla would again end in us heading back to the old IVF clinic. But, thankfully for us, we didn't have to head down this expensive and emotionally draining avenue. And it appears we are not alone. 

Pregnancy more likely for some after IVF

 

After having James I was being discharged when one of the nurses who was signing off all our paperwork, casually said, "I'll see you back here in around eighteen months time for number two." At the time I smiled politely and thought, knowing my luck I'll never be back here other to visit. But I was back just shy of sixteen months with my second miracle boy.  

The second IVF headline that has caught my eye over the past week is one I haven't been affected by personally but does bring a lot of hope for couples who have ready been through some tough times. 

Australian woman receives ground breaking ovarian issue transplant

 

Such an amazing breakthrough that Aussie doctors have brought hope to woman and couples wanting to start (or contiune) a family after such tragic circumstances. 

These are truly wonderful stories!

Six months...

Dear Patchy

Sorry I'm a few days late with your six month post! The days seem to be flying now and everyday you seem to grow and get stronger. 

You are still breastfeeding like a champ and we have made the "exclusive six months" which was my goal with both you and your brother. Your breastfeeding journey has had it's ups and downs and I'm so glad we have made it this long and now we can concentrate on getting you to try new foods. 

Solids are going well. By the end of your sixth month you are having three solid meals a day, as well has four breastfeeds. So far you have had pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot, apple, pear, baby muesli, banana and yoghurt. Until you can sit up better, we'll continue to spoon feeding but I'm pretty keen to start baby lean weaning. You like to sit in your bum.bo or swing and feed yourself banana in your mesh feeder so BLW won't be far away!

You are gradually getting there with your sleep. You are now sleeping through from 7pm to 6:30-7:00am most nights, with the occasional early wake up around 4am. You have been going through a fussy phase with your naps and now you are struggling to sleep past forty minutes each time. You are starting to roll more in your cot and sometimes get into weird positions which is not helping. The power napping is really affecting your mood in the afternoons. The past couple of days have seen you go back to your old routine so hopefully we may have our good napper back! 

Your strength is improving and you really want to sit up all the time now. You must feel a bit left out when we are at the park or playing in the backyard and you're watching James run around. Not long now and you'll be running around too. You can sit but are usually hunched over and occasionally fall to either side. Don't worry, Mumma is always there to help. You love grabbing everything and putting said object into your mouth. Your favourite toys are Sir Pra.nce-A-Lot and any plastic rings which are easy for you to get a good hold of. We have moved you from the swing (which you hated) to the highchair or bum.bo for your solid meals to help improve your core strength and you are enjoying the change. 

This month we brought a double stroller which means more time at the park and more outings. You love being outside and having one-on-one time with Mum, while James plays at the playground. When we go out you are a very good baby and are happy to either have a snooze or just look around and take in your surroundings. Usually while chewing one of Sir Pra.nce-A-Lot's legs off!

You are the softest, sweetest baby around and I love you so much. 

Your Mumma. 

How do you feed your child...

I am lucky. Lucky to have fed my babies with (what I think) is the best food possible, breast milk. But I am also determined and stubborn. Because while breastfeeding seems like it should be so easy, it's hard work. I wrote about my breastfeeding journey back in March 2012, while I was breastfeeding my eldest son, you can read about our journey here.

Since that post, I have fallen pregnant again, weaned James off, gave birth (five weeks early) to another beautiful son Patrick and my breastfeeding journey #2 has started. 

Again I thought it would be so easy, I had breastfed James for ten months, I was a pro at this feeding business. Well just when you think you know what you are doing, life throws you a curve ball. Paddy was born five weeks early. My second breastfeeding journey began not how I envisage, with skin to skin contact and his first feed straight after birth. I couldn't even hold Paddy for fifteen hours after he was born and then it was only for a little while. He was so tiny, much smaller than his brother had been and since our main objective for the first days of his life was for him to gain weight, we couldn't even start trying to breastfeed until he was a day or so old and even then he was so tired all the time that I could only try nursing him every third tube feed! So frustrating.

My home for the first two weeks of Paddy's life

And where Paddy lived for the first two weeks

 

In all my communication with Paddy's doctor I always said if we needed to put him on a bottle to get out of hospital early, then that was always an option but this was truly a last resort. Every day the doctor would go through Paddy's chart and let us know if we could increase the millilitres he was receiving via tube. It was only after Paddy was weighed (every third day) that I was allowed to increase the number of breastfeeds I could give. I was so lucky that I had such a great supply of milk during all this time (though I was expressing every three hours) it was just working with Paddy and finding our own rhythm that we needed to work on. 

Six months on we are still going strong. All that pumping meant I have plenty of breast milk in the freezer so we have reached the six month mark exclusively on breast milk! My second last goal with breastfeeding now has been reached! My final breastfeeding goal is to reach the ten month mark again, with Paddy. After that time I will be done and happy that I have been able to feed my boys the way I wanted.