As I mentioned earlier, I got sick last week. We thought it was food poisoning, but it wasn't. This horrible bug sets both ends on fire, exploding towards dehydration at an alarming speed. Then you remain wiped out and horribly dehydrated for much too long. It is like playing chicken with your stomach, trying to figure out when it is safe to drink again.
Katy (a roommate) got the same thing two days later. Then Tim got it. Then panic set in. What if Attison gets it? What about the other two roommates? I feel bad that the last two roommates not only had to watch us be sick, but that they are still being psychologically tortured, wondering if they will get it.
But this post isn't about sick, it is about milk. After I got sick, my milk started coming in less. I've been pumping so that someday, when I'm mentally prepared, I can leave Attison for more than an hour. After getting sick I was only able to pump 1 oz a day. I didn't realize how dehydrated I was though because it took 4 days until I was getting 3-4 oz again. Now our freezer is filling up, fast.
I seem to have a pretty healthy milk supply, so I've been thinking about donating to a milk bank. Un
fortunately, not all women are able to produce enough milk for their babies. To some extent, you can do things like eat healthy and drink lots of water to increase your supply, but it isn't a one-size-meets-all solution. (We're not talking wet nurse here, I'll be shipping off bags of pumped milk)
A friend of ours pumps an extra 6 oz a day (which is a lot for those who don't know!) and donates to twins whose mother can't produce enough for her babies. She does it though a national bank that connects donors to local recipients via facebook.
Why all this fuss about breast milk you might ask? Why not just use formula? Well, breast milk is better for everybody. It is healthier for babies because it combines not only nutrients but antibodies from mom to protect from disease. Babies also benefit from skin-to-skin contact (also called Kangaroo care) that comes naturally with breastfeeding. They have even started putting on formula containers "G***** recommends breastmilk as the best start for babies." I feel kind of conflicted about that though, because although it is true and many people don't realize or care, there are plenty of mothers who know and understand, but just aren't able to breastfeed.
Well enough of that... If you are interested, here are a few links about the benefits of breastfeeding and Kangaroo care, plus the website about breastmilk donation.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/why-breastfeeding-is-important/
http://www.kangaroomothercare.com/
http://www.eatsonfeets.org/#about
This is Attison, the breast pump base (with the scary attachments removed so you don't have to make the mental picture of how it works) and a puddle of "mom didn't change my diaper first thing this morning so I peed in her bed."
And as a final thought - although the milk flows around here, the honey doesn't. It's too cold and it crystallizes. The honey probably needs a blanket.
that's my favorite diaper. it has owls and bones on it. which is weird. and kinda badass. but also funny and clever, because owls have bones in their poop... bones of things they've hunted and eaten. I'm pretty sure there is a 7th grade science lab that involved owl poop. cloth diapers are more fun when they include weird symbolism.
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