Well this update is already half way into month nine and I haven’t taken the time to share month eight! I would say since Thanksgiving (it’s currently the weekend of St. Paddy’s day in March) our household has been a revolving door of illness. My big kids are endless providers of all the ick being spread in the school system. But! But! I *think* we are finally in the clear, knock on wood! This all said, my little guy who’s now 8.5 months old has had his fair share of booger nose and cough, but fortunately not too many frightening fevers to report on. I’ll add, all of my kids have all been born in the summer months- which has never been planned but I highly recommend it, if you’re a planner. Why? It’s less likely you’ll contract something during the warm season, although it’s not impossible, just less likely! More fresh air + more sunshine - if you’re in the Midwest like me. So once baby is of age for appropriate medication that can be given at home and won’t require medical attention like a very young baby would if spiking a scary fever, things just feel less frightening. Maybe it’s in my head, but whatever, it’s gotten me through my last seven years of motherhood!
So what’s new with my dude, what’s he eating, how's he sleeping, what's he drinking, how much am I pumping?
Eating
Don’t come at me... but he’s not super into solids and I don’t want to push something that he’s not into and not showing much skill in this department yet. I’m still offering him loaded baby utensils, but he’s not really enjoying it like my last two girls have. We have given him those melt in your mouth kind of keep-kids-busy snacks and he is hot and cold with those, too. I’ve found that his gag reflex is one of his favorite things to exercise. My husband hasn’t had much exposure to him while he attempts to gag up his food so it’s always a little stressful to witness. But after four big kids, I have gotten much more comfortable with knowing the difference between gagging and choking. If they’re able to breathe, cough and make noise, they’re only gagging not choking.
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Sleeping
Now for sleep, what sleep? is the real question. I have accepted the fact that I will sleep when I’m dead and until then, I am everyone’s night help or open milk bar. Many months ago we began co-sleeping, I have grown to love and hate it. I know this is a season of life so I love it in the sense it won’t be this way forever but boy I do not sleep well. Something new I’ve been trying in the last month and a half or so. is getting him to fall asleep either at the boob or by bottle in bed then moving him into his portable crib (which I still am loving). I’m happy to share he has taken more kindly to the portable crib in the last month, it was a rocky start but he seems to give in after a few whimpers. I don’t personally do the cry it out (CIO) method, so if he was in distress I would absolutely pick him up and bring him back to bed. As your baby grows and you grow with your baby, you will know the difference between “Mom, what the hell!” and “Mom I need you, please come get me!” Again, this is a season of life and I don’t think the CIO method is doing anything positive for you or baby’s mental health or development - I know this can be a touchy subject for some but hell, this is my eight month update and I feel it’s relevant to share because I feel so strongly about this topic.
Drinking
Bottles, this kid is a pro at jumping between boob and bottle! I am still using the Pigeon bottles but now offer the Lansinoh bottles, too. If you remember from earlier months, the Pigeon SS nipples had a slower flow than the Lansinoh, but now he’s a been able to handle both flows equally so whichever is clean I feed. *the nipples and collars are interchangeable between both bottles*
As for the volume of milk he’s consuming daily, well we aren’t sure! If I had to put a figure on it I’d say probably 30 ounces a day or so in bottles, and then he’s got open bar all night long while we co-sleep because he nurses on and off until the sun comes up. Needless to say, this baby is gaining weight at a rapid pace and growing like a weed! I couldn’t be more proud.
Pumping
Now my pumping, it hasn’t changed and if anything it’s gotten more aggressive. My two year old drinks all of my pitcher milk and it hasn’t left me with any milk for extra bottles for little guy. I’m grateful she’s enjoying it but she can’t have it all. I have also been testing more pumps more frequently which means I need to ensure I’m always removing milk adequately, but at the end of the day I still need to keep my supply up to feed my two littles. Due to this, I find I myself pumping more often or even longer after a testing session. No regrets, just means more milk, or at least not less milk for them. I have been pumping 5 to 6 times throughout the day, but rarely do I nurse him while the sun is up. Now it’s strictly all at night, if I do whip a boob out during the day it’s not for a true feed, maybe a little snack or some comfort.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it’s been a pretty rough last few months, mostly because everyone has been taking their turn being sick. Myself included. I also can’t believe that he’s almost nine months old and I’ll be back here before we know it giving another update! Fun fact, as I type this up my husband and I are in the air flying to Las Vegas for his 40th birthday, just the two of us! That’s right, I had to go 30,000 ft into the air just to have the time and space to write this blog!
This trip had to happen now or it wasn’t going to happen at all. I was very reluctant to plan it, but I knew if we didn’t celebrate him during his birthday weekend, we never would get around to it. It took a bunch of planning and stress which actually caused me to break out into an eczema flare up on my elbow. But it was well worth it, we made it - it’s all good! And now it’s time to deplane and grab myself a cocktail! So be sure to come back in a few weeks to get the full update how the weekend getaway went for both us and the kids back at home with Nana, Aunt Judy, Aunt Jackie and the gang!
