Breastfeeding, Pumping, Diapers, Childcare and Working: How it is Going

Well, since I have failed at making a "baby book" for Maxine I have decided that this is it. Perhaps I will print it out and put it in a binder for her or something like that. This is definitely a more "resource-efficient" way to record Maxine (and share with others!).

I think it is important to provide an update on how breastfeeding, pumping, diapers, childcare and working are going.

Breastfeeding:
The only things that Maxine has purposely consumed are breastmilk, baby tylenol and vitamins - there has been the occasional bath water and pet hair, too. I have worked hard to keep this going for this long. As you know, I went back to work when she was 6 weeks old and have had to pump in order to satisfy her appetite. My sister is a lactation consultant and has explained to me that nothing is as efficient as a baby in getting breastmilk out of a breast. There are two hormones that are released that cause the milk to let down and only one can be triggered easily without the baby. So, what this means is I can't get as much out in one sitting of pumping as Maxine would in one sitting of breastfeeding. So, after many trials and errors and stresses I have figured out the schedule that produces enough milk for Maxine. Following is my schedule:

5:15 am wake up, pump and then go work out (I am already awake)
6:45 am Get home, shower, eat breakfast, hang out with Maxine and breastfeed
8:15 or 8:30 am leave for work
10:30 am pump
12:45 pm pump
3:30 pm pump
4:45 pm go home and hang out with Maxine, eat dinner and breastfeed
7;45 pm/8:00 pm Maxine goes to sleep
9:00 pm get ready for bed, pump and go to sleep
11:00 pm - 4:00 am Maxine wakes up (usually only once) to breastfeed for anywhere between 11 and 45 minutes

Phew! It is a regimen that, if I fail to follow, we run the risk of low supplies! The doctor says that if I can make it to 6 months that is perfect and anything after that is great. I have read that children breastfed between 7 mos and a year (or longer) tend to have higher IQs (my friends Kelly and Amanda must just blow the researchers because they are brilliant and were formula-fed. Go figure?) Well, right now breastmilk is cheaper and I feel like I am doing a good thing. I am shooting for a year. We will start introducing solids at 6 months so that may offer some relief (except the rice cereal needs to be mixed with breastmilk or formula - ack!!!!)
Also, we are feeding Maxine the pumped milk with a Born Free bottle which is Bisphenol-A free. We also bought medical-grade plastic, bisphenol-a free freezer trays to freeze the milk in 1 oz sticks. I wear this little zip up tube top with holes where my boobs are so I can pump hands free. It really streamlines the process!


Diapers:
Ben and I chose to use cloth diapers. We are using fuzzi bunz and wash them at home. I researched whether cloth diapers would be more resource efficient than "biodegradable" diapers. The arguments are strong for both sides and we ultimately decided on the cloth diapers. We then researched whether to use a service or wash our own and decided the carbon footprint would be less with washing on our own. My mother-in-law has started an online magazine called "Connections for Women" and asked me to write an article on cloth vs. disposable diapers. Here is the link to the article if you are interested in knowing more about our decision and facts supporting it: http://www.connectionsforwomen.com/article_details.php?article_id=200&cat=5

Childcare:
Ben and I are very lucky to have his mom and my parents living in the same town. My mom has been coming twice a week to hang out with Maxine for 5 hours each day so Ben can work. His mom watches Maxine at least once a week. Otherwise, Ben is Mr. Mom. So far, it seems to be going very well. He gets a lot of work done when one of the grandmas are helping and even sometimes when he is alone with Maxine - of course, there are days that Maxine doesn't want him to work. Ben seems to be loving this, too.

Working
Well, I think that 6 weeks is too early to go back to work. I think it was hard on all three of us. If I were to do it over again I would for sure wait until she was 2 months or, even better, 3 months. 3 months would have been the ideal time to return to work. But, that didn't happen and I am not regretting because I feel like Maxine and I have a strong bond regardless. She knows who I am and we spend mornings, nights and weekends together. We laugh and play and eat together. I also think that I am setting a strong example for her as a working mother. I know she doesn't know right now but in the future she will see her mother working and being a leader. I think the Ben and I offer a great balance for her. I hope she will start dabbling in art with her dad while he works. What a great experience to see an office-working parent and an artist-parent. I can't wait to see how she develops into her own individual with all of these influences.