Nursing Diaries (Part Four)

"Pumping At Work"

As I mentioned in Part One, there isn’t always time to pump at work.  When there’s active weather, my job takes precedence.  Thankfully that’s not always the case.  I have a pretty understanding employer who allows me a place to express milk each day.  Some may feel they don’t have the opportunity to pump at work.  But I firmly believe that you can do it.  It’s just a matter of planning and asking your employer for assistance.

When I made the announcement that my hubby and I were expecting, I immediately told the HR representative that I planned on breastfeeding and began making arrangements, as I drew closer to my due date.  I had heard stories about moms pumping in the bathroom and decided early on that that wasn’t going to be me.  I wanted a nice clean and comfy environment to pump in.

 I can’t say it's a spa like setting, but it's sufficient.  It's neatly tucked away from everyone, and the office came complete with a microwave and refrigerator.   I’ve been able to pump during my lunch hour and store away my milk for the remainder of my shift.  Talk about convenience!!  I also had a key, which was icing on the cake. 

 My goal was to pump for one year and I’m proud to say that I’ve exceeded that!  I’d sneak away two to three times during my shift, in between shows (for about 15-20 minutes a session).   It can be a bit tedious, carrying all that gear and washing all the parts after each use.  But, it’s worth it!  I’ve spoken with other moms who’ve mentioned that they tried doing the deed for a number of months, but later gave up.  So, I want to share some tips with those of you planning on nursing, and pumping at work that has help me tremendously!

1.  Don’t be afraid to plan early!  Once you make the announcement to your boss, ask about a pumping room.  I know there may be some exceptions, but most businesses provide a pumping room (not the bathroom).

2.  Research different pumps.  I swear by Madela.  I’ve heard that hospital pumps are the best.  But, I feel that Madela is right up there!  It’s pretty expensive.  So, be sure to add it to your registry.  If no one buys it, you get a percentage off after your new arrival!  My little one also enjoys drinking from the Madela bottles.  Maybe your baby will too!

3.  Also, get some storage bags and containers.  I tried a few, but I like Lansinoh bags because it stores and pours easily and it’s affordable.

4.  If you do decide to pump at work, don’t forget to pump and/or nurse at home.  Your boobies and baby will thank you later for keeping that supply going!  I’ll talk more about how I was able to rebuild my milk supply in Part 5.

5.  If you’re not comfortable with your pumping conditions at work like the location or conditions, then speak up!  You want your pumping experience to be as confortable as possible.

I hope you find these tips helpful.  For more info on pumping and breastfeeding laws, visit http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14389

Happy pumping!

Boutique Beauties Slide Show

Check out Princess's new Boutique Beauties video!



Weather Anchor Mama

An Epiphany

Ever had an epiphany?  Well, I had one recently.  I was on the phone with someone and we began talking about black hair care.  Since Princess's hair has been suddenly sprouting a bit more strands, I've been researching different hair care products that are safe for her to use.  When I mentioned that I use Just For Me, I was immediately informed to avoid it like the plague.

I found out that a baby's hair will change over time and certain products can affect the texture.  FYI, I am no expert when it comes to hair care.  It's taken many years to learn, but I know a thing or two about my own.  I have a relaxer and I have fine textured hair.  I wash it once a week and I grease my scalp right afterwards.  For those of you who aren't familiar with black hair, here's a quick lesson.  Greasing just means adding oil or moisturizer to your scalp.

Keep in mind that not all black hair is the same.  Some may wash their hair once a week, some may go weeks or months without a sprinke of water.  Our black hair tends to be drier than our white counterparts, hence adding a moisturizer is necessary to prevent breakage.  Naturally drier hair also means frequent washing isn't nessessary.  Black hair also comes in different textures.  What works for one person may not work for another.   When you add bi-racial hair care to the mix, it's becomes a whole other learning process.

Some mixed race children may have thick and curly, while others may have thin and coarse hair.  There are so many textures out there that I don't think it's possible to name them call.  When Princess first arrived she had pin straight hair, like many black, and many white babies.

As she got older her it went from fine and straight, to fine and curly.  I noticed that it would get dry, so I'd put a little A&D ointment to add shine and moisture.  I later began using a tiny dab of Just for Me moisturing lotion.  Even though Just For Me is a relaxer line made for kids, I didn't see the harm in using the moisturizer in my baby's hair.  I was only using a teeny drop!  But now I can understand why I probably shouldn't be using it.  I checked the ingredients and found that there are lot of chemicals like c12-15 alkyl benzoate which is a hair thickening agent.  It also contains sodium borax, which is often found in detergents.  It's not to say that these are harmful products, but they can affect the look and feel of Princess's hair.

I doubt that they'll be permenent effects, but moving forward I'll certainly be more selective.  If you look closely you can see that most of her curls are in the back, while the front is a bit more straight.  As it continues to grow, I'm sure there'll be a lot more changes.  I'd rather let nature take it course, instead of using chemical filled hair care products.

 

It's taken a while, but after months of sporting her boy-short-do, she's finally been able to rock this bow.  Cute, huh?

In the meantime, I've decided to stick with natural products like Benjamin's Pure Olive Oil, courtesy of her grandma.

What kind of products do you use in your kids hair?  Hit me up!

Weather Anchor Mama

Princess's Words of The Day

I am amazed at how much my baby girl grows each day.  Recently she's been chatting up a storm.  She has the gift of gab like her mama!  Can you figure out what she's saying?

Weather Anchor Mama

Fashion Reinvented

Ever notice how fashion repeats over time?  I remember watching re-runs of shows like Charlies Angels  as a kid.  Bell bottoms were the hottest thing back in the 70s.  But, I thought they were hideous!  I remember someone telling me that those pants would make a come back.  Sure enough, it did!

Despite loathing bell bottoms, I actually ended up rockin' 'em throughout high school.  The style was very much the same, but was referred to as flared jeans.

Bell bottom jeans aren't the only recycled fashion.  Believe it or not, leg warmers have also made a comeback!  If you grew up in the 80s, you may remember Jane Fonda in her cute exercise outfits and leg warmers.  My mom used to make me wear them to school, when I was little and like bell bottom jeans, I didn't like them.

Now these funky footless high thick socks have become quite popular in the baby department!  I stumbled across a site called My Little Legs and thought, "how cute!"  They sell all kinds of accessories for babies, including leg warmers.

It's a perfect alternative to stockings for my little Princess.  They come in a bunch of different colors, and it's one size fits all.  So, I won't have to worry about her growing out of it any time soon.  It should last until she's about eight years old.  Plus, at about five bucks a pop, you can't beat that!

In the sprit of the holidays, I got a few leg warmers for my baby girl.  This black and orange pair is perfect for Halloween.  It was a pretty warm day, when these photos were taken.  It may seem a bit odd to couple leg warmers with tank.  But, I couldn't resist having her sport this cute accessory.  There are no rules, when it comes to baby fashion in my book.

Fashion gets reinvented all the time.  I never would have thought that my baby girl would be rockin' leg warmers.  What are you kiddos donning nowadays?

Fun Halloween Themed Pics

Lashes That Pop!

Some women opt to get false lashes professionally done for at least twenty bucks at the salon.  It may last a few weeks, while giving your look an extra va va voom.  But when you're ready to take those falsies out, plan on losing what little natural lashes you have left.

Here's a way to achieve lashes that pop for a lot less dough.  Plus, you get to keep your real lashes in tact!

Unveiling Your Roots

I always knew that I wanted to have a child someday.  I am so grateful that God has given me that gift.  But with this gift comes great responsibilities.  As a mom, it's my job to teach Princess about so many things like morals and values.  Most importantly, it's my duty to teach her about her heritage.  The passing of her paternal grandfather this year triggered something within me to want to learn as much as I can, not just about my family, but my husband's as well.  I know that my baby girl will appreciate it one day.

He was a healthy man in his early seventies and no one saw it coming.  The death of my father-in-law happen so suddenly that it threw everyone for loop.  All I kept thinking about was that he'd only met his youngest grandaughter once.  I had wish there was more time.  Unfortunately, tragedy can strike at any point.  My daughter was (and still is) way too young to understand.  So her father and I made a decision to keep her in daycare, while we attended the services.

When it comes to funerals, I'm never quite comfortable.  But for some reason, this one was different.  After meeting some of my husbands relatives for the first time, I felt motivated to learn about the family's heritage.  I always knew of his Irish and German background, but who would have thought there was so much more to discover?  It will take me forever to write everything down.  So I won't bore you with every nook and cranny.

My cousin-in-laws have been documenting their relatives through ancetry.com.  I learned that my great great father-in-law moved to the U.S. from Germany and changed his last time, after becoming estranged from his family.  He later started his own clan in New York, and a few generations later my hubby came into the world.

One day Princess will learn all about her many greats including her grandfather who was an avid bowler and managed a local bowling alley.

With the help of my mother-in-law, I've been able to collect pictures of Princess's ancestors.

It's one of the best presents I can ever give her.  The gift of knowing her heritage.  It's not to - in any way - discount my side of the family.  It's a lot more difficult to trace that far back into my roots.  But I make it a point to involve my immediate family as much as possible.  Most of  my relatives still reside out of state, and abroad.  So having a blog helps them stay in touch with what's going on in our lives.  I also collect pictures and other documents that she will later be able to have.  Princess will one day learn about her mama's migration to the U.S. from Jamaica as well as her daddy's life in America.

 She'll also learn all about her grandparents' wedding day, as well as the home grandma and daddy grew up.  Some day she may even get to visit my mom's childhood home in Jamaica.

Right now Princess has a close relationship with both of her grandmothers.

I hope that by learning about her forefathers, my baby girl will appreciate her diverse culture.  She's also develop an understanding of the many different ethnicities that exist in the world we live in.  I think having a global perspective is key to knowing her personal identity.  We still have so much more to uncover in our journey to unveil our roots.  I hope your encouraged to unveil your own.  Your kids will thank you for it.

You can also view this post at De Su Mama!

Weather Anchor Mama

Stuck Between Two Cultures

My native country is Jamaica, but I've spent most of my life growing up in the states.  With that said, I was always stuck between two cultures.  My siblings and I weren't allowed to celebrate Halloween because it wasn't celebrated in Jamaica.  I remember my mom referring to it as "duppy holiday" (translation- ghost holiday).  That was her way of saying that it was "pure foolishness."  We never had costumes and we never went trick-or-treating.  I think my teachers felt pity on me.  They would slip me a few extra pieces of candy, so I wouldn't feel so bad.  I also remember getting sweet treats from the bodega in Brooklyn on my way home from school.

That was the closest my siblings and I came to celebrating this day that so many kids love.  The fact that all my friends enjoyed all the festivities didn't help.  It used to get me upset back then, but in retrospect I'm ok with my mom's choice in not allowing us celebrate Halloween.  Now that I have a little one, I have to make my own decisions as a mom too.  I used to say that I would carry on the Jamaican way.  But that was before having my daughter, who happens to be an American like her dad.

He grew up with all the classic American traditions including Halloween.  His mom made sure the house was decked out with all the Halloween decorations.  She also had enough candy for all the trick-or-treaters in the neighborhood, and often brought her son to the pumpkin patch.

His childhood was obviously the complete opposite of mine.  With Halloween around the corner, I've been back and forth with whether or not I want to celebrate with my little Princess.  This is actually her second Halloween.  Her daddy and I dressed her up as a pumpkin last year, but she pretended to sleep the whole time.

Now that she's a little older maybe she'll be into it a little more.  I bought this cute costume (pictured below).  I'm not sure what it is, but I'm guessing it's a fairy.  Let me know, if you think otherwise.

We don't plan on taking her trick-or-treating.  But, she'll be attending a Halloween themed party.  We'll also hang out at home and give candy to the kids.  I'll even dress her up!  As far as Halloween decorations, I haven't mastered that just yet.  I do plan on getting a few simple things to put in our window.

We also made our way to the pumpkin patch.  I can't say it was a problem free day though.  She was bit cranky at times.  But you can tell by these cute pics of Princess that she did have fun, even though it was a crazy day.  I didn't realize that pumpkin picking involved a lot of walking.  Next time we'll have to bring along a wagon or stroller.

It was a first for Princess and me.  We may have had a few hiccups along the way, but Princess had tons of fun!  As you can see, she had fun posing with the pumpins.  We also enjoyed a nice family hay ride with grandma.

We have yet to decorate or carve our pumpkins.  In the meantime, my hubby decided to put them in our bay window.  Hey, we have to take baby steps.  We'll slowly work our way to decking these bad boys out!

Princess is only one year old, and she won't remember this day.  But, she'll be able to see how much funshe had after viewing these pics.  I’m in no way rejecting my Jamaican heritage.  Instead I choose to give my daughter the opportunity to embrace her American culture.  There’s no reason why we can’t appreciate both.  

I'm happy knowing that my baby girl gets to experience what Halloween is all about.  Please share how you plan to celebrate Halloween with your little kiddos!

Weather Anchor Mama