Je Suis Fatigué

You know you’re tired when

• You find yourself nodding off while stopped at a red light
• You fall asleep at work in the middle of writing something and it’s only 9 am
• You fall asleep while pumping your milk
• You realize that even if you taped your eyes open you would probably go to sleep anyway

Each weekday I wake up earlier than I want to and go to sleep later than I should. I have a 40-minute commute to work and I drop off and pick up Baby E everyday from the babysitter’s place. It’s usually just after dawn when I leave home and well after dusk when I finally return. When I get home I need to prepare Baby E’s and my things for the next day which usually involves ironing, soaking and washing. In addition to nursing Baby E I’ve been needing to add some more pumping sessions at home because lately he’s drinking more than what I’ve been pumping and my freezer stash of milk is gone. This is not impossible to do but if Baby E is fussy or not willing to sleep it becomes more difficult and frustrating. Oh, and supposedly I’m the one who’s in charge of making or obtaining dinner.

Something’s gotta change.

So far, I’ve decided to start using a slow cooker so that dinner’s ready by the time I make it home. I’m also going to delegate the task of packing the diaper bag to the hubby. He’s already in charge of baths but he can do more. I’ve been eating oatmeal and now started on fenugreek to boost my milk supply. I also need to work harder at making sure I get at least three pumping sessions at work.

How do you moms make it work so that you keep your sanity and not end up throwing a shoe at your parenting partner’s head or wrecking your car on your way home from work?

Boobylicious

I’ve noticed lately that when it comes to the topic of breastfeeding there are a lot of horror stories. While I fully support and encourage women to share their stories, the unfortunate effect is that the more negative stories can serve to turn off other women from breastfeeding even before they’re pregnant.

(My general advice to those women would be the old adage, “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.” Seriously. Your experience is your experience is your experience. Period.)

So, in the interest of preserving the balance, here is a list of things I love about breastfeeding or alternately “Why I love being boobylicious”

1. It’s free – (Mostly, unless you’ve had to buy  equipment) In this economy every little bit helps.

2. It’s quick – No need to wait for anything to be mixed, warmed or cooled

3. It’s convenient – I can do it anywhere without extra accoutrements

4. It’s my way of getting more sleep at night – This is partly because we co-sleep but really, I don’t usually have to wake up fully to feed Baby E during the night and neither does he

5. It’s a weight loss technique for a gym-phobe like me – Nursing burns a lot of calories

6, It’s a boo-boo buster – Seriously, breastmilk is touted as a cure-all for lots of mom and baby ailments, from pink-eye to sore nipples

7. It’s comforting – It’s the fastest way for me to calm Baby E when he’s feeling out of sorts

8. It’s the cause of cute baby faces – From intense concentration to pure milk-drunkenness

9. It’s a natural high – Who needs crack when that milk letdown gives you such an oxytocin rush

10. It’s our special thing