Good mum?

When I tell people that Elizabeth is bottle fed, most of them assume that she has formula. So it's very interesting guaging their reactions when I tell them that I express for her. They fall into two categories:

"Wow, what a great gift you are giving her!"
The people who say this say it sincerely, and truly have admiration for what I do. Even though they may not necessarily be breastfeeders, they appreciate that I am giving my daugher the very best Nature has to offer.

"You're a good mum, aren't you?"
Now, the ones who say this say it with a look on their face that they try to hide...a look that says "Why would you bother doing that when there are so many good formulas nowadays?" I'd love for someone to say that to me, so I can tell them exactly why I bother!

I express for my daughter because my milk is nutritionally superior to anything in a tin; it's free; I'll never have to make a mad dash to the shop if I run out; and it's better for the environment!

On another note, last night in the bath I offered E some booby, and instead of screaming like she always does, she opened her mouth really wide and stuck out her tongue! She had a teeny tiny little feed (about 5 seconds)- not much, but something!

I tried again today, and the same thing happened, but this time she stuck with it for a bit longer- she had a couple of 15 second sucks! After a few minutes, she got really cranky, so I stopped.

It's funny that I had resigned myself to never breastfeeding her, and now she is interested! I guess that babies really do feed off our emotions...now that I'm not obsessing about it, she has relaxed more.

I'm not getting my hopes up just yet, but it's a step in the right direction!

Wow, I haven't blogged for a while! Probably because I don't have anything interesting to say!

Hmmm, let's see...

Elizabeth is now 6 months old. That's 6 months of expressing an average of 4 times a day, washing bottles twice a day, boiling the kettle countless times each day...it is so tedious, and I've got another 6 months until I reach my minimum goal!


Breastfeeding has gone out the window completely. I tried doggedly for about 2 weeks to put her on the breast once a day. She would turn her head away as soon as she saw it, and cry after a few seconds. While she cried, I took advantage of her open mouth and shoved the nipple in. She would attach every time, have a few sucks, then come off screaming. Every session was the same. I've decided that I don't have the patience or energy to pursue it. I feel like a failure in some ways, but then when I think about the awesome job I'm doing of providing her with nature's best, I don't feel so bad.




She still cries a lot...pretty much every time I put her down *sigh*. However, she is a lot happier than previously. She smiles heaps and loves sitting on my hip, looking around at everything. She has had a few nibbles of food and is showing a great deal of interest in it. I'm not going to do the spoon-feeding-mush thing with her. It will be very interesting explaining the concept of baby led solids to my husband and MIL!





Jimmy is as hilarious as ever. He is really using his imagination. He makes animals out of his hands (crabs, dogs and birds) and makes machinery (cement mixers, rubbish trucks, cranes) out of anything he can get his hands on.
He loves drawing and has recently learned how to draw circles and straight(ish) lines.
He loves exploring outside, annoying the dog, plane/helicopter/machinery spotting, and animals.
He's such a beautiful little boy. We are so lucky to have him!

We are going to give day care another go. We're going for a visit tomorrow. We'll see how it turns out!

I am still struggling to put on weight. At the moment I am the lightest I've been since my dad passed away. I have no arse and I hate the feeling of the bum of my jeans sagging all the time. At least I have some boobs though!

I'm slowly trying to get back on top of the housework. Our house still resembles a war zone but I have managed to vacuum twice in the last fortnight (!!!!) and take a bag or two of crap to Lifeline every Monday. I'm selling or giving away all of the clothes the kids have outgrown, as well as the nappies that don't work for us or are too small. I have been baking once or twice a week, and am staying on top of all the washing- nappies one day, clothes or towels or whites on the alternate days.


Ok, sick of typing now.