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Just had to share. Andrew brought home a teddy from work yestetday. It's a special bear that only deployed soldiers get for their kids. Hudson loved him immediately and has dubbed him dada. So so precious. The count down is on....5 days and we move down south and less than a month and we will be saying our goodbyes :(
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Cause Im All About That BoObie, Bout That BOobie!
Hey darlings :) Finally I have a chance to sit down and write a blog for you all about breastfeeding and my views on it. Before I start I just want to say there is no judgement here on my part if you don't breastfeed, we all have our reasons for what we do and dont do, and if you can honestly say you are doing YOUR very best for your little miracle and can't do better than what you already are then that is all that matters! I am going to share with you my breastfeeding journey and I want you to know why I refer to breast being best. Despite some people saying formula is just as good as breastmilk these days and the other mumbo jumbo they go on with it unfortunately isn't true. The World Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first 6 months of life and then with solids for a minimum of two years. I could go on and on all day and outline the benefits of breastfeeding (I started to type some but then realised my blog would be far too long!) So instead I am going to link you to two of my faves - Dr Sears and Pinky McKay. The Drs Sears link outlines a few of the major benefits of breastfeeding, while Pinky Mckay shows you a timeline of how every breastfeed is a success, whether you do it for a couple of hours or a couple of years. Please take the time to have a quick look because these two experts are a wealth of knowledge.  http://www.pinkymckay.com/every-breastfeed-is-a-success/  http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-eating/breastfeeding/why-breast-is-best/benefits-of-breastmilk Pretty awesome hey? With so many benefits why would you not want to try and breastfeed your bub?! Now without further delay, here is how my breastfeeding journey begun. I had always planned to breastfeed from the minute i fell pregnant. I knew it was what was best for my baby and I refused to give him any less. I didn't go out and buy bottles or formula while pregnant as I felt that would be setting me up for failure. I was also breastfed as a baby until toddlerhood as were both my brothers, and there is evidence showing that people who are breastfed as babies are more likely to breastfeed their own offspring (pretty cool hey...thanks mum!!)...so maybe that had something to do with it too! Anyway, fast forward to my 25 hour labour with Hudson and after an eternity of pushing he is finally out! He was placed on my chest straight after birth and we had that amazing skin to skin contact, the best moment of my life. Within several minutes after being born he latched for the first time and his crying immediately ceased. This is where our boobie journey begun. For the first 2 months I would experience a number reasons that most mothers experience and all too often lead them to turn to formula. Here is what happened... In the next 24 hours after Hudson was born I learnt that my sore bleeding nipples were from his incorrect latch. Thankfully I was lucky enough to have my amazing mum and a midwife show me how to get it right. Laniosh cream was my saviour in the following weeks while my nipples were healing...youd be amazing at the damage a hungry newborn can do so quickly! My milk did not come in for 5 days thanks to my horrendous labour. Because I had no idea that it was normal to take that long I stressed myself silly worrying that it wouldn't come at all. Now, if I had just gone to one breastfeeding class while I was pregnant I would have known it was normal, I would have had more of an idea of how to get a correct latch, but alas I did not bother, thinking it would just all come naturally. Well, I am a little wiser now, and if I could change just one thing then it would be to get off my fat pregnant ass and go to that class! Of course, you can't learn everything from a breastfeeding class, but at least it would have been a start. So, 5 days in and my milk has come in. My breasts are huge (huge for me...I was an A cup going to a C cup within a matter days), leaking milk and I now have blocked milk ducts on one side. Ouch, damn it! Luckily mum is still there with me and shows me how to get on top of it with heat packs and massage before it turns into mastitis...phew! Gosh I was learning a lot in those first few days just about breastfeeding let alone having my first newborn! Also during this first week we found out that Hudson had pretty bad jaundice, he only just got away with not having to go under the lights. Due to this, before my milk came in, the paedatrician i saw was trying to convince me to go to formula....ummm HELL NO. Thank god I was so determined to breastfeed and had much better informed people surrounding and supporting me so that I did not listen to the paed. That right there is a major reason a lot of mums give up breastfeeding...uninformed doctors and nurses telling mothers just to go to formula because its easier for them to measure input and output and other ludicrous reasons that arent in mum and bubs favour. Hudson was having plenty of poopy and wet nappies so he was fine, he was receiving the colostrum thats there before the milk comes in and that is far better for him and his jaundice than artificial milk! Another hurdle crossed. The last hurdle I faced was probably the hardest and most upsetting for me, and it has a lot to do with a "professional" giving me incorrect information. Around the 6 week mark Hudson was weighed and measured. He was getting super long but had dropped percentiles in weight since birth. I was seeing a child health nurse and she basically told me my supply was not good enough and that my breasts were too small to make enough milk. I left the place in tears not knowing what to do and thinking that I was failing my baby boy and would have to go to formula. I then went brought a breast pump to see how much milk i could get out (thinking it would be an indication of my supply..wrong!). My breasts didnt respond to the pump making me think i had no milk. I didnt realise until after that this was another thing that is normal...breast pumps dont work for every mama! Luckily I took it upon myself to seek a second oppinion after all this. I also asked fellow breastfeeding mamas for their advice. Everyone came back to me with the same thing...don't listen to that nasty child health nurse who should not even have her qualifications. Hudson was just fine. He was happy and healthy. Yes he had dropped percentiles in weight BUT he had gained over 500g in the last month. 500g in a month is the minimum a breastfeeding baby needs to put on. If you are getting your breastfed bub weighwd please make sure they follow the WHO guidlines and not those of formula fed babies because they are very different! It is also completely untrue that breast size has anything to do with milk supply. Smaller breasts may cause baby to feed more frequently becaue there isnt a big storage capacity but it does not mean there isn't enough milk there. It is NORMAL for breastfed babies to wake and feed very frequently. It digests way faster than formula so they need to. It is NORMAL for breastfed babies to want to comfort suck your breasts all day..you're their mama, it's all they know and want! None of this means your supply is low. Unless your baby is dehydrated and lethargic it's very unlikely you have low supply, so don't let morons tell you otherwise. So as you can see I had my fair share of breastfeeding issues along the way. These are only a few of the things breastfeeding mums can face too (think about mums breastfeeding preemies, tongue/lip tie, mastitis!). I could have given up at any one of those times but I chose to keep going because that's what my instincts were telling me was best for my baby. It sounds like a lot of hard work hey? Maybe it puts you off a little? Im not going to lie, it IS hard work for a lot of mamas in the start. There's not only these issues but there are times when your baby wakes so many times a night for boobie and your eyes are falling out your head, you're just THAT exhausted. It can be a hell of a lot more work than whipping up a bottle! But i promise you it's worth it...those extra snuggly cuddles and when they look up at you from the breast with those big milk drunk eyes, or stroke your breasy gently with their tiny soft hands to get a faster let down...there is nothing like it and nothing more perfect than these moments. And knowing that what your baby is, their health and all, has come from YOU. Your body did what it's made for and gave your baby the very best. What could make you any more proud or want to breastfeed more than that??? I really want to urge people to seek second and third oppinions if ever you are told to put your baby onto formula. Very sadly there are a lot of so called professionals out there giving outdated and incorrect advice to new mums. It's heartbreaking to know that these people don't have the best interests of bub (and mum! because breastfeeding benefits mums just as much as their baby) at heart. The Australia Breastfeeding Association is a wealth of knowledge and has breastfeeding volunteers you can call for advice. But for more urgent issues like incorrect latch or tongue/lip tie I really would urge you to see an IBCLC Lactation consultant if a regular Lactation Consultant isn't able to help you. The IBCLCs are much more further trained than LCs. I know that for some mamas not every breastfeeding problem can be solved, some genuinely do have low supply and other issues that can not be fixed even after months of trying. Keep in mind that donor milk is now becoming more and more common, so there is always that option before you go to formula. Human Milk For Human Babies is where you can go and find amazing mamas in your area that are donating their liquid gold. If breastfeeding your bub is affecting you mentally with stress or in any other way that is making your relationship with bub suffer and you feel you have no choice but to stop after giving it your all then that's ok, don't beat yourself up because you did the very best you can. I know that for me personally it would break my heart if i could not breastfeed and the last thing i would need or want from other mums is their judgement or rude comments so I would never do this to a formula feeding mama, especially when I don't know their journey. Insteading of judging we need to offer support and advice...something even the professionals cant give us a lot of the time which is why the number of breastfeeding mums is scarily low. Gosh, being a mum is hard enough work without fellow mamas turning against you! I am so grateful that I stuck through the hard times and didn't listen to incompetent people. Hudson is 14 months now and still breastfeeding very regularly! Our journey will continue until he decides he's had enough. The bond it has created between us is like no other and I love being able to share this small part of his life with him that no body else in this world will get to. Breastfeeding is the most natural and beautiful thing, it is the best gift you could ever give to start your babies life. If you can breastfeed, please do so...and push through those hard times in the first few weeks and seek out as much help and information as you need because I promise you it will be so worth it for you and your special baby. I have so much more that I could go on about but I will leave it there for now. Until next time Xxx
Banana “Nice” Cream layered with mango and berries
4 frozen bananas 1 large mango 1/2 berries 3 tbs almond milk
Blend the almond milk and frozen bananas together (allow the bananas to soften a little first). Then simply layer or top with your berries and mango!
This is one of my favourite desserts…it’s so healthy and easy to make up, and it seriously tastes like soft serve ice cream! There are heaps of different combos you can do too….add some cinnamon or top with shredded coconut…adding cocao makes a delicious chocolate flavour! And as you can see, my very fussy 14 month old (yes i have a bad sleeper AND a fussy eater, but he’s still perfect! ) absolutely loves it!
Enjoy xxx
Im still here!
Hello hello hello darlings!!!
Oh dear I am so over due for a blog post, poor Ally has basically been running this show all on her own!
I have been absolutely flat out with my little Magoo while his daddy has been away with work on his pre deployment training. All this week he hasnt even been able to come home, he is on lock down on the army base, so the week is going very slowly! Magoo has also decided to transition to one day sleep this week so its put our routine out of whack a bit and oh god am I missing that extra nap time for myself lol At least he is going to bed before 7.30pm though…just gotta try and get to sleep then myself now!
Anyway, amongst all that, I am trying to organise all on my own removals, flights, house inspections, a new house for us to live in and so much more, in order for us to move to NSW before hubby deploys (which, mind you, should have happened weeks ago but in typical army style they are screwing us around…to put it nicely!) So as you can see…busy busy busy!! I am going to do a proper blog post on breastfeeding as soon as I get the chance to sit down properly and write it…I want to make sure it’s good because it is something I am very passionate about and if I can convince one more mama to breastfeed I will be happy! In the mean time I am going to pop up a couple of recipes that I often get asked for, they are super simple and yummy (and good for you) so try them out!
Right now though I best get going because I have a little monkey doing acrobats while having boobie and it isn’t the most comfortable thing lol
Ill be back…sooner this time…promise!! Xx
P.s I would just like to apologise for my terrible grammar in advance….my excuse is that I am often quite sleep deprived and typing these up on my phone quickly before bub wakes up or comes to attack me haha My charming brother brought this to my attention and I know how annoying bad grammar etc. can be, so I do apologise! And will endeavor to try and not make it TOO bad ;)
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Breast feed OR Bottle feed? don't stress that pretty little head as long as your bubba is being fed
Hello lovelies,
It's time we got into the business of what we do as mums. One of those is feeding bubs, and what is better. Breast or Bottle. Myself and Hilary both support one and other in all our parenting decisions. Like this one, I chose to bottle feed where as Hilary Breast fed her Mr Magoo.
So, what is bottle feeding. I will give you my experience as to what I went through and how I came to the decision to bottle feed.
When I was pregnant with Olivia I had planned to breast feed her the whole time, so no bottles were bought and formula wasn't a discussion I was having with anyone. Also my mother was very adamant that I should be breast feeding my baby as it is best.
Then it came time for Olivia to enter the world, I had my C- section (which we will be discussing birthing options in another post.) and our beautiful Olivia Jean had entered the world. It was the most amazing day of our lives, holding our little chubba and realizing that. Goodness me! We are parents!
She was then put onto my breast and she had a little feed whilst I was in recovery. Fast forward a couple of hours and it was time for our sleeping beauty to have another feed, but this time she wasn't latching and I couldn't figure out what was going on. So I called for a nurse to come and help me, she tried for about 10minutes to get Livvy to latch but it just wasn't happening and with a crying new born 10mins seems like 10hours. So she said, would you like to give her a bottle just to give her something to eat and then we can try again. I said yes. Livvy was given a bottle and she was a happy bubby again. I told mum of my issues with breast feeding and she called my Aunty Jill in to see me ( my aunty is a lactation consultant as well as a midwife). When Liv woke up and was ready for another feed we tried it again, and much to my dismay she just wasn't latching. My Aunty Jill did such an amazing job in offering me different techniques, but it was all just too much for me and I ended up in a flood of tears that I couldn't do the one thing nature had intended me to do for my children. Not only was I stressed out that I couldn't breast feed my child I was also overwhelmed with being a mum for the first time and Olivia being so unsettled because she wasn't getting enough to eat.
At that point I said to my husband (Sam), stuff it! this is too much for me, my baby is crying all the time cause she is hungry and I need help! So from that we made the decision to bottle feed her from now on. Since making that decision, not only was Sam able to bond with her more so were her grand parents. It gave me a rest when I needed it most and for us, it was the right decision. Yes, it is an expensive way to go when your body can produce a better milk for your child, but sometimes you need to do what works and for us that was bottle feeding.Â
I want you all to know that it doesn't make you any less of a mother to decide to bottle feed your child. You are doing the best you can and no one can or should ask you for more than that. As long as your baby is happy and healthy. You are doing an excellent job.
Olivia is now nearly 3 years old and is in perfect health. Bottle feeding her has not dis advantaged her in any way at all. She is a super smart and cheeky little monkey. So if you are having a hard time trying to get bubby to latch on and decide to give her a bottle, don;t beat yourself up you are making the right decision for your child and all mothers are different. If we were all the same, it would be a pretty boring world. Wouldn't it?
Until next time
Xxx
Allie
It's been one of those days.
Do you ever get to the end of your day and just go. Ahhhhhhhhh.
I did that today. It is 7:15pm and both my little monkeys have been in bed for 15mins. I want to let you know that it's okay to say, man, I have had a crappy day and if your babies are the ones making your day a little stressful or if it's just life itself getting on your nerves. It's okay!
I thought today was going to be super awesome! Poppy slept till 3, woke for a bottle then went back to sleep and Livvy then woke at 6:30. So for me at this stage of babyhood that is a good night. ( A little side note, my babes have both been bottle fed due to my own personal decisions and I'm content with that decision.)Â So getting back to my super awesome morning.
We were all up! I opened the french doors to the deck, with a lovely breeze coming past me. Self thought, today is going to be a good day. Then I decided, oh! Better go to head office and grab some supplies for a party I'm demonstrating on Sunday. Not realizing that it is G20 time and head office is closed since it is so close to the airport. ( p.s is it only me? or does anything else think of the song "Like a G6" whenever they hear G20 being mentioned?). Bugger! first thing to go wrong.
So, self said, ahhh may as well go to Chermside and do some retail therapy and let Livvy have a play whilst I have a coffee. Livvy did get that play, was cut short about 20mins as miss Poppy decided i am going to scream the shopping center down today. Crap! Better go get those important things hubby wanted me to grab from Big W ( new underpants)Â So here I go, running around Chermside with a baby in arms who is still learning head and upper body control (fun) and a toddler sitting on a skate attached to my strider plus trying to jump off every second she gets. This was no easy feat and I would just like to thank the Big W check out guy who, when I said. "Hi, How are you?" blatantly ignored me and processed my items. You sir, are an A hole. (Another side note, if you don't like customers, you probably shouldn't work in retail). Crap! second thing to go wrong.
Then I get home, both babes asleep. Here I go, time to do the transfer. Will I be successful? ahhh NO! Livvy woke mid transfer and was panicking because she couldn't find her princess toy that came with her kinder surprise. You know, a normal thing to panic about when you are 2 ahaha. Then, I got Poppy down. 10mins later she is awake crying in her cot. Damn. So much for that hour of trashy telly and some facebook time. Third thing that wasn't successful.
It's now 5pm. Hubby is calling from site (he is on night shift this week). Such a relief to hear his voice, I miss him so much. I need a cuddle. You know when you just need a cuddle from your man because it makes all the worries disappear for the length of that cuddle? Yea, I needed one of those. I got a phone call cuddle. After he heard me moan and complain how if it wasn't one baby, it was the other all day and how I am just. Exhausted! and if you are wondering what a phone cuddle is. It's when he says in his sympathetic voice, I love you. I miss you.
I then spent the next hour prepping the screaming baby and overly tired toddler for bed, with Bottles and a bath and food.
I want all our lovelies to know, that it is okay to have a bad day and to have a wine about it. We are only human and bad days come and go. I'm going to be a dare devil tonight and indulge in a hot chocolate ahaha. I love my babies with all my heart and soul. But by golly they know the buttons to press! Our children are our life. But we are only human. And for me, today was a CRAPY mc crap crap day.
Until next time...
Xx Ally.
A little about me...Hilary!
Hey Mamas (and anyone else reading along!). My first blog post is going to follow Allys lead and tell you a little about me (exciting i know ;) ).
The biggest and most proudest thing in my life that I am is mummy to my perfect little man Hudson. Coming in a close second to that is being wifey to my hubby Andrew.
So! I am 25 years old (as of yesterday, and feelin it!) and like Ally, I too am a stay at home mama and wife. Main duties include: cooking, cleaning, playing and lots of kisses and cuddles!
Before becoming a mummy I was working as a teachers aide at primary school and also in before and after school care. This is something i plan to go back to eventually but I am also looking at studying photography and becoming a wildlife carer.
Andrew is an Australian Soldier and has been for going on 3 years now, which I am ever so proud of. I come from a background of army/defence members (my grandpa who faught in WW2 as a pilot and recently passed at the amazing age of 101, my dad who was in the army the whole time i was growing up for 25+ years, and now my youngest brother Liam has also been in the army for just over a year). You would think with all the defence history I would know what Im in for as an army wife but the truth is, nothing can prepare you. It’s a lot different from being the daughter of a soldier, it’s TOUGH. I’m sure you will hear me complain about it a plenty through out my posts haha.
My little family is currently based up in Townsville where it is nice and stinking hot! However we are just in the process of moving down to New South Wales as Andrew is getting deployed in January and the army is moving me nice and close to my parents so that i have that support while he’s away. I am super excited to be living near my family again but doing it all without hubby for 6-10 months is going to be HARD. And missing him..oh, I try not to think about it too much yet.
So a little about our special boy Hudson. He is 13 months old now and the cheekiest, happiest little guy you will ever meet. He has made our lives complete and given us happiness and love that a few years ago we thought we would never have. When I was 21 we were told that Andrew could not have children. This was beyond devastating for us because both of us had only ever wanted to be parents. To cut a long story short, fast forward 3 years, 3 IUIs, 6 IVF cycles and 2 FETs, we finally were able to hold our little miracle in our arms in October 2013. Our journey was filled much heartache. We lost 3 babies along the way, one of which was Hudsons twin. We also almost lost Hudson at 21 weeks, so for him to be here today is nothing short of a miracle. He is my sun, my moon, and all of my stars. To have a love like this is honestly the best thing in the world.
I believe our hard times trying to conceive Hudson is what lead us to take the attachment parenting approach (I will put up a blog outlining exactly what this is and the benefits etc.) But basically we bed share, baby wear, have solely breastfed for over a year now and never leave bubba to just cry. For us it works perfectly and the benefits of it just shine through Hudson and the happy baby he is. It certainly isn’t an easy approach at times but I wouldn’t have it any other way and for me, it is what my maternal instincts have told me to do and I think that’s the most important thing any mother can do for her child is follow her instincts.
As you will easily find out reading our blogs, Ally and I have very differenting parenting approaches and what we want readers to know is that this is ok! And that it doesn’t have to come between mummies or friendships. Mums need to stop judging each other and stand together. Share advice with one another but not force it on each either. Just be accepting. So long as our babies are loved and cared for, SAFE, and we do all that we can to show them this and put them first, then that is what matters.
Ally and I have been friends going on almost 11 years now and she is definitely my best friend. She’s been there through thick and thin with me, and distance and time has never changed our friendship. Having her by my side as I walked down the isle and now being a mummy alongside her is amazing and something I’d always hoped for. Friendships like this are far and few between and I know whatever the future holds it will always have my best friend in it.
I hope you enjoy our blogs and learn a thing or two or even just relate and get a laugh out of our crazy lives!
Until next time….kisses xx
Ally - a FIFO wife, Hi, How are you?
Hi!
I'm Ally and I am the super lucky wife of my miner husband Samuel and the proudest mummy of my little angels Olivia and Poppy.
This is me and my boo.
I am a stay at home mum, I have just started back at work with my own businesses, the first one is working for Tupperware and the second one is continuing with my passion for hairdressing and I have my own home salon.
My Hubby is a heavy diesel fitter that works a 7&7 roster which is also known as 1 week on 1 week off. Basically the best roster you can have as a FIFO family. Hubby and I have been married for 2 years and together for 3.
My best friend is Hilary. We have been close friends since we were 14 years old! that is an amazing 10 years! I live in Brisbane and she lives in Townsville. Even though we are apart we remain so close and I love that about us. We both have different parenting styles but don't let that come between our friendship. We are constantly asking each other advise on what to do in certain situations with our little ones and I am so grateful that i have someone to turn too that won't judge me and will give me nothing but support.
I look forward to sharing my stories with you all, and hopefully I can help you in some way as well.
This is me and Hilary on my wedding day. A true friend for life.
Xx Ally