Parenting Archives - Roubinek Reality

It Has to Get Better

April 17, 2013 By Jamie Roubinek 18 Comments

I told my friend the other day that it feels like I’m getting my butt kicked everyday, all day long.

It’s the truth.

I used to be able to get the boys entertained with something they could do on their own, while I did a little work of my own, whether it be housework or computer work. I can’t do that anymore. Now, if they are not totally engaged in something, they are jumping off of the end tables showing their swan dive form on to the couch cushions. That’s just one of many things they do that makes me want to pull my hair out.

Let’s see, there’s also Riverson’s toothbrush obsession. We have to hide our toothbrushes from him because he will walk around with them in his mouth. And how can I forget the toothpaste. It’s all gone and I think it’s because he ate it all. Gross, I know.

It’s a problem we have in our house. It’s also a problem I never DREAMED we’d have. It’s a problem because he will take our toothbrushes when he finds them and then we find them in random places, or sometimes not at all.

I don’t know what the obsession with the toothbrushes is, but it’s wearing me out. It doesn’t matter how many times I have to get on to him about it, he just KEEPS ON going back to get what ever toothbrush he can find. And, he even hunts for them until he can find them. It’s so crazy!

As if the toothbrush obsession wasn’t enough, we also have an obsession with water.

I constantly find Riverson playing in the toilet because he just wants to splash all. of. the. time!

He’s attracted to every body of water he sees, just to splash.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to pull him out of the bathtub because he would not listen when I said, “No more splashing.” We’re usually lucky to get out of the bathroom without slipping on the slick, covered with water, tile floor.

I know one day I will look back on this time lovingly (I think), but I’m in a tough spot right now and I can’t wait to get out of it.

I’m constantly asking myself, “Will they ever settle down?” “Will he ever listen to me when I say ‘no more’?” It has to get better. It has to.

Filed Under: Boys, Parenting, Riverson

5 Ways to be an Awesome Preschool Mom

April 10, 2013 By Jamie Roubinek 18 Comments

I’ve been a preschool mom for a just about a year and a half now and I’m constantly trying to be better at it. Before I sent Langston, who’s now 3 and a half, to Mother’s Day Out last year, I really just thought it would be the greatest break ever for me and so easy to just drop him off and pick him up when my free time was over.

I still think that way, sorta. But, once school actually started up, I realized there were things I had to DO to prepare and I started looking at all of the other moms thinking they were much better preschool moms than me. So, I tried to learn from others about how to be awesome at it.

By no means do I think I’m an awesome preschool mom. I. am. not. I’m still so far from it, but I’ve learned from others and mostly from my own mistakes.

1. Pack a Good Lunch

I’ll be honest with you. I hate packing their lunches because it takes me for what seems like EVER! It also stresses me out because I want them to have the best lunch. For some that might mean to pack the healthiest lunch you can. For me, it means to pack something I know my kids will eat. The last thing I want is for their teacher to spend the entire lunch time trying to get my kid to eat his food.

Not only that, but I know they are busy at school and always on the go. I don’t want my little ones to be thinking about how hungry they are when it’s all about learning and having fun at school.

I really try to find some fun ideas on Pinterest for cute lunch ideas because they are everywhere there.

2. Don’t Forget Their Jacket (or extra clothes)

I am so so guilty of this. One time I even went to take Langston in to school and had his jacket thrown over my shoulder. I dropped him off and drove home with his jacket still thrown over my shoulder. Who does that?!!?

It made me feel so guilty when I went in to find him wearing a borrowed school jacket. Ugh. {Mom fail.}

It’s also important to make sure they have extra clothes in their bag and ones that fit and are in season. One time, I picked Langston up and his pants had gotten dirty. It was ridiculously cold outside and they only found shorts in his bag because I hadn’t changed the clothes out for the seasons. {Another mom fail.}

3. Label Everything!!

The last thing teachers want to have to worry about is memorizing what items belong to what kid. Talk about stressful. It makes it much easier if everything, and I mean everything, already has your child’s name on it. KiddoTags make great labels that can be used on everything you need to send your kid to school with.

Check out the ones I got for Riverson, who’s two and a half. Those are the Dishwasher Safe Value Pack and I love the different sizes included. I can put the smallest one on his pacifier {yes, he still uses one. } and the biggest one goes on his lunch box like I showed you in the picture above. I can also label all of his sippy cups and know that I won’t have to worry about what they’ll look like when they come out of the dishwasher.

I love that they even have tags for clothing that stay on in the washing machine! It puts my mind at ease knowing their clothes won’t get mixed up with another child’s while they are at school. Not only that, but I like knowing once I put it on there, I don’t have to think about taking it off and putting it back on again.

4. Ask Questions

One of my kids’ teachers puts a summary of their day in his backpack. The other one doesn’t. I still want to know about their day. I try to make it as easy as possible and I think of specific questions instead of “How was his day?” I usually am asking, “Did he bahave today?” {We’ve been having a little issue with behavior and back talking at home.} I might also ask, “Did he take a nap?” That tells me a lot about what the rest of my day will be like.

I know they are busy during pick up and there are many moms and kids crowding the area. I still want to get a sense of what the day was like. I think it helps in making quick conversation when my questions are more specific instead of general.

5. Look at What Comes Home in Their Backpack

I am the world’s worst at this. I forget almost every time. Langston goes to school on Tuesday and comes home with a discovery bag that needs to have an appropriate item put in it by Thursday when he goes back. There have been times when I didn’t see the bag until Thursday morning as we were leaving for school. Again, mom fail.

If I had just tackled that challenge as soon as I picked him up from school on Tuesday afternoon, it would make our Thursday mornings MUCH easier.

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There are really so many ways you can be an awesome preschool mom but these have been the 5 biggest issues for me over the past year and a half. Maybe by the time Brantley, who’s 8 months old, is finished with preschool and heading off to Kindergarten, I’ll finally have it down. Maybe.

Want to learn more about Kiddo Tags?? Check out their website and see all of the fun customization options you can use. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter. We spend good money on things for our kids. Why not invest in some super cute labels to make sure we can always keep up with it all??

Disclosure: I received the KiddoTags products mentioned above for free but all opinions are 100% my own. Affiliate links are also included in this post.

Filed Under: Parenting, Reviews Tagged With: kiddo tags, labels, mother's day out, preschool

Don’t Sass Me, Young Man!

March 30, 2013 By Jamie Roubinek 16 Comments

“Don’t sass me, young man!”

“You don’t talk to your mommy like that!”

“Don’t talk back to me!”

I say some variation of those three phrases almost daily.

I don’t know if it’s his age, or his birth order. {He’s the third child in terms of our “whole” family, but he’s the oldest in terms of the kids who are in this house day in and day out.}

Whatever the case may be, anytime I get on to him, he has a comment for me. Sometimes it doesn’t even make sense. It’s like he HAS to have the last word. Already! At age 3. Oh man.

When I’m getting on to him, he doesn’t even wait for the last word to come out of my mouth before he’s opening his. Sometimes the response is “No” and sometimes it’s just some loud jibberish that he uses to make his point.

We do time out a lot and sometimes I even catch myself arguing with him. It takes me a second to tell myself, “Jamie, this is ridiculous. You’re arguing with a 3 year old and YOU are the boss. Not him.”

While I want to raise these boys to be confident in their opinions, I also want them to have respect for their authority and I can’t stand seeing kids sass their parents. I get that there are some things not worth fighting about with your kids, and that line your kids cross is all dependent on what’s important to you as a parent. For me, the sass and the backtalk are disrespectful and crossing the line. I can’t stand it.

BUT, to be perfectly honest, I don’t really know what to do about it or how to stop it.

Yesterday, my dad came over to pick up my niece, who was in town visiting. Langston hadn’t had a real nap and had been a bear for several hours. When my dad walked in, I told Langston to do something (or maybe it was to stop doing something) and he yelled ”no” at me. The next bit of dialogue was basically an argument between us. {Another moment when I question why I’m arguing with a 3 year old.}

I told him to go to time out and he refused. As I went to grab him to escort him to time out, he took off running from me. I was literally chasing him around my living room and he started laughing. All of this was taking place in front of my dad and my 20 year old niece, who probably think I have very little control over my kids. Fun. And embarrassing. :/

After about 2 minutes, I did win the battle and took him to time out, but I still felt defeated. Hearing him argue with me and sass me is such a beat down. I think I’m more embarrassed of someone seeing THAT than I am an epic meltdown.

What’s a mamma to do? I can’t stand it! So tell me, what tips worked for you??

Filed Under: Boys, Langston, Parenting

A Day in the Life

March 1, 2013 By Jamie Roubinek 3 Comments

Thanks so much for all of your supportive and encouraging comments here on the blog and the Facebook page, after my baby weaning blues post. I’m so thankful for such awesome friends and readers!!

Today, I’m linking up with Kelly’s Korner for a Day in the Life! I always love reading these and some days I don’t know how I make it through the days I face, but it’s fun to get it down and look back on it all. I know our days will always be evolving as we move in to different seasons of life.

Here’s a typical family of 7 Thursday in our house:

8:00 Up and at ‘em. I wake to find Langston sitting next to me in Jeff’s spot, watching TV. The two little ones are still sleeping for another 30 minutes, if I’m lucky.

We head downstairs for breakfast while Jeff finishes getting ready for work. The two little ones wake up anytime before 8:30 and we finish getting Langston ready for a half day at school.

I forgot to take her little hair tie out before bed. This is her bed head.

8:45 (or some days 9:00) We rush out of the door to drop Langston at Mother’s Day Out, which starts at 9:00.

I get to spend the next 2.5 hours with my two little ones. It usually consists of housework, with Riverson, who’s 2, at my feet, constantly asking me when we “go get Langston?”

We spend some time playing together and I take lots of pictures of these cuties.

Brantley, 6 months, usually takes a good nap, but this week has been tough since we’re working on weaning her and moving over to formula. (Do you have experience with Nutramigen? I’d love to hear about it? Did you find a way to get it at a deal? Did you find a way to make the taste better for your little one? Do share with me!) It’s been anybody’s guess on how she’ll sleep.

11:45 We rush out of the door to get Langston at 12:00, just in time to come home for lunch and NAP!

1:00 Everyone’s been put down and I get a little “me time.” This consists mainly of computer work (blog and emails) and phone calls.

3:15 Langston’s already been up for about 20 minutes or more. Riverson usually has to be woken up and we rush out of the door to pick the big kids up from middle school at 3:30.

3:45 We pull out of the school parking lot and usually head to Sonic for an after school snack, unless we can all agree on somewhere else. Hard to pass up a Sonic happy hour, though!

4:30 We make it back home for homework, play time, snacks for the toddlers, etc. Brantley gets another nap in before/during dinner.

6:00 I start working on dinner and counting down for the time Jeff is on his way home to help. The witching hour is in full effect by now and has been for at least an hour!

6:45 Dinner is served and tonight it’s spaghetti! A family favorite!

7:30 Spaghetti means immediate bath time following dinner.

This is usually around the time when Jeff gets home from work.

I take the littles in to the bath while he catches up with the big kids, since he hasn’t seen them in 3 days or more.

This is currently my very favorite picture of my little stair steps.

After bath time, the boys get to play with Daddy and the big kids for a little bit and then we like to have them in bed by 8:30.

Once they are down, it’s time to move on to Brantley. Lately, she hasn’t been sleeping so great at night, so I’ve been trying different things, but nothing’s working out so far. Always a guessing game with babies!!

She’s usually asleep, for the second time, by 9 or 9:30. The big kids are pretty good about going to bed around this time, too.

I finally get to relax on the couch with my computer on my lap. Jeff and I LOVE to watch the 10:00 news and it’s always the same channel. I guess we’re old like that. We also catch up on some of our DVR’d favorites.

I stay up way too late every night but I cherish the time I get to just relax by myself without having to meet someone’s needs.

Brantley’s usually up again for another bottle before I finally go to bed around midnight. I’ve always been a night owl. It’s when I’m most productive, for some reason.

And there you have it! An exciting day in the life of this family of 7.

Filed Under: Parenting

Baby Weaning Blues

February 26, 2013 By Jamie Roubinek 16 Comments

After Brantley’s blood work came back from the allergy testing and showed us EVERYthing she was allergic to, I was bound and determined to fight through it and continue to breastfeed her while avoiding all of those foods.

Lately, I’ve realized I’m starving and unhappy. I knew it was time for me to start weaning her.

I had the best of intentions. I did great for a long time but quickly realized the best things for me to eat were meat and fresh vegetables. That’s a great diet for everyone to be on and I lost a lot of weight , but I found myself unprepared a lot and standing in my kitchen, starving, without recently bought fresh vegetables and meat.

I started to get really unhappy and when I looked at Brantley’s face, and skin overall, there really wasn’t much improvement. It just seemed like I was doing all of this for nothing.

Moving to Formula

My pediatrician had given me two cans of Enfamil Nutramigen (formula for babies with an allergy to cow’s milk) for us to use and I reluctantly pulled those down from the cupboard. I tried to give Brantley a small bottle of it and she was. not. having. it! She screamed and cried, arched her back, turned her head, and blocked the bottle with her tongue. She had absolutely no interest!

I tried it, myself, and could not believe how disgusting it was. No wonder she didn’t want anything to do with it.

I asked my Facebook friends if they’d had any experience with Nutramigen, hoping they could tell me how they got their child to take it, and while I LOT of responses, most of them were all about the outrageous cost, which they were right about. Oh my gosh. $23 for a can. Whoa.

Goat’s Milk Formula

I took a little detour when my friend, Caleb, reminded me about goat’s milk. I actually made a goat’s milk formula for Langston when I had to stop breastfeeding him at 9 months. He loved it!

I tried to whip up a batch for Brantley to try.

She hated it. I couldn’t even get 1/2 of an ounce down her. Then, 5 minutes later, she started throwing up. We’re not talking spit up here. We’re talking stomach heaving, throwing up in the sink several times. Ok, so that wasn’t a great idea after all.

Back to the Nutramigen.

I Protested

We had a serious battle of the wills and I was determined to win this one, although it wasn’t without tears shed from both of us.

Brantley loves nursing. Truthfully, I love breastfeeding, too.

But, I knew I wasn’t doing her any favors by making myself unhappy, just so we could continue breastfeeding.

If weaning was going to happen, it was going to happen now.

A Cry For Help

I picked up the phone and called my mom and she happily agreed to take her away for a night and try to give her the bottle with Nutramigen.

I armed her with a brand new tommee tippee bottle that came so highly recommended by my friends. Although she had a few hiccups along the way, and Brantley put up the same fight for her that she did for me, my mom ended up calling me to ask if Brantley could stay an extra night because they were doing so great together!

She finally got hungry enough and gave in, I guess.

After an extra night together, the biggest difference I could see was in her skin. There was already a noticeable difference.

The red splotchy spots were gone.

Why the baby weaning blues?

I don’t really want to quit breastfeeding. Part of me is eaten up with guilt because I could continue eating the way I have been, even though it’s made me unhappy.

I also hate that this is so final. I’ll never have that nursing relationship with a baby of mine, again. I think that’s the reason I keep pumping. I can’t completely let it go.

Each day will get better but I’m struggling with the finality of it all.

Filed Under: Baby, Brantley, Parenting

This Two Year Old Makes Me Crazy

February 17, 2013 By Jamie Roubinek 6 Comments

Riverson is two years old and luckily my first thoughts about him are how much he loves his mommy, how sweet, funny, and fun loving he can be.

It’s a good thing, too, because man that kid knows how to make me crazy.

Two Year Old Grabby Hands

Wednesday morning, we were scheduled to host some of our playgroup friends at our house for a little Valentine’s Day party. I needed to get a couple of things from the store, so I loaded my littles up and made a stop at the bank to get some cash out before heading to the store.

I got $30 out thinking I would spend $20 at the store, and then have $10 left to run by Starbucks and grab a coffee for me and some chocolate milks for the boys, which I promised them they could have after we went to the store.

The boys love to ride in the carts that have the cozy coupe car attached to the front. They’re always so good in there, so I didn’t buckle them up. {Big mistake.}

When I got to the checkout, my total came to $23. I thought that would still leave me plenty to get what I had planned to buy at Starbucks so I went ahead and did it.

As I turned around to get the boys, I found Riverson out of the car and over by the candy, tearing in to a candy bar, which I had to go back and buy!

That left me $5 and I went ahead and went to Starbucks thinking I could get their milks and a very small coffee. Nope. Itty bitty chocolate milk in a box is expensive!!

No coffee for me.

{Looking back, I wish I had just got my coffee and told the boys there were no chocolate milks, or something along those lines. Dumb.}

Territorial Two Year Old

When our friends arrived, Riverson took it upon himself to make it his mission to keep everyone off of the scooters that were rolling around the house.

He also found it necessary to make sure no other kids played with any toys.

Who was this kid?!?!

He pushed other kids, he yelled at them, took toys from them, and he flat out embarrassed me. You know when you look at your kid after he/she’s done something and think, “What the heck is wrong with you?? I do not raise you that way!” Yes, that was me that morning.

Two Year Old Mischief

After nap time, the boys were following me upstairs so I could do some cleaning — or so I thought.

Langston followed right behind me chatting away and two minutes after we were up there, I realized his brother was not behind him.

Where did I find him?

In the back yard throwing dog poop in to the pool! DOG POOP!

Fortunately, there’s no risk of him being close to the water since we have a gate that separates the back yard from the pool, which he can not open, but STILL!

So disgusting.

Two Year Old With an Accomplice

This is just double trouble.

Sometimes when Langston and Riverson are together, that’s how I feel.

On Thursday, I took the boys outside to play while I hung out with Brantley on the porch.

A neighbor stopped by so I walked out to the edge of the sidewalk to chat with her.

I had my back to the boys, but they were busy playing by the porch.

The next thing I heard was a car door open. I whipped my head around to find Langston standing next to our neighbor’s car, parked on the street, with the driver door open. Riverson was no where to be found.

I ran to the car as fast as I could hoping I could shut the door and get him away as fast as I could. When I got there, I found Riverson in the passenger seat cracking up hysterically.

And was he willing to come out when I asked him to? Of course not.

I had to walk around the car and open the passenger door to get him out.

Thank goodness our neighbor had no idea, but after that, play time was OVER!

Fortunately, I can laugh about most of these events these babies put me through, but there are days they can flat out run. me. over.

Oh, and if I haven’t shown you enough of this kid’s personality, let me show you what he thinks when his chocolate chip cookie breaks in half.

Yes, this was all over a chocolate chip cookie he was so excited to be eating.

Oh, and I can’t forget how he went back to the bathtub that night after I had pulled him out and put his diaper on. Because his brother and sister were still in there, he thought he should be too. He sat right down in that water, wearing his fresh DRY diaper. Oh man, that kid.

What about you?? I’d love to hear some of the crazy things your two year old put you through?? {You know, so I can feel better and all.}

Filed Under: Boys, Parenting, Riverson

Listerine 21 Day Challenge #Listerine

February 6, 2013 By Jamie Roubinek Leave a Comment

I’ve always been lucky enough to have great teeth.

I lost my last baby tooth at my consultation appointment for braces with my orthodontist, in the 4th grade. I got my braces put on the following week and wore them for two years. It was all over and done before I finished my first year of middle school.

I’ll never forget my dentist and his assistant laughing during a routine appointment about 5 years ago. The examination was quick and the dental assistant jokingly said, “Well, Dr. _____, I guess you won’t be going on vacation with Jamie’s dental bill.”

She was right. I’ve only had one filling my entire life and that was in high school. My dentist appointments are always pleasantly boring. I’ve always taken pretty good care of my teeth.

But, when I started staying home after Langston was born over 3 years ago, I didn’t have to get up early, get myself ready, and rush out of the door. If I didn’t leave the house for the day, I’m embarrassed to admit it, but sometimes I would just forget to brush my teeth, all day. That is so gross, I know. I can’t believe I just admitted it.

Let’s just say my needs have definitely taken a back seat to the kids’ needs for the past 3+ years.

That’s why, when I was contacted to take the Listerine 21 Day Challenge, by swishing with Listerine® Ultraclean two times a day, I jumped on it! And, when I learned that brushing alone misses 75% of the germs in your mouth, I was even more motivated to take the Listerine challenge. Jeff is a huge Listerine user. He can’t stand to not have it, but personally, I’ve never been a mouthwash person. I’m looking forward to learning all about the benefits of mouthwash over the next 21 days and see what kind of effect it has on our family.

Since Riverson, who’s two, started to walk around on his own and watch every little thing we did, he’s been obsessed with watching us brush our teeth.

Not only does he love to watch us, he loves knowing it’s his turn, too. The moment I say it’s time to brush our teeth, he can’t get to the bathroom fast enough. I know his reaction won’t always be like that, so I’m taking advantage of it now and teaching him good habits along the way.

It helps, too, knowing there’s fun to be had in the bathroom together while we’re busy brushing teeth.

After I brush their teeth, they get a chance to practice with the toothbrush, on their own.

Follow along with our progress over the next three weeks. I’d actually love to invite you to join in, yourself, on the Listerine® Facebook page! For every person who signs up to take the challenge, the Listerine® Brand will make a contribution to Oral Health America’s Smiles Across America® program toward their goal of connecting up to 210,000 with needed oral health services this year.

Disclosure: I received products from Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the LISTERINE® 21 Day Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Filed Under: Parenting

He’s a Boy Now

February 1, 2013 By Jamie Roubinek 1 Comment

Over the last few months, we’ve had so much going on with our family, with much of our attention on Riverson and Brantley’s health. Somewhere along the way, Langston became a little boy and left the toddler phase far behind.

We’ve spent more than a month, now, dealing with Riverson’s HSP. Thankfully, he’s doing a lot better and we’re just waiting for the spots to finally fade away.

Brantley’s eczema turned out to be food allergies. I’ve been consumed with changing my diet and making sure I’m doing everything I can to help her feel better.

The point is, both of these issues have pretty much consumed me.

The other day, I took a good look at Langston and thought to myself, “Oh my gosh, you’ve changed so much. You’ve grown.”

He left the toddler world far behind and took a big leap in to the little boy world. I have such mixed emotions about it.

What I Love

The other day, he got in to his car seat and as I was buckling Riverson in, I heard Langston say, “Yay! Mommy look!” He had buckled himself in to his car seat and he wasn’t the only person excited. All I could think was how much time that would save me when trying to leave the house, because no matter how hard I try, leaving the house takes us a ridiculous amount of time!

Potty training is no longer going on. He’s basically independent when it comes to that and sometimes we don’t even know when he goes to the bathroom. He just goes in, takes care of his business, and doesn’t say a word to us. It’s pretty nice, actually.

He’s on my team, sometimes, which seems so hard to believe, since he and Riverson have almost always been two little tornadoes merged in to one giant catastrophic one, when they play in the house. I catch him telling Riverson not to do things “because Mommy said” and it just makes me smile.

What I Can’t Stand

He knows he’s getting bigger, and expects to be treated that way. He hates taking a nap and especially hates going to bed at night. Every night, we deal with his melt down before bed time. It really doesn’t matter how much we prepare him for it, or what kind of routine we’re in. He just doesn’t want to be finished for the day.

It’s just another reminder of how fast these babies will grow up and that is the biggest thing I hate. Before I know it, he will be starting Kindergarten.

One thing is for certain, he’s turning out to be a great kid, who’s also a loving big brother and adoring little brother.

While I hate losing sight of the sweet baby I once held in my arms, I love each new stage he enters and one thing’s for sure; this little boy loves his family.

What about you? Was there a moment you looked at your child and realized he/she had really grown right before your eyes?

Filed Under: Langston, Parenting Tagged With: boy, brother, growing up, independence, toddler

5 Reasons I Hate Breastfeeding

January 29, 2013 By Jamie Roubinek 6 Comments

Did you check out my post yesterday about 5 reasons why I love breastfeeding?? Because, truly, I DO love breastfeeding, but there are several things I hate about it, too!

Fortunately, for me, breastfeeding has come fairly easy and I’ve gotten better at it with each of my three children. I never had complications, other than those first two weeks, and my babies seemed to do well with it.

HOWEVER, there are just some things I hate about it and look forward to being done with it.

The beginning is hard.

For me, in those first two weeks, my body is like a cow. My body has a REALLY hard time regulating the amount of milk my baby needs and until it does, it’s painful. I’ve had engorgement all three times, always feeling like I was going to explode, all the while, “the girls” were hot to the touch and felt like big rocks. Not fun.

I’ll never forget getting measured for a nursing bra right after Langston was born. I was so engorged and the sweet lady who measured me told me I needed a bra with a cup size I didn’t even know existed. Ugh.

And let’s not forget the pain from all of the cracking that goes on. Those times I nursed through the pain were unforgettable.

I’m the ONLY person to feed unless I pump.

And, I don’t like pumping. I don’t know many women who do.

Not only that, but my babies have never been big fans of the bottle, so it limits me to how far I can be away and for how long. And, sometimes Brantley doesn’t just want to nurse because she’s hungry, but usually when she’s tired or just wants comfort. It’s almost a full time job without much of a break.

Whenever someone holds Brantley, she just stares at me, the entire time. I always wonder if I wasn’t the only person feeding her, would she still do that?

I usually have to sit in one place.

Occasionally, I am able to walk around while I nurse, but that’s usually because I have to tend to one or both of the boys. My preference is to have a nice comfy spot, with my Boppy on my lap and baby on the Boppy.

When Langston was young and I was nursing Riverson, it wasn’t a big deal because I could just go sit in Langston’s room, shut the door, and let him play with his toys in there, while I nursed.

Now that the boys are older and busier, it’s harder for me to corral them in to their bedroom and even tougher for me to keep them in there while I’m feeding Brantley. This usually means, while Brantley is eating, they’re finding something naughty to do because they know I won’t be getting up for a few minutes.

The clean up around the house after each of my nursing sessions sure is fun. :/

The “girls” are punished.

Let’s face it, they’re just not the same, after.

You have to pay attention to what you eat.

If you have a fussy baby, you have to think about what you ate. Gassy baby? Well, what did you eat? Whatever you eat, affects what they eat and how their body responds.

With Brantley’s eczema, I’m having to change EVERYTHING I’m eating because she’s got so many food allergies.

What things do YOU hate about breastfeeding??

DISCLOSURE

I will say the same thing I said yesterday because the way women choose to feed their baby can be a VERY sensitive subject matter. This is just about my experience in breastfeeding and I really think that how you choose to feed your baby is your business.

At the end of the day, you have to do what works best for you, your baby, and your family!

Filed Under: Baby, Parenting

5 Reasons I Love Breastfeeding

January 28, 2013 By Jamie Roubinek 11 Comments

When I got pregnant in 2008 with Langston, I knew I wanted to be breastfeeding for his first year. The beginning was tough, but I was determined to make it work.

When he was 8 months old, I already knew I was pregnant with Riverson and Langston’s weight gain had stalled. I had to give it up and I was actually ok with it.

With Riverson, I stopped around the same time but it was mostly because my supply had plummeted and with a toddler to chase around, I was frustrated and ready to be done with it. I was ok with that decision, too.

Now that I’m breastfeeding Brantley, I know we’re just about on the downhill side of her breastfeeding days. If I don’t see some improvement in her skin within the next month, I might be seeing the end sooner than I’d like.

Nevertheless, I wanted to document reasons why I love breastfeeding, before my time comes to an end, forever.

It’s Free

This is the obvious reason and probably my favorite reason why I love it so much. I remember after I was finished breastfeeding the boys how much I hated having to pay for formula. I was constantly on the lookout for coupons, sales, and where to find the best price for their formula. That hunt wore me out.

The Bond

The time spent nursing each of my babies has been very special to me and by the time Brantley got here, I had realized how fast the first year passes by. I was actually ok with waking up a couple of times during the night to nurse her. I wish I had had the same attitude when Langston was nursing. I was pretty bitter about those middle of the night feedings. Once again, it’s funny how you change as a mom with each one of your kids.

It’s Easy

There’s no bottle to prepare and it’s always warm and ready to go. After the first two weeks, which can be REALLY REALLY hard, the rest is pretty easy, assuming you’re complication free, which I was, thank goodness. You’d be surprised how fast I can get my little one from crying to sleeping, without ever having to walk to the kitchen for a bottle. I’m lazy like that.

Diet

Basically, whenever I’ve been breastfeeding, I can eat whatever the heck I want! I drop weight pretty easily after pregnancy and the ONLY thing I can really attribute it to is breastfeeding, since I’ve struggled with my weight my entire adult life. Well, that and the fact that I’m chasing kids around all day and don’t have much time to eat.

Now that Brantley has food allergies and I’m trying to push through with nursing, I’m eating even healthier and my old clothes are actually loose.

Basically, breastfeeding does good things for my body.

Your Turn

Aside from losing the weight, this is my favorite reason I love breastfeeding. My husband doesn’t usually read my blog so just don’t tell him, m’kay?

Whenever one of the boys wakes up in the middle of the night, just needing some comforting, it’s REALLY easy for me to say, “Can you go? I’m feeding the baby.” I may or may not be feeding the baby.

Disclosure

As much as I absolutely love breastfeeding, you will never find me as one of those people who tells every mother why it’s the best thing for their baby. There are plenty of other women and websites out there to do that. I hope you do not read this post that way. This is just simply a few reasons why it’s good for me and my babies.

I genuinely feel that how you feed your baby is your business, not mine. My very best friend did not produce milk. At. All. She wanted it to work, but it just didn’t, no matter how hard she tried. My heart broke for her, but I never once thought she should feel guilty for not nursing her baby.

There are people I know who really just have no desire, and that is ok.

Only you know what is best for you and your baby!

Check out my post on 5 reasons I HATE breastfeeding.

If you nursed your baby/ies, what was your favorite thing about it?