For those who know me well, I love being a busy bee. Literally everywhere, singing or teaching or singing still, catching a flight to wherever, watching movies, having frap in a nearby cafe with my hubby and friends, at church every Sunday and on special occasions and meetings, ad infinitum.
Back then, I seemed to have time for everything.
But when I became pregnant, I chose what I only want to do. I dropped everything for the baby in my womb. And it was the best decision I made.
Now my hands are quite full.
I thought it was easy. I quit my job, gave birth, breastfed (because it was SO MUCH EASIER than formula feeding!), we had a daytime helper who cooks, cleans the house and does almost all household chores so I can concentrate on the newborn.
Or so I thought.
When Aria was a few days old, I was even working! One arm holding her, the other typing away script guides. I’ll ask food from our helper (thank God for them!) and voila, food and drink in front of me! Aria gets hungry, no problem! She breastfeeds and goes back to sleep in my arms, waiting for another three hours when she gets hungry again.
Months passed and things got even harder for the mom with only two hands and that little ball of energy! She’s got so much that I can’t cope up. I got back to part-time teaching and singing which I so missed, was reinstalled as music ministry coordinator (being a church volunteer takes dedication, I know, but being in the music ministry is even harder because of rehearsals almost every week! I do hope others would come to understand that), plus the helper all of a sudden disappeared (note to self: DON’T treat a helper again with Chicken-all-you-can, else it’ll be her silent despedida haha).
Add to that, the more my baby became mobile, the more it’s hard for us to change her diaper, give her no-squirm baths, make her sit for more than five seconds in one place. You can’t leave her inside her crib because she knows how to climb over it. She’ll jump up and down her walker and scream on top of her lungs if she’s hungry, bored, sleepy, or if she wanted to walk.
It’s hard. And I only have two hands.
There are days which I wish I’d have another pair hands, or even two more, so I can do everything I have to do.
I do as much work as I can when baby is asleep. But most of the time, I end up sleeping, too. There was even a time I was lying on my side and holding my laptop (it’s quite small — a Sony Vaio Pocket Style PC, and I’m selling it, PM me!) while I was checking emails when suddenly, I fell asleep. Next thing I know, I was awake and beside a half-awake Aria who was thirsting for milk.
The past months I was forced to learn how to cook. Hence, the recipes I’ve been posting. I am having fun, though, and I want to learn a lot more, so that I will not have to serve nilaga or tinola or adobo almost everyday!
And thank God for family who babysits when parents have work! My mom and sister happily (but tired afterwards) babysits when they can.
But on a much lighter note, I’m proud that my daughter learned to sing “I Have Two Hands,” following the last syllables of each line, raising both her arms mightily and clapping them on cue. She’s achieved so much in the past two months alone and I’m one proud mama.
I look forward to more busy days spent with this little girl, that’s why my heart always breaks when I leave her for work. Much more when I come home to her, smiling happily, and shouting: Mama, mama, dede, dede!
“Welcome to the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival (November). For this month, participants share their experiences on extended breastfeeding. This includes tips to moms with young babies, as well as barriers and myths which discourage extended nursing. Please scroll down to the end of this post and check out the other carnival participants.”
“Now, really, she still breastfeeds at 14 months? Isn’t she too old for that?”
“She must be biting you a lot with all her teeth coming out!”
“How can you sing and travel with baby in tow?”
“You should stop already, there’s formula anyway.”
“She must be beside Mommy all the time because Mommy is her food. Poor Mommy. That’s why she can’t work.”
These are just some of the many statements, questions, comments we’ve been getting lately. And I always address them with a smile.
Wow, 14 months. 14 months! To me, breastfeeding my daughter without giving her formula is the biggest achievement I have done, more than winning the Grand Prix, more than finishing a degree with honors. I just feel proud, even prouder now that I have reached the one-year mark.
And no, we’re not stopping soon. Why?
1. Because she doesn’t need formula. And we can’t afford formula. Really, we can’t. I know my husband works really hard to provide for our needs but who would want to spend on expensive formula milk when you can provide your own?
I take what the priest said in the homily during the Feast of Our Lady of La Leche Mass I attended: Kaya tayo asal hayop kasi gatas ng hayop iniinom natin (The reason why we act as animals is because we drink animal milk). That was a tough thought. Now I want to breastfeed Aria even longer, for as long as she likes!
2. Because it’s so much easier! Pop the boob out and you’re good to go. Portable (you bring just yourself and the baby–no bottles, warm water, milk containers), economical (no need to buy expensive stuff–a shawl, tube or tank top underneath a loose shirt and you’re good to go), space saver (who needs a big diaper/baby bag?).
3. Because the family can sleep longer. My husband benefits from this more, and he will be forever grateful that he didn’t learn preparing formula. Even middle of the night waking is a breeze. I just let her nurse and she goes back to dreamland. We’re co-sleeping and no fear of SIDS.
4. Because I don’t want smelly poop. Yes, I just love a breastfed baby’s poop scent, even now that she’s heavy on solids!
5. Because I don’t want to introduce a pacifier, nor a bottle teat. I’d rather nurse her when she cries for reasons aside from hunger (sleepy, bored, hurt, sick). I know she can really be talkative and loud and screams a lot at times but I still will choose that over a baby with a pacifier in her mouth.
Note: we introduced Medela Calma but unfortunately, after a couple of months and now that she’s got eight teeth, she just chews the teat. We’re cup and straw feeding now!
6. Because we don’t want to get sick. Save two or three times of having colds during the first year, both my daughter and I haven’t gotten seriously sick. And we are assured of a smarter baby and reduced cancer-risk mommy!
7. Because it’s the only exclusive thing we do together! I know I’m being selfish, but my husband, or my mom, or my sister, can play with her all day but when it comes to quenching her thirst for milk, it’s only me.
8. Because, surely, when she weans (not anytime soon, please!) I’ll truly treasure every nursing moment we had — the sleepless nights, hours of carrying to avoid reflux, two hour marathon nursings, five seconds quick thirst-quenching nursing, biting episodes, crazy nursing positions and calisthenics my baby had discovered, the sudden pulling off my shirt even in front of a priest and demanding ‘dedede’ until she gets it, the nursing to soothe aching gums, booboos, separation and stranger anxieties, and nursing to sleep. The list is endless!
I know my friends and maybe other non-breastfeeding readers, too will get dismayed, envied, or ashamed (I hope not!) that breastfeeding just didn’t work out.
The keyword: TRUST.
Trust your body that it can make milk, even if at times you don’t feel or see it.
Trust your family that they’ll support you (or if not, I, on behalf of the many breastfeeding moms, counselors, breastfeeding-friendly doctors will!).
Trust in the Lord that He prepared your body for this challenge, which is really just a kick-off from pregnancy. There is a lot more to come!
~ Touringkitty
Other stories of moms who went past the first year mark:
I appreciate Book Sale more now that I have a child. I used to just browse for books and often end up with nothing. Now, every trip to Book Sale we go straight to where the board books are.
Yup, board books. We got a handful already, and we haven’t stopped buying. Yet. Especially when they come super cheap!
My recent discovery were these lovelies:
All in good condition! The CD is even included in Rhinoceros Tap!
What if I told you that these three cost less than a thousand pesos? Actually, less than three hundred pesos! Isn’t it great?
Now, you might ask, who is the author of these books? She is no Mother Goose or Dr. Seuss but I tell you, she’s amazing!
Friends, meet Sandra Boynton! I was surprised to find out she’s American because her humor sounds English. Check out her super funny website (scroll over her name and the link is there).
The first book we bought was But not the Hippopotamus, which my husband purchased from a book sale at their office. It talks about a hippo who doesn’t belong, but in the end, he was invited by all the other animals. Simple, really cutesy doodles of animals, easy to follow rhymes.
Meanwhile, the two other books I got from Book Sale store at our nearby mall.
The first I took notice of was the Rhinoceros Tap. I was surprised that it was from the same author, and that it has the CD inside, for only P140! Really a good buy because the book is in super good condition and not taken out from a library! We played the CD immediately upon getting home, and the little one danced to the original jazz tunes. Super like!
What I liked more about this book are the notation and chords found on the latter half of the book. Pictures and big words are on the first part. Sight readers that we are, we sang along while the CD is playing.
The last book, Snoozers, is for kids, just like ours, who has a hard time sleeping. So I read to her the melodious rhymes as she kept on running around our bed. So long as she hears the rhymes and sees me flapping the book, she sits down and listens.
I really appreciate also that Aria shows a love for books. She gets all her board books before snoozing either for a daytime nap or for bedtime. She isn’t eating them anymore unlike when she was just a few months old, but she kept on flapping them and blabbering as if she really can read.
What other books can you recommend? Share them here!
