These things are hard...

So, I'm taking advantage of a daddy/baby nap time to put a few thoughts down. I've FINALLY set up my Etsy Shop with a few Momma-oriented items (lactation cookies & mix, sitz bath, nipple cream, DIY lotion kit...if I forgot anything its there in my shop!) and I'm thinking about running an "opening special" discount to get some purchasing traffic in there...but I don't know! Maybe even a contest or two...which brings me to my newest (yet oldest) idea, that my friend Emerald (seen below with our gorgeous kids) solidified for me as a good idea...we're going to start doing videos!!! Now, it most likely will have to wait until we have a new camera, probably around Christmas, but since our closest family is about two hours away, and the rest quite a bit further, I think its a great way to keep everyone updated :-) 

That being said, I've got to figure out a way to get the things in my shop to the people that could use them...any suggestions?

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JaydensCraftyMom

SOME PICTURES...

 Emerald, Kaine (3), Karsyn (1.5), and Jayden (11 wks)

A few views of my baby boy, Jayden (above & below)

New Find - Milk Increasing Tea?

So, I heard about this tea through a FB group I'm part of for natural parenting, which can be found at Tin Roof Teas in Cameron Village in Raleigh, NC. It's called Nurse Me Rhyme Tea and tastes pretty dern good. It definitely has a friendlier taste than the Mother's Milk and Milkmaid teas commonly drank to increase milk production.

 

As for a personal increase in production, its hard to say since I mostly exclusively nurse our son, and pumping with a baby that won't be put down is a pain. I was able to pump an ounce from one side AFTER he'd nursed himself happy though, which is a TON of leftover milk for me :-)

 

If nothing else, its tasty and relaxing...so enjoy the experiment!

 

Met a new WAHM Today!

I had a great chat in my neighborhood today with WAHM (work at home mom) Allison from Wonderland Pictures! Who knew so many cool moms could live in the same place???

Well, I've added her website below, we may be using her services from time to time, and hopefully we can help promote each other's ventures in the family-oriented world we're in.

Great to meet you today Allison!

http://www.wonderland-pictures.com

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

 

First, I'd like to recognize three AMAZING MOTHERS in my life, that I don't know what I'd do without.

 

FIRST, MY MOTHER, TAMMIE JONES WHITFIELD. You've been there more for me than for yourself, and have been the strongest and most amazing mother my entire life.

 

SECOND, MY GRANDMOTHER, MARIE JONES. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have my wonderful Mommy. You helped shape both our lives, and have been there for us when no one else was. And I do not hold a grudge for you locking me out of the house when I was twelve and was told I could come back when I could ride my new bike...better late than never :-)

 

THIRD, MY MOTHER-IN-LAW, PAULA JANOFF. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have my loving and crazy husband, and you've been the most amazing second mom a girl could ever want.

 

 ~ ~ ~

 

As for my day, I woke up to this:

 

 

 

 Then got to eat out for free at the Hibernian:

 

Then got to enjoy my guys at the park. Perfect day!

 

 

Our First Pediatrician Visit!

So, as you can see in the picture above, Jayden was NOT feeling the nurse trying to get all of his vitals before Dr. Young arrived at Western Wake Wellness. But, when she did arrive...it was like night and day!!! Jayden took to her immediately, and she managed to finish the rest of the poor nervous nurse's measwurements in record time without him getting fussy on the cold table surface! And my little "fuss pot" as I call him is VERY temperature sensitive, but he just smiled and cooed at Dr. Cynthia Young. Amazing.

He's continued his perfect 1+ oz per day weight gain, weighing in at 10 lbs 5.5 oz....my little breastfeeding chunk! He did NOT get any immunizations, and she was perfectly fine with that since my husband and I have both had Tdap shots and we're the primary caregivers. Overall it was a great visit and I'm SO GLAD I got in with Dr. Young at her new office, I felt so much love and care radiating from her, and she genuinely takes mom's opinion into account! She even wanted the story of my pregnancy and birth...great woman, great doctor.

Her website is below for any natural parenting families in the NC Triangle area that don't want a fight each time they take their kids to the doc (she's a family practice doc by the way, so the whole family can have her as a primary).

http://westernwakewellness.com/

 



Etsy Ideas...updated

So, now that I've really got this Etsy shop going...I'll need to fill it! Some ideas I'm throwing around:

• custom breastmilk lotion (i.e. send me your milk and I make the lotion for you, and send that back! takes all of the work out of it and is supposed to be AMAZING for your skin, to the point of almost curing eczema)
• nipple cream
• handmade textiles (pending sewing machine purchase unfortunately...)
• other natural body products....
• custom breastmilk soaps?
• do-it-yourself lactation cookie mixes...in glass or pyrex jars?
• DIY lotion kits
• baby carriers - RS/MT
• wet bags
• DIY lotion and soap kits....coming SUPER SOON!

That's all I've got for now...must keep thinking...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JaydensCraftyMom

2 Months Old!!!

This little bundle of joy is officially TWO MONTHS OLD today, May 6th, 2013!!! I cannot believe how quickly time flies...it seems like a few days ago he was a few days old. Happy 2 month birthday our little angel. (picture is from morning diaper change)

What he's up to now?

• lots of cooing
• smiling :-)
• increased coordination
• short "screams" to get his point across
• peeing 12 times a day (it seems lol)...this boy loves to eat!
• first stuffy nose
• first shower with mom & dad!
• starting to sleep slightly longer stretches
• more eye contact
• gaining weight steadily (should be almost 10 lbs!)

My New Etsy Shop!!!

For all those visiting my blog, I now have an Etsy Shop!!! Please stop by to see if anything interests you...I currently have listed lactation cookies in a variety of flavors (homemade by me!) and an herbal sitz bath, but I will soon be expanding to textile products as well as anything else that comes to mind...so feel free to make requests or suggestions! The link to my shop is below:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JaydensCraftyMom

 

COMING SOON...TEXTILES AND DIY KITS!!!!!!!!

 

 

Increasing Milk Supply

During my trials with breastfeeding there were times when I needed/wanted to increase my milk supply to ensure that my son was getting enough easily and gaining weight well...in other words, to make my baby thrive instead of just survive. Some of the below methods I've tried (and if so I'll comment) and some I haven't. All have been reputed to be effective, and natural. Most are just emmenegogues with the exception of pumping. If instructions are necessary, I've shared!

**note - titles are also LINKS to products & information!**

• Fenugreek - typically can be found at most health/herbal stores in pill form. For maximum effectiveness, 3 capsules 3x a day should be taken, and once you smell like maple syrup you know its working! For quitting, gradually decrease dosage.
• Mother's Milk/MilkMaid Teas - typically the box instructions are one cup 3x a day as needed to increase supply. They're surprisingly tasty too! 
• Lactation Cookies - easy to make and SOOOOOO delicious! I added banana, slivered almonds, and semi-sweet bakers chocolate to mine!!! The link to the rest of my recipe is in the title :-) also, it's my understanding that the ingredients that do the increasing are the brewer's yeast (NOT the same as dry active yeast, do NOT substitute!) and the flaxseed meal. ***see update below***
• Goat's Rue - from what I understand it builds up breast tissue (could help retain some of that post-pregnancy bra size!) so will also increase capacity over time! Some of the Amazon.com reviews state that it is more effective than fenugreek as well.
• Oatmeal - yep, you got it! Everyday oatmeal. One bowl per day is recommended, interesting thoughts on why this works found at the link (title!), but no one really knows why.
• Water - for obvious reasons....if you're dehydrated your milk will be too!
• Pumping - pumping after each nursing session (both sides) can help increase your supply by telling your body that demand is higher than supply. The exact schedule can be played with of course.
• Motherlove's More Milk line - the website says it much better, but the company Motherlove has combined all the best milk increasing herbs into one convenient (and pricey) product

***UPDATE***

For anyone interested in DELICIOUS lactation cookies without the effort of baking, help support a stay-at-home-mom (ME!) and visit my Etsy Shop and order MY cookies!!! I bake them to order and ship as quick as a hiccup! Please leave a comment with any questions, suggestions, or requests  :-)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JaydensCraftyMom