Jules and June

All I ever wanted was to breastfeed my baby. I wanted to give her ever possible advantage no matter how small. However the complications started in the hospital. I was slow to get my milk which is possibly due to the traumatic cesarian. I also had trouble getting her to latch on my right boob from the very beginning. I saw lactation consultants while I was still in the hospital and I thought I had it. When June was almost a month old I noticed how small she looked and soon realized she wasn't actually gaining weight she was losing it. I hadn't been producing enough milk to fill her up and it may have been a result of poor latching.  When we saw her pediatrician they had me start supplementing with formula again and I started to pumping constantly. It's like all I did was feed her and pump. I saw another lactation consultant who told me I'd never be able to be her sole source of nutrition which hurt me so much. I had so badly wanted to do it, to be a natural mom and not ...

Toast is one of June's favorite foods. We usually do it dry but occasionally I use organic creamy peanut butter on it. I only spread a thin layer usually just so it can fill the tiny holes in the bread and not much more. I start by toasting a piece of whole grain bread very well so it's easier to hold. Then I cut it into slices. I don't give her the pieces on the edges just because crust isn't as easy to eat as the actual bread. I added a photo below to show how big I cut the slices. One slice of bread makes four pieces of toast for her. I also always give her a sippy cup full of water while having her toast especially when it has peanut butter.

Sweet Potato is a really good food for letting my baby feed herself. First it's actually pretty good for you and secondly it's a the perfect texture. For my 6 month old I use my instant pot to cook the sweet potato. First I start by using a crinkle cutter to cut the sweet potato into sticks about the size of my index finger. Than I stick them in the instant pot on steam for 2 minutes. She absolutely loves her sweet potato fries! I usually make one whole potato and then refrigerator the leftovers. When I need to use them again I stick them in the microwave for 20 seconds so they aren't cold. They keep for about 4 days. In my opinion these are the perfect beginner food for starting Solids. 

I'm been sick for the past few days and I honestly just thought it was bad allergies but she started coughing the other day almost like she was mocking me. Then today her cough became a wet cough like mine and she was stuffy all night. She also hasn't been eating as much the last two days. I'm so sad that she got sick but also very relieved we made it almost 7 months of perfect health! 

The formula shortage is crazy. I don't even know what to do anymore. I stopped being able to find her formula a few months ago and I only got to keep using it because I had a few months of backups. So I switched over to another brand and I wasn't having issues finding it until now. So I was down to my last can and had to switch again and this one isn't going well. Baby girl doesn't seem to like it much and she has weird poop. I don't know how I'm gonna find formula for another 5 and a half months. I went to 3 Kroger's in one day and on all the shelves there were a total of maybe 6 cans of formula and none of them were her type. I also went to 2 targets, where I also found empty bare shelves. I have even checked out of state and still found nothing but empty shelves. Luckily I have family out of state who are generous enough to check for her formula when they go out, and they have been able to send me a few cans here and there.  I hate how this formula shorta...