I’m continuing to list my tips for pumping at work over on Liberating Working Moms today. If you haven’t already, check out my part one. Today’s part two includes thoughts on clothing, eating & what to do during those minutes {or hours} you spend at work pumping.
Brandy pointed out in the comments that some of these tips/issues have to do with my big {over} supply. I sometimes forget that not everyone pumps out crazy amounts like I do. {Yes, it’s a very happy problem for this multi-momma to have!}
And for those wishing for an oversupply, I have a recipe posting next week for cookies that might help! {I also recommend starting to pump before you go back to work to get you & your body used to it. That’ll also help build a frozen stash to fall back on. & if all else fails, you can try fenugreek aka the smell like maple syrup herb.}
Heather B Armstrong’s It Sucked Then I Cried had been in my TBR pile for a long time. I’ve never been a huge dooce reader, but I still purchased it soon after it was in paperback. I got through just the first chapter or two when I had to set it aside.
You see, It Sucked Then I Cried isn’t infertile lady friendly. Everything Heather says sucks {pregnancy & all the symptoms}, I was wishing, hell, begging for. So I didn’t find it funny. At the time, it broke my already sensitive heart.
I thought I’d revisit it now that I’m postpartum & flying through books reading while I pump at work. It Sucked Then I Cried was very appropriate pumping reading. While I still scoffed at her being upset they didn’t get pregnant the first month, I didn’t judge her pregnancy experience. & I was able to laugh & commiserate through the sections on labor & her daughter’s infancy.
If you’re a dooce fan, I recommend this book {but you’ve probably already read it}. I think other new moms would enjoy it too, especially if you’re looking for someone who overcame PPD/PPA. If you’re fighting infertility, stay clear until you’re well on the other side.
Thanksgiving to me means family & food. Lots of food. And some of the best recipes come from my mom. Luckily, she shares them with me & then I post them here {so I remember & you can enjoy them too}.
Easy Hash Brown Casserole is a family favorite. It’s a wonderful way to start out a Thanksgiving brunch; serving it with eggs or omelets. But we most often have it as a side dish with our main afternoon meal. And then fight over the leftovers {if there are any} the next day.
Hash Brown Casserole ingredients
Ingredients
2 lb shredded hash browns, slightly thawed
2 c shredded Swiss cheese
1 stick Country Crock, melted
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 tsp Lawry’s seasoning salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a 9×13 baking dish.
Mixed & ready to bake.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake for hour & a half hours. Enjoy!
Easy Hash Brown Casserole
{Half of my family dips this in ketchup, the other half thinks we’re weird.}
Honey Ginger Carrots are also a Thanksgiving & really all fall & winter staple around our house. There are many variations, but this is my favorite way to fix them.
Ingredients
1 lb package of baby carrots
1 tablespoon Country Crock spread
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 /4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a pot on the stove on medium. Add equal parts water & orange juice if you’re feeling fancy to cover carrots. Cook until tender. Enjoy!
These ingredient amounts for the carrots serves four. Feel free to double or triple for the size of your crowd!
Yay for Thanksgiving recipes. I’ll be sure to share more when our other dishes are finalized for our Thanksgiving menu.
Thank you to Good to Know & Unilever Spreads for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.
November 17th, today, is world prematurity day. I remember seeing preemie mom posts last year & reading the March of Dimes tweets of facts while I sat newly pregnant with multiples wondering where we’d be next year.
I’m so thankful that this November 17th arrived with two healthy babies sleeping the best they have in weeks. They were born six weeks early & are considered late preemies. But preemies no less.
Im thankful to the steroid shots I received at 32w1d & 32w2d right after Zach’s water broke. I help attribute those shots to the fact Zach’s lungs worked perfectly & that Lucy only spent one day on a bubble CPAP machine.
So many preemie parents are so nervous, afraid for their babies. I was calm. Anxious but calm. And thankful.
I’d dreamed of birthing my babies & having them immediately placed on me. I learned that wouldn’t happen with my preemies. I was lucky though. While Zach was whisked right off to the NICU, I held him & was able to put him to breast within ten hours of his birth. It would’ve been sooner, but I was busy laboring with Lucy for 8.5 of those hours. With Lucy, I held her for a minute in the birthing room then later that day in the NICU.
All the tubes & wires couldn’t keep us from getting & giving as many snuggles as possible. Hard to remember them this tiny & yet I know I’ll never forget.
Our little 4lb2oz Zach with his IV, feeding tube & monitoring wires on day two of life.Our 6lb Lucy girl with her bubble CPAP, IV, feeding tube & monitoring wires on her day two.
Please check out & support March of Dimes & the WHO on the World Prematurity Day.
