Moo Moo

The wheels fell off last weekend when I managed to get a grand old breast infection...the dreaded mastitis. I used to think it sounded horrible and felt quite sorry for the cows, but I had no idea. Having a bit of a predisposition to infections (my sisters had them too) I had been very precious with my mighty mammaries, keeping them warm and wrapped - no swimming, careful in windy weather, wrapping a woollen scarf around them if they were sore, and using a shawl at night to keep warm.
However the milk got blocked somewhere and I got lumps, pain, the chills, fevers and headache. My midwife asked 'Do you feel like you've been run over by a bus? -Yep. Excellent diagnostic screening! Hello two days in bed, antibiotics, panadol, phytolacca homeopathy remedy and vitamin C washed down with lots of fluids. Luckily Little Miss obliged with the other treatment - draining the breast as much as possible. Then theres the massage to move the lumps and the expressing. Usually the above treatments (minus the antibiotics) are effective in avoiding developing a full on infection, but I wasnt quick enough this time.
Fortunately it was the weekend and Dad was home and IN CHARGE. He also kept me feeling fabulous while I was using the electric breast pump by serenading me with a whole herd's worth of Mooing. Now I know how the cows feel.

Grumpy Mum

Day 5 solo and I am hitting the wall. Frustrations are running high, not helped by a stinking southerly flinging rain against the windows. We are indoors, heating on, grumpy mum syndrome.
Luckily we were saved by a visit from my friend and her two lads, so at least have had a morning of adult conversations punctuated with meeting the demands of two breastfeeding babies, and three blonde boys with high energy. I actually got the giggles at one stage, - I was throwing food at the three boys sitting at the table, my friend jiggling the buggy with one baby in it while the other one lay kicking amongst a sea of train tracks. We were both also standing up, eating lunch. Five children! How things have changed from our days of boozy lunches at the Otago Student Union.
But grumpiness aside, its been a good week. And luckily Dad will be home the next two days to boss around and share the load. There's always next week to practise at coping!

Goodbye Holiday, Hello Reality

I have my wings and am officially flying solo - three children in my care for 8 - 10 hours a day, 5 days a week! Its about time, you might say, after 4 weeks of being mother of three, but I have been so well cared for by my family and friends, that there was only one instance in all that time that I was left alone (and vulnerable) for five whole minutes with my offspring.

Those days are over, though, and we are back to reality so its..
Goodbye post feeding naps from 7-9am,Hello early morning starts.
Goodbye leisurely morning bathing, Hello nano-showers, a mini-rinse with the bathroom door open, baby in the buggy parked in the doorway, keeping an ear out for any boyish argey-bargey.
Goodbye bounteous milk supply, Hello getting my own fluids, Hello cold cups of tea abandoned in the microwave, Hello sudden and all consuming thirst.
Goodbye aura of calm, Hello behaviour management involving effective techniques like bellowing across the room 'If you do that again you will have to put yourself in timeout, cause I'm stuck here feeding the baby' - (Nigel Latta would love that one!)

I've set the bar of expectations very low though, my daily aim is to only keep everyone fed. Everything else is on the low priority list and gets super enthusiastic praise and admiration if happens to be achieved. I am also aiming to not start drinking before 5...minutes past 4pm.