[blparent] update

Wed Mar 11 17:33:04 UTC 2009

Hello Kate,
Wow...  Huge news!  Congratulations on the new baby, and I hope you get the job you want.  Also, I'm glad you were able to have Ashley tested and are doing so much to address her needs.  I have taken a couple of classes on gifted learners for my continuing education as a school counselor.  It's an area that really interests me, so if you want any articles, other resources, or just want to talk about being a parent of a gifted child feel free to write me off list.  melissa at riccobono.us
I'm not an expert by any means, but as I'm sure you're aware gifted children do need different educational experiences, and sometimes it's challenging to find them and/or convince the schools that something more is needed.
	As for breast feeding while working...  Here's my advice for what it's worth.  I worked part time and nursed Austin from the time he was 3 months until he was 6 months.  First of all, get a really good pump.  Especially if you will be working and pumping everyday, you need a pump with a good motor that won't burn out on you.  I rented a Medela pump from a local hospital.  The next time around I'm going to get a Pump In Style because I've heard such great things about them.  Who knows though, there may be something even better out there by that time, or even now.  Don't go cheap on this item though.  If you can rent one and try it out maybe that's the way to go.  They can be very expensive, but it will be worth it.  I went cheaper and had nothing but problems with the pump I bought...  Therefore I ended up renting.
	I would start pumping as soon as possible.  Nurse the baby, then try to pump a little after she eats.  Or, if she only eats one side, pump on the other side and save the milk.  Freeze it in bags; it stays good for a year frozen.  Some people swear by freezing milk in 2 ounce servings so you don't waste it.  This might work well for small babies, but by the time I was sending Austin to daycare he was eating between 6 and 8 ounces a feeding, so I started freezing the milk in 4 ounce servings instead.  Since I often had a hard time getting more than an ounce each time I pumped I often stored milk in the fridge until I had enough to freeze.  Milk in the fridge stays good for 72 hours.  
	As I said, start pumping early and often because it can be harder to pump than people make it sound...  At least it was for me.  I wish I would have started sooner because I didn't have a big enough supply frozen before Austin started daycare.  So I felt like I was always a little bit stressed and trying to make sure he had enough.  It all worked out, but if I had started to pump sooner I think it would have made a big difference.  Also, you have more milk in the beginning and if pumping becomes part of the routine early then your body will be used to it and will make more milk in general.  
	You will want to pump at least 2 times while you're at work.  You'll want to do it in a quiet place; standing in a bathroom stall won't cut it!  Also, you might want to take something that smells like your baby, or a recording of her crying or babbling; sometimes those things help your milk flow.  I also found that waking up at about 4:30 in the morning and pumping gave me good results.  This might not work as well for you, depending on how Tiffany sleeps at night.  When I was doing this, Austin was sleeping through for the most part, so I was able to wake up full and pump a lot.  This was tough, but very worth it for me.  If Tiffany's not sleeping through by the time you have to go to work, then you still might be able to pump a bit during the night after feeding her.  
	I do know of women who only nursed their babies at night and on weekends and had daycare providers give them bottles during the day.  Again, I don't know how old their babies were when they started this, but it might be an option.
I hope some of this helps.  Good luck!
Melissa

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of kate02 at bellsouth.net
Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 2:08 PM
To: blparent at nfbnet.org
Subject: [blparent] update

Hello list.

I thought I should update every one about Ashley and what’s going on around here.

First, we are waiting to hear if Ashley will be excepted by a magnet Montessori school for first grade.  Ashley was tested and at age six has a 130 IQ.  Though she would be able to be moved to a gifted class we decided to leave her in the regular kindergarten for this year and are having assistance threw a counselor at home to assist with some behavior issues and Sensory input issues found during testing.  We are also waiting to see if I get a job position I applied for recently.  And though I didn’t discus it on list at the request of my husband, on February 26’th we welcomed our second daughter, Tiffany Anne, in to our family.

So since I have time to write I was curious if any one has any advise for breastfeeding wile working and parenting siblings with a large age difference?

I hope all of you are well and will try to write more later.

Kate

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