Mel and the New Normal

Not sure if it was memory gap, but I don't remember breastfeeding being so hard! I only breastfed (mixed with formula) on my 1st pregnancy. With my 2nd, only for a week or so, because I couldn't take the pain of both the ceasarian delivery with the pain of breastfeeding (oh, you weakling!) With my 3rd pregnancy, because Kat passed away, I pumped every 3 hours. But breastfeeding with Elena? Oh, that takes the cake. I think I can say it now, with utmost honesty, as Elena is already 3 months old - that 1st month was incredibly grueling. Physically, it was so painful! I'm glad I put lanolin on my nipples for a month before delivery - otherwise, it might have been much much worse! I felt like my nipples were on fire! I didn't expect it to feel that way, I only expected the pain of engorgement, which I experienced anyways already. However direct feeding without any bottle to save me was harder than I thought! You know how they say that baby feeds every 3 hours? And some s

PRODUCT REVIEW: Arms' Reach Co-Sleeper I got this beautiful crib for 2 nd hand in one of my favorite groups on Facebook. Someone else actually tried to buy it, but because she wasn’t able to write the exact word SOLD (as per group rules), it went to me! It was serendipity, I tell you. I’ve been drooling over these co-sleepers even before I got pregnant. Heck, I’ll admit – it made me want to get pregnant so I can have one! I was lucky to get this 2 nd hand at a great price, in such pristine condition. This is the exact model and color that I bought. Super nice! With my 1 st 2 children,   I was given 2 nd hand cribs, the regular ones that you put at the end of your bed or elsewhere in the room. However, being young and naïve, when the babies were a bit bigger we had them sleep right beside us, with our bed pushed against a wall. That’s a big SIDS no-no. So with this crib, it was the 1st time that I could look directly at the baby in her newborn stages.  Ele

I’ve been gone for so, so long, I actually considered creating a new blog completely! Life has changed so much since my last post, which is why I have been off the blogging world for a long time. I got pregnant with my 4 th baby, and I wanted it to be a completely positive experience, sans paranoia. I didn’t want to be too stressed remembering the previous experience and being afraid every step of the way. I figured I could blog about how it went after, when everything went well. And here I am! Except for my delivery (which I’ll write about in a separate entry), my pregnancy was pretty relaxed. Even the delivery in itself was great, it was the complications after it that gave us as scare. Anyways, throughout the pregnancy I was given all the food that I demanded (burritos for the whole 9 months), I got to stay home when I wanted, and moved my work schedule around my hormones! I was not exempt from any of the pains of being pregnant, but I was extremely happy as I knew the baby w