Mel and the New Normal

For sentimental reasons, I took a picture of my last pump. It wasn't supposed to be the last pump, I don't even know why I took a photo. Today I made the decision to just stop, cold turkey (since I've been hanging on so long anyways). I keep extending and extending... it has to stop at some point. No better day than Kat's 6th Month Birthday.  My Last 3 Oz The last batch of donations. I took a photo of the last batch of milk in my freezer as well. It was supposed to go to UST, but they haven't picked it up, so it could go to any other babies (it's about 70 oz). I can't help but feel sad, looking at this picture. But I really know I have to let go. Ever since I started lessening my pumps, I've been seeing so much of my children. I didn't realize how much we missed out on each other, and it's time we catched up. I'm so happy seeing that there are many donations in the HM4HM Page now, overflowing with donations in fact. It puts my heart...

I've been told a couple of times by doctors who pick-up the milk that mine has high fat-content. The first few times I laughed about it because I thought it was a reflection of my diet. But after a few more times of being told this, I got curious about how exactly this fat content is produced, and if it really is more beneficial for the babies I donate to. You can tell the fat content because of the creamy part on top when the milk is refrigerated or frozen. The cream and watery part separate, but sometimes, mine just stays almost completely white or yellow. Which means, a lot of fat! Don't get shocked when you see this happen, it doesn't mean the milk is spoiled or anything (spoiled milk has a sour smell). It's a little bit complicated, and my understanding of the whole thing could be wrong, but I hope I can explain it as simply as I can. As you can see, it's pretty solid white    Does the diet affect the AMOUN...

Breastfeeding and Breastpumping are true struggles. It's no joke, and I applaud women who exclusively breastfeed their kids for 6 months. A lot of women initially struggle with breastfeeding and their supply. I get asked often, how I built such a large supply even if I don't have a baby? Truth be told, if Kat was alive, I don't doubt that my supply would be double, if I could handle it! Hearing your baby cry, her touch, helps the let-down process. Working with a machine isn't the same. However, I have milk buddies that made this easier for me. PS. This is not a sponsored post, but a purely rave review of my suppliers =D First and foremost, I could not pump without reliable equipment. I'm going on my 4th month, and I tell ya, without these technological gifts from Heaven, I wouldn't know what to do. All equipment below provided by my Milk Buddy  Mi'Ann of BabyMama . She is an angel, she answers all my texts right away, and delivers everything the next d...