Wordless Wednesday: Better Late..

...Than Never!

Wishing you a pot o' gold, and all the joy your heart can hold. Thanks for reading!
 

Our Little Mummy!

Wishing you a pot o' gold, and all the joy your heart can hold. Thanks for reading!
 

Stages of Development

The more interactions we are allowed in the nursing program and the more skills we develop has truly shown me the importance of understanding the different stages of human development in providing care in the most appropriate manner given the age of a client. For the purposes of this post and blog I thought I would share some of the neurological, cognitive, language, emotional, social and self/gender/identity developments of children from birth to approximately 15 years of age. Understanding the developments that are associated with each age group are a beneficial tool to parenting; I have caught myself on several occasions expecting Trayton to know he can't touch the stove when it's cooking because its hot, although I've explained it several times or understand a concept that is beyond his developmental capabilities given his age. I have to remind myself not to assume or expect that he knows things that are or may be beyond his stage of development, even though he seems like such a little grown up person, learning new things daily!

Here is a chart of development for various ages from adapted from my Developmental Psychology class and  Human Development, 11th ed. by Diane E. Papalia, Sally Wendkos Olds, and Ruth Duskin Feldman.

Wishing you a pot o' gold, and all the joy your heart can hold. Thanks for reading!

 

Wordless Wednesday: Pumpkin Fun!

Wishing you a pot o' gold, and all the joy your heart can hold. Thanks for reading!

Summer Fun

A while ago I posted about places I wanted to take Tray this summer. We knocked a few off of the list and are hoping to visit a few more before the end of the year. Life has been busy as usual around the farm with chopping silage and the beginning of harvest and I recently passed my nursing assessment to performing a full head to toe physical exam! It seems as if time never stands still anymore. Enjoy!

Playing in the gazebo at the arboretum

He was fascinated with the water feature at the Jester Park Playscape!

Goofing around at the Iowa State Fair! The giant yellow slide was by far his favorite part aside from watching daddy show the cattle.

Wishing you a pot o' gold, and all the joy your heart can hold. Thanks for reading!

My Breastfeeding Essentials

Throughout my breastfeeding journey I have found that there are things that I couldn't have made it this far without. Some I started out with and others I acquired along the way. I wanted to share them here in hopes that you too may benefit!

• A support network or person:  whether it be a spouse, partner, friend, family, local group at the hospital or online community, support is important. It provides you encouragement through the tough times, resources and reassurance.
• Boppy pillow:  this provided the perfect height for me to comfortably feed my son no matter where I was sitting. When I had him Simplisse had not yet come out with their Gia Angled Pillow which I also hear very good things about and would like to try with the next child we have!
• My double electric pump: when I left the hospital, my OB wrote me a prescription for my pump since I would be returning to work after 6 weeks. It is wonderful that insurance companies are now starting to cover such items! Our home health care/pharmacy only carries Medela, so I got the Pump in Style Advance Tote and it, the cooler and accessories have worked well for me. 
• My hand pump: there were times where I was on the go but didn't quite need the electric pump, so I invested in a Simplisse Manual Breastfeeding Companion and its cup is amazingly comfortable and efficient.
• Breastmilk storage bags: a must have if you ever have to be away from your little one. I really like the storage bags by Simplisse and NUK-Gerber because of their durability and double zip seals. They both hold a fair amount of milk, stand upright and work great in the freezer.
• Breast pads: these are a must have if you want to leave the house and not have a small wet ring on your clothing 5 minutes after stepping out the door! My husband's cousin made me some great reusable ones made from super soft flannel and I wore these any time I was at home. When I went out, I wanted something a little more discrete yet something that would keep me dry. The Simplisse Disposable Breast Pads were my secret weapon! They are very soft, flexible, thin and very absorbent.
• Simplisse HydroGel Soothing Pads and Lanolin-Free Nipple Cream: the soothing pads are wonderful for those times when the girls get sore and need a little tlc! The lanolin-free nipple cream is also wonderful. There is no sticky, goopy, greasy mess, just a silky-smooth  finish that helps heal nipples. It is hypoallergenic, paraben free and absolutely my favorite out of all of the nipple creams I have tried!
• Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Bottles: when I had to be away from my son for work or class and he stayed with my husband or at our friend's for daycare these bottles made switching back and forth between breast and a bottle of breastmilk incredibly simple. The nipples are very flexible and supple, much like a human breast and not your typical nipple. They are a little more expensive than some but worth every penny if you are going to breastfeed but may have times you need to be away from your little one.  

Wishing you a pot o' gold, and all the joy your heart can hold. Thanks for reading!

EMAB Organic Milkmaid Tea

Earth Mama Angel Baby Organics is a company based in Oregon with a firm foundation in providing natural, certified organic (the real deal), toxin and cruelty-free, products for pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, baby, family and support loss. The  "Mama" and team behind the company have extensive, practical and professional knowledge about using the gifts nature provides for us as remedies and plant medicine. They are an extremely eco-conscious and friendly company and a credible, reliable source for information, including that for support of a baby loss.

The third month of breastfeeding my son was the toughest month I've ever had since he has entered our lives. I had returned to my full time job and was under an incredible amount of stress from the part time business I own. I know I shouldn't have let it get to that point but there was just no stopping the stress. My milk supply took a HUGE hit because of it and I nearly lost it; no matter how much I tried to calm down, drink fluids, get a massage, nurse my son and was supported by my family, I couldn't bring it back. Then I was introduced to Earth Mama Angel Baby's wonderful site by a dear friend. I checked out their breastfeeding page and found their Organic Milkmaid Tea. I ordered three boxes to start with and I am happy to say it worked wonders in helping me to bring back my supply after the first box!

The tea is 100% organic and Kosher, made with the perfect amount of herbal galactagogues (herbs that are used to increase milk supply) such as organic fennel seed, fenugreek, milk thistle ad many more. It tastes great iced or hot (I prefer it hot and with a tsp of honey) and comes in a completely biodegradable wrapper and box. I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a little help with their milk supply; it truly saved me from loosing mine completely and helped me to build it back along with continuing to nurse my son frequently.

Earth Mama Angel Baby also has a free downloadable Ebook from the Mama herself titled A Comprehensive Guide to Herbs and Breastfeeding which is  great resource for  breastfeeding tips, and knowledge about what herbs are safe and which re not to use while breastfeeding. Check out their site for breastfeeding support, products and other goodies to pamper yourself, baby or a friend/loved one!

This post was in no way sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby or their affiliates. This post is solely my own opinion on a great product.

Wishing you a pot o' gold, and all the joy your heart can hold. Thanks for reading!