Hundred days a’ chugging.

Hundred days a’ chugging.

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Just as the official breastfeeding week ended we hit a milestone. 100 days of nourishing my child. With my body. How primitive and downright fantastic is that? Totally raw isn’t it? I think it’s quite cool (the process. Not me nursing haha)
Not for the faint-hearted though I must say.
If it isn’t for the initial pain, it’s either engorgement or an overfeeding growth spurt-y baby giving you a mastectomy!
At a 100 days my child has receded from 3 hourly feedings to 1.5hourlies and sometimes is hungry at the 40 minute mark too! My boobs weigh a ton and I have gained weight close to my pregnancy weight. Just that this time there’s no baby in there! It bothers me a bit but I know once I’m allowed to restrict my diet I will lose it all. I’m just too scared of my supply tanking to give any restrictive diet plan a go. Baby comes first. Waist line will follow.
All that “breastfeed and you will lose all the weight” didn’t work for me. At least not so far. I’ve read a few articles that seem to tell that weight loss begins after 3-4 months of breastfeeding etc. Let’s see then. No one’s going anywhere.
Having said that, I’m not going as nuts about my weight as I usually would, maybe it’s the cuddles and snuggles.
My 100 days old (actually 104 days now) has started having her own conversations with the air, the curtain, the fan. Pretty much with everything. She’s loud and obnoxious! Which is so lovely for a three months old. She actually sees things. Lingers. Observes. Ponders. Sometimes she looks very old worldly. Pensive and a bit dazed. Usually just very seriously trying to stuff something in her mouth. Her favourite stuffed toy caterpillar, my hand, her own fists, pretty much anything that comes within reach. The oral fixation stage is here with a bang. Everything goes to the mouth. I love how she spreads her tiny arms to hug me back when I hold her or when she hangs on to my shirt with her tiny fists or the way her face squishes against me while she sleeps. She’s taken to hugging me while she sleeps. Which is debilitating but so adorable it makes my heart burst. Of course it means I can’t work while she naps but I’ve tried and limited the cuddly sleep for nights only. Let’s see how strong my resolve remains.
100 days of my beautiful baby loving me, showing me how to love a little thing turning more and more human every passing day. I’m her biggest fan. That’s what she has done in these past 100 days.
A baby makes you experience so much more than what you would typically be exposed to earlier. These 100 days were a learning experience. I feel so much more “Mom” Okay who am I kidding, I still don’t quite feel like a mom mom though I don’t actually know what I’m looking for in that feeling. I love this kid but I’m just super excited about enjoying every teeny little thing with her. Which kinda takes away from the seriousness of parenthood I see whirred all about me. Yeah I can’t do that.
So many things helped me through this century, so many surprise learnings! I’d never have figured out the use of glycerin to clean my baby’s mouth, or cotton buds to clean a nose. For that matter, a Nose Frida! What a genius product. So essential. gro hush (white noise contraption). I never used mine but it is a great product. Before a baby I had only heard of a humidifier keeping cigars comfy. What do you know, little baby nosies need humidifiers too, especially in the dry, arid Airconditioned surroundings we have. Bibs don’t work. They only look cute. Or maybe it’s just my kid who hates them with a passion. You will inevitably have spit ups all over their clothes, your own clothes, their bed, your bed if you cosleep. Spit ups and babies go hand in hand. They’ll do it when least expected. The answer is muslin squares. Industrial number of muslin squares dotted across the house because you never know when the white clouds will show up. Having said that, S is so proud of herself after every spit up it almost makes me wonder if I caused that by all the cheering I do once she’s done throwing up. No regrets there though.
I love our new onesie with the Wonder Woman logo sprawled across its front. I’m so proud of my tiny to have sported it this past Sunday. It was a head turner at our local hip sandwich place/ bread connoisseur in Islamabad, Loafology. We’ve quite taken to it, S has been going since she was 6 weeks old? Now that’s impressive isn’t it? They love her too.
100 days of breastfeeding brought across some real stuff to the top of the simmering pot.
The first few weeks, even though technically most was great, no cracked or bleeding nipples, no lip ties, no deshaped nips either, were quite hell-ish. Will give more detail in my series of breastfeeding posts that I plan to do (very soon) but yes post that initial breaking-in I’ve gotten quite attached to the process. I feel like it just takes bonding up a notch. I feel so much closer to her than I would e otherwise. Nursing time is our time. Hers and mine. We quietly converse. She plays with my clothes, pinches my back (which is brutal but so cute at the same time), I play with her hair, wipe her eyes if she’s been crying (yes, we cry with real tears at the drop of a hat now), kiss her fingers if like most times she tightly holding on to my hands. Just talking about it all makes me scoop down and steal a kiss as she sleeps. The benefits are endless, I feel. Psychological and physiological. It feels like such an accomplishment to have nourished a tiny human and helped it grow for over a hundred days. I feel quite bad ass. In my own head. So should all you breastfeeding mamas out there. I wish I could put it on my CV. I aced breastfeeding. Not as a service to offer (Baaaahahaha!) but just as something listed under the “achievements”
My little Wonder Woman is 104 days old, chugging alongnmerrily on mama and we are over the moon about it.