End of Something Good and on to Something Else That is Good

So I debated to blog about this topic, breast milk, and decided to go ahead with it since it is a very real and the most current topic on my mind lately.  

With some regret we have decided that it is time to switch to formula feeding for Harper and Lily.  They have been feeding exclusively on breast milk for 3 months and it has been my utmost joy to provide this nutrition for them.  Since I began pumping on May 15th I have become a more conscious consumer of food and beverage knowing that each nutrient that I put in my body would be converted into nourishment for my children.  I developed a love for whole fruit smoothies, spinach, grilled fish, and continued taking my prenatal vitamins.  Setting aside time to pump, approximately 20 minutes every 3-4 hours, was at times inconvenient but again, being  reminded of the benefits for the babies encouraged me onward.  However, lately I simply have not been able to keep up with them.  I had surgery to remove a benign breast cyst when I was in high school and as a result was not able to express milk on my right breast so essentially I was only able to produce half of what they needed.  Also, because the babies were in the hospital for two months and bottle fed I was not able to actually nurse which means that any attempts to nurse since we have been home has ended in irritated, tired, hungry babies and a disheartened mommy who gave into the bottle and said, "fine, it'll do."  We started them on Enfimil "Gentle-ease" formula a couple of nights ago and I was pleasantly surprised when the girls did not even flinch at the changeover.  If they haven't noticed any changes in taste maybe this will be easier than I thought.  Instead of taking 3 ounces of breast milk they are feeding on an ounce of formula every 3-4 hours.  I guess this is because formula is a little "heavier" than breast milk and fills them up faster.  Also, they spit up more and haven't been having as many poopy diapers.  Other than that everything seems to be fine for them.

It is a strange emotion letting "the milk dry up."  For the past three months I have worked really hard and sacrificed a lot of time to pump for them.  While they were in the hospital it was the only thing I could physically do for them that made me feel good about their weight gain and development of immunity and antibodies.  Pumping has become a part of me and I know that sounds strange but it is kind of like getting a drastic haircut - Maybe you have waited a long time to see how long you can grow your hair and then all of a sudden you just want to chop it and you are excited for the change but nervous at the same time because you worry that you won't like it.  I am excited to be done with pumping... I look forward to taking a nap or going to bed at night knowing that if the babies sleep for 6, 7, 8 hours so can I because I don't have to wake up to a full aching breast.  I can have company over to my house or go someplace else and not have to make a plan for when I can pump and how I can store the milk if I am not home.  On the other hand I am just nervous to let it go because I wonder in my head, "did they get everything that they needed from me?" and also I think I will feel responsible and guilty if they experience any gas pains and/or constipation from the formula.  What does make me feel a lot better is the fact that I trust Nick and his opinion is that it is time to switch to formula for a lot of good and justified reasons.  I know that if he had any reservations he would say so and I would still be pumping.

So this week I'll return the Medela Symphony to Storkland and put the rental fee of $54 per month towards formula which is so expensive by the way!  $23 a can for the kind our pediatrician recommended.  Target makes it's off-brand for half the price of the brand name so we absolutely will be switching to Target formula before the week is over!  And the good news is milk comes back with every pregnancy so "next time" when there is just one baby to feed I can experience breast feeding entirely differently and know what to expect!  

So, there will be no crying over a little dryed up milk.

Insurance

Let's talk about it.

Health Insurance is a topic that seems to be coming up lately.  Campaigns, new jobs, life decisions.  All people need it, few can afford it, more people do not have any at all.  

It seems that a country so resourceful, where people walk right by loose change lying on the ground, should be able to meet the people's health needs.  However, lately I have heard some real horror stories about the costs of insurance and where the money is really going.  The purpose of insurance is to guarantee that should something go wrong you have sufficient means to an end, right?  If the deductible is as high at $1500 in some cases and a single visit to the emergency room can start at $1000 isn't that unfortunate?  

The cost of single coverage may not be so bad but for anyone wanting to start a family and not being able to afford health and supplemental insurance really makes for a "catch-22."  I mean it is really sad when one's insurance premiums make up a third of one's annual salary!  This is much more common among employees of small businesses which is ironic to me because it seems like Americans are really given a bad rap for being a nation of consumers and told that we should buy local... support small, private, family owned businesses right?  It is the middle class hardworking Americans working 9-5 with little or no thanks that are struggling to make ends meet due to high insurance premiums and ridiculous taxes (but I won't go there).

I am grateful that I work for the city and therefore have cheaper insurance premiums than most people.  TRUST ME I am grateful.  Grab a chair and sit down because I am about to tell you the total cost of my stay in the hospital plus the birth and care costs for Harper and Lily while they were in the NICU for 62 days...$600,000.  I'm serious.  And so in my family, it makes sense that I carry the family insurance based on the fact that monthly premiums and deductibles are low and my husbands are HIGH but this makes the choice to stay home full time to take care of them impossible.  If I were to quit my job to take care of their basic needs... I couldn't because we wouldn't be able to afford basic health insurance for them on top of also responsibley paying the bills...

Darn shame.

What I I Have to Say About...

John Edwards.  Just shut up.  Classic case of someone who is only sorry because they got caught.  I'm sorry, but seriously.  It is great that you and wifey are "best friends" and "soul mates" and so on and even renewed your wedding vows (whew - vows are upgradable!) but it's too late in the eyes of the public, at least with me it is.  I'm sure you don't care John Edwards because I am not the one married to you.   Is everyone else saying, "how stupid do you have to be to be skirting around with the other woman when there is paparazzi and tabloids just mouth watering for the chance to bust you!?"  Affairs are bad in any case but I just don't ever have any sympathy for such high profile individuals who reason on the level of a junior high school kid.  Not to mention this man was running for president!  Did he not consider that PRESIDENT at one time was THE position that Americans looked up to?  kids wanted to become???

Michael Phelps.  Being named "the greatest athelete of all time" is a stretch for me.  I have no doubt that he is an INCREDIBLE swimmer.  But this guy is still new and has more time to put in, plain and simple.  Comparing him to such great names as Muhammed Ali, Michael Jordan, Jackie Robinson, etc. is just a little uncomfortable for me.  Prodigy turn legend over night, meh.

  What are your thoughts?

Ok, did anyone hear about or see the cute, little, pigtailed, Chinese girl that sang "Ode to the Motherland" at the Olympic opening ceremonies? Read about it here.

Basically, the original vocalist wasn't deemed cute enough to stand in the spotlight at the opening ceremonies so the little girl that we all saw was just miming the words.  That is just wrong.

In local news, a school bus in South Alabama overturned while driving down a MUDDY, unpaved, backwood dirt road.  Students only suffered minor injuries but parents are in uproar and demanding seat belts be placed on school buses.  The state superintendent is telling the public that in order for a decision such as mandatory seat belts to be implemented it must be backed by research so a study is being done at the University of Alabama to test the effectiveness of seat belts on school buses and this study is going to take three years... OK????  First of all, I would hate to load my child up on a bus that had seat belts knowing that they were only there for research on effectiveness.  Is someone standing around hoping that a bus runs off of a bridge or gets hit by a train to see how well the seat belts work collectively after three years so that then MAYBE we can put seat belts on all school buses because, "well, yep seat belts saved lives."  Second of all, how about pave your driveway.  I'm not talking to the individual families here but a school bus wasn't exactly designed for off-roading, you know? 

Does anyone have any good news? 

Monday morning and taking it easy all day.

Last week and this weekend was probably the busiest stretch we have had in a long time.  Dinner guests every night, doctors visits, Target runs, etc. on minimal sleep.   So here are todays duties: feed, change, do laundry, read my book.

I am keeping up with the summer Olympics.  I love watching swimming!  It was really really exciting and was pretty monumental to watch Phelps and swim team USA win the medley with such an outstanding finish.  The men's basketball team won against China, another exciting game.  The female gymnastics team need our support as they have been reduced from a team of 6 to a team of 4 due to injuries suffered during the preliminaries.  The games have me thinking... I pretty much always expect to win.  Is is the optimist in me or is it because I am an American?  I can't tell.  What I mean is I can remember playing volleyball in high school and winning more times than we lost.  The same went for football... if we played at home I just had the attitude that of course we would win.  Then came freshman year at Bama, Dubose's last coaching season and unfortunately Bama's most recent "good season."  I went to all of those home games at Bryant Denny and stood there watching sure we would win.  I can't wait for that feeling to return in regards to the Tide -( to commentors, if you can't say something nice don't talk to me).  When I watch the Olympics I also expect to win.  It is weird to watch Hoff get second and to think that our gymnasts may not even place.  It's just that I literally expect greatness and nothing less than gold.  So am I cocky, arrogant, naive?  There is a little voice inside of me that says, "You are pretty darn lucky to not know what it feels like to lose or go un-noticed."  Of course, I am not talking about ME personally... I am talking about being anything American.  Is this a good thing?  Do you know what I mean?