Monday 6 June 2011

Little wonder

The weekend started with a new found hatred for shrimps. The little creatures were part of a (usually) delicious mix of pasta, tomatoes, artichokes, feta cheese and chili flakes. And yes, there is a link between shrimps and my baby.

The thing is, babies have a gift. They instinctively require attention as soon as their parents sit down to have dinner. This is when you start to eat your meal so fast that you barely take the time to taste it...the time to spit up the suspicious shrimp...the time to realize that food poisoning is just around the corner!

Food poisoning is bad. So food poisoning while breastfeeding a two months old baby is horrible! At one point, I'm pretty sure that I told Dan that I would prefer giving birth again (silly, silly me!) than living another hour of, well, you don't need the details. Just let me tell you that Alice was not impress with her cut short moments with the boobies! I can multi-task but there are limits ;)

Most of my weekend turned out to be gastrointestinal oriented until last night when Alice filled my heart with so much joy that my extreme dislike for the crustacean was gone in a second. Alice laughed. A pure, innocent, high pitch laugh that can only be done by a baby.

And I know that it is pretty silly but I was so happy that it was me (and not a stranger at the park) who made her laugh for the first time...simply by placing my lips on her tiny right sole and blowing just enough air to produce a fart noise!

Yes, a fart noise! How appropriate after a bad case of food poisoning...ah ah ah!!!

note: As long as the food poisoning symptoms are confined to the gastrointestinal tract (vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps), breastfeeding can continue without interruption as there is no risk to the baby.

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On a completely different subject, Alyson from the delightful blog Unruly Things asked me (and, thankfully, other people that are way more qualified than me to write on a design blog!!!) to be a guest blogger while she discovers her brand new baby boy. My "style dilemma" will be posted tomorrow (June 7th) and I would love to know your opinion on the subject!

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lola: Oh, poor kid. If Alice is like me, she has a long life of rolling off, tripping, falling, etc. As long as it is not too serious!

vanessa-lynn david handbag co.: You already got your periods!?! Not cool! I got the UID Mirena. It is basically a very expensive (400$...good that we have insurance) tiny t-shaped thing with hormones in it. It comes in a BIG box that will scare you a lot. It is good for 4-5 years and you rarely have your periods during that time. Some people told me that it was very painful to have it installed (I asked my doctor, as a joke, for an epidural). According to my doctor, an ob-gyn (or a doctor that does a lot of contraception stuff) should do it without much pain (I didn't feel much). So far, I'm happy with the result and there are not that many options available anyway if you want to breastfeed.

j: As I wrote in the previous answer, I like my IUD. Well, since I got food poisoning, I didn't fully try all aspects of the product yet (ah!). For breastfeeding women, I think it is a good product. It is not for everybody (there are a few conditions) but so far, for me, it works. I did bleed a bit but nothing crazy. You can also read the comments that I got about the product from other bloggers: http://auxpetitsoiseaux.blogspot.com/2011/04/ignorant-claudia.html

bec hem: Breastfeeding is so nice. I still feel like a cow and I don't love to breastfeed in public places that much but I look at Alice's face and things get easy again. There are many resources available if you have problems breastfeeding so, please, don't hesitate to ask for help.

one claire day: I don't even want to think about the 4 months vaccinations!

bess callard: Ah, thank you so much! I can't wait to see you tomorrow :)

pauper: No, but I would love to make clothes for Alice. I'm working on a little kimono but I need to get a better fabric stash since it is, well, pretty much gone at the moment,

cal's mum: Mastitis is SO scary. I would be very upset if I had to stop breastfeeding now...not ready yet (for me and for Alice). So sad to know that you had mastitis. And I will go and read the symptoms again just to make sure that I know them. Take care.

cara carmina: Thank you so much :) Yes, I have a thing for squirrels.

erica: I also love when Alice looks up at me mid-feed. Oh no! Poor baby. I almost cried when Alice got her vaccinations...far from surgery! You are a strong strong woman. Is everything ok with your baby?

11 comments:

NADYNE said...

you got alice a coucou salut doll! shannon (the brains behind coucou salut) is also one of my clients. i love it when i can connect the dots between my clients!

JoeyNomad said...

I just finished a bout of gastro while pregnant - it's just not fun is it! Alice is adorable!

kate / tinywarbler said...

oh no! that sounds awful, i hope you are feeling better now.
i'm glad that alice was able to make you feel better with her laugh!

one claire day said...

Oh, no... there's nothing worse! Though I have yet to experience this as a breastfeeding mother...and hopefully never will!

That first laugh is magical. I cried when Eulalie laughed for the first time (which then freaked her out and made her start crying too!).

x claire
P.S - thanks for sleeping baby vibes! :)

Clairsy said...

I can't imagine how sucky that must be with a wee one to look after. Best wishes for a super-speedy recovery!

oscarlucinda said...

Eek, that sounds awful - and exhausting. You poor thing...

But how lovely that Alice could see that you needed some cheering up. She's a clever little one, that girl.

Will keep my eye out for your guest post. x

alyson said...

ick, so glad to hear you're feeling better. food poisoning is terrible!

erica said...

that first big chuckle is unlike anything else! it can make the most tired mumma squeal with delight (:

my little man is great. thanks for asking. the surgery he had was a frenectomy, totally minor. not to ramble on too much. a short frenulum can be very common and at a great detriment to breastfeeding. sadly, most pediatricians in the US are unaware of its importance & are more apt to just suggest formula. in that case, an educated EarNoseThroat doc is vital. here's a great audio that sent us straight to the ENT:
http://l.wbx.me/l/?instId=d58c4720-db53-4af8-acf3-13acd3db00c1&token=f348bb5a38c454eaf6e327a21c9a85234de05351000001306052a160&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmommymilk%2F%7E3%2FK3UVovyx_WU%2Fmmm_23_tongue_tie_%2528ankyloglossia%2529.mp3

...may be helpful for other new mommas with a hard go at breastfeeding.

glad you're feeling better!

~erica

bugheart said...

yikes!
i am so sorry
to hear you
got so sick....
i can only imagine.
i am scared
of getting sick
in mexico...
i don't eat meat
but i hear
you can get
all sorts of
scary intestinal
tract stuff
from veggies/fruit
washed in contaminated
water...
so scary.
glad you are better!
:)

Anonymous said...

ah, that sounds awful! glad to hear that you toughed it out with the breastfeeding. and you are so right about babies having a gift. luke can be totally content for hours and as soon as i sit down to eat he needs me.

and man, a baby laugh has got to be the best medicine :)

Shayna said...

egads...food poisoning while breastfeeding is so awful. i had horrid food poisoning 2 nights after we came back from the hospital and for the next 24 hours was either at the toilet on my knees or nursing, with a bowl by the bed. blech!

hope you're feeling better!