Complications

First, I'd like to clarify, I'm very lucky. When it comes to breastfeeding, both of my boys latched right away, drank like they're on the sidelines of an NFL game, and I haven't had to supplement so far with Baby Bro, never had to in the year I nursed Toddler B. But anyone whose done it knows- breastfeeding is hard. Even for those for which it comes easy- it's hard.

It's a team sport where baby and momma work together in a game set by instinct and biology. For baby it means putting in demand for milk production before growth spurts and working hard to learn a brand new digestive system. For mom it's eating healthy, eating enough, and drinking water like never before. Here in the desert, I get to double down on that last one. Which is why when I got food poisoning after five successful weeks of nursing, I got hit hard. A nursing baby is draining a moms fluid. When mom can't even keep down water, that's a big problem.

After 12 hours without being able to keep anything down, and losing nearly 5lbs, we made the decision to go to the ER so I could replenish some fluid and continue my breastfeeding journey. Ironically, after all that preparation and pain management to have a successfully needle-free labor and delivery; here I was hooked up to an I.V. With some anti-nausea meds and rehydration, everything went back to normal. Including my hungry baby boy.

At 8 weeks, baby is growing so quickly! He likes: being outside, his brother, smiling at mommy, listening to songs, playing with daddy, the octopus toy on his play mat, his cousins, and so much more!

He dislikes: tummy time, but he quickly solved that issue by learning to roll over!