Sunday, March 24, 2013

"Parent"dox: Full? Or Empty?

Sunday Night "Parent"dox #6: Full?  Or Empty?
When my son was an infant, there were many a time when I wished he had come with some type of gauge to let me know if his little tummy was full or empty.  (The first time being when he was about 5 hours old...)  I would have gladly paid for an upgrade at the hospital, or extended the warranty, or whatever needed to happen.  Unfortunately, none of these were options or I missed the paperwork somewhere along the way.  Alas, I had to learn to rely on and trust my Mom Instincts.  

Let me explain...

My son was a serious "spitter-upper" as an infant.  When I say "spitter-upper," I actually mean "empty the contents of my stomach-er."  He was a great eater, and we were blessed that breastfeeding went really well right from the start.  

Almost a little too well.  

The little man would eat and eat and eat, and from time to time, immediately follow that up with spitting up his entire feeding.  At least it felt that way when it ended up all over me.  After a while, I learned that I needed to cut him off before he would have chosen to himself.  To be honest, he comes by this voracious appetite honestly.  I have been known to eat way beyond "I'm full" myself.  Wait, there's chocolate cake?  Oh sure, I can make that happen...piece of, well, cake.

One of his most infamous instances was on a trip to Mackinac Island when he was 2 months old.  We had just stepped off the ferry, and found a quiet, secluded spot where I could feed him.  The sun was shining, a cool breeze was blowing, and we had a day full of fun and adventure was waiting for us.  Fudge.  Historic forts.  Ice cream.  Arch Rock.  Salt Water Taffy.  Carriage rides.  Fudge.  (Remember that voracious appetite thing?)  I finished feeding him, put him up on my shoulder to burp him, and it happened.  He got rid of that entire feeding all over my back.  There I was, literally minutes into our trip, covered in regurgitated milk.  Try not to be jealous.  

Lucky for me, the only thing Mackinac Island has more of than fudge shops, are t-shirt shops.  I am now the proud owner of a souvenir Mackinac Island t-shirt which holds one too many memories from that trip.  

Here was the "parent"dox I struggled with in those early days:  Is he full or empty?  

I just fed him.  I know he did actually digest some of what he was eating because he started eating 20 minutes ago.  I also know he expelled from his body what feels like an entire feeding.  So is he full?  Or empty?  Do I feed him again?  Or consider that his feeding?  It was a learning curve for my son and I, and we eventually got the hang of it together.  

When you are covered in bodily fluids from your kiddo, and all you want to do is cry, You Are a Good Mom.  When you are covered in bodily fluids from your kiddo and you still love them beyond words, You Are a Good Mom.  (C'mon...you know you've been there...)

8 comments:

  1. You have hit onto one of the worst of all the ParentDoxes. I think that this question alone is responsible for more moms switching to formula than any other. Wondering whether the little bugger has had enough to eat has driven many a mother to distraction. The uncertainty is enough for most neophyte parents to switch out for the visible ounces that they can see being consumed. (this experience reflects what was happening when I was having kids back in the 70s and 80s when La Leche League was in its infant stages and not to be found where I lived at the time.) We were trying to be Good Moms.

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    1. I was thankful for lots and lots and lots of breastfeeding resources to help me with my millions of questions! :) Moms who nurse, Moms who use formula...ALL are GREAT Moms! :)

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  2. Hahahaha!!! Now try breast feeding two reflux ridden preemies. I asked that question double time, got drenched down both the front and the back and never ever found that "Ahhhh" moment when feeding two. Probably also since I had to pump and feed all the time just to keep at least one happy. I envy you for getting to experience a baby being too full. We never got there and I'm really glad I can laugh about it now, cause man did I sure cry about 5 months ago. The best moments for the three of us were when I could get one latched on and then the other with neither rolling off by Breast Friend platform pillow. I was quite the sight. You can say it... Yes, I was a cow. Both babies milking at the same time... But this "state" only lasted minutes cause then one would spit up or need to burp. Now imagine trying to do that while keeping the other latched on... never mind getting one baby to the too full feeling... Never happened. One baby would kick the other one, tip the Breast Friend Pillow platform or just decide to throw a fit. Then throw one more major wrench in this whole mess... Nipple shields. The girls' mouths were too small to latch on at the beginning and then later they were pulling me and themselves in too many directions to stay latched on, so I used the nipple shields to give me "Go Go Gadget Nipples". Hopefully you are all Inspector Gadget fans like I was as a kid. Anyway, getting two nipple shields on, then getting two babies on, and then getting them both to nurse without anyone rolling off my platform was quite the task ... Every 1.5 hours, since that's how long it took to get all settled in to NOT fill my babies up and then need to start all over again. Ha ha Memories. I lasted 4.5 mos. Praise God for healthy babies.

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    1. God Bless Moms of Twins!! Thanks for sharing your experiences...the hilarious details had me laughing!

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  3. Oh my word, have I ever been there! Henry spit up until he was almost/about one year old. No reflux or anything (which, of course, EVERYONE assumes is the problem) - just a spitter. :)

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    1. That was my son, too! No reflux, either, but you DO hear that from so many!

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  4. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I've enjoyed reading yours too! I can relate to a LOT you have to say. =)

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    1. It never ceases to amaze me how universal some "Mom" experiences are...yet others can be so very, very unique. Thank you so much for checking out my blog! I hope you will stop by again soon!

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