Mama Leaks

Tales from the trenches of semi-continent early motherhood

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In the aftermath of the election

I haven't known what to say about the election, but it's too awful for me to say nothing.

On Election Night, my mother came to watch the kids so my husband and I could take dinner to friends who had a baby that morning. We brought food to the hospital, I inhaled the smell of an hours-old baby deeply while his parents had a few minutes with free hands, and we all watched CNN scream BREAKING NEWS over things that were not actually breaking news every five minutes around 7pm Eastern.…

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The Dream Feed Dilemma

As a sleep deprived zombie I get why the stupid dream feed sounds promising #parenting #baby

To say my first baby wasn’t much of a sleeper is a giant understatement. I gradually lost my mind as he didn’t sleep for more than three hours at a time until he was about eight months old, when getting him to finally sleep through the night felt like a damn miracle. In the foggy days of waning maternity leave, I spent time in the middle of the night typing baby-related search phrases into my…

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The Svan Signet High Chair is the worst

@Svanbaby sent the Signet chair from hell to make me live with constant buyers remorse #baby

Let me start this off by saying that I love pretty things. I am the type of person who will walk into a store that offers varietal price points, like Nordstrom, and without meaning to walk over to something that doesn’t look particularly flashy but ends up being insanely expensive. It’s not that I can afford to buy things like this, but I think it’s the mark of well made products when they…

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Weaning my First Baby Sucked

It was hard #weaning my 1st #milkallergy #baby & it's on my mind with my 2nd. #breastfeeding

My second baby is still nursing. He’s nearly 14-months old and I’m not sure when he’ll wean himself, or if I’ll force him to do so. That’s not to say that I’ll nurse him until he’s starting preschool, or keep nursing him past the point where I want to, but I don’t have an end date in mind right now. Like so many other things with parenting, I believe that everyone has to do what works best for…

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Dear parents of the friends of my teenage self

As more old friends die I can say #Imsorry to their #dearparents #addiction #teenagers

Last week while making a last minute trip to the bulk aisle of the grocery store with my toddler, I received a text from a friend. She is the cousin of an even older friend of mine. In one sentence with no real details, she asked if I had heard he died. That night, as I was nursing my baby to sleep, I was thinking of how I would do anything for my kids. That if they were wearing footed pajamas, I…

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Thinking 'bout Thinx Period Panties

Magical panties to period better? Mine are awful so I want this #review #Thinx #periodproud

I first heard about Thinx period panties (or period underwear if you’re a person who hates the word panties, in which case this post will be very difficult for you) in the most unbelievably adorable, this doesn’t happen outside of a birth control commercial kind of way – from a friend gleefully sharing her experience over pricey tapas tacos at a mommies-only ladies night (that means any social…

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Lactation Tea: Milkmaid v. Mother's Milk

To keep #breastfeeding I needed help with my #milksupply #lactation tea challenge

Protecting the milk supply is serious business. If you’re a nursing mother, whether hustling hard at your job or busting your ass as a stay at home mom, you already know that milk making is another occupation. Anything that makes nursing easier is something I pay attention to – from supplies for my boobs to products to boost my supply. But here’s the catch: I have two kids that both demand all of…

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Babies are bad for marriage

no sleep, downtime, personal time or sex. We weren't like this before #kids #babies #parenting

I’m realizing that it’s hard to keep up with writing this blog when I have a job that takes up my day, and then there are the boys. My kids fill the rest of my time that isn’t used for eating or sleeping, and to further complicate staying on top of this, Game of Thrones is back. I also don’t make any money of off the blog, and money is always a good motivator. However, I have found that writing…

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I am not what I was before kids

I am more gray & fuzzy than before becoming a mother. It's not my hair, it's my brain #momlife

As a treat I found myself sitting at an impromptu workday lunch with another mom friend. Mind you mom lunch isn’t a pretty or relaxing affair. It’s us half starting conversations while we rapidly inhale dim sum by unhinging our jaws, swallowing food whole like anacondas on speed while entertaining the baby with a free hand, one wiggling foot, the table utensils, and a plastic straw. Mom lunch…

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Why you need a diaper Go Bag

Arriving at ER w no ID, toys, or snacks. Thank God 4 #Phrames H2O bottle #beprepared #baby

Note: This post also contains my first ever discount code! Hooray! It’s for the one item that I had in my diaper bag that turned out to be shockingly useful, so I want other people to get it too. You can  scroll to the bottom for it, but I hopefully have other relevant information shared here as well. Last week when I rushed out the door to the ER with my baby, I grabbed the diaper bag that I had…

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Hummus with a side of Epipen

I wasn't calm when my baby had an #anaphylactic reaction to #sesame #foodallergies #baby

As I’ve watched my older child steadily outgrow his food allergies, or at least those known allergies where we’ve been able to gradually increase his tolerance through small and safe amounts, it has apparently given me a false sense of security for my baby’s food allergies. This all came crashing down on Thursday. A couple of months ago we had done some early testing  for our baby. Some doctors…

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Breastfeeding as an exercise of privilege

Breast or bottle is one thing, but time to nurse #baby shouldn't be a privilege #leadonleave

In covering breastfeeding topics I’m speaking from my own experience as a nursing mother. This is my second round of nursing, and it wasn’t an idyllic start either time. With my first, tongue-tied baby, it was horrible and I’m still surprised that I kept nursing him. I will be forever grateful to the lactation consultants that I saw in the hospital where I delivered and the LC on staff at the…

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A Bad Day of Toddler Assholery

I wasn't prepared for the red pinch injuries my #toddler did to my #baby #siblingrivalry

My two-year old can be challenging, as I’ve heard two-year olds are wont to be. Some days this challenging behavior shows up as big mood swings, extended tantrums, or general freak outs over things that matter or not, like a big reaction to a scraped knee – which is totally legitimate – or a huge meltdown over the wrong truck song being played. Then there are days like today where the assholery…

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Protecting the Milk Supply

Establishing milk supply is crucial, maintaining it can be work or delicious. #breastfeeding

I spend a lot of time making milk. I’m either nursing my baby or pumping while I work so our nanny can feed him. Sometimes he’s so distracted on weekends that I end up having to pump when I could have nursed, or I’m tied up cooking dinner or wiping my toddler’s butt so my husband gives him a bottle. I am the mommy milk machine Lactating isn’t a new experience for me anymore. I’ve actually been…

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Preschool Lottery - Panic Time

No control over #preschool #charterschools or #publicschoolsarebetter I want to win the lotto

I haven’t published anything in the last week. It’s not writer’s block as I’m still full of opinions. I even have a few posts on draft about important topics like milk supply and boob care. The last few weeks of my life have been completely consumed by last minute research for our city’s preschool lottery. The Preschool Lottery – At Least The Odds are Better than Powerball Nearly all of the…

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Holy Shit, I got my VBAC

Pitocin, epidural fail &20 hours of #labor later I had my #VBAC. Thx super vagina! #motherhood

Note: This post is the continuation of my VBAC story started in two other posts, whether to try a VBAC and yes, I was induced for a VBAC. The induction story was getting too long for one post. Anyhow, continued below or if you’re just joining us, I’m in labor below! The idea of a baby coming out of your vagina is a strange one. Yes, it’s the way it’s supposed to happen, but that didn’t mean…

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Yes, I Was Induced for a VBAC

Would knowing the risks have changed my mind on #induction to try #VBAC? I didn't want a #RCS

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the decision as to whether or try for a VBAC or schedule another c-section was left up to me. There were some caveats in my ability to decide. Before I get into that, I want to stress something – all women are entitled to make their own medical decisions. You as a pregnant person retain control over whether or not you do or do not want to do a procedure or…

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