Raising Ru | Raising Hell

I am 29 years old. American expat living in Scotland with my husband of 3 years. I have a son who is my life and a cat. Advocate for full term breastfeeding, intactivism, free gender and sexual expression for children, attachment parenting, gentle discipline, cloth diapering and baby led parenting. Introduction/First Post Ru's Birth Story

[secularmom-deactivated20140715]

Can you please reblog this if you were spanked as a child and you know you did NOT turn out okay?

[thegreenmangrove]

*~*~GIVEAWAY~*~*

Hello everyone!! I’m so excited to announce the first of MANY giveaways we’ll be having!

Up for grabs is a gorgeous Chakra pendant. Made with sterling silver, it holds seven real stones that align with the seven main Chakras. What a convenient way to get such great energy so close to you, without having to carry each individual stone.

*RULES*

You must be following TheGreenmanGrove!

One reblog per person, likes do not count.

I’ll use a random number generator and draw a winner on July 30th at 8pm Eastern. Please have your ask box open and be wiling to send me your mailing address.

Best Wishes

)O(

[my-rudeboy]

This is gorgeous. 

[my-rudeboy]

oh boy

today has been:

lots of sleeping 

lots of eating 

lots of fussing 

and lots of clinging

no idea what is up.

I had to cancel our plans for the day bc I knew he would just cry and cry. 

What's going on, Ru?

D is away to the states on business so I am left to be Supermom.

[vinnysmommy-mymockingjay-deacti]

Give away!!! Rules are: you MUST be following me(I’ll know if you aren’t!), likes and reblogs count, you can reblog as many times as you want, the winner will be chosen at random! Included: One box of nursing pads, and breast milk storage bags Baby clothes! From newborn to 12 months One bath time temperature duck One pair of stockings one size fits all, one pair of winter boots newborn. One bib Four cloth diapers from alvababy with 8 reusable liners And one moby wrap! If you have any questions ask me! It ends July 20th and can ship to U.S and Canada but if you’re anywhere else give me until August. Thanks! And may the odds be ever in your favor!(;

[my-rudeboy]

Ru spent time at the park yesterday.

Sleeping 

Eating 

Playing

His existence is pretty awesome.

[my-rudeboy]

Okay, I think it's time for me to come clean. I am a baby shopping addict.

I love buying things for my son but because of how quickly a newborn/infant grows I often go down the second-hand route. Also, it's great for the environment to shop second-hand--less energy and resources needed for manufacturing and less waste overall. Everyone wins. 

Once a month a Jack and Jill Market takes place in my town where parents hire out stalls/tables and sell their pre-loved and outgrown children's goods. For the last 3 or 4 months I have been the first in queue (what can I say I am eager and this has become the one time a month when I am able to leave Ru with his dad and spend money without shame...like I said, everyone wins--including me). 

Today was one of those days. I usually bring £40 cash (which includes the £1 entry cost). I find this is a good amount of money as I am not usually looking for big ticket items like cot beds or push chairs. "What are you after?" is the question of the day. Today I wanted a high chair, a mobile for Ru's Arm's Reach co-sleeper, a Moby bc I can't seem to make breastfeeding work in my Ergo with the Infant Insert, and cloth nappies (always looking for these). Of this list I came home with...cloth nappies. In my defense I did amend my answer with "we're open to other purchases".

What I got is as follows:

3 Cloth Nappies (Unused) £8

3 pairs of infant shoes (3-6 months--a blindspot in Ru's wardrobe) including a pair of Converse zebra slip-ons. £5

1 pair of plaid BabyGap shorts £10

1 Oh Baby London stripy IRock onesie £3

1 Bright Starts Bounce Bounce Baby Activity Center £15 (Above)

1 Fisher Price Topzy Tumblers Twirlin' Tumblin' Fun Park £10 (Also Above)

Clearly I went over budget but Ru's wardrobe and playroom looks great. 

[my-rudeboy]

da stash

[my-rudeboy]

I just want to nibble his chunky legs

[my-rudeboy]

D left yesterday for Singapore. He'll be gone for the week and this is my first time with Rufus entirely on my own. So far we've done okay but I am knackered. 

Because he is with me all the time he is a milk machine. Any time when he isn't occupied with something else (and let's face it, at 14 weeks he is rarely occupied) he is like "FEED ME". I think my supply dipped when I was ill so I am struggling quite a bit but I am hoping constant nursing will bump me up. I've also been eating my lactation cookies, drinking mother's milk tea and this barley oat drink I bought. I had oatmeal for dinner. My mastitis breast is healed but feels...tight. I am sure he is able to get something out of it but hand-expressing is trying. Fingers crossed that this is a temporary problem. My breastfeeding relationship with Ru is one of my top priorities at the moment. I don't want it derailed. 

Also, D checked my bank account and noticed all my Paypal charges. Yikes. I've spent £80, which isn't bad for what I have been getting but he isn't stoked on that spending habit continuing. I promised him it wouldn't...and then I bought 2 more wraps this morning but really, I SWEAR, no more now. None more diapers. 

I've listed a few things on ebay.co.uk. You can see my listings here: http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/xniffyx 

I've also listed 3 Bambinex teddy nappies on Cloth Nappy Tree here: http://www.clothnappytree.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=114263

I love the Bambinex teddies but I find that my heavy wetter soaks them in no time and I am happy with my Tots Bots + Little Lamb wraps from here on out. I am holding on to one teddy just because I love how fluffy they are. I love seeing his fluffy bum in them.

I am still waiting on a new Itti Bitti, 8 Mothereases, 19 Blueberries, 1 Tots Bots and 1 Happy Heiny. Yeah. I need to destash a bit. Also I am getting some more gifted to me--another full set and a friend mentioned sending me more Itti Bittis. Ugh. I have a problem but I love it....

[my-rudeboy]

So I woke up with mastitis today and was so dizzy I could hardly walk. My fever was just under 100º and I was having incredible chills. Awful. Ru slept through the night last night bc we had given him Calpol. Apparently our dream feeds were effective bc my breasts (primarily my right but they were both pretty engorged) were hurting despite side-nursing him for ages this morning. I've been suspicious that his side-nursing was more for comfort than sustenance. 

Anyway, first I attempted to pump but the breast that was angry isn't responsive to the pump. I got, maybe, 1/4 oz. No blood streaks but the pain was so bad I nearly threw up. 

I called lactation consultants immediately and when I finally got in touch with one she said she was going to look for someone to speak to me but she thought I should call my GP. With Ru being so ill (still) I wasn't keen to bring him out to the doctors (assuming I could even get an appt). So I went into the shower (hot!) and attempted to massage the lumps out. I was able to express a bit to reduce pressure but ultimately decided I needed Ru to nurse and I would pump my "good" side. I manage 2.5 oz out of my non-angry, non-red, non-screaming in pain breast and nothing from my angry side. 

I nursed Ru on that side while on the phone with the LC. He was taking it fine but not draining it entirely. I rarely feel entirely drained but I feed near constantly when Ru isn't sick. Oh the glamour of being a SAHM--can be tits-out all day. He nodded off and I attempted to nap as well. 

Someone has taught Ru to twist nipples. I don't know who did it or if he is naturally a sadist of the worst caliber but oh my god, I had to sleep with something over my poor breast bc he was all pincers. I finally talked my husband into taking the afternoon off to help (he leave the country tomorrow for a week and so I need to be better!!) and I focused on expressing more, draining the breast and finding where the blockage was. 

My milk in the breast tasted tremendously salty while the "good" breast was still producing sweet milk. Ugh, it's nasty. I like to think that people who breastfeed won't side eye me for tasting my own milk. Apparently, "salty" milk is milk that has been in the breast for some time or the infection. I don't understand why Ru wasn't saying "hell to the naw" when I was offering him that salty breast but I am glad he doesn't care. I was doing my expressing in a hot shower (again) and then got out. My husband made me lunch bc at this point I hadn't eaten and I pumped another 1.5 oz from "good breast". Hardly anything from Demon Breast.

After lunch I nursed Ru more. Tried to dangle-feed with no such luck. Tried expressing more when he was on the good breast. My poor nipple is so sore. When I handed off Ru I had 3 garlic cloves cut up and popped like pills. I also am trying to drink as much fluid as possible. I soaked my breast in hot water in the wash basin and went to sleep for a couple of hours. 

Woke up drenched bc my fever had broken. I am still sore and my milk in that breast is still salty. I have taken paracetemol and ibuprofen, so the pain is reduced but I am still sore. I am hoping I can avoid antibiotics. I am worried about it tanking my supply or taking drugs I don't need. I have put coconut oil on my nipples so to avoid any risk of thrush and am letting the babies swing free of any restrictive clothing. 

Fingers crossed this works. :(

[my-rudeboy]

Woke up. 

Ru's still sick. 

And I have symptoms of mastitis. 

I can't take care of him and D leaves the country tomorrow. 

Waiting to hear back from the LC to have her come out. 

[my-rudeboy]

I've been meaning to thank the three people who responded to my call for CD mentors. Thank you, thank you, thank you lots! When a random question pops up I will tag you. 

So far I have been using Tots Bots and LURVE them (except they leak poo but that's probably more my error and the newborn leaky poos Ru does). Also, Little Lambs wraps are where it's at. Ru has been sick and his poos have been not nice but the Little Lambs have ensured that even the most escapist roguish poos stay away from me and my little man's not private parts. I definitely want more LL wraps--the design just works really well. Nature's Babies (or w/e they're called) seem to run small. I bought two small wraps and they don't fit....bummer, I'll resell/swap them (though they're cute). Also I got an Ella's House Bumhugger and I am wicked pleased with it but I think it (and my MotherEase ones) would be better if I had a dryer to pop them in for 10 minutes to make them less scratchy. I am waiting on my 19 Blueberries to come and I hope I like them. I tried my Itti Bitti D'lish again bc last time it was pee leak city and it was good--just gotta make sure Ru's willy-wally is pointing in the right direction. 

[my-rudeboy]

My cutie (and his first cold)

Smiling through the discomfort

[my-rudeboy]

Poor Ru. 

Sleeping in the carrier bc it keeps him upright. 

[my-rudeboy]

My baby is sick. 

My heart is breaking into a million pieces seeing him this way. 

He can't even eat. He tries to latch, coughs, chokes and cries. 

Doctor says it's reflux but it came out of nowhere. 

I hate having to trust doctors.

To her he's just a patient but to me he's my everything. 

I am going to be married to this pump for the night so I can have plenty of milk for him when he's well again. 

[my-rudeboy]

I know they say you can't spoil a baby but this face makes you really want to try your best to prove that saying wrong. 

Edit: I swear that was flipped the right way. Bah. 

[my-rudeboy]

So, I am leaving Ru with his grandparents for the first time so D and I can go to brunch. I am not 100% stoked to be away from the wee man (even for the 1.5 hours it might take us to eat/chat) but I know it's going to be important that D and I sit together, just the two of us. D was away for 3 months of my pregnancy and two of those months were at the end so when he came back I was heavily pregnant and wasn't very mobile. 

So we're going to brunch and Ru will spend a bit of time with his granny and grandad. I think this will be good for him. Or at least I hope so bc he is still doing the meltdowns when away from mommy. At least it's in the morning when he is a cheery, happy baby. Let's just hope he doesn't hit a growth spurt, wonder week, or be a freak-o who sprouts teeth incredibly early. Fingers crossed. 

I love my wee man but I need to give my undivided attention to the big man for our family to be symbiotic.