Bringing a Breastfed Baby to Work in Today's Navy!

Okay so I took the month of October off from my blog…let me explain. I had to go back to work October 1st. Well my sweet angel Kellianne loves her mama so much that she refuses to take a bottle. Only all natural for this girl!

What a dilemma this put me in. I am in the navy…so what could I do…not go to work…let my baby starve? Well those are not an option. So, I called my chain of command and told them my situation. I began to prepare to get out of the navy on a hardship. My supervisor talked to my CMC (Command Master Chief) and together they decided that Kellianne was allowed to come to work with me! Yes you read that correctly! Wow America has come along way. This has been a first for everyone I know in the navy. So, for the past 5 weeks or so I have been working and caring for my little one.

I am truly grateful for my chain of command. They have supported me in a time of need and have shown me they really care about me as a person…and not only about what I do for them. They have been wonderful! All of my supervisors and co-workers let me use their office spaces for privacy to breastfeed my daughter whenever I need to. (I refuse to feed her in the bathroom since no other human eats their meals in a bathroom.)

I feel having a baby in the work place can be very interesting. My direct supervisor calls herself grandma to the baby. In fact when she sings to Kellianne, Kellianne falls asleep! How precious. My Commanding Officer is a tough guy. He has never married and does not have kids of his own. Well to see him play with Kellianne is AWESOME!!! It shows the human side of this captain in today’s navy. I am grateful to all of my co-workers who hold Kellianne throughout the day so I can go to the bathroom. (I don’t even get this much help at home! LOL)

Now the reality of my dilemma….Having Kellianne at work is unique, but my workload is still there. I have to work longer hours in order to keep up with my job. I am grateful for this situation and I am not saying my load should be any less of anyone else’s. What I am saying is, since my command has accommodated my situation, I feel it is my duty and obligation to get my job done. With that said, it is tough! I work long hours and I have my two boys at home. When I come home, I have my 3 kiddos. Awesome…I love them and wish I could spend all day everyday with all of them. When they all go to sleep, I have to jump on my computer and do my homework. I am taking 5 classes, but I don’t recommend this. I should have learned my lesson last semester, but obviously I am a glutton for punishment. Well, I am a week behind in one of my classes. Hopefully Tuesday I will be able to catch up. Thank God for Veteran’s Day!!!

The new PTA Vice President

So I just got back from my very first PTA meeting at my son's school. To be honest, I was expecting the parent turnout to be awesome since it was the first one of the school year. I have been looking forward to this since the summer. I don't know too many people here in Kenosha and I was hoping I would meet a few moms at the meeting. However, there were only 5 other parents there! I thought the PTA would have at least 25 or more parents involved. Wow what an eye opener and a shock! All I have to say is...the poor teachers!

Well I left as the new vice president of the PTA...I have NO idea what I just got myself into...but I figured I had to get involved in my son's education with that kind of turn out.
Oh and so far I don't know what the PTA does besides fundraising...I better start doing some research on PTA's...wish me luck...any advise?

Beauty Sleep

"Tristen, you can not stay up late tonight because tomorrow you start Kindergarten."

"Oh but mama, I can't go to kindergarten!"

"Why can't you go Tristen?"

"Because I need my beauty sleep mama."

LMAO

What kind of beauty sleep does a five year old boy need anyhow?

A Little About Myself

I am pregnant and really swollen in this picture. Oh well. : )

I wrote the following posting for a class I am taking online at Fort Hays State University. I figured since I wrote so much I should share it with my readers so they may have a better understanding of who I am.

I am a mom of three kids. My oldest is 5…yes oldest…so I have three kids under 5 years of age. Tristen is 5, Jakob is 2 and Kellianne is 2 months old. I love being a mommy. I will be married 11 years this December. We did not have kids the first 5 years of marriage and struggled with infertility until I finally just gave up trying then wow one day to my surprise I thought I had the stomach flu that was going around my classroom…except after I threw up, I felt much better?! I took a home prego test and yes the good Lord let me conceive my first child without any fertility drugs…after that I got pregnant three years later with Jakob, and 16 months later Kellianne was conceived.

I am originally a Jersey girl. I grew up in Jersey City, NJ. It is a rough area, but I still love it. There’s no place like home. I grew up looking at the NY skyline everyday…just isn’t the same since 9/11. I joined the Navy out of high school and that is where I met my husband Michael. We were stationed in Gulfport, MS while we both attended our schools. I was married to him by the time I was 19 and he was 23…he got me while I was young.

I was in the reserves by the time we were married so I transferred from NJ to California to be with him. We lived there for five years. During those five years I received my Associate Degree from Ventura College and took about 24 Child Development credit hours. I was a director of a before and after school care center (K-5 during the school year and K-8 during the summer). I loved it and to this day it was my favorite job. However, as with most childcare or teaching jobs, I was paid very poorly. I later quit when I was offered a job on base at the Child Development Center. It was a $3 an hour increase with less responsibility so I took it. I really enjoyed that job as well. I resigned due to pregnancy complications with Tristen.

From there, we moved back to Gulfport, MS. I tried to get a job as a teacher’s aid, but was not hired due to my Jersey accent. My friend was the niece of the lady who interviewed me and said I was a great candidate until she heard me speak. So, I then put in a package with the Navy to go back on active duty. I was picked up and then we were transferred to Norfolk, Va.

Now I am stationed in Great Lakes, IL…but live in Kenosha, WI. It’s about an hour commute for the both of us, but I did not want to live in North Chicago. I actually love the area we live in minus the snow. People here in Wisconsin have a cute accent…like I should talk. Although my accent has died down a lot except with certain words.

I graduated from FHSU this past May with a BGS. I actually attended the commencement 7 months pregnant. I am sure I looked funny in my cap and gown, but I didn’t care…I needed to set an example for my son who was not happy he was going to Kindergarten this September. He was so proud of me…he was jumping up and down as I walked across the stage and they called my name. Now he understands school is not a bad thing…it’s a great accomplishment. Tristen has ADHD and often gets frustrated at anything to do with his fine motor skills like cutting and writing. When he saw that I finished college he decided he wanted to go to school too. Not that he has a choice, but okay. His only request is I go with him…so that got me thinking…hmmm…I was going to take a break from school and then apply to graduate school in a year or so, but I knew getting an MBA is not my passion…I just wanted it for the money. Children are my passion. I loved all of my childcare jobs and I loved my classes. I love my children and I love other people’s children as well. I like the fact that I can relate to ADD/ADHD so well since I too have a child with ADHD. Now I have a better understanding of it and read everything I can about ADD/ADHD.

What are some of my hobbies? Well, I guess making hair bows for little girls, gardening, making babies (lol), and working on my websites www.aparentshelper.com or www.for-parents-by-parents.com or my blog. I just started these sites so they may be a little rough.

Lastly, I want to teach second or third grade. I really love the third grade age group, but I will be happy no matter what grade I start off teaching. I am currently enrolled in the following 5 classes: TEEL 273 VB Professional Practice and Observation, TEEL 202 VB Foundations of Education, TEEL 260 VA Children’s Literature, TEEL 230 VB Diverse Learners, and TEEL 231 VC Human Growth and Development.

Comfort Food

There is something to be said for that good ol' feeling you get when you eat some comfort food.

Ever since I had Kellianne, I have been craving oatmeal like crazy! When I say oatmeal, I am not talking about the instant kind either...I mean the actual oats you have to cook on the stove. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I thought once I was no longer pregnant all my cravings would go away. Well, most have except for chocolate and OATMEAL!!! I just had Kellianne in June and I have already went through 3 huge tubs of oats!!! One thing is for sure...I definitely am getting my fiber in. haha My poor sister probably will never want to look at oatmeal for the rest of her life by the time she moves out of here. I think she may have made me 35 bowls of oatmeal while I was recovering from my c-section.

Growing up we often ate oatmeal on very cold days before plunging into the cold weather and going to school. My dad would wake me and my brother up an extra half an hour early to eat oatmeal. My sister is ten years younger then me so she wasn't around yet...poor thing missed out...but don't worry...I am helping her get all the great "memories" of oatmeal now...in the heat of the summer! Hey what can I say I am blond and Polish!


So if you like oatmeal, try this recipe:


1/2 cup of oats (not the quick minute ones either)


1 cup of milk


1/4 cup of water


1 tbsp of either dark brown or light brown sugar


approx. 15 raisins (optional)


1 tbsp of butter (optional)

a dash of salt

1 tsp of maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cook the oats as stated on the box. I bring them to a rolling boil for a few minutes then drop them down to a fast simmer for 15 minutes or less, depending how hungry I am. Yum yum

You can even eat this as a dessert as I often do...but hey that's just me.

Yippie Yippie I made my first hair bow clippie!

I just made my very first hair bow clippie. I totally have found something creative that I am good at and enjoy doing at the same time. Thanks to my favorite blogger, fellow navy veteran chick, at http://senoritamommy.blogspot.com/ she has inspired me to add a little more creativity into my life.

Since I just had a baby girl I was looking online to purchase some baby hair ribbons and bows for her. While doing so, I stumbled across sites that teach you some of the basics of making them yourself. So I was like...hummm...I wonder...the next thing I know I went from planning on purchasing completed hair bows for Kellianne to...looking all over the internet for supplies so I could make them myself. By the way, it is very hard to find some of the items for these...so if anyone knows any good places or sites for me to get more supplies at, I would be ever so grateful to you for that information.

My Family Garden

This summer I decided since the price of gas has become so astronomical, I would plant a vegetable garden with my children and sister. What a great way to teach them how vegetables are grown. I feel this also gives them an appreciation food and teaches them responsibility. My oldest son Tristen loves to help water the garden, whereas, Jakob loves to just pull all the vegetables off the plants and eat them. Tristen is a very picky eater. Growing our own vegetables has made him taste more then he had before. He has added at least one other vegetable, peppers, into his diet.

Some of the herbs, vegetables, and fruits we have planted are the following:
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Strawberries
Onions
Garlic
Basil
Rosemary
Thyme
Camomile
Eggplant
Zucchini
Sage
Parsley
Cilantro
Mint
Arugula
Blueberries
Radishes (We grew so many of these I actually have no idea what to do with them. I have began pulling them and leaving them outside for the rabbits to eat. I mean one can only eat so many in a salad!)

Oh and there is an apple tree in my yard, but I have no idea what kind of apples they are.

My Newest Arrival

On June 19th I finally had my newest addition. Kellianne came into our lives at 1729 that night following a placenta abruption. Wow what a close call! I once again went to labor and delivery for some bleeding. After a bunch of tests and an ultrasound were done, the doctor could not find a reason for my bleeding. So, she was getting ready to let me go home and about twenty minutes into her thinking about letting me go home, I started to contract and go into labor. Next thing I knew, I was on my way to the operating room to have my baby via emergency c-section. I had just made it to 36 weeks and one day.

When the doctor opened me up she said my placenta abrupted and the baby had a lot of blood in her sack as well. Thankfully, she is healthy. She was 5 pounds 7 ounces and 18 inches long. Kellianne was able to leave the hospital with me two days later!!!

My recovery has been much easier this c-section verses the last c-section I had with Jakob. I have been able to do a whole lot more and I feel good. Thank God for real doctors.

I am 35 weeks!!!!

So far, I made it to 35 weeks!!! Now the next big milestone is 36 weeks. I really need to make it to 36 weeks so the baby doesn’t have to go to a different hospital and her lungs will be more mature.

I still haven’t found that “perfect” name yet. All suggestions are welcome. Feel free to leave a list. So far I have the following baby girl names on my list:
Olivia Madison
Alyssa Lynn
Kayla
Jenna
Jada
Maya
Ava
Nichole (for a middle name only)
Bailey

As you can see, I can’t decide. My spouse and I haven’t really had time to discuss names either. His hours suck. I think we email each other and talk on the phone more then we actually get to speak in person. Weird, but hey it works. Hopefully his hours will change after the baby is born…Hello, I’m going to need all the help I can get! I have two other kiddos.

Did I mention that I am going to have another C-section? Well I am, and to be honest I really don’t want another c-section. I had my first son with no drugs. It was a natural delivery, and he was 8 pounds and 1 ounce. My second son was an elected c-section since he too was predicted to be over 8 pounds. My first delivery was rough because he had shoulder dystocia and then he gave me a 4th degree tear. So you can see why I elected the c-section.

So why do I want to got through another natural delivery verses another c-section? Well because I had such a horrible experience. Maybe it was because I had him in a Navy hospital, but it sucked. I didn’t know who was performing the surgery and I felt like I was in a movie. All these people came in masked up…I didn’t know who was a doctor or who was a nurse. Not one person said a thing to me except the anesthesiologist (who was awesome). Then the surgery was performed. I had to keep asking is he out yet? No one ever answered me…so when I felt the tube going across my abdomen sucking out all the blood and fluids, I thought it was the baby convulsing or something…still no one answered me! Finally I ask my husband to look over the sheet and see if the baby was out. He looked over and said no. All I could think of was thank God! Finally I heard my baby...but they didn’t show me this baby and they didn’t tell me if it was a boy or girl. I did have an ultrasound saying it was a boy, but I wanted to be certain.

I told my spouse to go with the baby and not to let the baby out of his sight while they finished me up. Well then they hung up a diagram, A DIAGRAM, and started to close me up. A week after being home my incision began bleeding through bandages. My c-section was not closed by “someone” correctly…I just didn’t know who this someone was. So, I had 7 weeks of home care nurses coming several times a day to pack and unpack this open wound...needless to say, I was not healing very easily and I totally hate military hospitals.

I did find out who delivered my baby when I went back for my 6 week check up. When I had questions about the incision she gave me. She was really rude and told me following up on the incision (which was still not healed closed yet!) was not her “job”. Well, I filed a formal complaint and every survey I received about my experience at that hospital was filled out appropriately. I moved so I really have no idea what happened to that “doctor”, but I hope she had to go back for training or something.

Anyway, that experience is why I do not wish to have another c-section. Although I do have a ‘real’ doctor this time, I am still pretty nervo

My recent trip to labor and delivery at 34 weeks

Ok so if you know me you know I have two boys. One age 5 and the other will be two in July. I am currently 34 weeks pregnant (with a girl this time) and trying to avoid preterm labor. I was at work the other day when I started having Braxton Hick contractions on a pretty regular basis. Actually they were coming and going regularly for over a week, but I just ignored them since I was not in any “real” pain.

This time was different...I had some very faint spotting. I had a doctor appointment coming up in about 3 hours and I contemplated not calling and just waiting until I got to her office to tell her what was going on. Then I something in me said to call...I probably was hearing my spouse’s voice in my head telling me to stop being so stubborn and just call.

Well, I called and they told me to go right to labor and delivery. Ok so I work almost an hour away from the hospital and well I stopped by my house to take a “quick” shower. Yes I know…what was I thinking, right? Well I am a girl and I wanted to make sure all of my personal parts were well groomed before I had people poking and prodding me. The whole time I kept telling myself…I probably imagined the spotting and I am going to get there and waste everyone’s time.

Mind you, I still have yet to get a hold of my spouse at this time…ahhh the life of the military. I left messages everywhere for him. Thank goodness I wasn’t counting on him driving me to the hospital! LOL

So I waddled my booty to labor and delivery. I tell the nurse behind the counter my doctor sent me to get checked out. She is like ok let’s get you checked in. Well I give them a urine sample…there is always plenty where that comes from…then she hooks me up to the monitors and leaves the room. Hello…I still can’t get a hold of my husband!

Now that I am all hooked up and settled in for about a half an hour, she comes back in…except with two huge 16 oz cups of water and says start drinking. Don’t get me wrong I like water, but come on, hospital tap ice water. Yuk…and no thanks. Then she is like honey you are contracting every 3-4 minutes…we want to see if this will calm it down. Reluctantly I begin drinking…then she is like oh and I need to check your cervix. Great and I still can’t find the man who did this to me…

She checks me and says your 1 centimeter dilated. I think well that’s not bad…we all know you can be 1 centimeter for weeks. Then she leaves the room. Less then 5 minutes later she returns with a guy starting an IV on me and she gives me a shot of Terbutaline. I get the shakes head to toe and I STILL CAN NOT get a hold of my husband…did I mention we still haven’t decided on a name yet either. My nerves are a wreck and at this point I have no idea if I will be having this baby right then and there. Plus you guess it…still no husband. Then I hear my cell vibrate and grab it…it's him! He’s on his way to the hospital (mind you it's about a 45 minute drive for him). Fifteen minutes later….yes fifteen minutes later he walks in the door to my room. I am shaking head to toe…and just seeing him makes me feel better. Why? Because I won’t be doing this by myself after all and no matter how much we can fight, he is really good at this kind of stuff. By now I am on my second IV drip and having to pee like crazy. I have someone to help me up…yea!!!

A few hours later my doctor comes in, checks me, and reads the printouts from the monitors. She is letting me go home!!! But strict bed rest…okay did I mention I have two other kids under the age of 6? My, how the heck is this going to work? Well, so far it has been a challenge, but I have to try to keep her in for at least two more weeks…otherwise she will be transferred to a hospital over an hour away. We shall see how this goes…wish me luck.