Going Back to Work
 

With the impending conclusion of my maternity leave, I am preparing myself to put the Chicklet in daycare 3.5-4 days per week. I have the utmost confidence in the facility, it is only about 6-8 blocks or so from work, and I am certain that she will be fine. I, however, am already a wreck every time I think about it. Does anyone who has been through this have any advice about how to deal practically and emotionally?

I am still BFing, and have worked out that I will have to pump 3x per day to get enough for the next day. Mothers frequently come to the facility to BF at lunch and I haven't yet decided how often I am going to avail myself of that.

Going Back to Work
 

Emotionally, the anticipation is worse than the reality. You will not be a wreck when you actually do it. You may get verklempt or even cry, but you'll be surprised how quickly you adjust to being at work/not being at home.* You will also be comforted when you see the baby bond with her primary caregiver at the facility. It's hard to imagine now, but assuming the caregivers are loving, the baby will actually enjoy being cared for by others (this is not to suggest she will prefer it to being with you all day, just that it will be an enjoyable experience for her). She will probably find day care more enjoyable than you find work.

Practically, the reality may be worse than the anticipation. It's hard getting out the door in the morning and you will always feel very pressed for time. It all sounds obvious, but do what you can to have things pre-arranged -- stuff to take to day care, notes for the day care providers, what she's going to wear, what you're going to wear, your personal bag, etc. Also, think in advance about what you'll have for dinner each night your first week back.

I hate pumping and it's way too much work to pump enough in one day to provide completely for the next, so I try to BF during the day twice and send a bottle or two to cover the gap. My center is much closer than yours, so the only problem with this is timing -- sometimes she's sleeping when I go, or I turn up just before she might have been ready for a nap and she gets all charged up again just seeing me. So, visiting is better for my production and her nutrition, but it can be a bit disruptive to her schedule. I hate messing with her naps because it's hard enough for her to sleep there with all the activity, and the better she naps, the better she sleeps at night.

And of course, this is also obvious, but don't worry about planning out any routine. Once you feel your way to something that works and know it well enough to write it down, you'll adjust it anyway.

*This "adjustment" makes me think of that allegory about the frog swimming in the water that keeps getting warmer until it's boiling and he doesn't realize it before he becomes soup.

Going Back to Work
 

Let's do lunch! My schedule is wide open!!!

Going Back to Work
 

Who can sleep at a moment like that!?!?!?!

Going Back to Work
 

I have never had to do this, per se, but I did have to pump full-time with the Lexling. Once you get better at pumping, you may only need to pump twice during the workday (possibly even only once) to get enough for her, or one pump and an afternoon feeding or so. Basically, it may take awhile, but your boobs will get better adjusted to the pump and your production will probably increase. At one point with the Lexling I was only pumping twice a day total to get over 30oz, but it took a while to get there. Moo. I'm sure you will do fine, assuming no one at your work is an asshole about letting you pump when you need to, etc.

In other news....
 

The Lexling (2.5), for reasons unknown, began biting the baby this week: hard and with alarming frerquency. After the standard punishments failed to work, I bit him on the arm and told him, "This is why we don't bite: biting hurts! No more biting!" He cried and I feel kind of bad about it, but he hasn't bitten again, so he must have paid attention, so yay. I'm now wondering if I should bite other people who don't listen to me?


The baby, btw, turns one this month. Whaaaaah.

Going Back to Work
 

Holy cow. I need to drink more beer or something.

Going Back to Work
 

Going Back to Work
 

Hehe. The kid was drinking 40-50oz/day at one point - how do you think he got to be almost 30lbs at 1 year? It was only because I was EPing....I wouldn't get near that much now if I tried.

Going Back to Work
 

So true.

Going Back to Work
 

Thanks for the advice everyone. It's good to hear from people who have been there-done that. I feel fortunate to have the childcare arrangements that I do, and I know that will at lease alleviate many of my concerns for the Chicklet's well-being. The Chicklet will be 4 months old and I feel lucky to have had that amout of time off.

30 ounces. Holy Cow! That's more than she eats in a day! I am lucky to get 8 at a time! I figure three 5 ounce bottles a day, which I'll have no problem getting, but I am struggling with exactly how much I need. Starting tomorrow I am going to pump/bottle feed during the day to see if I can get that nailed down. I did that once before and after a few days my supply went way up. I have over 100 ounces in the fridge, which though not as much as some people should take care of any shortages. I am also starting her in daycare a week before I return to work to allow her to adjust with a few half days, rather than just dropping her off for 10 hours her first day.

Fortunately my office has a lock on the door, so no walk ins, but i am a little squicked by rinsing off the pump parts in the bathroom. It will also suck to pump when I am at the printer, but I should only have to do that very rarely.

Now I just hope my brain will return from the mush it has become.

Going Back to Work
 

You don't have to do that. MM is anti bacterial even when kept at room temp. for several hours. Stick the pump parts in a ziploc between pumping sessions. If you have a little fridge in your office, stick them in the fridge, too. If you find that makes the flanges uncomfortable cold, then run the bag under warm water. Then bring the flanges and connectors and membranes home at night and wash them at home. (Your own sink may be germy, but them's your germs.)

Buy an extra set of everything to leave at work in case you forget them one day and find yourself ... in an uncomfortable state.

Going Back to Work
 

Word.

Work
 

I'd stash an extra shirt in your office as well, just in case.

Work
 

flinty you should keep an extra pair of slacks at work for similar reasons.

Work
 

Ooooooh. Good idea. I haven't had to wear breast pads in a couple of months, but was planning to start again and keep some in my desk.

RP, thanks for the suggestion re: cleaning the pump parts. That makes me feel much better.

Work
 

Check if yuo work wth NFH...he keeps some breast pads in his desk to wear when posts. Method socking approach.

In other news....
 

You know, it would be so darned funny if while having a tiff with a partner you just came at him with no warning and bit him. That would be some funny video.

Anyhow, I came on here to say hello and to ask for some fun advice on what to do with a middle-aged female neighbor who lives alone with 3 cats and comes home every night at 5:20 pm, opens the door to her porch and then grills while listening to The Band's song, "The Weight":

Take a load off Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off Fanny
And (and) (and) you can put the load right on me

over and over again, with the same song played on a continous loop for over 1 hour. What the heck in those lyrics does she relate to? Only thing I can think of is her name is Fanny.

In other news....
 

I'd say she pretty obviously hates her life and her job. I'd buy her a bottle of Hendrick's, a bottle of vermouth, and a solid 150 scrip of xanax. Leave them giftwrapped on her front porch.

Coincidence? I think not.
 

So the Chicklet started daycare thie week and yesterday she was already a poor little sick ball of snot. While she used to be pretty easy-going about the booger sucker, she now loathes it and moves her head side to side very quickly to thwart my attempts. And I am sick today. Yippee!

I know that children in daycare get sick more often than others, but by her fourth day there! Good grief. She was supposed to have her 4 month "well-baby" checkup today, and now I don't know if she'll be able to get her shots. Which means I will get to take time off my first week to take her back when she is feeling better.

On top of it all, almost 4 month pp, I am still having to see my OB about delivery-related problems. Hopefully I will finally be cleared in another 2 weeks. Mr. Chick has been an amazingly good sport about the long dry spell, but will I ever get back to normal.

On the positive side, after 4 months of wearing yoga pants I found out I can fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans. Yay!

Coincidence? I think not.
 

- I understand a lot of daycare babies are sick almost continuously. But on the bright side, by kindy she'll have an incredible immune system.

- Dump the snot sucker and just put her in a steamy bath with Johnson's menthol baby bath - it will just wash out. And Vick's Baby Rub is fabulous - it's like magic.

- Sorry about the dry spell, yay about the jeans. You are way ahead of me there (but have another kid and just see if it is that easy again).

Happy Birthday, Baby!
 

Baby #2 turned 1 this week. Who came up with the idea of giving babies baked goods with fire on top as part of the festivities? Because, um, without going into details....it turns out that it isn't too good an idea after all. Please don't call CPS on us!

Coincidence? I think not.
 

Thanks for the tip. This and some saline drops (sans snot sucker) did the trick and the Chicklet is starting to feel better. Who could have guessed she'd prefer a kleenex?

Happy Birthday, Baby!
 

Cake good. Fire bad!

Coincidence? I think not.
 

A damp washcloth is always good - gets the crusties off. But don't get rid of the snot sucker - it makes a fabu bath toy...if you put the pointy end right on the bottom off the big bathtub and squeeze the air out quickly, it makes a marvelous farty noise and when full of water, it makes an awesome water shooter! You will appreciate this a lot more when she's bigger.

Splish Splash
 

So, for the last week, the Chicklet has peed in the bathtub every single time, right after I put her in. Must relax her, but requires me to take her out, dump and rinse the tub and refill it while she complains about having been removed from the warm whiz-inducing water. Attempts to put her feet in first to see if she does it, then taking off her diaper and putting her in the bath have proved unsuccesful. Any ideas?

Splish Splash
 

showers.

Splish Splash
 

Just pretend you didn't see it.

Splish Splash
 

I agree with rp, which may mean it's a very, very bad idea.

I think pee is pretty sterile, though.

Splish Splash
 

Are you familiar with the term "swirlie?"

Splish Splash
 

are you coming on to me?

Splish Splash
 

Agreed. Pee is harmless -- pooping in the bathtub requires the steps you're talking about, but a little pee just fades away.

For the sake of your own squickiness however, you do have to _try_ to keep the kid from drinking the bathwater.

S_A_M

Splish Splash
 

When my biological kids with Hank's wife were little, she made Hank wear a ball gag when he bathed them to prevent any errant drinking of peed bathwater. Notwithstanding their superior genes, she didn't want the kids picking up his bad habits via mis-nurture.

Not Those Water Sports!
 

You sure know how to kill a nice, family-oriented board.

S_A_M

Not Those Water Sports!
 

Agreed.

As a parent of child, and child of parents, I think that post should have been deleted. Or banned. Or something.

It would be nice if we had an admin (slave, since RT is on vacation) who would enforce old skool posters' intellectual property rights and not allow these secondary stalker socks to infringeingly (no pun intended) use confusingly similar tradenames. It's defamatory.

I was Shocked! Shocked, I Tell You!!
 

'Breast' Cover Gets Mixed Reaction
By JOCELYN NOVECK, AP National Writer
Thu Jul 27, 4:55 PM

NEW YORK -
Yep, that's one of my biggest fears. The possibility that there is a breast out there that I don't want to see being waved in my face.


Linky

Pumping while on business trips...
 

Since you all seem to be so full of good advice...

I'm traveling internationally for business next month, and I'm still pumping for the lil' realitybitesmyboob. Any suggestions on getting the milk back to lil'one? Em will be joining me after 4 days, but I want to send the juice back to em, so I don't have to carry it on vacation... and I HATE to throw it out.

Pumping while on business trips...
 

I have a friend that Fed-Exed it back one of those cheap styrofoam coolers and packed it in dry ice. Depending on where you are going internationally, I don't know whether that helps or not. She said it was still good when it got there.

Pumping while on business trips...
 

Check on import/customs issues before you go--so you don't take the time to pack it and then have it sit in customs and spoil.

I was Shocked! Shocked, I Tell You!!
 

People are messed up. All I noticed when looking at the cover was how the baby's eyes were looking up at its mother. Once I conscously recognized there was a boob, my only problem with the cover was that it looked a too pert and perky for bfing (and I was jealous if it hadn't been airbrsuhed).

That kind of attitude was why I got a little fridge for my office so I wouldn't have to use the big one in the break room. I didn't want to argue with anyone that it shouldn't squick anyone out because it is fit for human consumption in that once it's expressed from my body it's the Chicklet's lunch.