11 lbs, 10 oz and a few other thoughts

Jemma and I trekked to Andaluz yesterday for her 3 week check-up. My little girl weighs a whopping 11 pounds, 10 ounces! She has gained a pound each week of her life!
–
I promise I’ll be writing and posting her birth story soon, but the bottom line is, we are indebted to our birth team. They are so knowledgeable and fabulous and caring and we just adore them. To show them our thanks, Jemma and I made these gift bags … 
–

There are a lot of theories on how IUD’s prevent pregnancy.  The stuff someone posted off of WebMD seems to be the accepted belief.  I always sum it up to the fact that IUDs make a hostile environment for fertilization so that the sperm and egg can’t meet up.

IUDs have been used for many thousands of years.  There is evidence that IUDs in some form were used in Egyptian times.  They have changed in style, shape and make up over these years but are still a great contraceptive option for women who are in a MONOGAMOUS RELATIONSHIP.

IUDs got a REALLY bad rap in the 70s when the Dalcon shield (a shield shaped IUD that could not be removed and was made of material that could harbor bacteria) caused a lot of pelvic infections and even some deaths.  This infamy followed the IUD until the mid to late 90’s when IUDs seemed to make a comeback. 

At that time the most common IUD was the Paragard, or copper IUD, which is non-hormonal.  The Paragard is completely non-hormonal but can cause some heavier periods and stronger cramping in some women. 

Because of these side effects and the fact that a lot of women wanted to use an IUD but couldn’t tolerate the Paragard, the Mirena was developed and came on the market around 2001.  The Mirena does have some progesterone hormone in it and is designed to give a topical effect on the uterine lining and cause a mucous plug to form in the cervix to keep the sperm out (similar to how the minipill works, which is not designed to prevent ovulation).  Some, but not all, women cease to have a period when they have a Mirena and some, but not all, women continue to ovulate when they have a Mirena.

IUDs do have some risk of pelvic infection but studies show that women with IUDs in monogamous relationships do not have any increased risk of pelvic infection when compared to monogamous women without IUDs.  The risk for pelvic infection increases in women with multiple partners who are also at risk for STDs.  These women are not good candidates for IUD.  Most providers try to decrease the risk of infections by checking for them prior to inserting an IUD.

Both IUDs are considered safe in breastfeeding and are very popular in new moms that don’t want to use a systemic (total body) hormone method.

If women are having any problems with their IUD (ongoing bleeding, pelvic pain, partner complaining of discomfort with intercourse)  I would encourage them to follow up with their provider as soon as possible.  I don’t think waiting for more than 4-6 weeks is going to make these women love their IUD more.  Some women and IUDs just don’t mix.  I always think it is a good idea to follow up 2-4 weeks after insertion anyway, to see how things are going.

• Start drinking Mother’s Milk tea, it helps with overall milk production
• If I ever have issues with my supply dropping supplement with fenugreek, goatsrue and borage … usually found in a mother’s milk tincsure like this one from Herb Pharma
• Milk supply is highest in the morning, so when I start pumping that’s the best time
• Aim for 4 ounces at each pumping session
• Milk can freeze for up to 1 year
• Milk can be stored in the fridge for 24-48 hours
• Once frozen, don’t add milk to it … for example, if I pump 2 ounces and want to make it 4 before freezing, put the 2 ounces in the fridge, add 2 more ounces within 48 hours, then freeze
• Four ounce canning jars work great for freezing milk, not plastic and cheap at the end of canning season
• Before freezing in jars, sterilize by boiling and then run through the dishwasher on sterilize setting between each use