Most random blog post title ever? I think so! Haha!
Yesterday, my “morning” started at 4:30 AM when I heard Quinn crying. Mal actually got up with him, so I could sleep a little longer. Well, I’m actually not sleeping very much/at all during this flare. I wake up every hour or so in pain because the cramping is so bad or to go to the bathroom or to change my clothes because I have sweat through them, thanks to some intense night sweats. And, of course, I have a baby to feed, so I am a complete mess. And so tired. Blah. Things are not great right now, but I am trying my hardest to stay positive. I’m actually looking forward to starting Remicade next week. Anyway, let’s turn this post around and talk about happy stuff, shall we?
Breakfast was an egg sandwich made with bacon, Spicy Pepper Jack from The Laughing Cow, and an extra buttery toasted English muffin. My fav.
Part II of breakfast was CAKE! Also, my fav.
My mom gave me a huge piece of leftover cake from her birthday, so I ate a few bites (of what was left of it) with my iced coffee. Cake + iced coffee = the best. Well, a few bites turned into me eating all of the frosting off of the chocolate cake. The cake is simply the vehicle for eating the frosting, right? Yep.
It rained all day yesterday, and, as you know, I’m still flaring pretty bad, so there was no jogging stroller adventures for Quinn and me yesterday morning. Whomp whomp. But, we had a blast playing with his new bouncer (I totally didn’t want a house packed full of baby stuff, but now we have that house! AHH!) and singing songs. Quinn was an instant fan of Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.”
I really enjoy getting outside and starting our day with some activity (+ iced coffee, obviously), so by mid-morning yesterday, I was itching to get out. I think Quinn was too. He was fussier than usual and it took a bit more effort to get him down for his morning nap. I’ve noticed that he likes being out and about””looking around, smiling at strangers, and exploring the world around him. It’s really cool to see his little personality coming through.
While Quinn napped (he slept for almost an hour – holy crap!), I worked on my Health.com post and started this one. When he woke up, we played a little and then he ate again before we packed up our things and headed out for a trip to Target.
PSA: Target sells French Bulldog and English Bulldog cookie jars. If there was a pug one, I obviously would have purchased it.
Going into Target, here are the things I planned to buy:
Things that were not on my shopping list, but I bought anyway:
Yep, it happens every time.
When we got home, I was starving for lunch, so I reheated some leftovers from lunch at Legal Sea Food. (There were actually 3 slices of pizza, but I ate one while waiting for the other two to heat up in the microwave. Feed me!)
I sat down with my lunch in the living room and read this month’s issue of Parents magazine. In it, I stumbled upon a short piece about grown men drinking breast milk for its “health benefits and all-natural energy boost.” Say what?
At first, I was like: Really??? Eww. But, then I read both sides of the argument and there’s some good points on each:
Would you allow your partner to use your breast milk as an energy drink?
YES
“Sure””but he has to nurse. I hate pumping.”
“My whole family used my milk when I was breastfeeding! It works wonders for earaches, conjunctivitis, sore throat, rashes. I miss that natural ”˜medicine’ now that I’m done breastfeeding.”
“It’s sad that we live in a society where we’re comfortable giving our families things like packaged mac and cheese, but we say ”˜eww’ to something completely natural.”
NO
“No. No. No. A grown man has more energy than I do. He uses it as an energy drink after I work hard and I’m tired from producing it?! Heck no!”
“No way! Mine was like gold! I cried when I accidently spilled any. I don’t think it’s gross; I just didn’t produce enough milk to share it.”
“Heck no! That stuff was too valuable when I was pumping! Buy a Red Bull.”
I guess I am still more on the ”˜NO’ side””only because I don’t have an oversupply and every little bit goes to Quinn. But, hey, if other women have an oversupply and the man in their life wants to drink breast milk as an energy drink, the more power to him! (This photo below is amazing, isn’t it?! Haha!)
Questions of the Day
What do you think about this new “trend?” Would you allow your partner to use your breast milk as an energy drink?
What wonderful, not-on-your-list item have you recently bought at Target?
What’s your favorite food to pair with coffee?
P.S. IBD peeps: Just wanted to share this free webcast from the CCFA: What to know about biologic therapy in IBD. It’s Thursday, October 30, 2014 at 8:00 PM-9:15 PM EST. You just need to register online to participate.
109 Comments
I always pass by the clearance shelves at Target and usually find something I didn’t know I need 🙂 Last time I was at Target I purchased all the packs of Wet Wipes they had on clearance…I think they were about 40 cents/pack! Great for the car, my purse, travel…
It’s definitely not a new trend since I knew about this when I was nursing 5-7 years ago – and no matter what I still find it odd even though I understand the health benefits! There’s also a black market for breast milk where men purchase for lots of reasons. Personally besides feeding my kids the furthest mine went was helping a cut heal and for conjunctivitis.
My favorite food to pair with coffee is a chocolate croissant! Such a heavenly combo 🙂
haha that’s hilarious! i would let anyone who wanted my milk use it – i’ve donated about 3000 ounces due to my oversupply so i’m glad it’s getting used! i tried to get jonny to taste it before and he wouldn’t because he thought that was weird lol however i did have him try william’s oatmeal… little did he know that it was made with breastmilk!! lol
I always end up finding extra “necessary” purchases at Target!
My fav coffee-food combo is probably a strong Americano with toast, PB and banana.
I’m so sorry to hear about everything you’re going through. As a mom with a three week old, I can totally understand the exhaustion of having a baby and can’t imagine dealing with a flare ontop of that. Hope you feel better soon!
I just wanted to take a minute to say that I really admire how positive you try to be. It is inspiring. Sleep is already so precious, so to have it disturbed by cramps/night sweats… well, my heart goes out to you! Sending positive energy your way.
I don’t think
I don’t think I would have to decide to let him use my breast milk. My husband wouldn’t touch it lol. I also agree that when I have given the energy to produce it and worked hard to feed our child, he can find his own energy source.
I loved iced coffee & Justin’s PB Cups…don’t know what it is about that combo but i just love it.
Thank you for being honest with your struggles. I know so many people think the “blog world” is full of fake, happy lives, but it’s not. We ALL struggle.
As for the breast milk, what scares me more is that first answer to “yes-” sounds more like a fetish in that case. LOL
Fell better! Nothing harder than trying to be a good parent while you are sick/tired 😔
â¤ï¸
Oh Target, it’s such a paycheck suck for me! I’m not sure how it does it but that store totally has super powers over me! 😉
I hope you feel better soon! Is there anything you can eat or not eat when it’s flaring up that makes it more manageable?
It totally doesn’t bother me but I am also not a mom, so maybe I will feel differently then? I always tease our friends that I am going to bake with my breast milk whenever I have babes and feed them breast milk pie without telling them 🙂
Aren’t night sweats the worst??? I’m so sorry for this awful flare you’re experiencing. I have a rough UC history and cannot even imagine flaring while taking care of/nursing an infant. I hope you get instant relief from the Remicade next week! I was on Remicade for a while and it worked very well. I also had good luck with Humira but eventually my body built up antibodies to both. 🙁 As for the men drinking breast milk – no, no, no! That stuff was like gold to me!!!
Humm that’s interesting! I’m pretty sure my husband would definetly not drink my breastmilk but I can see how it could be helpful with certain things. I was wondering, with colitis is there certain foods you shouldn’t eat or give you a flair up? I have a cousin who has a very similar story and she can’t eat all sorts of things 🙁
UC is an autoimmune disease, so my immune system is out of whack. I’ve tried every diet out there and none of them did anything for my symptoms. If anything, I feel better and have fewer symptoms when I don’t eat healthy. It makes no sense.
@Tina: I don’t remember reading this on your blog, although I might have missed it, but did you ever try acupuncture?
My allergies have been REALLY bad lately. I know the discomfort I feel is NOTHING compared to yours, but I feel your frustration and wish I (we) could find the ‘magic pill’ that would make it all go away.
Yep, I went 5-6 times. It did nothing for my symptoms, but it was really relaxing! 🙂
I always feel so bad for your colitis! I had a stomach flu a few weeks ago and was miserable – in the bathroom like 10x/day – it made me so sympathetic (and that was only for about 5 days).
Fun fact to make you feel better – I was telling my boyfriend about your blog last night and how I’ve read it for so long I feel like we’re friends. I told him about my Mikey & Papi being the first (and only!) kitties to be featured, and how we make a roasted edamame recipe that you had on once (we make it all the time). We were talking about it because we’re going to the haunted house you went to in Abington – and I said – oh! My – sort of friend – not really friend but pretend friend – went there.
Haha! That’s awesome! We’re friends! 🙂
Yay! He was asking if we’ve ever hung out and I said – I wish – I feel like we’d be friends if we knew each other – sadly we’ve never actually met! If you’re ever in Cambridge let me know! 🙂 @Tina:
My husband probably gets so sick of the phrase “my blog friend said”! He always jokes and asks if I’ve ever met them. I tell him no, but I comment on their blog so we’re friends!
@Katrina:
I do this same thing…there are four blogs that I follow religiously…and I think of you guys as my friends…
Any danish with coffee is wonderful! I hope you feel better, greener pastures must surely be ahead!!
Question is….If you had an overflow of breast milk, would Mal be willing to try it? LOL
I’m so not a commenter – more like a silent observer, but I have to echo that the cake is just a vehicle for the frosting! And iced-coffee with cake is the best. thing. evah! Good job on that!
Target is a trap! I always leave with more things than I need! Glad you guys got out of the house! I stayed home too much when I was on maternity leave – I wish I had made a point to get out more.
Tina I hope that you feel better! Take care of yourself!
Coffee with a Boston Cream filled donut with chocolate frosting. Perfection.
It is SO hard taking care of a baby while you’re feeling bad. I hope things get under control really soon! Hang in there.
I’ve never produced breast milk, so I’m not sure how I would feel once I was producing it. I do feel kinda eeewww about the idea of anyone but a baby drinking it. But on the other hand, it certainly is more natural than all the sports drinks we down. As far as I know, my husband doesn’t have any big desire to drink breast milk, so I should be off the hook for ever having to test my open mind on the topic.
I really hope you feel better soon!
Those bulldog jars at Target are too cute! I hope they make a pug one soon””I would totally buy it. I have to keep myself away from the Champion section of Target because I always want to buy more of their cute workouy clothes. Essie nail polishes are another unnecessary purchase that I can’t resist at Target.
I’m on the no side. To me gross and unnecessary.
I had a shopping trip like yours yesterday too, ended up with way more than I intended to buy!
I know it’s controversial, but perhaps when you are feeling a little better and up to it, you and Mal can work to sleep train Q? He is probably ready…the hard part is YOU both being ready.
HTP and Kath both did it and have good posts, as does Joanna Goddard on Cup of Jo…we are in the midst of it and, while the first 2 nights were rough (hello, wine and ice cream for dinner!) it has been worth it. There will always be set-backs (babies get sick, teethe, have off days, don’t we all) but in the end, it will likely give both you, Mal and Q the sleep you need so you can feel better!
What an interesting and controversial topic for sure. While I think it’s a little weird to think about men drinking breastmilk, I think that is because we typically only associate it with babies. I would however prefer my fiancé drink breastmilk rather than eat pre packages, processed snacks. I hope your flare gets better.
sorry you’re feeling so awful, hopefully things will get better real soon!! that english bulldog almost looks like a pug 😉
I think the word Target in some other language means “stuff you didn’t mean to buy.” Never get out of there without things I don’t need.
OMG never would anyone other than my baby be allowed to drink my milk. Just too weird of a concept for me lol….French Toast Green Mountain coffee with an English muffin with peanut butter is a ridiculous combo.
Target! I always have impulse items there, too many to count! they know how to market. Does every one know about the target credit card? 5 percent of everything, everyday! it’s great , but only if you pay off your balance each month, but I have saved over 150 dollars this year with it. Plus they also double coupons some times and let you use manufacturer coupons with store coupons for even more savings.
On another note, I am so sorry you are going through this horrible flare.I am an NP and I read a lot of medical journals. Not to be gross, but I am really intrigued by the results people are getting with fecal transplant for inflammatory bowel conditions. I know it sounds horrible, but talk to your doc about it and see where he stands. I saw one study that showed no improvement, but the way they did the transplant only covered the bottom most part of the bowel. So I think the pill studies need to be done for colitis to cover the entire length…Sorry for such a big comment.
Unfortunately, the fecal transplants aren’t yet approved for IBD (just c.diff) and from what I’ve heard, it’ll only be available to the sickest IBD patients when it is approved. But, as soon as I can try it, I’m on board! I’ll try anything to get better!
Just like you, I did not have an over supply. Ever bit I could produce went to my little ones. In fact, I had to supplement a little with formula daily b/c of my lackluster supply. If, however, I had extra and the husband wanted it then, hey, why not?
I hope you feel better soon. It’s got to be so hard to go through that when you have a little one depending on you.
OMG NO. NO. NO. Ew. sorry, but NO! Haha… my fav food with coffee is chocolate!
So funny – I just got done reading an article that was something like “100 ways to use breastmilk”. Incredibly interesting. 2 of the most helpful ones (I thought) were healing pink eye and a stuffy nose (squirt breast milk up). Yes. Hopefully you won’t need either one of those – but just in case 🙂
I’m not sure. I’m not a squeamish person, but the idea of my husband clamoring for my breast milk kind of weirds me out. (So maybe I am more squeamish than I thought). I honestly can’t really imagine him being super into the idea, either. I think he’d probably just hold strong with coffee 🙂
On a separate note, I’m sorry you’re in pain. What you’ve described here would be a lot for anyone to go through, but I assume it’s especially hard for a new parent. Hope you start to feel relief soon.
Target. How I miss this store! It is the best store to go shopping when you are bored. There are always fun things to buy.
I have a 7 week old baby boy and I do agree that I ache to get outside during the day…from walking/jogging to Target or Starbucks. I always make an excuse to myself that I need to go out and get something. Most of my errands involve getting a coffee too and I usually pair it with a scone or small muffin. Nothing like washing down a soft and warm pastry with a delicious coffee!
Lastly, I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving my husband breast milk mostly because I don’t have an over supply either. Every bit goes to the baby…it’s like liquid gold at our house!
Cake exists purely as a vehicle for frosting. Fact.
Yes!
Target is the best! I leave with way too much stuff. I just wrote about how Target leaves me broke, but it’s better than Bloomingdale’s, right? 🙂
http://themuddyapron.com/2014/10/23/ive-been-targeted/
Sorry to read that you’re losing sleep due to the flare up but I’m glad Mal is there for support!
You got the breakfast burritos…I hope you like them. The turkey is my fave!
I went to Target Tuesday and bought Angie’s popcorn (not on my list), have you tried it? She currently has a candy corn flavor that I bought, the bag lasted a day! Its kettle corn with drizzles of white chocolate (doesn’t really taste like candy corn) but my goodness, it is amazing. I’m going back today for more!
With my coffee I do love a slice of frosted cake. But my go to is probably pancakes!
The turkey was the first one I ate! Thanks for the recommendation. It was delish! 😄😄
I love browsing the clearance. I found a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for $100. It was regularly $300. It just had a small scratch on the back. I’d say that’s quute the find! I’ve used it so much for baking in sure I’ve earned my money back and then some!
Nice!
I have to admit, I triple read the blog title, before I proceeded to read the post lol and I had no idea what to expect haha!
Target can be so dangerous, so I try to stay to the toiletry and cleaning supply areas when I go in to shop. I’m weirded out by the breast milk thing, but I’m not a nursing mom yet, and I’ve heard plenty of my parent friends saying that their husbands have tried the milk. Hmmm…. ?
I hope the Remicade works and kicks in quickly for you! I can totally relate- it’s so hard being sick and caring for the littles at the same time. Sending positive thoughts your way!
Breast milk grosses my husband right out, there is no way he would drink it. I have trouble producing enough and pumping takes me forever so I wouldn’t let him drink it anyways!
I hope you start feeling better soon!
We love those breakfast burritos, the southwestern one is our fave. Mmmm cake, now I wish I had some…
Feel for you! Can not imagine being so sick and bfibg on demand! I hope the new meds work.
You need this for Quinn: http://www.chickypopshop.com/collections/baby/products/mini-rodini-pug-aop-ss-body
Hah. This title had me giggling!
Wasn’t an option for us since I had super low supply, but I wouldn’t want my hubs to, and he wouldn’t want to. I distinctly remember him, half asleep, saying “did you really just GET me in the face?!”, during a 2am feeding when our son was a month old.
Love target. Last month I took a look at my bank statement and realized my account does not! We use everything we buy, but could really live without some of it. Trying to keep it to once a week keeps me in check.
I’m sure you know from your sister, but eventually Quinn will sleep more/easier. Everyone tells you to try this or that…but honestly, it will just click. My son didn’t nap in his crib until after he was 6 months old! Before that he’d only nap on the go, in a swing or on one of us. It was also around that time that my pedi suggested I not pick him up the second he fusses, to give him a few minutes and I promised to try 5 minutes…We had our best friends over that night and I stood in the kitchen holding the monitor saying OMG I’m going to get him (mind you, he wasn’t crying, just fussing a bit) and my friend said, it’s been 2 minutes, I promise! So I went to go stand by his door to give it 3 more minutes and by time I got there he was quiet, then asleep. The first 9 months are pretty tough, in my opinion, but toddlerhood is amazing!!
I always joke that I have a minimum spending threshold of $75 when I go to Target. I almost never walk out of there without spending at least that much! My recent impulse purchase was some pretty ceramic vases to decorate our mantle. Also, those Good Food Made Simple breakfast burritos are my favorite! So delicious!!
Thinking of you! I hope this flare comes swiftly to an end soon.