Human Milk for Human Babies

The Mothers Milk Bank urgently needs $50000 by the end of this month! Please consider donating!!!

When I had Tia I sat for seven days pumping milk off every four hours for Tia. I thought I was doing well when I got 10ml. On the seventh day the lactation consultant came and suggested I start medication as my milk may not come in on its own after my traumatic birth. I was a bit stunned as I had never had troubles with my milk and usually had enough to feed three babies. I asked for one more day as putting yet more medicine in my body didn't appeal to me. The next morning I received a blessing of 100ml in the bottle when I pumped off. My milk had come in on its own!

A few days later I comprehended how lucky I had been. I watch another mother in the Special Care Nursery cry her tears of loss as she conceded defeat. After her traumatic birth, where she had nearly died on the theatre table, her milk was not going to come in. The medication had not worked, no amount of expressing was bringing her milk in plus her baby was too small to suck, she would never experience the bond of breastfeeding her tiny premmie baby.

As Tia received more and more of my milk she started to gain weight and slowly but surely began to thrive. The other tiny premmie was doing well but not as well as if he was being breastfeed.

The government is not interested in helping the milk bank as they want to be seen as promoting breastfeeding!!! and feel the bank takes away from this???? I will not say anymore about this....ggrrrrr

Around Australia hundreds of unwell and premature babies don't receive their mothers milk for various reasons. This is were the Mothers Milk Bank comes into play so these babies who really need it can get human milk to give them the best start in life. At the moment the milk bank is feeding an unwell baby who was early and his mother is undergoing chemotherapy so can't breastfeed him. If the don't raise $50000 this week the bank will lose their important pasteurising machine!

So please donate and think of all these little babies and their mums on Friday 26th February!

I will be wearing a white shirt on Friday, will you?

Cathryn

Here is the link

Music and Life

I spent yesterday afternoon uploading new songs onto my iPod. I haven't uploaded anything for two years. I have started back running again and have been using it again.

As I pounded along to the Chemical Bros, Good Charlotte, Black Eyed Peas and Match Box 20 I realised it was time for an update. These guys are still great for running but some fresh stuff was needed. Thinking about what I could download I realised how important music can be.

In hospital I only used my iPod in the middle of the night. I would plug the iPod into my ears and pull the covers over my head so the music could transport me away.I didn't have an efficient way of updating songs so I saved my iPod as my sanctuary for when I awoke in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep. My favourites were Dido and other tortured artist crying about love lost and injured hearts.

During the day in hospital I'd listen to the radio. Even now, different songs I heard a lot of then can transport back to my hospital room. 'Chasing Cars' by Snow Patrol used to mellow me out. I'd lie on my bed and wish for Frank to be lying with me so we could forget the world together. So often in that room I felt I'd been forgotten by the world. I felt so alone.

Since my return home listening to my iPod has been a bit of a luxury. As tempting as it is to plug my ears against the noise of the kids sometimes, it isn't something I get to do that often. In a rare moment I have been found bouncing around to George Michael's 'Amazing' for a bit of self gratitude and motivating myself with Gwen Stefani's "What You Waiting For" so I can take a chance that I might grow! Though I am still waiting for my million dollar contract- it isn't far away I'm sure!

Every now and then a song sneaks up on me and takes on a meaning in my life. As I woke from the anaesthetic after delivering Tia a song was pulling me to consciousness. It was Pete Murray singing 'Pick Me Up'. It puzzled me for months why I had this song going on in my mind that day until I read the lyrics.

You saved me
Like you somehow owed me
Passion now flowing through my veins
Breathless days
I'd sit alone in silence
You brought me sun
And took away the rain

Honestly it's not a phase
Now I stand
Where before I couldn't raise
Even a smile just to get me through the day

You pick me up
You pick me up

These words reflect so many aspects of Tia arriving in my life. Mainly at my lowest points of my sidetrip it was Tia who got me through.

Music is great! It is like another form of communication. I can't sing or play an instrument. I am known to have some good moves on the dance floor after a couple of wines. I am not a music fanatic but I see music as a reflection of my life.

So tell me, what tunes move you?

Any suggestions from the last two years for me to add to my iPod?


:) Cathryn

Priorities.......

At the moment my life is full of priorities. My plate is overflowing. How is it that others appear effortless in life and while others are constantly floundering around?

Today I have prioritized. Today was a start date (I hope you are noticing I am focusing on today)and I awoke with a plan. Very simple steps to get through the day. It goes like this-

1. Correspondence- emails, Facebook, twitter
2. Clean house- blah!
3. Prepare for cottage cleaners-you're thinking why don't they clean my house?
4. Blog- doing well because here I am!
5. Exercise- I have to do it as I am planning on running the City to Surf.
6. Time with kids- they want to play tennis this afternoon.
7. Work on my book- I hope I can keep my eyes open by then lol

Of course, this is intermingled with the rest of my life which includes feeding and caring for my family plus running a business.

So is this going to work for me?

Will I be effortless or flounder?

I guess only time will tell :)

Cathryn