So, for those of you who haven’t heard, I have to use a breast pump 8-10 times a day to keep my supply up until Leapster is ready to exclusively nurse (if she’s ever ready). Anyways, one important aspect of pumping is that the pump needs electricity.
It’s all fun and games until the severe thunderstorm knocks out your power.
Friday it was decided that husband and I would go out to dinner on the way home from the NICU since we won’t have a lot of opportunities for such a thing soon. I also had a burning desire to eat my body weight in sushi since I hadn’t had more than half a roll since I had Charlotte. Anyways, the skys were incredibly dark when we got the restaurant and husband dropped me off at the door because it was raining hard.
Then we saw the weather playing on a tv at the restaurant. A tornado had been spotted in our county (we live one county over from the hospital). I called my MIL to tell her she should go to the basement with the dogs (did I mention she’s still here? I’m terrified of her leaving me to survive on my own). Anyways, long story short, the power got knocked out, although everyone was fine. Oh, and I really did eat an excessive amount of sushi. I looked pregnant again, but it was just the food baby.
I got home just in time to realize I HAD to pump (things get kind of achey at some point and going too long can tank your milk supply) and I had no power. Luckily, I bought a portable pump with a car adapter so I could go in to work when I need to. The storm has passed, so the obvious answer was to pump in my car and just let the car run.
Great plan, except the garage door requires power to open and we have neighbors on both sides.
I ended up plugged in to the cigarette lighter under a blanket. At one point my husband decided we should drive around the neighborhood looking to see if power was on anywhere while I was pumping under the blanket. Awkward. I couldn’t fasten a seat belt and kept feeling like I was going to fall over when he turned the car.
Anyways, I finished up and the power promptly came back on. Of course.
Oh, what’s that? You are only here to hear about Charlotte? Fair enough.
She’s officially 4 pounds, 5 ounces and thriving in her open crib.
Yesterday she took three full bottles and she’s already taken two of her three feeding by bottle this morning. She also attempts to breastfeed once a day and she seems to be getting better at it. Kid latches like a champ, but it’s sort of impossible to know how much milk she is getting (I can tell she’s getting some since she occasionally shoots it at me). We are so close I can barely stand to wait. She needs to take all 8 of her feeds by bottle for a few days, but she may be doing that any day now. I’ll have my dissertation edits from my committee done today or tomorrow, so we really are ready to go. Oh, and I’m going to the Hunger Games movie with my MIL tomorrow or Wednesday cause I wanna get that in before Leapster gets home.
