happylaney

It's time to lose your mind and let the crazy out.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Lately I've Been Thinking... A Remedy is What I'm Seeking

I had a lunch meeting today at the Midway, and I brought Cecilia with me. She goes everywhere with me. She was real good in the meeting that lasted from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. I fed her a bottle around 1 p.m., but it was only 3 ounces instead of the normal 4 ounces that she usually eats (drinks.) So, at 1:30p.m. I leave the Midway and head to St. Louis to run a bunch of errands for the winery. She starts to cry at about Bloomsdale, and is really screaming by the time I get to Hwy 61, right before Festus. I decide to pull over and climb in the backseat and feed her. Her food is portable, right(?), that's supposed to be one of the best things about breastfeeding. She usually does 4 minutes on the starting side, I burp her, then another 5 minutes on that same side, then burp again, then 5 minutes on the other side. I pull off the highway, climb in the back seat, take her out of the car seat, and start on the left side. She does her 4 minutes, then I burp her. I have the car running, air conditioning on, and the radio on, and the song, "You're going To Miss This" by Trace Adkins comes on....

Five years later
There's a plumber
Working on the water heater
Dogs barking, phones ringing
One kids crying, one kids screaming
She keeps apologizing
He says "They don't bother me.
I've got two babies of my own.
One's 36, one's 23.
It's hard to believe..."

But
You're going to miss this
You're going to want this back
You're going to wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're going to miss this
You're going to miss this
Yeah you're going to miss this

Cecilia and I have a moment, breastfeeding in the backseat of my yellow car, on the side of Highway 55. My phone rings while I am burping her, and it's one of the girls from the meeting. She says she just passed a yellow car on the side of the highway and wanted to know if it was me, and if I am o.k. I lie and tell her that I thought I left my cell phone at the Midway, but she helped me find it by calling, so everything is o.k. I go back to put Cecilia again on the left side, when I see flashing lights in the rear view mirror. I turn to my left to look out the window, and a police man is there, and as soon as I see him, he covers his eyes and face and turns back toward his car. I get startled, probably jump or gasp (I am the world's best gasp-er) (I get that from my mom), I hurry up and cover my boob, and look back at the police man and try to tell him everything is o.k. He looks embarrassed (and righfully so) I give him a thumbs up and he goes on his way. Cecilia by then is freaked out because I freaked out and she starts crying, screaming in fact. She kind of has this delayed reaction when something scares her (like John's sneezes) and then she just wails. I am instead, laughing. I get her calmed down, change her diaper, but can't get her to eat anymore; she's too distracted, or off kilter still. I put her back in the car seat, and she's fine. I get back on the highway, and she starts to scream again. She screams all the way to Richardson Road, where I get off the highway, and go to the McDonald's parking lot to try to calm her down. When I get off the highway, she starts to calm down, and by the time I get out of the car and look at her, she smiles at me. I'm too exhausted and she's too unpredictable at this point to run errands, so we go home, where she cries some more. Good times.

My question is:

Next week Cecilia, my sister Christy, and I are going to California for another wine judging and a couple days in San Diego, and I'm asking all my fellow breastfeeding friends if they have any advice for breastfeeding on the run. I'm not comfortable whatsoever about breastfeeding in public, and I've rented an SUV to maybe get a little privacy, but all of my breastfeeding up until today has happened in the confines of someone's (mostly my) home. Any advice on how to breastfeed without going back to the hotel every three hours?

I'd also like to tell Christy that this is unusual behaivor, and not to worry about our trip. =) Also- happy early birthday. =)

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4 Comments:

  • At 8:39 AM, April 18, 2008, Blogger Natalie said…

    Always have a baby blanket or something to cover over you. Most of the time, people will probably figure what you're doing. But, since you will be in CA, I doubt anyone will think anything of it. By the way, good for you on continuing breastfeeding. It's tough and I'm glad you aren't giving up!
    - Natalie (Texas)

     
  • At 9:31 PM, April 20, 2008, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    WOW! I'm impressed that you had the balls to breastfeed on the side of the road! I would have put up with the crying before I would ever have done that! BUT...the next time that she gets hungry "right before Festus" drive to my house and make yourself comfortable--it's not that far off of HWY 55. Also, I'm equally impressed that you are taking Cecilia to California with you while still breastfeeding--you are awesome! I agree with Natalie--take a nice sized blanket. Most people won't think anything of it. There was a lady that went to our church that breastfeed a few times during mass--now I thought that was a little strange and over the top (especially since she was always in one of the 1st few pews). Hope you have a great trip!
    -cori-

     
  • At 10:05 AM, April 21, 2008, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Depending on your schedule I would think you can skip a feeding and let her have a bottle during one of the feedings to get a 6 hour block --you've been nursing long enough that missing a feeding or not pumping here and there shouldn't mess up everything... I nursed Louis in "public" a few times- he totally freaked out on Navy Pier in Chicago when he was 2 months old- I was totally desperate and tried to nurse him a couple of times-- didn't work so we ran out of there to the car... "ABORT MISSION!!!" I covered him wtih a blanket and figured if someone had the balls to bother me I'd just hand them Louis and let them figure it out...

    The other kids (and Louis after this trip) just took a formula bottle when I needed them to and I nursed all of them until they were around 6 months old. Have a fun trip- sometimes trying to imagine how it will all go is more difficult than it actually is.
    -Amanda

     
  • At 10:07 AM, April 21, 2008, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I nursed Norah in the car several times- I'd just sit in the front seat- jammin' to the radio- with a blanket at the ready for any surprises! -Amanda

     

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