Health – Page 2 – Muddling Momma

Category: Health

31
Dec
2013

The ADHD Momma

adhd quote

When I got pregnant, an ex-coworker invited me to join a new mom’s group on Facebook she created when she moved and had trouble connecting with other mommas. I invited a few more friends, who invited a few more and now it’s a busy group with a huge variety of women and parenting styles. But one thing has always been a constant. When one of us posts a ‘venting’ message, everyone responds with encouragement.

Today, someone brought up the fact that she doesn’t multitask well and having two kiddos doesn’t help matters. She reached out today for tips on getting organized and being productive without totally going bat crap crazy. When I started thinking about some things that work for me to share with her, I realized I had a ton of tip and it made me sound like I had my life together and I was Super Momma when in reality I am always one task away from bat crap crazy. The reason I have to be so organized is because of my ADHD, which lately has been a curse.

I know a lot of people say they are ADHD, but according to my doctor, I am off the chart ADHD. I was diagnosed at the age of 21 when I started my first ‘big girl’ job that required sitting and deadlines and multitasking and I would end my day in tears because I wanted to do all those things SO BADLY but something was holding me back. My mom brought up some things she noticed when I was growing up and after a trip to the doctor and multiple medication tests, I found that a high dose of Concerta and behavior modification work well for me. It’s been a struggle to stay on top of my ADHD since Mike has arrived, but S. and I have worked out a few strategies to keep us all sane (and me married!).

The main idea in keeping my ADHD under control (aside from medication) is to simplify. Here’s a few things we’ve done:

Amazon Prime: For less than $100 a year, we get free two day shipping on just about everything. This keeps me from having multiple shopping lists and I since we aren’t paying shipping, I can order one or ten things at a time when it is top of mind. Since Mike is out of the carrier car-seat, getting him in and out of the car is a PITA, so the less stops I have to make the better. Sure, we might pay a few bucks more for 120 rolls of toilet paper, but it comes to our door! I don’t have to carry it up stairs while juggling a baby or stop at Target during peak hours. Here are a few things we’ve gotten from Amazon: flea and tick medicine, bottle nipples, Clorox wipes, two fire extinguishers, infant ibuprofen, bath towels and baby wipes.

A daily family to-do list: We use a small dry erase board on our fridge. Every day we add to it what needs to be done. Some things stay on there day after day (put out S’s clothes, pack lunch, put out trash) and some are weekly (pack day care bag, empty trashcans) and some are more random (cut Mike’s nails, change light bulb, thaw chicken). During the day if I find free time I am not wandering aimlessly through the house looking for something productive to do and when S. comes home he isn’t asking me what needs to be done. I feel like this keeps our evenings and mornings less stressful.

Work task planner: I searched high and low for the exact planner I needed for work. I finally found something that I am hoping works for the new year. It’s a full size, spiral bound, dated, lined notebook from Franklin Covey. So each morning I jot down my daily to dos and if something comes up that needs to be done in the future, like a follow up call, I make a note on that day’s page. I have tried multiple apps and organizers, but there is something about writing things down with a pen that just works for me.

Google Calendars: S. is the keeper of our calendar because I can never ever remember to put stuff on there. And when I do, it is the wrong date or time. I tell him as soon as I know something and he puts it on the calendar and we review it either nightly or weekly. Which leads me to ….

Family meeting: It sounds way more official than it really is. Typically it’s S. and I in bed on Sunday evening with our laptops looking at the calendar. This way we can make changes on who is doing what and also plan our meals and money for the week. It is a blessing that I fell in love and married someone so organized who is so understanding and forgiving of my scatterbrain. I know it’s hard on him sometimes when I keep saying I will do something when it is clearly never going to happen.

I have said many times to many people that my ADHD is sometimes a blessing and some times a curse. It’s something I have to keep on top of and be flexible enough to make adjustments to our lifestyle to make it all flow. What tips and tools do you have to stay organized?

29
Dec
2013

Getting My Head On Straight

categories: Being Mom, Health

It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? It’s not from being lazy, it’s been the crazy holiday season! I have lots of posts and update swirling around my head, but a mix of my ADHD being out of control and Mike going through a bout of ‘Milestone Madness’, it’s been difficult to sit down and do what I WANT to do, which is write.

A quick, 144 character, Twitter style update until next time:

new year org, sleeping when possible, snuggling the baby, kissing the husband, playing with new toys, ready to be back to ‘normal’, say tuned!

16
Dec
2013

High Chair Chef: Baby Food Made Easy

categories: DIY, Health

I’m not going to lie, I had some guilt about not trying harder to work out our breastfeeding situation. Not because of the bonding and such, but because of the financial end of things. Formula ain’t cheap! And guess what, neither is baby food, which is why I decided to make my own. I’ve heard great things from non-hippie mommas about how easy it is and how much they are saving. Turns out 1 pouch of food is about $1 if you catch it on sale. Multiply that by, let’s say 4, which is a days worth of food – so $4 a day, multiply by 30 days in a month …. yikes.

I had a few books on how to make baby food and did my fair share of Googling and I had a really hard time finding something that really dummied it down for me. Through some trial and error, I think I’ve found my baby food makin’ groove.

You really don’t need anything too fancy to get started. When we decided to make our own food, we researched some of the name brand, baby food specific kitchen gadgets and they seemed like regular products with the word ‘baby’ added and a higher price tag. Thankfully, we got a really nice Cuisinart food processor/blender for our wedding and it was just collecting dust.

When it comes to steaming, my Sister in Law uses the kind that goes into a pot, I opted to pick up an electric steamer for $20 at Walmart. To each his own!

First, decide what’s on the menu. Tonight is carrots (even though we had a terrible experience a few weeks back after eating carrots)! I used a 1lb bag of frozen carrots that were on sale for 99 cents. They steam for about 20 minutes.

Next is the fun part – pureeing! Some foods are hard to get super smooth so I just add some water and it helps smooth it out a little bit. Otherwise, I try to give it to Mike to see if he likes the texture and if not, I thin it out with formula before he eats it.

Once it’s done pureeing, spoon or pour it into ice cube trays (these are from the Dollar Tree), cover with foil and freeze overnight.

The next day, I pop out the cubes (this is strawberries and blueberries I made the night before) and put them in a Ziploc baggie with the food and the date it was made. Apparently the food can stay frozen for 3 months in the freezer, then thawed in the fridge (without formula added) for 3 days.

Every night, I pull out a variety of frozen food and put it in a plastic storage container to thaw in the fridge. My Mother in Law sent us a variety of types to try. I like the small OXO containers, but they tend to be pricey so we stick with the GladWare sauce containers.

There you have it! Of course some foods, like apples and prunes, are a pain in the neck to make so we buy that food already made. But it is possible to save quite a bit of money and make healthy food for your kiddos.

01
Jul
2013

Every New Beginning Comes from Some Other Beginning’s End

categories: Baby, Health

I’m not going to lie – motherhood is kinda hard. I mean, rewarding, but hard. And it doesn’t help my hormones are freaking the eff out, and my body hates me since it expelled a small human. Don’t worry, I am doing well – but the first week was the hardest. Lots of tears over breastfeeding and tears over stupid stuff. Stuff like:

Mike is devastatingly adorable, so much so I can’t stand it.
Mike will eventually leave me and go to college, and I am not sure I can bare the thought of that.
Mike will probably get married and his wife will hate me and I will never see him again.

Totally logical and rational right? So much so, I ugly cried in my OB’s office when she asked how I was doing (I think she was referring to pain, not emotions, but whatev). I didn’t take the Zoloft prescription right away, but had them call it in when I got home.

Guess what? Life got super happier and easier. And everyday, if I don’t take my Zoloft by 5:00, tears flow. I am sure this will get better, but for now, I am thankful for drugs. I am also thankful for my family who talked me off the proverbial ledge a few times. Here’s an email my mom sent me that made SO much sense in my 6th day of being a Mommy:

I don’t know if you were having a flashback while we were just on the phone but I sure was. Kindergarten, middle school, college … I always had to have a come-to-Jesus talk with you about your unrealistic expectations. With school it always had to do with the fact that you were suppose to be learning, not showing what you know and as a result, having a meltdown about not knowing it. You’d always cry and say, “But I don’t know this!” And I’d say, “Right! It’s called SCHOOL, and it’s where you LEARN and then you know it at the END, not the BEGINNING!”

Mommyhood is much the same. It’s the beginning, not the end! When Mikey is finished being a baby, you’ll know all about babies. Then you can cry over the fact that you don’t know anything about toddlers.

So it’s all okay and you are right on track. I guess now isn’t the time to mention that this whole dynamic is why every mom deserves baby #2.

I love you! xoxo

So here’s to every new beginning!

20
Jun
2013

My Son Hates Breasts

categories: Baby, Being Mom, Health

Phew! I’m still a Mom! I keep waiting for Mike’s REAL Mom to come pick him up. But alas, that’s me and he is still here in all his snugly glory. We had a huge win the other day at his 2 week appointment – he SURPASSED his birth weight an in less than a week we chunked him up from 7lbs 4 oz to 8lbs 12 oz. How did we do that? Not breastfeeding.

Here’s the thing. When companies claim things about their products that are not true, they get sued. I wish there was someone I could sue for marketing breastfeeding as this:

Beautiful right? Happy baby, happy mama? I am sure it is like this for a lot of mamas and babies (I do question her spit up and stain free white robe though). It was kinda like this for me in the hospital; minus a good latch, add incredibly sore nipples. Mike even tried to latch on my face while they were sewing me up! But hey, breastfeeding is natural right? We’ll work it out. In fact, at the hospital we learned how to supplement formula and Mike was in HEAVEN. Suddenly he didn’t have to work too hard for food. Which ironically, I don’t like to do either. I can’t be bothered with chicken bones or breaking open my own crabs.

Flash forward to our first night home. Here is what my breastfeeding experience looked like:

Back arching, mouth open, hands flaying, legs kicking … and mama crying. Every. Single. Time. The next day we went to our pediatrician to meet with the lactation consultant and Mike was still not gaining weight. But we worked on a scheduled plan, made an appointment for the next day with a different consultant and went home to try again. And by try, I mean cry for half an hour and give a bottle. Every. Single. Time.

The next day, we were back at the lactation consultant’s office and she noticed I had … wait for it … small nipples. Insert a flash of hope! The answer to my prayers! A quick fix! I got a nipple shield and Mike seemed moderately interested. Until we got home. 3 days and nights of screaming and crying to be followed by formula.

3 days later, we were BACK at the doctor’s office for a weight check and to see the lactation consultant. This time, I cried. She was so nice and caring about the situation. She made great points like breastfeeding has to be right for both mama and baby and clearly it wasn’t working for us. She also mentioned that it is to the point where Mike is so frustrated he freaks out at the sight of my breasts. My breasts scare my son.

And Mike still wasn’t to his birth weight, so breastfeeding REALLY wasn’t working for him. When Plan A doesn’t work, go to Plan B. When Plan B is a wash, go to Plan C. Plan C for us was to be a formula family and supplement with a little pumped breast milk, which I call his multi-vitamin.

And guess what? No more tears. No more dreading feeding time. S. is able to take part in a stress free feeding experience. Sure there are a lot more bottles to wash and formula to buy (which is insanely expensive).

The strange thing is I am not sure why breastfeeding was so important to me. I always said if it works great, if not, that’s fine too. It’s about the baby being fed, not about me. But when it came down to it, it was heartbreaking that things weren’t working. A few days have gone by and a little Zoloft eased the blow (more on that later) and we are happy with the situation and snagging all the free formula samples we can.

05
Jul
2012

The Post That is Boring

categories: Health, Infertility

I would think that a blog post about the first trip to Shady Grove Fertility would be eventful and exciting. Sadly, it was just another trip to a doctor, which is why I haven’t posted about it.

The good news is S. and I both really liked Dr. Greenhouse (insert joke here about growing a baby) and the nurse we worked with. He was really laid back and interested in getting me knocked up – both things that are important to me these days. Based on our discussion, mainly our history, he thinks getting pregnant shouldn’t be a problem. Unless there is an issue that crops up in our pre-screening.

So what’s the next step? A billion pills. Including birth control pills – which is another counter-intuitive thing for women battling infertility. We have LOTS of paperwork outlining a timeline, all of which is way to overwhelming right now. I got my blood drawn, and now I am just waiting on the results before starting Provera. Remember that fun little pill? Right, here we go again!

So this is a boring post, even sitting in the office thinking about my next blog post I thought it would be boring. Stay tuned!

30
Apr
2012

“Come In Immediately, You are Doing it Wrong”

categories: Health, Infertility

So I called and left my OBGYN another voicemail asking what the hell I am suppose to be doing. Well, not those words, but the emotion was conveyed because Nurse Betty called back and said the doctor wanted to see me. Today.

Dun, dun, dun.

Though I don’t remember being called to the principal’s office, I imagine this is how it feels. Oh shit. I am in trouble. I knew she was going to find out S and I were doing it wrong and we are complete morons. I won’t lie, I was hopeful she would look at me and know immediately I was pregnant and the pee-pee tests were wrong. Thankfully, or not, it didn’t go either way.

The good news is my Backup Doc was nice, human and comforting. The bad news is I had to do a pelvic exam (I like to mentally prepare for these things, ya know?). The good news is I don’t have some alien life form blocking my eggs. The bad news is, since I never got my period, I am back on Provera. And I did invest in a fancy pill holder to keep my life in order. As an organizing fanatic, this makes my day better.

This is our last chance before calling the fertility specialist.

01
Mar
2012

Concerta & Pregnancy. Or Bring a Something Shiny to the Birth.

categories: Health, Infertility, Pregnancy

Along with having PCOS, I was also diagnosed with adult ADHD in 2005. For the record, my blood pressure and cholesterol are in check. It’s only the obscure health issues for this gal.

I did a little research to find out if Concerta is safe for pregnant women, and like all internet health research, results vary. Some women had dozens of beautiful, healthy babies, some miscarried and others were too distracted to give birth and we’ll never know.

I went right to the source – my amazing shrink. And unlike my Back Up Doc, I trust my shrink because he compliments me. And he is smart. Regardless, like my Back Up Doc, he was very vague. Basically with Concerta, there haven’t been enough studies to decide one way or another. He did mention in rats, it has ’caused problems’ … perhaps the baby rats had short tails? Regardless, that’s enough for me to stop.

The good news is I will know when I should be pregnant. So after our 3 day bedroom vacation (the other TTC boards call it the Baby Dance – dumb). I will stop for those 2 weeks. I am still not thrilled about going off Concerta, it has made my life so much easier, but it’s not about me.

Since we are not going to announce anything until after the first trimester, if you find me wandering aimlessly around the grocery store or forgetting where I live, it is a lock I am pregnant.

23
Feb
2012

May Cause Death & Other Reasons to Avoid Googling

categories: Health, Infertility

So I stopped Provera on the 21st (which I know because I wrote it down on my calendar), and still no period. Although my Back Up Doctor begrudgingly so kindly scribbled down wrote out the notes, it is still impossible to remember the details, like how many days it should take before my period arrives. I reluctantly turned to Google.

I typed in ‘Period after Provera’ and ABOUT 315,000 results appeared (Google it yourself if you don’t believe me). I figured to check out the sites I’d seen before and seemed the most reputable … ready for the results?

Based on my ‘research’, after stopping Provera, your period should arrive somewhere between never and 5 years. But wait! While I was at it, I decided to see about the Provera side effects others mentioned:

Headache
Nausea
Bloating
Sore boobs
Moodiness
Happiness
Increased appetite
No appetite
Fatigue
Energy
Itchy arms (perhaps dry skin?)
Death

Death? First of all, how did someone post that if they are dead. And secondly, I want to see an autopsy report. Maybe her Back Up Doctor didn’t explain things well enough and she took them all the first night. I guess I should have been tipped off to sketchy responses when I realized the site was Ask a Patient. I don’t WANT to ask a patient. I want to ask a DOCTOR (just not mine).

The moral of this short, possibly boring story? Don’t Google to find out symptoms, everyone experiences different things – like death. I need to figure out what color ribbon to buy to wear since I am a Provera Survivor.