Our Little Muenster

Jake was taking his sweet time. My due date came and went, with not so much as a contraction. Not even Braxton Hicks. My appointments with the OB started becoming humorous. She just left it up to me, whether or not I wanted to induce. But everything I read said that induction, even for large babies, was never really necessary or beneficial for Mom or baby (other than just getting...

I moved this blog over to Wordpress to take advantage of some better features. You can find it here: https://babymalek.wordpress.com/ Some posts are now password protected - let me know if you want the password ...

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For anyone about to embark on pumping, here are my biggest tips: 1. Get a hands-free bra.  It's the only way to go. It looks ridiculous, but pumping is ridiculous. Without it, it's hard to even hold the cups in place and turn the machine on at the same time. Worth every single penny. 2. Buy two sets of parts If you are going to pump multiple times a day, it will be immensely...

Everyone seems to be unanimous these days that breastfeeding is one of the best things you can do for your baby. The message is everywhere - parenting books, websites, classes, hospitals, even on containers of baby formula. That's why I felt like such a failure, at least at first. I was totally on board with breastfeeding Ben. I read the books, went to a class. I bought a breast pump...

Make a pattern. It should be several inches longer than baby, with generous width for legs, tummy, and arms.  All you need is one half of the starfish, like so.   Leave a 3/4 in seam allowance along the center seam for attaching the zipper. You will cut out this...

Thanks for the swaddle, but really only my right leg was cold. ...