Homemade baby food pouches

I never pictured myself as an organic, homemade pureed mom... but here I am, making Emilias babyfood and then packaging them into pouches!! Honestly, it can be a little time consuming and I don't always have that much time to do it. I spend the morning/afternoon on my day off making these pouches and hope that I have enough for the week and hopefully into the week after. I steam all the veggies and whatever I don't get the chance to puree, I will freeze. My mom will help me steam veggies and meats to freeze. 

Some of Emilia's favorite puree combos:

- butternut squash OR kobacha squash + yams + carrots

- green peas + squash + carrots

- white beans + carrots + broccoli  + yams

- yogurt + berries + banana  (because berries alone are too tart)

- white rice porridge can be added to any puree also ( although not my favorite because it makes the mixture thicker and sticky)

*when starting out, I did only veggie purees. Slowly started adding meat into the mix.. chicken, shrimp, fish, beef. THANK GOD SHE LOVES IT ALL!!

- I use the Infantino squeeze pouches for Emilia because the plastic is soft and its easy for her to squeeze and suck out the food by herself. The squeeze station is also a super efficient way to fill the pouches. I love that the pouches are clear so you can see what is inside, AND the pouches are disposable (not reusable) so its convenient when you're on the go. You can also freeze the pouches and it melts within minutes of placing in hot water... so that's a plus also! Only bad thing is non-recyclable, so may NOT be the best for the environment. 

Filled Infantino Squeeze pouches 

She loves her pouches! I also put on a silicone topper so she wouldn't squeeze out all the contents of the pouch. 

Infantino Squeeze Station 

For Henry, I use the little green pouch because it is reusable. It is easy to clean with a brush and because it is top fill, and side squeeze, the chances of food spilling out are very slim!! Other reusable pouches are bottom fill, so if you overfill or don't close the pouch tightly, food will spill out. Because it is reusable, the plastic is a little stiffer so you have to such harder to get the food out. Emilia is unable to eat from this pouch efficiently. I have to squeeze the food out for her to help her eat it. 

Henry basically uses these pouches for snacks. his favorite combos include:

- yogurt + berries + banana + honey

- yam + carrots + squash

*he will also eat anything Emilia eats in puree form, unfortunately, he will not eat the veggies on a plate!!

Are you having a C-section?

The though of having a C-section can be very scary, but not if you are WELL PREPARED! If your first C-section was an emergent C-section after a failed trial of labor, your planned section will be a much different and hopefully MORE PLEASANT experience.

We use SPINALS for C-sections.

What is an SPINAL? It is ONE SHOT (!!)  into your back and the local anesthetic is injected directly into the subdural space. To get a spinal, you're in sitting position and your back is cleaned. The numbing medication feels like getting the flu shot at your doctors office. The spinal med is injected and within 5 seconds, your legs get warm, tingly and numb. You won't be able to move your legs for couple of hours.

The risk vs benefits of a spinal are SOOO LOW. The risks involved are the same as with Epidural (see previous post). The drop in blood pressure is more dramatic with spinal because onset is so much faster. With the drop in blood pressure, you may experience nausea and vomiting but it is easily treated. The risk of a high spinal, where your diaphragm and respiratory muscles are weakened, is also higher with spinal than epidural. As long as you have supplemental oxygen and your pulse oximeter is reading normal, you are fine!!

LASTLY, I always advise my friends to watch one C-section video on youtube. Once you have your spinal and you are comfortable, the operating room team will allow dad to come inside (must wear disposable scrubs, hat and mask!) to sit next to you.
If you go into the operating room knowing what to see and expect, you will be less nervous. Don't worry, you will not allowed to look over the "blue drapes" to watch the actual C-section!

GOOD LUCK!

Should I get an epidural?

YES!!! Absolutely!! Rest as much as possible, while you can!

I spent the day on L&D, and thought this would be the perfect entry!! ALL my patients were jumping off the wall anxious today, so in the hopes of alleviating others' fear, here is my post on epidurals.

What is an EPIDURAL? Epidural is used for laboring patients. The skin on your back is numbed up with local anesthetic (feels like a flu shot) & the epidural needle is placed (don't worry- you don't see it). When your anesthesia a provider (M.D. or CRNA) finds the right (epidural) space, a small, thin, super flexible catheter is placed and the needle is taken out. You will receive continuous epidural meds through the catheter until the baby is born and then the cather is taken out.You will be numb from your bellybutton down but will be able to move your legs. Strength in the legs will be decreased, so you will not be able to walk around. Takes about 10 minutes for the effects to fully set. You might have heard of a "walking epidural", but for liability issues, no L&D will allow you to walk around with an epidural. You may be TOO COMFORTABLE so that you may not feel the need to push when you are fully dilated. Your anesthia provider (M.D. or CRNA) can decrease the dose so you are able to FEEL the contractions more.
If you need to get a C-section after a trial of labor, a much stronger med is given through the epidural cather and it can be used for the Section.

When can I get an epidural? ASAP! Sooner the better (from the point of the anesthesiologist). Especially if your ob is starting Pitocin. The recommendation used to be 1-2L of IV fluids before epidural or spinal, so the nurse will put in an IV and give you fluids before calling the anesthesiology. Now its recommended to "co-load" instead of "pre-load".

It's OK to be nervous! My birth plan was: HAVE A HEALTHY BABY & GET AN EPIDURAL.
 I place epidurals for laboring patients ALL THE TIME. BUT when it was my turn to be the patient, I was still a LITTLE nervous. JUST a LITTLE.

NO, an epidural: 

• DOES NOT harm the baby
• DOES NOT slow the progression of labor
• DOES NOT cause nerve damage
• DOES NOT cause back pain

Risks involved:

• bleeding (but not any higher than with IV placement)
• infection (but not any higher than with IV placement)
• headache
• incomplete relief

Waiting for my epidural

Emilia, less than 12 hours old! 

JFK to LAX DON'TS!!

1. Don't fly VIRGIN AMERICA

• We usually fly JetBlue to Long Beach airport because Rich's family live in North OC... but because this trip was so short, and Virgin America had the best departure and arrival times, we chose to fly VA. That was a mistake!! During the taxi for departure, an oxygen mask had deployed and the airplane had to make its way back to the departure gate so maintenance can come on and fix it. The staff on the airplane (to LA and back) were SO RUDE and NOT CHILD friendly. Did not smile and even gave a little attitude! They didn't even help with carry-ons! The audiovisual system was awful- even after paying for movies or tshows, the audio was spotty and skipped every few minutes.

2. Don't rent a car from THRIFTY

• We waited ~ 10 min for the Thrifty shuttle bus to pick up from LAX to get to the car rental depot. During that time, we saw approx 5 Enterprise buses, 4 Hertz buses, 3 Budget buses, 2 nationals....

3. Avoid LAX if you can!

• Airport is undergoing major renovations right now. Currently, there are NO resturants by the gate/waiting area in Termial 3. There is a Starbucks, Burger king, PEETS coffee and Blue window (premade sandwiches/wraps... NOT good). We wanted to sit and have a drink, but the sitting area by Angel city brewery was so small it couldnt fit a double stroller, and we were not allowed to take beverages past that area :(
• We usually fly in and out of Long Beach airport, which has recently undergone recnovations (and is finished!). Lots of resturants and bars to enjoy while you wait to board your flight!!
• Having to take a shuttle from the rental car site to the airport is a PAIN! At Long Beach airport, you can WALK to the rental car site from the airport. A HUGE BONUS!!!!

 

With this being said, next time we fly to LA, it will be through Long Beach Airport.

 

Traveling light!

We did it!! Packed everything into 2 carry on bags for the weekend trip to LA!!

What's in the bags?

Henry: 2 tshirts, 1 long sleeve, 2 pants, 3 button downs, 1 necktie, 1 blazer,  1 hoody, 3 pairs of socks and 3 pairs of PJs

Emilia: 2 dresses, 1 short sleeve onesies, 2 long sleeve onesies, 2 pants, 3 sweaters, 3 footed pjs and 1 sleep sack.

Me: 3 nursing tanks, 1 pair of pants, 2 tshirts, 2 button downs, 1 blazer, 2dresses, pair of pumps, 2 pairs of socks, 4 under wears,  2 dresses, 1 pair of black pumps, and 1 pjs.

Rich: 3 shirts, 2 button downs, 1 pair of jeans, 3 pairs of socks, 2 sweaters, 2 button downs, 1 suit, 1 necktie, pair of dress shoes, and 1 set of pjs.

Threw in as little toiletries as we could : toothbrush, glasses, face lotion, contact solution, face wash, makeup.  Then shoved in as many diapers as we could fit. We could always buy more in LA if needed. Also had laptop and small backpack of Henrys toys and books.

Our packed bags

On the air train toJFK

Shake shack while waiting to board the flight😁

Flying to LA for a weekend!

Wish us luck!! We are flying to LA tomorrow with both kids for FOUR days!!! I know they will be fine on the flight... But hope the time change doesn't kill them.. Or me!


 We are planning to bring 2 carry-on bags! Stay tuned for my next post: how to fly with  CARRY ON only!

Pic from 2 weeks ago, on the air train to JFK. 

Paw Patrol birthday!

My sweet handsome baby turned 3 this week!! And we are celebrating with a paw patrol party. Ideally, I would love to have thrown this task to a party planner- and just show up! But I'm on a strict budget. After all, he is ONLY 3 and will love any party with cake.

Tips to a successful party:

PLAN AHEAD- I started 2 months before the party date. The party is on the Saturday of MLK weekend, so I decided to send out invites early in case anyone was thinking of leaving the city for the long weekend. This gave me time to shop around for decorations, party goods and cake!

STICK TO BUDGET - so important in throwing a party. You can get lost in the costs when planning a party, and having a budget really keeps you focused.

PARTY CHECKLIST- now the fun stuff! What is on my list and where did I find it??

• ENTERTAINMENT: always the toughest choice! We went to a party over the summer and Henry watched his first magic show and fell in love with it! We decided to hire a magician for his party also! Few months later, his school had a fall fair and they had the most talented childrens magician. Of course, we hired him for our party too!

• CAKE: I kept a strict budget for my paw patrol cake. I was going to go with sheet cake from whole foods with an edible paw patrol picture on it, but that costs ~$80! I figured why not pay a little extra (and just a LITTLE!!) and get a cake I really LOVED. I emailed like 10 different bakers before I found someone I loved! and within budget!! I found my baker off of Instagram! and she IS AMAZING!

• PAW PATROL THEMED GOODS- plates, napkins, banner, tablecloth, candles, cupcake toppers, stickers are all from orientaltrading.com- my favorite place to shop for party goods. Lots of options, good prices and occasional free shipping!

• BALLOONS- preordered and prepaid from party city. I went to the store to pick them out and pay for it, but the prices in the store are higher than they are online. Thankfully they PRICE MATCH! 

• DRINKS- juice box, beer, wine, water bottles, sparkling water, diet coke ALL from FRESH DIRECT. I didn't want to drive around the city picking up these bulk items, so I did what I always do with heavy items...ordered them! I even FOODKICKED some items.

• GOODYBAGS- Our awesome party treat bag includes: paw patrol masks (amazon- although a bit cheaper at party city), stickers (orientaltrading), party size play doh (michaels), fireman hats (amazon) & lollipops.

• FOOD:  pretzels, freshly popped popcorn (love my airpower) cut fruit & ordered 9 pizza pies!

MOST importantly, have fun!!! Things never go as planned with kids. Just loosen the reigns a little and let the kids be kids at the party! If your child eats ONLY cookies and cake, let them, just for one day. Everyone will have so much more fun!

We are set to party!!