....is so much blooming work, even if ive decided to have a luncheon at a club with my lady friends & family. For some reason it feels like its more work then it should be. Theres still heaps to organise.

• Guest list - why is my family so big and selfish  if they dont get invited they complain, even if they wont be attending anyway, so i usually have to send out invites to EVERYONE 'just incase'!
• Inviations (still deciding on a date and weather i want to just get them printed, theres some really cute ones on ebay hehe or to just do them myself, but i dont really have the pateience for it right now, let alone the time)
• Venue - still to be decided on and have table/s booked
• thank you cards and little thank you gifts to leave in a basket for people to take while leaving (not that everyone does this i think its a nice idea and it will make them feel appreciated )
• table centre pieces, just cheapies from either a discount store or spotlight (jodi, get shopping  hehe, kidding) i know i dont 'need' them but i want it to look a little bit like a baby shower

JODI - my darling cousin,  you need a holiday right?? come and visit me. HAHA I'd love for you to be here! It's so hard you living so far away, 4 hrs doesnt seem too far, but it really is!!  I feel we've become really close since we've both had chidren even though our only contact is either phone/sms or msn. Life is so unfair sometimes

*Sigh* best be off to get dinner started. If anyone has any other ideas for my luncheon, pls feel free to leave your suggestions.

Cheers Tanni

Not that i am one to condone plastic surgery unless for medical reasons, i have to say my cousin looks great.

She is 27 yrs old and has 3 children (shes done having children now, that i know of)!  She is very short, just over 5 foot, and is very tiny, like a stick. Unless she is dressed up with make up and appropriate clothing, you would probably mistaken her for a young teen. She has/had no breasts, she didnt really devolope any to start with, then after having 3 children and trying to breast feed, they had shriveled down to pretty much just a nipple (poor woman!)

She has sent me some photos of her 'new self' and i must say im rather impressed! She wasnt silly and didnt go overboard. Id say she'd have a full B cup (aussie of course as all bra sizes vary over the world) which isnt much but it looks great for her. She now actually looks like a real woman! Congratulations on the new you hunny!!

Hello to all you blog readers out there. If you wish, feel free to take a look at my photo pregnancy timeline www.kenyababy07.piczo.com

Cheers 

THE FACTS -

•  In a normal, healthy pregnancy, with no previous history of miscarriage in the first 20 weeks or preterm labour after 20 weeks, there is no evidence to suggest breastfeeding is threatening to a pregnancy. If you do miscarry, it is unlikely to be because you are breastfeeding.
• The reality is your unborn baby has first call on all the nutrients it needs, and may even be healthier than normal, as you may eat better and take better care of yourself during the pregnancy
•   the breast reverts to making colostrum automatically without mum having to do anything to help it do so. Therefore you are not depriving your newborn of anything
• Your body may start to make colostrum during the pregnancy of its own accord, or this may occur if your child stops feeding for a while. The taste of colostrum may encourage weaning, at least temporarily, as it is saltier than mature milk. Other breastfeeding children don't mind at all. Be aware that colostrum is a natural laxative (to help the newborn pass the meconium), so bowel motions may become far more liquid. This won't harm your child at all.

Theses facts have been taken from the ABA website, if you wish to read more extended information go to http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/tandem.html    

My experience so far:

In the 2 year of my daughter’s life I have had all the choices i have made while raising her criticized and breastfeeding her while being pregnant with our second child is no exception.

From my first doctors visit I have been frowned upon for my choice to continue breastfeeding. The so called Dr told me I had to give it up, 'why?' I asked him, he couldn’t give me an answer. His 'advice' was "I will have to start her on formula (my almost 2 yr old) or give her a bottle or something' OR SOMETHING?? Yes great advice from this so called DR!! This Dr as you can most likely understand, I no longer see. I was 6-8 weeks pregnant at the time

My first midwives appointment at the hospital was basically along the same lines (11-12weeks pregnant), except she didn’t give me any 'advice' on what to do, just that i will 'have to give that (breastfeeding) up', as she said this, just to be spiteful, i picked up my daughter and started to give her 'booby milk'. I wasn’t going to let these people tell me i had to give up breastfeeding without any medical reasons to back why i should be giving it up. I was sick to start with, in the first 5-10 weeks of my pregnancy, but it quickly went away and i was fine again, very tired (but who doesn’t get tired when they're pregnant), but i was able to eat and keep everything down.

I’m now 28 weeks pregnant and at each midwives appointment i have been to so far (except the first one) i haven’t had another person say to me i will have to give up breastfeeding my child. My last appointment the woman was very encouraging and praised me a lot for my choice to continue to breastfeed. While doing this, Elise decided to jump on my lap for some milk (hehe) which only encouraged the mw to smile and praise me more for my choice.

My extended family such as Aunties on the other hand have not been so supportive, commenting on I’m taking the goodness away from my unborn child etc etc without actually knowing the right facts, just laying their opinions on me. My husband has been great, very encouraging, and without his support i probably would have weaned by now. Both my mother and mother in law have also been supportive of my choice, my father and father in law on the other hand, I just don’t think they 'get' why i want to continue breast feeding. My father always makes some type of comment if I’m feeding Elise, 'you still doing that, when are u going to stop' not as a question, more of a statement. my mum quite quickly informs him that his son was breast fed to past 2 1/2, he quickly slinks away. Now if he says something, i just look at him and tell him to 'get over it, he's not the one doing it, what’s the problem'. I've said it to him a few times; he doesn’t comment quite so often any more lol. My father in law one day said to my husband. "Tanya's going to have to stop that soon" "stop what" my husband replied "breastfeeding", my husbands reply "you're lucky Tanya isn’t here to hear you say that, she probably would have ripped your head off, she’s not giving up any time soon believe me". My father in law has never once mentioned anything to me about weaning, so i guess my husband scared him a bit with his comment lol  :-D

As for my milk supply, yes it has drastically dropped since being pregnant, but so have the amount Elise feeds. She now only (usually) feeds to go to sleep and sometimes she wakes up at night, but being a co-sleeping family, it doesn’t bother me as i don’t have to get up to her, just roll over!

In conclusion, i would just like to say i put this in my blog for a reason, it is my own experience. I would appreciate that if you wish to comment that you consider that before hand. Thank you :)

  27wks 5 days pregnant - 16th June 07                            Feeding Elise at 28wks2day pregnant - 20 June 07
                                                                                                        (please excuse the mess on the bench haha)!!