Yummy Smoothie recipes for Mommy and baby(ies)!

I have already posted a few recipes on Kale, the super food! For many of us, Kale has a strong flavor that is hard to get down. I am on the hunt for a Kale salad that I enjoy!  However, I have found a DELICIOUS way for my boys and I to enjoy the wonderful health benefits!

Kale Orange Banana Smoothie

2 c Kale chopped
1 banana (frozen optional)
1 orange peeled
1 tsp fresh grated ginger (optional)
6 oz water
 Blend

Kale strawberry banana smoothie

2 c chopped Kale

1 frozen banana

1 c frozen strawberries

6 oz water

We are officially done with bottles.  I have weened the boys from formula (and unfortunately my breast milk).  I haven't really written about this, but I had SO many issues breastfeeding.  It was the the best and the hardest thing I have ever done (or one of them).  I breastfed my twins for NINE months, which I am BEYOND proud of.  I gave them the best beginning that i could.  I was devastated when I had to stop.  I had to make a choice... I could either pump or play.  You see, breastfeeding twins you need to produce A LOT of milk.  My breasts would get so full!  There was one night around the six month mark that I didn't pump because Maximus had been waking up at 11pm and wanting to nurse. C and I had a date night and got home late and I decided I wouldn't pump because Maximus would want to nurse in an hour... or so I thought!  I fell asleep and woke up at 4 am in the worst pain!  My breast were engorged, hard as rocks, and full of plugged ducts.

After I nursed the boys, I could still feel that my ducts were all plugged up.  It was excruciating.  The following day I felt achy and it continued to get worse.  I thought I was coming down with a flu.  By that evening I had a fever of over 101!  I had full blown Mastitis.  My bones ached!  I was shaking!  It was miserable.  The following day I was able to pump a total of 2 oz during a nursing.  I tried to nurse and my milk never let down.  I had a pumping weekend and was able to build my milk supply back up, but it never was the same.  I had to work so hard to maintain it.  With introducing solids, battling Mastitis, it was a losing battle.  Around 9 months I had to make a choice, do I pump after every feeding again and in between or play with my boys who are only going to be this age once.  I probably would have breastfed them until they were two if I was able and if they wanted it.  That's how much I loved it and how pro breastfeeding I am.

So, my thought process was, if I can't produce the best, I can make the best for them.  I want to instill a healthy palate and eating habits and prevent (as much as possible) picky toddlers.  So far so good!  Rocco and Maximus LOVE fruits and LOVE vegetables.  They eat a variety of proteins (no chicken fingers! no fish sticks!), and whole grains (wonder bread who?).

The picture of the three smoothies one of their new daily snacks (and mine!).  They haven't mastered the straws yet, but we are working on it.  They both polished those smoothies off and loved 'em!  I also love those straw cups (playtex) because they allow me to help squeeze up the contents  until they figure it out.

ALL BY MYSELF...

I FINALLY ventured out of the house today... ALL BY MYSELF (and the babies, of course!)!!!  Thank you to Calmly Chaotic for giving me the motivation to do so!  "If she can do it so can I," I told myself.  Now, I am not as brave to breast feed in public, however.  I have my babies on a strict schedule so when one is hungry, the BOTH are hungry at the same time!  Today, I decided to go to this shopping center.  Its basically one stop shopping.  I needed to return our cable box, since we just got Verizon Fios (LOVE IT!), stopped at Carters and picked up a couple 3 month outfits, walked over to REI and purchased the drink console for the BOB stroller, next went to ULTA to get some make up (yay!), and after that it was feeding time again!  I almost went home, but decided I am going to breast feed in my car!  I brought my My Breast Friend pillow fed the boys, changed them and then went to Whole Foods Market.  Yes, this was a lot of work, but so worth it!  I need to feel like a normal human being again.  And I am VERY proud of myself for having the courage to do this with 10 week old twins!  YAY ME!

Two Months!

Chubby legs...

Rocco Gianni

Maximus Matteo

Maximus and Rocco

 Rocco Gianni

Maximus Matteo

Its been 9 almost 10 weeks and I'm still breastfeeding these lil guys!  I'm starting to get a little stir crazy, however.  I have about an hour window after a feed to either run an errand or go for a jog (yes I started jogging again!). It is near impossible to breastfeed twins any where but home. I'm not about to lug my my breast friend pillow around!  Plus, usually I only have the energy to do one of those PER DAY!  Its a lot of work to feed, change, and put two babies in car seats.  I am trying to find the energy to do that twice a day!  I'm sure once they start sleeping through the night I'll find it, but until then... I'm a home body!

Do any of you twin moms have any tips for going out and about during the day?

The boys two month check up is tomorrow!  I can't wait to find out their weights!  I'm sure Rocco is over 10lbs and Maximus isn't far behind.  I'm pretty sure they both started smiling this week, but I have yet to capture it on camera.  Last night I was taking to Rocco while he was in the bath asking him to smile for mama, and he did!! A nice and big one while looking at me!  We'll see if he does it again today, then I can be sure!  Maximus has also had moments of smiling while looking at me, but when I have him try to do it again, he looks away.  I'll keep trying, I'm dying for their gorgeous smiles :)

lovin the new sns...

Breastfeeding is going amazing now! I love the new system! Prior, I would sometimes give them up to 2 oz of either formula or expressed BM. Now, they are barely taking 2 oz TOTAL.. not 2 each like before! I fed rocco this morning and he didnt take any, and he even spit up... all from me! Im pretty sure this thing is working and they are getting mre efficient at eating and know they arent getting a bottle after! My supply is going up!

My LC has me taking 3 pills of blessed thistled and fenugreek 3 times a day drinking 1 dark beer everday (darn!).

Out and about...

I'm finally feeling comfortable leaving the house with my babies.  They are now adjusted age 2 weeks and 7 weeks old really!  Rocco is now weighing in at a whopping 8lbs 9oz and Maximus is 7lbs 13oz!!  They are growing boys!  This past week they went out to dinner with us, them being covered up in their car seats (paranoid mom alert!), and to the grocery store!  I pushed the babies in a cart and C pushed the cart for the groceries.  It was the site to see!  I figure once I'm comfortable to go alone, I can put one in my sleepy wrap and push on the cart in his car seat.

I've also been walking daily (almost) and started doing some Pilate's at home. Man do I feel weak!  I'm about 10 lbs away from my prepregnancy weight and 13 away from pre IVF.  Not too bad.  I kinda platued a little for a few weeks, I think because I wasn't eating enough.  I just started eating a lot more and I've lost a couple more lbs!  I'm hoping that trend continues!  I just ordered a workout dvd from netflix and I'm going to start running again soon (probable more like a walk jog to start).  I'm very motivated to get back into shape, especially since we'll be heading back to Kauai in February!!!!  It will be our first family vacation!!  Super excited!

As for the breastfeeding, its going better.  The pumping is definitely helping and I am noticing my left producing more.  I had a LC come over today and she is starting me on the SNS system.  Because the babies had to be supplemented in the beginning, it TOTALLY screwed up my milk supply!  I am frustrated with my pediatrician for recommending them to be supplement with formula.  Knowing what I know now, she should have rec. me to nurse more often and pump after, then I wouldn't be having these issues.  I think this happens to a lot of new moms who don't know any better.  In the end they end up formula feeding because their milk supply isn't good enough.  That is not going to happen to me!

So, the SNS is a supplementing system, but I'm pumping and going to supplement the best I can with my OWN breastmilk.  The tube is attached to my nipple which will stimulate me to produce more!  Its a win win!  This is my last and final effort to EBF.  I have researched and researched.  Knowing what I know now, I truely regret listening to my pediatrician in the beginning and I wish she had me just breastfeed more often to make sure Rocco gained more weight.  I wish she had me pump and not tell me to give my baby a man made substance!  I listened to her thinking she knew best.  I was under so much pressure with one baby in NICU and one at home not gaining enough weight I listened.  Now I'm struggling to provide for my babies.

(*Written today)
The good news... I gave NO BOTTLES last night or today!!!  My babies drank only from my breast and were supplemented with my breast milk!  Its such a crazy feeling to see my babies come off my breasts and be SATISFIED!!  Its like I'm waiting for them to still act hungry!  Loving my new SNS!!!

Pumping pumping pumping...

is what my life consists of now!  Of course that includes breastfeeding, diaper changes, and naps in between!  I'm currently pumping as I type this!  I was given this amazing hands free pump, the Medela Freestyle, and it has given me the motivation to pump again! 

Once I decided to strictly breastfeed both babies, I stopped pumping at that time, mostly because I was burned out!  I originally breastfed Rocco and then pumped for Maximus so I could add the extra calories to it.  Once Maximus was up to a good weight I stopped adding the extra and was just so exhausted from it all I needed a break.  The problem... I'm not producing enough milk for two babies!!!  I am desperately trying EVERYTHING to increase my milk supply!

I had an appointment with a Lactation Consultant on Wednesday.  I breastfed both babies while I was there.  They weighed them before and after to see how much they ate.  Maximus ate 2.4oz on the right side and Rocco ate only 1 oz on the left!  I have a retarded left breast!

On top of that, they think I have thrush on my nipples, which is why I'm still in pain when I breastfeed after 6 weeks (yes my babies are 6 weeks old now!).  Its very common with breastfeeding.  It can either appear on the mother, the baby, or both!  Luckily I just have it now.  So I am putting a cream on after each feeding/pumping.

My job now to increase my supply is to breastfeed, then pump after each feeding, 10 min on the right and 15 on my retarded left  This SUPPOSEDLY will tell my body to produce more!  I am still waiting for that to kick in!  I have also started taking Fenugreek, an herbal supplement that is supposed to also increase my supply.

To say the least, it is VERY frustrating!  I am very frustrated!  If it is supply and demand and my babies are demanding and my body is not supplying, I disagree with that theory.

If anyone has any other tips for increasing supply, PLEASE SHARE!!!

THREE WEEKS OLD...

Its crazy that my boys are already three weeks old!  Whats even crazier is that they are only 38 weeks, not even to their due date yet, and they are doing so good!  They had their third pediatrician appt on Thursday (well second for Maximus) to check on their weights.  I was shocked at Maximus's growth.  Last week he weighed 4lbs 7oz and exactly one week later, he weighed 5 lbs 4oz!  Almost a pound in growth!  He was also 17.5 inches last week and this week he is 19!  Rocco was 5lb 6oz last week and this week 5lbs 14oz and 19.5 inches!  Those 2 hour feedings the other night did some good I guess ;-)

As of Wednesday, am done with pumping for Maximus and now exclusively BFing both boys AT THE SAME TIME!  I was so exhausted from pumping and decided to give it up.  Maximus needed to be on the fortified breast milk to gain weight, and it did its job.  I had moments of just giving up and I can see why so many people stop BFing, but this is something I wanted to do for a long time and I know how GOOD it is for my babies! I got asked for a couple tips on how to breast feed both at the same time...

What I do is get my burp rags ready and recieving blankets.  I change both babies to wake them up more, especially if one wakes up first.  I lay them both out in their crib and strap on the pillow.  I put each baby on the pillow in position (football hold), and walk to go sit in my rocker.  I use the recieving blankets and sometimes the burp cloth's to support their heads, once I latch on each baby.  THAT is CRUCIAL to keep them latched.  Then you can be hands free!  Usually one baby is ready to burp before the other so I have the burp cloth ready, burp and relatch.  I feed each baby on one side for each feed then switch.   Because mine are premies I am topping them off with higher calorie formula to make sure they are getting enough.  Its all working!  Hope that helps you new twin mommy's!

Yesterday we did their newborn photo's!  It was a long day... six hours of posing, feedings, changings etc.  Newborn photographers need to be very patient,is what I learned!  Here is a sneak peak my photographer posted on her FB page...

Maximus Matteo and Rocco Gianni @ 3 weeks old!

P.S.  Sorry for being a "bad blogger," but I am soaking up every minute of these little blessings. Looking at this pic, can you blame me?