Updated Intro

Namastè!

After a year or so (okay, so it's totally been a year, a month, and two days) on the blog scene, I decided I should likely update my intro.

My name, in case you somehow missed it in the branding, is Tayè K. I won't divulge the K, but if you know me then you also know that K is a mouthful! I am a happily married mama who happens to love writing, taking pics, and making life do what I want it to do. I'm still ironing out the kinks in that last bit, because life does what life wants, not so much what I want. It's a work in progress. The progress is a mostly joyful process, so no complaints.

As a blogger, I generally stick to what I know, unless I'm sharing a learning journey--in which case I go for what I don't know and drag you along so in the end, we can learn and eventually know it together!

I don't entertain politics, religion, or anything extremely personal. I like to have a space of inclusion on my blog, and while I'm generally open to reading your thoughts on various subjecrs, I know to keep some of my own thoughts to myself. "If I can't say something nice...I surely won't blog, IG, or FB about it."

While I do keep my most personal thoughts to myself, I share a good bit of my family's exploits, anecdotes and traditions here on the blog and in my social media. I don't hire professional photographers or stage huge setups--I like it all as organic and simple as I like my food. Because this blog is my hobby, I don't exactly chase the stars. I write good pieces, take good photos, and provide good reviews when the opportunities present themselves. I have fun with this!

I hail from Georgia by way of Jamaica, and Hubby Namastè hails from India. We are a busy professional family, and we make our homes in two parts of the state--West and Southwest Georgia. We love travel as much as we love breathing, and our biggest trips are always to Sri Lanka or India and New York City.

I'm one of few bloggers who doesn't really get into unboxings or videos unless it's something I'm beyond passionate about. I'll finally be breaking that wall because my toddler can now talk, and I think his voice is much more palatable than my own. (Secret's out--I don't like the sound of my own voice! It isn't a complex, I just hear it so much that I'm "over" it. Plus, I don't actually talk a lot.) I also like to try to maintain some of my anonymity--I have a lot of wonderful readers BUT I'm not quite ready to invite the kind of fame that gets me recognized in Target or Moe's!

Aside from writing, I enjoy singing, dancing, and creating different forms of art. I love, love, love to paint, and currently that's been my most-loved release. I do all kinds of mediums but I mainly dig walls. Not a canvas, an entire wall, or a piece of a wall. Big murals are my joy, and because we have two new stores and a new house, I've been getting my fill recently. (My apologies, it's one of those things I don't necessarily post for social media. Maybe someday...)

My blog is a space where I share. Either knowledge or experience. I prefer to stick to the positive but if I ever encountered a negative and could share it tactfully, I'd let you in on it. I figure there are enough professional dissenters, both online and off, and I'm not a Debbie Downer type anyway so I keep it upbeat. I like to pass along information about things I have found to be helpful, products I'm into, and places I count the days to return to.

In a nutshell, I'm an outspoken sweetheart who knows when to hold her cards. *cheeky grin*

And no, this isn't a persona. It's just me, doing what I do.

Namastè!

-- Tayè K. ♡

A Day In the Life: Oversupply Mom.

Namastè!

I just replaced pump parts for my twin milkers, my S2 and my Sonata. (Check the links for more info on these pumps and why I love them--and why you need one!)

Again.

I'm very strict about replacing membranes, tubes, and connectors every 3 months. It keeps my pumps in optimal condition. I can't afford to miss a session, or I'll feel the pain.

No, I'm not dramatic. My pumps go through a lot. I spend about 6 hours a day pumping.

No, I don't have this crazy schedule by choice.

I have what's known in the breastfeeding circle as oversupply. Technically speaking, my b'reservoirs produce far more milk than is necessary for my infant. In layman's terms, it means my b'reservoirs and I always need a backup shirt--also, I have to keep a pumping and nursing schedule or I'll end up with clogged ducts, mastitis, or rock boobs. (They literally feel like rocks. I kid you not.)

So what's my day like?

Note: All times are fairly approximate. Also important--I don't latch my son as frequently now, his choice. He's a toddler and super busy. He latches best at night, when he is less distracted.

4 am - PAIN! I went to bed around 10 and that means it's been about 6 hours since I nursed, pumped, or  expressed. While the general advice for oversupply is, "don't pump to empty, only to comfort," I won't get said comfort unless I empty out. My nightie is soaked, like someone poured water on me.

Output: A whopping 27 ounces--15 from the rightt, and 12 from the left. Lefty is a slacker.

Pump thought: I wish there were 12 ounce bottles.

6:12 am - Tightness. My shirt's damp. Happy toddler is awake and signing for milk! Hand express a couple ounces (3 on the right, 3 on the left) so he can eat without getting sprayed in the face.

6:38 am - El Milky Toddler has curled up in bed with a belly full of liquid gold. I'm still full, but a little tired, so I pull out the manual pump and express a bit. Sleeping on rocks? I'll pass.

Output: 3 ounces each b'reservoir by hand, plus another 7 (right) and 6 (left) by manual pump. Another 19 ounces total!

8:15 am - I'm at my desk-slash-milking-station in my home office. After 20 minutes on the S2, I can relax a bit.

Output: 12 ounces! A solid 6.5 ounces from the right, and 5.5 ounces from the left.

10:30 am - What I want is a nap, but what I need is to pump. I just hand express. Thankfully, little Toddler Dragon pads into the room as I'm working on Righty, signing for his milkies. My work area is quiet, so he gets in a full round. (Yay, son!) I only have to pump the right side.

Output: 6 ounces. Lefty not pumped.

Nap achieved! We watch Elmo and nap together on the couch.

1:50 pm - CRAP. The nap was glorious but waking up this way isn't! Shirt, drenched. I have a playdate to attend, so I pump again with the S2, my pink power pod. I make a note to bag all of today's milk before I take sleep tonight. I wash and dress myself and Toddler Dragon, and make us grilled cheeses with veggie cheese slices. We'll grab something light while we are out, but I never leave the house with a hungry tot. I toss some water bottles and a pouch of milk for him in my pump bag, and we're off!

Output: 13 ounces. 7 from Righty, 6 from Lefty.

4:02 pm - Ahhhh, I'm not drenched but I feel that fireants-biting-me sensation. I'm thirsty, so I have a bottle of Evian. I pump, because my little Firetruck (he's pretending to be a Firetruck now--he is perfection) is running around with another toddler. We're at a playdate in the library.

NOTE: I drink Evian because I like it, not because it's some magic milk-maker. I'm the magic milk-maker. Evian is just something that keeps me hydrated, which is important for breastfeeding, but not the golden key. Always remember that latching on demand and skin-to-skin are the keys, and there are simply not any real magic elixirs or quick fixes.

There isn't an actual pumping area, so I get a mommy in our group to keep an eye on my little truck. Once he's in good hands, I pull out the Freestyle and make myself at home at a table tucked off in the 900s. Thankfully it doesn't take me long--20 minutes and I'm back in the game with the little trucks. Mine is no longer a Firetruck, but a Big Rig!

Output: 9 from Righty, 7.5 from Lefty.

6:30 pm - Dinner and snuggles with Hubby Namastè. Our son is no longer a vehicle, and is snuggling with us. He nursed a good amount after eating his cheeseless lasagna. Alas, I forgot to hand express before he latched. l ended up spraying him a bit. He laughed, so I don't feel as bad. Still aggy because that was a few milliliters of milk...*sigh*

I love pump sessions after he's nursed both sides.

Output: 5 from Righty, 7.5 from Lefty. He favors the right side. We'll assume he drank half a boobful.

8:50 pm - Hand expression time. My little cub (He was a lion before sleepies, because his pajamas had little lions on them and naturally he had to match!) didn't nurse before he took sleep at 8:30, so I'm a little full.

Output: 8 from Righty, 6.5 from Slacker Lefty. Lefty is seriously a trip.

I usually take sleep between 10 and 11 at night. I don't skip this pump sesh, because I prefer to begin my sleep with the b'reservoirs empty.

12:19 am - I'm up. I hate wet shirts! Also I hate knowing that the milk now drenching my shirt, won't make it to my kid's belly or in his bath. (I'll get to that in a minute.) I pump, this time a full 25-minite sesh. The wet shirt has become an eczema wipe for my left knee, which has been a little itchy lately. Waste not  want not! *chuckle*

Output: 12 from Righty and a very impressive 10.5 from Lefty!

...

Now...what do we oversupply moms do with that extra milk? I pump over 120 ounces PER DAY, and my kid doesn't drink even half. He still latches, and he's eating regular foods, so of those 120 ounces, I set aside 60 ounces per day just for his stash. His stash goes into his smoothies, his baths and skin care, and of course his sippy cup.

What happens to the rest?!

I'm a milk donor. I give milk via HM4HB, and I'm a registered donor with two milk banks. The testing required by the milk bank helps reassure my recipients that I am healthy and drug-free, and that is definitely an extra measure of comfort for me and the families. I do more donating through HM4HB, because they don't charge families for the milk, and if I have a particularly large donation, I can break it down into several batches and help more babies. My current donation tally is over 75K ounces, and yes I'm proud.

Now...don't glorify oversupply as a goal. It's actually painful at times and always pretty inconvenient. I initially tried slowing down my production but nothing worked, and I didn't want to jeopardize my son's feedings by compromising my supply. (We are almost two years strong now!)

Also remember--the amount of bottles or bags of milk in your stash does not define your supply. If your baby is growing and developing well, and making enough wet and dry diapers, relax! You don't have a supply problem.

More likely than not, you have supply envy, or supply confusion. Supply envy is a phrase I coined for that moment when you expect bottles and bottles due to seeing another mom produce that way. Supply confusion is a phrase I coined for that moment when you forget that your baby only drinks an ounce or two at a clip and try to force yourself to produce 2-liter bottles every pump or expression sesh.

Your baby (or your consistency with the pump) tells your body how much milk to make. If you aren't moving milk, you will eventually not make milk. Also, a breastfed baby's needs don't increase as a formula fed baby's do. Unless they've not been pace fed (with a bottle--a baby cannot overfeeding at the breast), a breastfed infant taking expressed milk will max out at 5 ounces or so per feeding, around one year of age. Breastmilk is designed just for their tummies, so there are no fillers or empty calories. They get what they need--nutrition, hydration, and comfort--all from one source!

Lastly, no pump is as efficient as a baby at removing milk. There isn't a single breastpump out there, nor will there likely ever be, that can empty a breast as effectively and as efficiently as a baby. Period.

...it's 7:08. Almost time to hand express. (I don't pump for every expression, as that signals the body to make more. I've had a good week, maxing out at 130 ounces on Tuesday and not making more than that! I'm content.) Sooooo I'll see you another post, another day!

Namastè!

-- Tayè K. ♡