Oh wow, lots of questions....okay, let me see if I can answer them all.

The LC mentioned the prescription for the dom stuff, but I don't have provincial health coverage yet (still a US citizen / resident), so the cost of the doctor visit + prescription is kind of ouchie right now. I'm taking 9 fenugreek pills a day, but I don't smell like maple syrup yet. It's funny when I told DH about the maple smell, his response was "you know you're in Canada when...."

I'm not sure what sns or aim is....I do have other kids to take care of. Granted they're older, but I was thinking of the nursing holiday thing sometime this week. I mean it can't hurt, right?

I've been trying to drink alot of water. I don't have pop in the house that I can drink (sugar tolerance issues) so caffeine isn't a problem for me. I DO have hydration issues. I have a condition called Idiopathic Central Diabetes Insipidus. It's Idiopathic because they don't know how I got it. It's usually caused by head trauma, a tumor on the pituitary gland, or brain surgery on or near the pituitary gland...of which I've had none. Central comes from the part of the body it's in...there's central (pituitary related) or nephrogenic (kidney related). The diabetes part is that the symptoms mimic the symptoms of diabetes mellitus, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with my blood sugar.

What does this mean? It means I take a medication twice a day to keep my body from dehydrating itself. Without the medication, I drink 5+ gallons of water a day and pee approximately 20 or so liters....per day. So, I have to stay on top of my medication and drink alot of water anyways.

I also have low iron. When I delivered my iron count was 83, upon leaving the hospital it was 76. During pregnancy, they want your iron to be 115 or higher. Mine is so low due to the fact that I had a gastric bypass surgery 2 and a half years ago and have issues with vitamin and mineral absorbtion. When I remember (yes I know, bad Jenny), I'm taking 2-3 200mg iron suppliments in combination with vitamin c to help them absorb quicker.

I want a sling. I have a pattern for a no sew moby wrap that I'd like to make as soon as I can find the appropriate fabric. Emily doesn't really like pacifiers and prefers to nom on her hands / my fingers when she has a sucking need. I'm not on any kind of birth control. I take the medication mentioned above as well as the fenugreek and iron suppliments.

My BF'ing issues started with a latch problem. We discovered Emily has a very mild tongue tie. I was taught proper latching techniques and told to come back in 2 days. 2 days later, she'd lost more weight and the LC was concerned. We were told at this time to give her 2-3 oz of formula in addition to offering her the breast first. The next LC we saw said that was too much formula and introduced us to the lactation aid tube thingy. She still gets 2 oz of formula, but she gets it while she's sucking on me. It appears that I'm one of those rare cases in which I actually do have a low supply.

As for the pump. I'm probably exaggerating a bit, but at the Babies R Us nearest to our house, DH and I saw the medela double deluxe electric ...does everything except change your baby's diaper for you....pump for $499. We bought a single electric first years pump for much much less. However, we were later told that single pumps are generally for very occasional use. Definitely not for someone who has to pump once a day or more. I found a pump online that I like and will probably get once DH gets his tax refund. I think I'm managing to pump maybe once a day. Honestly, I don't like pumping. It's noisy and uncomfortable and well....I'm making excuses. Heck, even DH says I need to pump more. I'll try, I really will.

Canada doesn't have a WIC program like they do in the states, so if we do stop BF'ing, formula is very very expensive. Honestly, I'd rather BF my baby. Besides the medical benefits, it's cheap (free), portable, and always available when demand calls for it.

Oh and Emily isn't one of those babies that will pull off the nipple when there's a slow / no flow. She'll just sit there and chew me to death and be perfectly happy about it. In the end though, I know it's all about keeping her healthy and happy and fed. I have another appt with the LC on the 24th to check the baby's weight and see how we're progressing. I know she's going to push the double pump...which I hope to have before my appt.

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