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	<title>WIRL Project &#187; Mandi Johnson</title>
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	<description>What It&#039;s Really Like.</description>
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		<title>9/11 Never Forget</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/911-never-forget/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/911-never-forget/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2015 09:30:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mandi Johnson]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[9/11]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[America]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[patriotism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=8821</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We should never forget September 11, 2001.  However, we do need to move on, to continue living our lives without fear. I was in the 11th grade sitting in English class.  I remember one slightly eccentric teacher running down the hallway between classes that morning screaming, “We are under attack &#8211; We are at war.&#8221;  Life would never be the same. I presume, to avoid panic on that pristine September day, the school turned off the televisions.  We were stuck to wonder.  It was a world before smart phones.  We scoured the internet during our French class for bits of information, even though the teachers had been instructed to turn them off. September 11, 2001 changed our lives forever.  But, to not let the terrorists win, we must carry on without fear. Shortly after the attack I was selected as a participant for Presidential Classroom.  This week long educational experience  in Washington D.C.  was late winter and just a few short months later.  It was my first time flying alone.  The Reagan Airport had been open about  a month.  I was seventeen. There was a large gaping hole in the pentagon, I flew right over it, saying a prayer for those that were lost. We overcome by living our lives as close to what they were before the attacks as possible.  To continue to travel, fly, go to work. My first job out of college was a Flight Attendant.  Live without fear. We should never forget the lives lost, never forget the tragedy, but also, we should never let them take our freedom.]]></description>
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		<title>Leaving Your Baby at the Hospital &#8211; Two Weeks as a NICU Mom</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/leaving-your-baby-at-the-hospital-two-weeks-as-a-nicu-mom/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/leaving-your-baby-at-the-hospital-two-weeks-as-a-nicu-mom/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2015 18:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mandi Johnson]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blood Pressure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hospital]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[newborn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NICU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pre-eclampsia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Preeclampsia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pregnancy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pregnant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[protein]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[weight gain]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6922</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[15 Days. Fifteen days that felt like an eternity. Having a child in the NICU is a long, emotional roller coaster that nothing can prepare you for. Luckily, my story is a good one, and we now have a healthy 19 month old. However, I’ll never get back those minutes, those hours that I could not hold him, I could not kiss him. I wasn’t the first, second, or probably even the third person to hold my son. Back to the beginning – after 34 weeks of what seemed like a “normal” pregnancy, I was starting to swell.  My shoes didn’t fit, my ring didn’t fit and I felt miserable –but I thought this was all “normal” pregnancy symptoms. I gained 10 pounds in two weeks. At my 34 week appointment I was admitted to the hospital for high blood pressure. After 24 hours and an extremely high protein count I was diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia. My son needed to be born now. Pre-eclampsia is the the leading cause of maternal and infant illness and mortality.  (For more information visit here) Pre-eclampsia is the the leading cause of maternal and infant illness and mortality. I was rushed to the OR – I didn’t have time for my doula to arrive, I didn’t have time to think about what was going to happen to me, and I definitely didn’t get to ask the question about what would happen to my baby after. I knew he would likely spend some time in the NICU. But no one warned me that I couldn’t hold him, that I wouldn’t even get to see him (other than the quick – over the sheet glimpse) for OVER 24 hours. Those hours were the most agonizing 24 hours I have ever had to endure. Because of my blood pressure and my high protein levels, I was at risk for having a seizure. To minimize that risk I was on a magnesium sulfate drip. “Mag” as it is lovingly referred to – is really nasty stuff. I felt like I was on fire. It makes your muscles feel like rubber bands. &#8230;no one warned me that I couldn’t hold him, that I wouldn’t even get to see him (other than the quick – over the sheet glimpse) for OVER 24 hours. Those hours were the most agonizing 24 hours I have ever had to endure. I felt like I was a prisoner. I couldn’t go see my son – I was hooked up to two IV lines, oxygen, leg pressure cuffs, an oxygen monitor and a BP cuff. They had the lights off in my room, and the TV was not on. All to minimize the risk of having a seizure. My husband split his time between staying with me and visiting our son. I recorded a tearful message on his phone that he played for him in his incubator. It wasn’t until months later that I found out that he didn’t hold him in the NICU until I was allowed to go and see him. My husband wanted me to hold him first. It wasn’t until months later that I found out that he didn’t hold him in the NICU until I was allowed to go and see him. My husband wanted me to hold him first. The day after he was born the doctor came in and I was awaiting the words that I was ok to be taken off of the magnesium and wheeled down to the NICU and I could finally hold my baby boy. My blood pressure was still high and initially I was told I would not be allowed to see him – that I still needed the “mag” for another 24 hours. I broke down. I balled. I couldn’t handle it.  They couldn’t keep me from my baby! I was told to “calm down”  because my BP skyrocketed. In the end I was told I could be taken off the magnesium to go and see him for an hour. I could barely stand to get into the wheelchair and the nurse shielded my eyes in the hallway from the lights. Finally, I got to meet our son. This was just the beginning of our NICU journey. I was discharged two days later – only to leave the hospital and leave our baby boy behind. Coming home without your child is probably the hardest thing to do. However, knowing he was ok, and was in good hands in the NICU is a small comfort. Coming home without your child is probably the hardest thing to do. Our daily routine consisted of my mother-in-law driving me to the hospital in the morning, me sitting by his side – staring at him in the incubator and hoping that all of the nurses notes would show that he was doing better, getting stronger, and meeting the milestones he needed to in order for us to bring him home. Those milestones consisted of getting him to eat so much at a feeding, gain weight, and to keep his body temp up on his own. I was an emotional wreck and anytime there was any setback I wanted to scream. I remember trying to coax him to eat just a few more milliliters from his bottle. My husband went back to work so that he could take time off when we got the baby home instead of spending time at the hospital. We would both go back in the evening, or if I was too exhausted my husband would go and stay with him. Our first diaper changes were through the portholes of the incubator.  We had to watch the “wires” and re-connect his oxygen monitor. We would sit and listen to the different beeps that came from the monitors showing that he was breathing, and that his oxygen level was ok. The first few times an alarm goes off it&#8217;s scary! Those beeps become strangely comforting and the first night home without them is nerve-wracking! Our first diaper changes were through the portholes of the incubator.  We had to watch the “wires” and re-connect his oxygen monitor. Each night we had to say goodbye. They tell you it’s hard to leave your baby, but they fail to mention that you have to repeat this day after day after day. I was told that this wouldn’t last forever, that it would come to an end and it did. Thankfully, I had a wonderfully supportive husband and we got through it together. We were the lucky ones, our baby boy is doing just fine and at the end of our 15 days – we finally got to take him home. &#160;]]></description>
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		<title>Breasfeeding Baby Beyond Maternity Leave &#8211; Pumping in the Workplace</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/breasfeeding-baby-beyond-maternity-leave-pumping-in-the-workplace/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/breasfeeding-baby-beyond-maternity-leave-pumping-in-the-workplace/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2015 08:30:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mandi Johnson]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breastfeeding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pumping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Working Mom]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6830</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As my daughter is quickly approaching her 6 month birthday – it also means I am almost done with my goal of exclusively breastfeeding her for 6 months. I know for some moms this is easy. No problem. For others, it can be a challenge and sometimes it&#8217;s not an option.  Now, I don’t want to say that you have to breastfeed – please, just make sure that your baby is fed! But for me, as long as it was working out, and we had no issues – I wanted to reach that 6 month mark. Putting all of the other breastfeeding issues aside, (poor latch, low supply, mastitis, cracked nipples,) there is one more huge issue. That is the workplace! I work in customer service at a manufacturing facility and I believe that I am the first employee to ever pump at work. Ever! This is how I have made “pumping at work” successful:  1) I pump first thing in the morning. My daughter sleeps through the night most of the time, so I always have enough to pump and then feed in the mornings. While it is not fun getting up at 5:15, it does mean I do not have to pump as soon as I get to work.  I usually get about 6 oz. – which I leave out for her first bottle. Then I clean all of my pump parts and load up my Medela Advanced Pump in Style and head out the door.  2) Once at work, my goal, at first, was to pump three times. However, this just wasn’t working out and two pumping sessions seemed to be doable. I try to pump between 11-11:30 and again around 3:30, yielding 5-6 oz. I store my pumped milk at work in my manager’s small fridge in her private office. This way I don’t have to worry about bringing ice packs or leaving it in the communal fridge. 3) I pump in a small office that is a little away from everyone else. It does not have a lock – but we have affixed a “DO NOT OPEN” sign – that is visible when the door is closed. It has worked so far, I have not received and unsuspecting visitors! Surprise! I usually tell the other ladies in my department that I am “off to the parlor” when I need to pump and have had some fun with it! 4) Second pumping session is usually between 3:30 and 4 pm. Lately, I’ve been skipping the later and pumping when I get home. Between the morning session and the two times at work I would pump enough to feed my daughter the next day. I have not been able to “stockpile”, but I have made enough to feed her day-to-day and that is what is most important!  For anyone having second thoughts or worried about pumping, please know that your employer must be supportive and offer you a place and the time to pump!  For more information visit: http://www.dol.gov/whd/nursingmothers/faqBTNM.htm &#160; Even though it has been a bit of a hassle, pumping at work for me has been successful and completely worth it! A few pumping tips: 1) Start pumping before you need to return to work. By pumping before, you can get used to your pump and know how to assemble, disassemble and clean. This will also allow you to build up a stockpile in case you don’t have enough to feed throughout the day. 2) Try and figure out how many feedings you will miss to figure out how much/how many times you should pump. 3) Know your workplace plan – where will you pump? Where can you store your milk? Discuss with your employer what you plan on doing. 4) Remember that if you have to supplement, it will be ok! &#160; &#160;]]></description>
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