<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>WIRL Project &#187; Baby</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.wirlproject.com/tag/baby/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.wirlproject.com</link>
	<description>What It&#039;s Really Like.</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:04:41 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.37</generator>
	<item>
		<title>What It&#8217;s Really Like &#8211; The Story Behind WIRL Project</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-its-really-like-the-story-behind-wirl-project/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-its-really-like-the-story-behind-wirl-project/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 2015 07:30:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sara Brennan]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alike]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Assuring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Billion Dollars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CORE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Famous Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Instagram]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[More]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sara Brennan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Selfies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Share]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Struggle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[T.v. Williams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What It's Really Like]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Project]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=7969</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I had the privilege of being invited by T.v. Williams to be on his Famous Podcast a few weeks ago. I recently shared Part 1 of the show featuring a few stories about me and my personal life. Today I&#8217;m talking more about my professional life and how I was inspired to create the WIRL Project platform. In this particular portion of the show (Part 2) I am talking about: My son Mason (a quick blurb) My career as a teacher and how I always felt compelled to do something &#8220;more&#8221;.  How my Father pushed me to follow my heart, even in his last days How I ever got started blogging in the first place How T.v. called WIRL Project the next &#8220;Billion Dollar Company&#8221;! (Hint: He compared it to Instagram!)  Why I believe that people are all alike at our core How you can get involved and start sharing your stories on the WIRL Project platform &#160; As I said with Part 1, was very honest and real in this podcast and I&#8217;m looking forward to sharing the other parts with you in the future. I love the idea of podcasting because not everyone has time to sit down and read everyday, plus you get to actually see the show in action! I also love podcasts because they&#8217;re something you can play on your phone while you are driving or cleaning your kitchen or while you have a few minutes to sit on the couch and relax. The video link is below, let me know what you think! &#160; &#160; Thanks for watching and thank you T.v. for having me on the Famous Podcast! &#160; &#160; &#160;]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-its-really-like-the-story-behind-wirl-project/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<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>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/leaving-your-baby-at-the-hospital-two-weeks-as-a-nicu-mom/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Mom Slams People Who Call Their Dogs &#8220;FurBabies&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/mom-slams-people-who-call-their-dogs-furbabies/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/mom-slams-people-who-call-their-dogs-furbabies/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2015 09:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[WIRL Project]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Furbaby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Furkid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insult]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mother]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pet]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6931</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There is a buzz going around online about comparing dogs to children. A recent post titled, No Your Dog Is Not Your &#8220;Baby&#8221; &#8211; Saying That Is An Insult To Moms published by Elizabeth Broadbent from YourTango, discusses how people who refer to their pets as &#8220;Furbabies&#8221; or &#8220;FurKids&#8221; really tick her off.  Apparently, the world had a lot to say about this subject and their weighing in on social media. Broadbent makes comments such as, &#8220;Your puppy is not your child, so stop saying that he is. I have three children now, and I know this for certain — kids and dogs are not same&#8221; and &#8220;Getting a dog just doesn&#8217;t stack up&#8221;, and &#8220;Kids do some amazing things dogs just can&#8217;t stack up to.&#8221;. Broadbent makes comments such as, &#8220;Your puppy is not your child, so stop saying that he is. I have three children now, and I know this for certain — kids and dogs are not same&#8221; and &#8220;Getting a dog just doesn&#8217;t stack up&#8221;, and &#8220;Kids do some amazing things dogs just can&#8217;t stack up to.&#8221;. Many, including hundreds of commenters, are outraged that Broadbent would even &#8220;go there&#8221;. Amy Attaway, a commenter on the post, says, &#8220;For all those women who aren&#8217;t able to have children, these furkids may be all they have. I think it&#8217;s sad you feel the need to belittle people who are doing absolutely no harm to your own life. Concentrate on and love your children. There&#8217;s no need to degrade.&#8221; And Lindsay Combs posted this on her Facebook page, &#8220;I&#8217;ve never given birth nor am I sure if I ever want to or even can, but my dogs are my world&#8230; Just bc I don&#8217;t change their diapers everyday&#8230; [and they don&#8217;t] speak the words &#8220;I wuv you mommy&#8221; doesn&#8217;t mean they can&#8217;t mean the world to me just as a child could. &#8230; don&#8217;t for a second think you can tell somebody what to or what not to call their dogs or any pet for that matter. It 100% should NOT be an insult to Moms everywhere &#38; if it is, you should be ashamed!&#8221; &#8220;I&#8217;ve never given birth nor am I sure if I ever want to or even can, but my dogs are my world&#8230;&#8221; We want to know how the WIRL Project audience feels about this. Can you see what the author is saying or are you outraged at her comments? Do you have your own &#8220;Furbabies&#8221; and do you refer to them as such? Do you have children of your own as well as a family dog? Does the love &#8220;compare&#8221;? Or should we even be having this conversation? Why does it matter who loves who? Can&#8217;t we just be happy there is love going around? Many will have their own opinions, we are all entitled to them, but it&#8217;s how you present yourself as you share your thoughts and ideas that will earn the respect (or disrespect) of others. Why does it matter who loves who? Can&#8217;t we just be happy there is love going around? Tell us what you think about calling dogs and pets &#8220;Furbabies&#8221; and &#8220;Furkids&#8221; in the comments below. Or, better yet, submit your own thoughts and stories here! &#160; &#160; &#160; *Image source: Popsugar.com]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/mom-slams-people-who-call-their-dogs-furbabies/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<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>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/breasfeeding-baby-beyond-maternity-leave-pumping-in-the-workplace/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>My Best Experience as an RN</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/my-best-experience-as-an-rn/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/my-best-experience-as-an-rn/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2015 18:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Anonymous WIRL]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Health/Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Birth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Delivery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Labor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nurse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spanish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Medical Professionals]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6844</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The best thing to ever happened to me as an RN occurred I was taking care of a woman in labor. It was her second baby and she spoke Spanish, so I took her as a patient because I also spoke Spanish. I entered the room and recognized her, she looked at me with wide eyes. So did her sister. And her husband. I recognized the husband. And then they told me, You were our nurse the &#8220;last time&#8221;. But I didn’t remember. But then I did&#8230; She had a baby that had passed away from many fetal abnormalities just a year prior. She was here for delivery of her second baby which was healthy and normal. She started to tear up. So did her sister. I knew it might be awkward, so I decided to ask if she still wanted me to be her nurse because maybe she wanted a more positive experience this time around, and it would have been totally fine because I understood. She responded to me in Spanish – I do want you to be my nurse and I couldn’t go through this again without you. I said, Okay good. Perfect. So I excused myself, went into the hallway and cried. Got it together and went back in the room. We delivered a HEALTHY BABY BOY! I put that baby on her chest. I showed her his body parts. We delayed a lot of the baby measurements and medicating just because I didn’t want to take her baby away. The entire time she cried My son! My son! This is my baby! My baby! This was the most exhilarating delivery and one that I won’t ever forget. &#160; - An Anonymous Nurse from NYC]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/my-best-experience-as-an-rn/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Children Bodily Fluids 101</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/children-bodily-fluids-101/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/children-bodily-fluids-101/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2015 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Andrea Curtis]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bodily Fluids]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boogers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Child]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kids]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parenting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Poop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Potty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Potty Training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Puke]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Runny Nose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Warn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What It's Really Like]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wipe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wiping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=5512</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; The other day my 4 year old told our roofer proudly she could wipe her own bottom now when she poops. I was only slightly surprised she said this to him knowing her personality. I laughed it off and began thinking about the ugly process of teaching her and her two older sisters how to properly wipe. No one prepared me for this! I thought of parenting as moments in hallmark movies. Boy was I off. Granted there are moments of pure joy. But on a daily basis. We deal with bodily fluids with young children. There is no dealing with Children&#8217;s Bodily Fluids For Idiots book. So heres my cliff note version of dealing with children&#8217;s bodily fluids 101: Wiping. I can&#8217;t help you with boys, I&#8217;ve got all girls. I literally bent over and demonstrated the process and the importance to wipe away form their vagina. I showed them about how large of piece of toilet paper to use. My first daughter was a disaster, she used tiny pieces of toilet paper, getting poop on her fingers and wiping the wrong direction causing an infection! They don&#8217;t know this stuff, so I have to teach her!  When is comes to diapers and poop, Huggies dealt with poop the best for us. Unless you want to get a whiff of poop next time your tuck your hair behind your ear, don&#8217;t stick your finger anywhere near the edges to check for a bowl movement. Just assume the worst. Puke! Puking is the worst of all bodily fluids. Although it&#8217;s not as common, thank God. It&#8217;s the most disgusting. They don&#8217;t understand they are about to erupt like a volcano, they just stand or lay there as it comes pouring out of them with a confused look on there face as they see us running with a look of disgust and fear all at once. When my girls were little toddlers the fast approaching or hovering buckets scared them and confused them. In turn the buckets didn&#8217;t help much until they understand. Dangling them over a sink or toilet is just not realistic for a bouncy toddler either. Since I am not a fan of scrubbing puke out of carpet, fabric, bed rails, and carseat buckles I have come to this&#8230; we stay at home in a practical designated area; usually the family room. I make a play area of layered towels, only allowing hard and easy to clean toys. If they want to sit on my lap, I drape a towel over both of us as if it were a blanket. When puking begins I pull the sides of the towel vertical to prevent spilling over the sides. When vomit session ends I roll up her vomit contaminated towel and wash it. During sleeping times I made beds of towels layered on the floor and I would sleep near by. It was so much easier to clean up and get them back to sleep. Making a bed over and over on a puking night, is horrible. Keep it practical keep it easy. Snot and Boogers!! It&#8217;s all the time! They are either teething, have a cold, or allergies. Snot is gonna happen. Nose picking is gonna happen. We have all blown our noses and still couldn&#8217;t get that wretched dried nasal mucus, so as civilized adults we quickly retrieve it and dispose it and promptly washing our hands. We have all done it! So how can we expect our little humans to not reach for an aggravating piece of dried nasal mucus in their nose. It&#8217;s what we do with the booger thats important. Yelling and asking them to not pick their nose may just lead them to hiding the evidence by eating it! (retching sound) That is not ok with me! I keep those little packs of tissues everywhere! In my purse, my van, the diaper bag, in each room in the house. Every time I catch them digging for gold, I hand them a tissue. Now they come find me, &#8220;Mom, I have a booger!&#8221;&#8230; Hey I prefer it than scraping boogers off of walls and furniture. Someone should warn us parents about this stuff. There are books that share about what toys are good for fine motor skills. What about this stuff?! This is what its really like.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/children-bodily-fluids-101/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>PPD Forces Changes</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/ppd-forces-changes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/ppd-forces-changes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2015 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Becky Babo]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Antidepressants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Body]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daughter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[depression]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emotional]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Faith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[postpartum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Postpartum Depression]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PPD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pregnancy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=5401</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; My beautiful baby girl just turned one in March, and motherhood has forced it&#8217;s fair share of changes on me, the least of which being my pants size. The elephant in the room is Postpartum Depression. I was diagnosed with Postpartum Depression (PPD) four weeks after I had my bundle of joy. I wanted to be happy, but I couldn&#8217;t stop crying. The bottom line is that postpartum depression has changed me. I&#8217;ve always been an emotional person, but generally I&#8217;ve been able to see the good in situations, not just the bad. Now, I feel like I&#8217;m not the person I was before I became a mom. I&#8217;m not the perky, bubbly person who was so sure of herself anymore. I&#8217;ve become someone else that I don&#8217;t quite recognize. I&#8217;m trying to beat this &#8211; trying to overcome what I&#8217;m feeling and what my body has decided to do. My doctor has me on antidepressants, my third different brand, and the fact of the matter is, I&#8217;m scared. What if I always feel like this? What if they don&#8217;t help? What if being on them is going to make me a bad mom? Research tells me that PPD is a chemical imbalance, and that it&#8217;s a lot more common then most women know. Why? What makes it so hard for women to talk about? Maybe it&#8217;s the constant feeling that you&#8217;re just not good enough. Or the sadness that comes around when you really should be happy. This is not an easy road for me to walk. This is not what I expected. And yet, I know that this is not my fault. I don&#8217;t understand why &#8211; but this is happening to me for a reason, and God is truly in control. If He put this in my path, then I have to walk around it. I have to overcome this obstacle. And if it brings me closer to Him, and turns me into a more sympathetic and better mother, then it&#8217;s worth it. Until then, I will keep trying. For her.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/ppd-forces-changes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Apparently My &#8220;Girls&#8221; Just Want To Have Fun</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/apparently-my-girls-just-want-to-have-fun/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/apparently-my-girls-just-want-to-have-fun/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2015 20:00:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sara Brennan]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breastfeeding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breastmilk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Girls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastitis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pumping]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=3793</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Until I had a baby, my boobs were fun! They gave me curves, looked great in my tops/dresses/swimsuits and they probably enjoyed resting nicely in pretty bras from stores like Victoria’s Secret. But, when I needed them most, when they actually had to be put to use; they were worthless! I prepared for this, I swear I did; I read all the books on breastfeeding, even attended a class on it. I knew all the positions and techniques, but I still struggled. My baby had a great latch, we talked with several lactation consultants in the hospital and I went home feeling rather confident about my abilities to breastfeed. But then, it all changed! I quickly found out that when it came time to put my “girls” to work, they just weren’t having it. About a week after coming home from the hospital, I started to feel pain, burning and I even saw blood when I nursed; these were things I’d never read or learned about in my books and classes. I am bull headed in some ways, so I was not going to let a little pain get in my way; finding a way to get my son the breast milk was my number one priority, primarily because of the health benefits. My struggle started with the burning I felt during my “letdown”. This was also rather shocking to me because even though I was fairly educated on the topic, I was not prepared for this. When my body would make milk, it would actually burn and tingle in my boobs really badly (not fun), usually followed by a nice flow of milk that soaked my shirt. You would think this would be a good sign, but it would happen at the most inopportune times; like when Mason would start crying in a store, or if  I saw a cute baby on TV; hormones are amazing things and they’r really revved up at this time I guess. I called my lactation consultants (who were now on speed dial) and they said it was pretty normal. I guess my body produced too much milk and this was a side effect of doing so. Go figure, I would produce “too much” milk…some women can’t make enough, but oh no, not me! &#160; So I got used to the letdown pain (and took care of the leakage by wearing breast pads in my bras), but a week or so later I started to notice other pain along with having the chills. I had a fever and my boobs were HOT (not the sexy hot) and painful. After a trip to the OB I found out that I had mastitis, which is a bacterial infection of the breast tissue, typically caused from breastfeeding. Great! I was put on an antibiotic and told to put ice packs on my breasts (it actually did feel great!) and I did start to feel much better. My husband actually did some research and found that you’re supposed to put cabbage leaves on your breasts to help ease the pain…I did this, but it was very strange and I can’t say it really helped at all. My next hurdle was cracked nipples, they pretty much split right down the middle, were very sore and bled very badly. It got to be so bad that one time Mason spit up (he spit up a lot) and it was the color of Pepto Bismal! (WHAT?!) I rushed him to the doctors office and they said the blood was coming from me, not him. So, I aggressively applied Lanolin after each nursing session and we kept going. About two weeks after this was when I hit rock bottom, every time Mason would latch on I would feel as though a hundred needles were being pushed through my nipple. The pain continued to get worse, and things like wearing a bra or standing in the shower…forget it! Anytime my nipples touched anything I was in pain, to the point that tears would roll down my face as I nursed my hungry baby. I learned that this was the result of a yeast infection on my breasts. There were no signs and the only symptom was some redness and the obvious pain. So I put anti fungal cream on my boobs (yep, the same stuff you put on athletes foot…gross!!!!), took another prescription and kept plugging away. Then the whole yeast/thrush thing happened again about a week later and I broke down. I felt like such a failure! In the old days, mom’s didn’t have a choice, they had to push through it if they wanted their baby to eat. I kept saying to myself, if this was 500 years ago, would I just let my baby go hungry? Was I weak? What was so wrong with me that I could not do something so natural as breastfeeding my baby?!? But I was not going to give up, that’s just not what I do! So, I my Medela Breast Pump became my new best friend (or enemy). At first I pumped just a few times per day and tried to let him latch on for the other feedings and this worked for a while, but it was still painful to let him nurse. So I started exclusive pumping and my pain eventually went away. I decided that the whole breastfeeding just wasn’t going to work for me, but as long as my baby was getting breast milk, it didn’t really matter how he was getting it. It turns out that my journey is not uncommon and women go through these things all the time, but the books and classes don’t do a good job of explaining it. These said books and classes actually make you feel terrible about NOT breastfeeding or choosing to stop. Everyone is different and I wanted to keep going, I really did, but I just couldn’t. And why put myself through all that pain when there was another way. I was fed formula pretty much from day one and I’m fine! There’s no shame in making the choice to stop breastfeeding, especially when it was affecting my quality of life so much. I ended up exclusively pumping (about 6-8 times per day and through the night) until Mason turned 6 months old – watch for a post on this soon from Lauren. And just as Lauren wrote about a couple weeks ago, you will feel Mom Guilt for everything. I felt so guilty when I decided that I was going to stop pumping and give my baby formula, but to be honest, Mason thrived once I gave him formula. He grew so much and was so much happier (we both were). I no longer had to haul my pump with my to the mall and sit in Nordstrom’s (fancy) bathroom and pump, just so I could get out of the house for a few hours (its the little victories in life)! I wanted to write this post to let other moms out there know that it’s alright to call lactation consultants or your doctor if you are having trouble; its actually a great idea, even if things are going well! It’s alright to pump and it’s even alright to “give up” if that’s what works best for you and your baby. I would have never thought Mason would be happier on formula, but he was! So don’t beat yourself up about things like this, I know how you feel and being an exclusive pumper deserves some king of award (I think). So keep on keeping on with whatever works for you and stand by the fact that you’re doing the best that you can! And if your “girls” aren’t happy when you put them to work, fine. Let them “go back to normal” again and have fun! This WIRL was actually a blog post from my last venture as a mommy blogger. *The featured image came from: http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/10/20/the-breast-is-yet-to-come/]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/apparently-my-girls-just-want-to-have-fun/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Teething Snacks</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/teething-snacks/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/teething-snacks/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2015 20:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lauren]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snacks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teething]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teething snacks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toddler]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=3359</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Let’s face it, no one enjoys the teething process. When a child is teething, it is rough on everyone! Every time Hadley went through a teething phase, I felt like a waitress at a bad restaurant. I was constantly making different meals, only for her to send them back with an attitude. Now that I have been through a handful of these phases, I wanted to share a few of the healthy teething snacks that she enjoyed on the first try. &#160; Celery with Cream Cheese – Such an easy snack! She tends to take her time walking around, chewing on the celery. Apple slices with peanut butter – The cool and crunchiness from the apple helps soothe her gums. Frozen Yogurt Slices – I cannot take credit for this one, my mother-in-law told me about this one! All you do is freeze the yogurt sticks and when you are ready to use them, take them out and slice them. You can also serve it like a push up pop. Frozen Banana Sandwiches – My daughter loved bananas from the start, so I was not surprised that she inhaled these. I like to add little peanut butter in the middle of the two banana slices. I also tend to take them out ten minutes prior to serving them so they are not too hard for her to bite into. &#160; &#160; Honorable Mentions: &#160; Frozen peas Cucumbers Sliced Grapes &#160; I hope you enjoyed a few of our go to teething snacks. Hopefully, they will work for your teething child too! &#160;]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/teething-snacks/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
