June GBOMB
Good
Raw milk. As I've learned more about it and its benefits, I have become a big fan. I now know what day the Redmond Farms truck comes to Draper so I can get some for the week.
Yogurt. Related, I had to buy a whole gallon last week because they sold out of half gallons. I ended up using half a gallon to make some yogurt in my instant pot because the milk was about to go bad. It turned out so so delicious.
AJ’s laugh. It gets its own bullet point because I just love making him laugh so much.
Manifest. I finished the show on Netflix and really love how they tied it all up in the end. It was kind of predictable, but still so emotional and awesome.
Conversations with strangers.
On June 30 on my walk with AJ in the morning, we ran into an older lady with a dog. I have seen her many times. She started to chat with us by saying, "oh, you're an early riser!" I said, "oh yes, he is up before six most days." She asked, "how does he do at night?" I told her he does well and goes to bed between seven and eight and stays asleep all night. She asked if I work. I said I do work full-time! Her reply was, "wow, and you're out getting your morning walk in before work!" It was just this knowing tone she had that made me feel so seen.
July 1 (I know this is June's GBOMB, but I'm including it): I took AJ swimming. At the pool I talked to a mom with an eight month old. The conversation unfolded after I told her I was a Doula. She said she had a homebirth turned hospital transfer. She had reservations about additional kids due to advanced maternal age. She is 39. I let her know about the Evidence Based Birth® article and the birthing instincts podcast that just came out about this topic. I also let her know about the Utah Birth forum. She mentioned a couple of times that she just wishes she had some kind of community beforehand to ask for midwife recommendations and wished she had the info about "geriatric pregnancies" during her pregnancy. I hope I was able to help her, although maybe not as soon as she would've liked.
Good audiobooks. I got a lot of reading done in June. I wouldn't without audiobooks. I've started The Measure and am loving it so far!
Nursing. We finished on 6/18 but had one last hurrah on 6/24. Fairly certain I am all dried up. I have moments where I miss nursing and can tell AJ wants to sometimes, but for the most part he's been a champ and hasn't been sad at all.
Meals with friends. I got lunch with Mariah and dinner with Brittney. I love having moments to connect with friends.
Pool days. We've been to the pool so much lately. And the weather is gonna start being super hot tomorrow, so catch us at the pool.
First nephew! My brother's wife had their baby two weeks early. He wasn't in a great position and caused her a lot of painful back labor. She's a rockstar. He's so beautiful, and they're both healthy.
Bad
Fireworks. I'm such a freaking curmudgeon, you guys. The month of July in Utah is just excessive. The noise. The scared dog. The wakefulness. People who apparently don't have to work, lighting fireworks until 1am. The fires. I just am not a fan.
Early wake ups. Why, child? I won't lie. I am excited to drop a nap. I don't think he's quite ready. But the one nap schedule is on the horizon, and I am here for it.
Neck pain. Real sick of it. I feel like it's been an issue most of my adult life. It's tiresome.
Coughing. I had a cough the last week of June. I finally felt better on 6/30. Then after going to the pool on 7/1 I started coughing again. What is happening?
This country. I want to be grateful for the US, but honestly, I feel more and more disheartened every day. The way this country doesn't value families or women, our lack of supportive family policy, our lack of time off requirements (nod to France), our whole backwards healthcare system, our terrible maternity and infant mortality rates, our justice and incarceration system, just so many things. I want to take a page out of the books of other countries who are doing things a whole lot better than we are.
On My Brain
Childcare. We need a backup option for when Matthew and I both have work, and my mom isn't available. Starting the hunt and feeling overwhelmed.
Birth. Always birth. Always women. Always all the ways our system is falling women, and the ways women don't have full informed consent about harmful things we just popularly commonly do and accept as the norm. We need huge shifts.
Music. Just the ways I don't explore it or focus on it anymore makes me sad. I saw Thrice with Rachel and loved it so much. I just found out Fall Out Boy is coming next Friday. I dropped some dollars on that show because they've been on my bucket list forever. So pumped.
Moving. Still just really wanna move. Hoping. Praying. Wishing.
The measure of life. I love the premise of this book I just started: The Measure. Would you want to know how much time you have left? Would it change things if you did know? All the implications of this knowledge are fascinating to me in this book.
Periods and female health. I'm still on about the lack of informed consent across the board. But especially regarding the birth control pill. I want all women to read the Period Repair Manual. We deserve better.
Facts > opinions. I'm thinking about this in terms of home birth, breastfeeding, circumcision, sleep training, vaccines, whatever the topic is.
- The facts support home birth being safer and having better outcomes for women and babies.
- The facts support breastmilk being the best and healthiest option for a baby (knowing this, I still had to supplement with formula).
- The facts don't support male genital cutting.
- The facts likely don't support sleep training (it's not very well-researched honestly, but knowing this, I still sleep trained and have no regrets).
- The research on vaccines, particularly the recommended schedule, is lacking.
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