Lazy Letter Carrier

I love the post office.  My dad has been a letter carrier for over twenty years now and I support the postal service all the time.  Whenever sending a package, USPS is always what I use.  It's not only because their prices are usually cheaper; it's also because it's a way to support my dad.  Most letter carriers that I've had have been excellent until now. 

We have lived in our house for seven months now and since the beginning the letter carrier assigned to our route frustrates me so much.  The time she delivers the mail is consistent, which is a good thing.  But what frustrates me the most is that she has never delivered a package to our door.  We do get a lot of packages because we do do some shopping online - you can find some great deals online.  Yes, the letter carrier would have to come up a set of stairs to get to our door, but that's normal for our area.  Most of the houses in our city are bi-level houses and require visitors to go up some stairs to get to the door.  Our letter carrier has never brought a package to our door.  Usually she will leave the package in the doorway near the garage door.  This frustrates me for a few reasons:
1. The package is always left in clear view of the street.  Anyone could come along and steal it.  It has not happened yet, but it could. 
2.  We live in Washington and it rains a lot! Our packages are ALWAYS wet - she never puts it in an area that will shield it from the rain.  The products inside have not been damaged yet because of rain, but it could someday!

After asking my Dad about this practice and knowing that the letter carrier should never leave packages out in the elements, I complained to the post office.  I wanted to make sure that the letter carrier was not following the rules before I got her in trouble.  But, my complaint was not taken seriously.  She continues to be lazy and stays in her jeep.

Today was the final straw for me.  I went to get the mail from the mailbox today and saw a "Sorry We Missed You" note in our mailbox.  I never left the house today and she missed me?  NO!  She did not even try to bring the certified letter to our door.  I bet she wrote out the note before she even left the office today because she knew she wasn't going to leave the comfort of her jeep to come to our door - and today is a nice sunny day. She wouldn't even need to brave the rain.

When we go to pick up the package tomorrow, I'm going to put in another complaint.  This is ridiculous.  The post office is over six miles away from our house and totally out of our way!  I wonder if this complaint will change anything?

Messy Maddy

So far today I've had to change Maddy's clothes three times today!  It's a good thing that she is so adorable :)

Maddy is six weeks old today and all of the baby emails that I get have been telling me that she'll be going through a growth spurt right about now... and I think they're right.  For the last few days she has been wanting to eat more and more.  And what comes with more eating?  More poop... and it has been messy!  That is one of the reasons I had to change her clothing today.  But, the poor girl has also been spitting up quite a bit today.  I don't change her clothing if a little spit-up gets on her, but her clothing has been soaked in her spit-up.

She's taking all of this well.  She's still smiling and having a good time. Plus, it is allowing me to get her into her newborn clothing a little more before she has fully outgrown her outfits.

Let's just hope that the rest of the day is cleaner so that I don't have to change her clothing again until after her bath tonight.

Small Breastfeeding Frustration

I have been breastfeeding Maddy since the day she was born - about six weeks ago.  When I started breastfeeding in the hospital, Maddy had a hard time latching on. So, instead of being patient and teaching her how to latch on, the nurse gave me a Medela Contact Nipple Shield. When I started using the nipple shield, she latched on and would not let go. During the rest of my 48+ hours in the hospital, the nurses continued to have me use the nipple shield.  When we had our follow-up appointment a few days after leaving the hospital, the nurse continue to encourage me to use the nipple shield because Maddy was eating so well using it. 

However, no one ever told me that if she continues to use the nipple shield, she would never latch on to just me.  At almost every feeding, I try to get her to latch on to just me and she just won't do it.  She gets frustrated, starts banging her head against my body and then cries uncontrollably.  I have tried to guide her to the nipple, but she just won't latch on.  There were a few times that she has, but she only stays only for a few seconds before unlatching and crying again. 

So, it looks as though I'll continue using the Medela Contact Nipple Shield.  I've tried using other brands, but this one is the best!  Don't go for the cheaper ones because they just don't work!  I wish I didn't have to use it, but I'll do what I have to do to get her to eat... and let me tell you... she can eat!  The only downside of using the nipple shield is that it can get a little messy.  Anytime she unlatches from the shield, it's filled with milk.  If she starts moving around her hands and hits the shield, the milk gets all over.  So, I've found that using the nipple shield is a lot messier.  But other then that, I haven't found any other downside to using it.  Some suggested that it could decrease my milk supply, but so far, this has not been the case.  Actually, the more that Maddy is eating, the more milk that I'm producing - she never leaves a feeding hungry, even as she is growing.

So, if you're having trouble getting your baby to latch on, I'd recommend using a Nipple Shield.  However, I do suggest that once the baby is latched onto the shield for a minute or two, unlatch the baby, remove the shield and try to get the baby to latch onto you.  It can be inconvenient and messy to always use the nipple shield.