Baby Food

Organized by date and ready for the freezer

Disclaimer: This may be too much info for some.

Since they were premature, Mia and Ava had to be fed intravenously and then with a bottle. This meant that I couldn't nurse them and was encouraged to begin pumping immediately after they were born.  Thus began a process that has been a huge commitment.  While in the hospital, I pumped every three hours like clockwork.  I was stock-piling milk like crazy because the girls were given such a small amount.  One of the lactation consultants encouraged me to donate some to a milk bank, but I wasn't exactly sure that I wanted to do that until I knew my girls wouldn't need it.  Thankfully, I held on to all the bottles because the girls never got the hang of nursing and we used it all.  While pumping allows Mate to help feed the girls, it is quite time consuming for me.  At first, the girls were eating 7 times a day including 3 times in the middle of the night, which meant I was changing them, bottle feeding them, putting them back to bed and then spending the next 20-30 minutes pumping.  I didn't mind being up with the girls, but a pump isn't the best company.  I remember calculating how many times I would have to pump before the girls were 8 months old.  It was daunting, but I really wanted to make sure the girls got the nutrients until their corrected age of 6 months, which meant I had a new best friend for the next 8 months.  It seems like every time I look at the clock, it is time to spend some time together.  As August 26th gets closer, I have to decide whether to switch to formula or keep this up.  Part of me wants to stop, but I'm not sure that I'm ready.  It's better for the girls if I don't stop, plus it saves a lot of money.  Maybe I'll just cut back a little.  Anyway, I wanted to include this because it has been an experience that I wasn't expecting and one that no one else I know has gone through.  Perhaps it can be helpful to someone else.

In the meantime, we have started to introduce the girls to solids.  I used to love the movie, Baby Boom, where Diane Keaton's character makes homemade baby applesauce.  Ever since then, I knew I wanted to try to make my own baby food.  We started with carrots and have moved on to peaches.  The girls aren't too sure about the new flavors and textures, yet.   

Roasted Peach Puree

Mia

Ava