HIRKANI'S DAUGHTERS was inspired by an ancient tale from India about a young mother, Hirkani who lived in the mountain ranges of Western Ghats during the 1600’s. Legend has it that when she was accidentally locked behind the fort gates of the Kings palace, Hirkani scaled down a 1000-foot vertical cliff to breastfeed her baby. When the King heard of her courage, he was so impressed that he honored her by naming the village where she lived Hirkani Village. This village still exists today. HIRKANI’S DAUGHTERS is a compilation of inspirational stories written by mothers from around the world who have overcome various obstacles to continue breastfeeding and working. They too are finding their own ways around the gates people have shut before them. And they, too, are excited, scared and missing their children. Some of the stories share Hirkani’s drama; others speak with a quiet calm. At their core, they are all stories of women evaluating their options through trepidation and a beating heart, and in the end bravely taking the path that works best for their families. Hirkani knew well the difficulty of finding that balance with each and every step that she took as she climbed slowly down the mountain.
So I read this book and enjoyed hearing mothers' stories about their schedules and work days and wondered how I would possibly make do and have it all...a happy breastfed baby, a great job, great husby and happy home. Well here's a look into one of my days...
6:05am- Alarm goes off.
6:15am - Hopefully I am up by now and getting into the shower.
7am -Kiss N goodbye. Go downstairs, eat breakfast, make my lunch, pack up pre-stuffed diapers, filled bottles, baby food and changes of clothes to take to school. If it's Monday, I grab the pump too.
7:30am - Wake up BBZ, although lately he has been waking up while I am in the shower. That makes getting ready really fun. Get him dressed, downstairs, and feed him.
7:55am - Load up the car with BBZ and all of our stuff.
8am - Drop him off at daycare. Fill out the papers, unpack diapers and clothes, line the diaper pail, put bottles in the fridge, hug and kiss him 1,345,980 times before turning around and leaving. Take a deep breath as I walk down the hall to the car as I wish I never had to be away from him.
8:20am-10am - Work.
10-10:15am - Pump 8 ounces (on a good day) for BBZ's tomorrow bottles. Look at pictures to help the process. Maybe chat with Laura on facebook. Yes I can multi task while pumping!
11am - Go on a scheduled home visit (if needed). I have to plan these around the pumping, which can sometimes suck.
12-12:20pm - Pump if my supply is low, like today. I can't do this if I have an 11am appointment, so this is challenging.
2-2:20pm - Pump another 8 ounces (hopefully) for BBZ's tomorrow bottles.
3pm - Go on another scheduled home visit (if needed). Yes, this one can also cause trouble if I have to add extra pumps for low milk supply.
4:30pm - Leave work.
4:45pm - Pick up BBZ. Check out bottles to see how many he needs for tomorrow. Grab dirty diapers and read papers to see when he ate last and how he napped. Give another 1,768,345 kisses because I missed him so much.
5pm - Get home, drop everything, and feed BBZ. Even if he eats as much as 6 ounces right before I pick him up, he still nurses. This is probably the best part of my day. Well, the next part is pretty great too.
5:30pm - N gets home. He changes his clothes and swoops up BBZ. I get to sit and watch the love of my life play with his son. The way he holds him, and kisses him, and is so excited about spending those first minutes home with him makes me fall in love with him all over again. Every single day.
5:30-6:15pm - Cook and eat dinner. Sometimes BBZ sits in his high chair while I cook, other times N plays with him the whole time. Either way, for now he is happy to chill while I cook. I don't know how long this will last once he is moving around!
6:15-7pm - Bathtime, Pjs, dinner. BBZ is usually in bed by 7pm. This used to bother me because I really only get 2 hours with him once we get home, but it is nice to have the time with N in the evening and time to do everything else that needs to be done.
7-8pm - Is it Tuesday or Wednesday? If so, it's American Idol. If not, I probably blog or poke around on facebook. This is the best time just for me. If my milk supply is low, like today, I drink a beer. Mmmm.
8-9pm - Get things ready for tomorrow. I do laundry every single day. I rotate doing clothes one night and diapers the next. On diaper nights I spray off the poopy ones and get started earlier since washing them has lots of tricks and takes lots of time. Totally worth it though! Defrost baby food and wash bottles. I only have 6 bottles, so I have to wash these every other day too.
9-10pm - More quiet time. I honestly can't remember watching a show besides American Idol and Wheel of Fortune, besides our Sunday night shows. I don't even watch Grey's Anatomy anymore. I use this time to spend with N, check emails, play on facebook, or blog.
10pm - Crash in bed. Reflect on how thankful I am for all of the wonderful things in my life. Even if I am so exhausted I can only think of 2.
So there it is. A day in my life. What's nice about this, is BBZ is so flexible, we can easily go visit a friend, or go out to dinner, and shake up this whole routine and he just rolls with it. It might make for a much later night for me, but everything finds a way to get done. I know it might look like I do everything, but N does all the things that are behind the scenes. He cleans up after dinner, empties the dishwasher (my all-time least favorite chore) takes Delilah for walks, and keeps me sane. I defininately have bad days and barely get this done, but it has to...eventually. Besides, doesn't this little cutie pie make it all worth it? Absolutely.
