When I was in college and for the years after before I was pregnant with K, I was a semi-regular blood donator (is that a word?). In fact, Jason’s cousin tried to convince Jason that one time when Jason and I went to donate blood together was actually our first date. It wasn’t by the way. I just didn’t want to go alone.

Anyway, after I had K, I was interested in donating blood again, but I had a hard time finding any information on the subject. Most of the information I found said that it was allowed but it was a mom’s choice whether or not it would work for her. Well, that didn’t help me much. I checked on the La Leche League website and the American Red Cross website although it seems they have changed their layout and that information is no longer available. I found a few specifics, but I didn’t find a hard yes or no answer.

When I had A, I had a fairly significant oversupply of milk after he was born and had to (and still have to) take steps to control my supply to allow him to be able to nurse without getting overwhelmed by the milk. Because of this, I felt more confident in choosing to donate. I thought I would wait until he was 6 months old and taking some solids just in case I did have a dip in supply. Well, he’s now almost 8 months and not taking solids. I just couldn’t wait any longer. In my absence from donating, Jason has caught up to my donations and surpassed me! I need to get donating again.

I made my appointment, and the day I was supposed to go was -38 degrees with a -54 degree windchill. Needless to say, I did not go that day. I just couldn’t justify taking my 2 boys out in that weather for anything other than an emergency. I rescheduled my appointment and went the next week. I really didn’t do much to prepare ahead of time. I made sure that I was drinking extra water and eating well the days before. My appointment went well. When the woman put the needle in to draw blood, she had a little trouble finding the vein. That resulted in me being a bit sore that night and the next day, but it wasn’t anything terrible.

I know that one person’s anecdotal experience doesn’t replace the advice of a doctor or lactation consultant, but I hope it helps at least a little bit if this is a decision you’ve been trying to make for yourself.

Jason, the boys, and I spent yesterday and today at his parents’ house. We intended on only spending yesterday with them, but it got late, and the weather wasn’t supposed to be all that great, so we spent the night. Today, we went to church, ate out, and afterwards, I took a nap (and it was WONDERFULLLLLL!!!) on the couch. We decided about 3:30 to get moving and get home before dark. Generally, it’s a pretty quick 60 mile trip on the interstate. Well, today, things were a bit different.

Before we even got out of town, I found that driving the speed limit on the roads *in town* was too fast. I could feel myself slipping on the ice, and I had to slow down on roads that were only 40 mph. Normally, Jason does all the winter driving, and I either read or stare down the road and freak out intermittently as I feel the car slide a bit. Well, he’s had the flu (not the stomach flu, the actual influenza flu) since Thursday, so I got the opportunity to practice my winter driving skills. We started out of town, and the first 3 miles were great. I was very relieved until we went around a curve in the road, and all of a sudden, the road was covered in ice.

The normally 60 mile, hour long drive became a 25-35 mph, 90 minute drive. As bad as it was for us, I was concerned about friends of ours who had gone out to western North Dakota for a hockey trip. They had a 5+ hour trip on normal roads. I had Jason call their house while we were driving home and we got no answer. We got home, and I meant to call them again, but I was worried it was too late so I decided to wait until morning. They just returned our call and said that between the turnoff where we live and the one they take, which is about 10 miles, there were 13 cars in the ditch. It was just a quick conversation so I’m not sure how long their trip lasted, but if it was anything like ours and they had to deal with the dark, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was 8 or more hours.