Don't Hate, Advocate

I suppose this is sort of a follow up to my last post, though I never really intended to follow up on it. Yet again, I am unpleasantly surprised by people. 

Everyone has an opinion about something, and these days everyone has an opinion about everyone else. When it comes to parenting? We have extra opinions. I suppose it's because we think that what we're doing is the best thing ever, for everyone. While whatever decision you're passionate about may be the best thing for your family it may be the worst decision for someone else's family. Or heck, it may not even be possible at all. 

Yesterday, a good blogger friend of mine posted about her recent experience with a breastfeeding group. Ya'll, I was blown away. I still am, in fact. (If you want to take a moment and click over, I'll understand.)  

I'm going to admit something that will probably make some people upset: I have a knee-jerk reaction to bottle feeders, too. There is a small part of me that cringes every time I see a baby with a bottle in his/her mouth. Mostly it's because I don't understand why on earth someone wouldn't want to breastfeed their baby. I'll spare you the inner-monologue I have every time, because it's not really worth it. Because in the end I know that there are many factors that go into a mom's - a family's - decision to not breastfeed. Maybe she couldn't nurse and pumps instead, maybe she couldn't produce milk at all, maybe the baby is adopted, maybe she was on necessary medication that would harm the baby if she were to breastfeed, or maybe she had DMER and the very thought of nursing again made her ill. There are any number of reasons. Unless we know the person, we'll never know the reasons. And all of this just made me wonder....what's the point?

By somehow taking offense at the fact that some people feed their kids with bottles, what are we hoping to gain? By bashing women - moms - who bottle feed, what exactly is our goal? To make them feel bad? To educate? To make them want to breastfeed? How is this helping?

If you've been following me anytime during the last 3 years you know I'm nothing if not an advocate for breastfeeding. I think breastfeeding is awesome and you'll never convince me otherwise. I think it's the best food for baby (because, hello, it was designed to be!) and I think the health benefits for moms are awesome, too. Is it hard? Heck yeah. It takes a lot of time and effort in the beginning, and sometimes a lot of pain, too. But more often than not, it's totally worth it and for many, many reasons. That's why I think waiting until you're past the newborn stage to call it quits on breastfeeding, but again, that's my personal opinion.

Before I had babies - like way before - I was pretty determined to not breastfeed. I thought it was weird, and why the heck would I want to share my body after I'd just grown a person for 9 months?! I'd also never been exposed to breastfeeding...ever. My brother and I were bottle-fed, the babies I watched were bottle-fed, my mom's friends bottle-fed their babies, and the list continues. Of course I thought it was weird!

Thankfully, some friends and my SIL were there later on to share the benefits of breastfeeding with me and my whole view changed. Now, I find it important to try and bring some sort of education to people about breastfeeding -- why it isn't weird or gross, why it's beneficial for moms and babies, etc. But here's the thing: 

If we look down our noses at women/families 

who choose to bottle-feed, we'll never succeed 

in our goal to make breastfeeding normal.

Who will want to breastfeed when they think that all women who do so are just a bunch of snobby, rude know-it-alls? Who will want to breastfeed when they know that if they turn to a bottle for any reason, the nursing mama masses will crucify them? Who will stand beside the nursing moms when someone calls us out for nursing in public without a cover?

We can't make a difference in normalizing breastfeeding, or breastfeeding education with this 'anti-bottle' mentality. We just can't. You can't reach people with that kind of nastiness. When it comes to parenting, we need to just leave each other alone. You don't live in that person's house; you don't know what their life is like. You can't judge their motives from the outside.

So moms, let's just stop. Just say 'NO' to the temptation of bashing, name-calling, hate-mongering, fear-mongering, or whatever. It's not helping you, and it's most certainly not helping anyone else. You think breastfeeding is awesome? That's great. Tell them how awesome you think it is, and why. You think bottle feeding is the best thing since sliced bread? Fantastic! Tell them why it's great for you. Then proceed to trade epic blow-out stories, or share in the woes of sleepless nights. 

We're all just doing the best we can for our babes. 

It's time we recognize that in the faces of others, too.

Breastfeeding the Second Baby

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I had a really rough start with breastfeeding Charlotte. Looking back I feel like she was probably lip tied and we just never caught it. Anyway, we struggled for a while, and it was pretty painful to say the least. So naturally when Millie came along I was preparing for the same thing. Sure, I had hopes that it would be different this time around, but I really didn't know what to expect. Thankfully, breastfeeding this particular little girl has been fairly easy.

Minutes after she was born, she bobbed her little head over and latched for the very first time. It was an amazing moment. Like my husband always says, it's so incredible how they've been basically "swimming" for 9 months, and then they're born...and they know how to breathe, and suck to feed. Unlike her big sister, Millie needed absolutely no encouragement to nurse. Now that I think of it...she's pretty much never needed encouragement to eat. Haha! Sorry, kiddo. ;-)

My milk came in on Christmas Eve, and Millie thoroughly enjoyed it! I, however, was in pain and leaking everywhere. :P But apparently, that's just the way it is for me. The crazy leaking everywhere and milk letting down at random times only lasted a few weeks this time. With Charlotte it took almost 8 weeks to regulate. Good times.

Yes. That burp cloth was there to catch any extra milk that might leak out. *sigh*

Our only real problem with nursing in the beginning was that after a couple weeks (maybe? It's all fuzzy now), she started doing this weird head shaking thing. She'd pull off, shake her head, cry, latch, and repeat. Eventually I had the sense to Google it, and wound up finding a forum... Turns out she did that when she needed to burp! Who knew? Charlotte always just spit up all over me, so I didn't know what to do with this one. Haha! We constantly battle the big sister distractions, but that's just part of life with more than one kiddo. Both of them are fairly easy to redirect, so it hasn't been a huge problem. 

This is how we dealt with sister distractions in the beginning: 

sitting next to mommy and watching a show.

It's really been nice having such an easy time breastfeeding from the beginning. It did take me a few days to, you know, remember how to breastfeed a newborn, but after it all came back to me it was nice! The first few weeks weren't problem-free, and I often found myself frustrated because she didn't know how to nurse, but I did. Charlotte and I learned how to breastfeed together, so it was interesting to teach a baby how to breastfeed this time. I'm fairly certain I voiced this frustration to my MIL quite a few times during the week she was here after Millie's birth. 

The hands! So sweet.

Once we got the hang of latching (and figuring out that head shaking thing!) and dealing with big sister during feedings, it was a breeze. So different from all of the ups and downs I had learning how to breastfeed Charlotte, and dealing with awfully cracked nipples. I'm thankful, though, because I'm not sure I would have handled that well this time, what with Millie having colic and then Joe off at NTC for 5 weeks.

For a while there at the beginning, I wasn't sure how I would feel nursing another baby. I felt such an intense connection with Charlotte while she was nursing, and I wasn't sure if it would be the same. It turns out the saying about love growing when you have another baby is the same with breastfeeding. ;-) 

Now that Millie is more active while she nurses, I'm enjoying it even more. There's just something precious, innocent, and sweet about little hands touching your face, playing with your hair, kicking feet up in the air, and then putting her hand on your chest as she falls asleep. My favorite feeding of the day is the last one - where she's sleepy and cuddly, and I can just hold her as she nurses, and everyone is asleep but us. (Well, just me, really. She usually sleeps through that feeding.) I remember feeling the same way with Charlotte, and I know that I will miss that feeding when she gives it up...which will probably be soon. Until then, I'll enjoy it and take many more pictures to remember later.

Nursing in Public - What's the Big Deal?

Over the weekend, I had something pretty awesome happen to me. Although, once I got to thinking about it after the fact it made me a little....sad, for lack of a better word.

On Friday, Joe had a procedure done on his foot. Originally we thought it would be a quick in-and-out type thing, but it turned out to be a half-day event. It wasn't really a problem, just more of a frustration since we left both kids with my in-laws, and Millie refused to take a bottle. I was surprised because she's usually more concerned with actually eating, rather than the method of delivery. Haha. I ended up having to leave Joe at the hospital to go and get her so I could feed her. 

By the time we got back to the hospital, he'd already been taken into the OR. I went to the waiting room, found a quiet corner, and nursed Millie without a cover. 

Left: front view; Right: my view.

What nursing in public REALLY looks like.

I got some looks from other people in the room, but no one seemed to mind all that much. {Not that I really cared. I just dread confrontation.} About 15 minutes after Millie had filled her tummy, a woman sitting across from me got up to leave. On her way out, this happened:

My first reaction was, "Wow! That was awesome!!" I gotta say, it did make me feel pretty good. ;-) And if it'd been my first baby, and I'd struggled with it, her comment probably would have encouraged me quite a bit. {And after experiencing it myself, it makes me want to compliment someone else the next time I see someone nursing in public.}

After I got home and had some time to think about it, that experience made me think something different. What kind of culture do we live in that feeding your baby naturally needs to be encouraged? I highly doubt this sort of thing happened 200-300 (or less) years ago. No one needed to be encouraged to feed their baby with their body because it was the norm. Since it was the norm, no one got freaked out when mothers nursed their babies in public. *gasp* 

All over the internet - and the news - you see stories of women getting persecuted for nursing their babies in public, and without a cover. These women are told to go to a bathroom, somewhere outside, etc. to feed their babies. Meanwhile, a mother who bottle feeds her baby (whether it's breastmilk or formula) is allowed to be wherever she wants. Why is this okay? Why is this the norm? I'll tell you why.

Our culture has completely over-sexualized women's bodies. Images, photos of scantily clad women are used to sell everything from lingerie to cars. We figured out a long time ago that sex sells, and pretty much haven't looked back. Our culture decided that breasts weren't for making milk for babies, but for erotic purposes only. Never mind that after giving birth, a woman's body automatically produces milk for her baby. {And starts producing colostrum - first milk - before the baby is even born.} Unless there are rare or tragic circumstances, every single mother's body produces milk for her baby. Our culture deemed breastfeeding weird, extreme, and/or gross because somewhere along the way, we lost sight of the truth and started accepting lies. I'll be the first to admit that the purpose of breasts are twofold: feeding a baby, and pleasing your spouse. 

Feeding a baby is nowhere near sexual, which is why I have no problems nursing in public without a cover. Another reason I don't mind nursing without a cover is that I can do it discreetly, while not irritating my child. I don't think fighting with her and the cover is worth not offending 2 or 3 people I don't know. I'd rather feed my child, thanks. 

Another post I read on The Leaky Boob recently has a picture that perfectly defines how I feel about this nonsense. You can click the link to see it and read the article. A woman is feeding her baby discreetly in the mall....in front of huge portraits of women wearing lingerie. In fact, it's similar to this:

{image source}

I don't understand what all the fuss is about. The sexual nature of breasts has nothing to do with feeding a baby, and it never, ever will. Breastfeeding is about feeding your baby and bonding with them. Why banish a child and their mother simply because of how they're being fed? It's petty and pathetic. 

Get over yourselves, mainstream America. We've got babies to nurse.

A Journey

That's what breastfeeding has been for Charlotte and I - a journey. 

I've been meaning to write this post for weeks - if not months now - but for some reason just never got around to it. Okay...that "some reason" is probably Charlotte herself. Haha! Let's be honest: toddlers are demanding and busy little people. Cute, but needy.

Our breastfeeding journey has been full of ups and downs. We've had great, sweet, cuddly moments and I-want-to-rip-my-hair-out moments. That's just life, and breastfeeding is part of ours. We had a rough time in the beginning, but thankfully it got easier as my body adjusted to doing the breastfeeding thing and finally healed up. There were days when I felt like nothing but a milk-maker....and days when I was the one who needed the cuddles. 

3-4 months old. Life is tough for a baby. ;-)

After almost 17 months, our journey has come to an end. I breastfed Charlotte for the last time on Monday morning. I had known this moment was coming for a while, so I tried to enjoy every nursing session I could. Even if she was pulling my hair, shoving Bunny in my face, or putting her fingers in my eyes/mouth/nose (she's big on pointing out facial features and showing off). 

I probably could have stopped nursing her weeks ago and she wouldn't have minded much. But I really wanted to wait until she completely refused. That way, it was her idea to stop. Even though Babywise (our go-to parenting method) is all about the parent(s) deciding these things, I felt like it would be easier on both of us if it were her idea. I did wean her down to 2 feedings a day back in June, but she never seemed to miss nursing throughout the day. (Well, with the exception of the stomach virus she - and I - had in July. She nursed like crazy that week! And I was happy to do it considering she wasn't eating and barely drank anything.) She's a busy little thing, so I can't I was surprised she didn't miss her mid-day nursing sessions.

6 months old, nursing in the doctor's office. One of my faves.

She stopped nursing before bed a few weeks ago, which I found kind of odd. Most babies hang on to that feeding for a while... Charlotte was the opposite, though. She hung on to the morning feeding. Can't say I blame her, though. I don't wake up ready to go first thing in the morning, and I like cuddles too! :)

Also around 6 months...another sweet favorite. :)

I'm sure the real reason behind her end to nursing is that my body is producing colostrum now. I feel pretty certain that she'd still be going strong if it weren't for that. Part of me is sad that our breastfeeding relationship has ended....but the other part of me is really glad that she did it on her own so that I didn't have to wean her before December. I know some moms tandem nurse their toddler and newborn, but I personally don't feel like I could handle that. Now, if Charlotte asks to nurse after Amelia arrives....? I have no idea how I'll respond. Haha! I'm not totally opposed to the idea of it, but it doesn't 100% appeal to me, either.

Last breastfeeding picture of us - 16 months old. ❤

 An impromptu feeding on the couch, recovering from the stomach virus.

Anyway, I have mixed feelings about this. Overall, I've enjoyed breastfeeding her. Every single moment wasn't fabulous, perfect, or wonderful, but it was a great way for us to relax and bond. That's what I miss. But even now that she's not nursing, we still have a great bond. (I know...it's only been a few days. Humor me here, okay?) She definitely has an attachment to me, and she obviously still needs me for lots of things. She just doesn't need my milk anymore. And...I guess that's alright. 

A Year of Breastfeeding - We Made It!

While we haven't quite reached a year yet, her birthday is only 10 days away (*sniff*) so I feel pretty confident we'll make it. =)

First, I'm just gonna say that it kinda, sorta, in a way makes me feel like supermom for breastfeeding for a year. My body has made every single drop of milk she's had since she was born. Awesome, right?! I think so. I'm not one of those who necessarily thinks formula is evil, but I still feel awesome saying that she's never had a single drop of it!

And now I'm going to tell you that it hasn't been a picnic. Breastfeeding was a breeze...until my milk came in. That's pretty much when the real trouble started. Big boobies full of milk + tiny baby = many problems. I had a terrible case of cracked nipples. It took them almost 2 months to heal. {I'm not exaggerating, either.} She had a hard time latching - and staying latched. She was so, so tiny, and her mouth was even tinier. It's really a wonder she could latch at all! As soon as she'd get latched and going good, she'd pass out. Which is fine and all, but 10 minutes does not count as a full feeding! So we'd wake her up and try again. *sigh* And somewhere around the second week, she decided she wanted to suck her hand, too. So I'd try to get her latched and she'd shove her hand in there! Frust.rating.

And that was just the first few weeks, which, you know, also includes 2-3 hours of sleep at a time. Rough/feedings, cracked nipples, no sleep? Oh, so much fun. {You can read more about our early breastfeeding days here.}

For a while there after my nipples healed, I felt fantastic. I wasn't panicky every time she wanted/needed to be fed. I figured out how to deal with her attempt at "double dipping" hand and mommy. I even sorta, kinda adjusted to no sleep. Then we were slapped with reflux.

I really should've caught on before she was 3 months old that something was up. She was spitting up all the time, soaking numerous burp cloths a day. I washed more of those during the first 4 months of her life than anything else! It wasn't unusual to see spit up stains on the couch or pillows. I even got to the point where I'd stop changing clothes every time she spit up on me because I didn't have enough clothes to change into! But I never thought about the possibility of reflux until she started refusing to nurse. Total, complete refusal of the breast. Or, she'd nurse for a couple minutes and then cry and arch her back. After 2 days of little-to-no nursing, I called and set up an appointment with her doctor. We were given Zantac and sent home. A week later, my happy baby was back! I couldn't tell you the last time she soaked a burp cloth...or the last time I used one while burping her. =) After that, things were pretty much a cinch for us for a while, at least as far as feedings were concerned. 

At one point, her doctor became concerned about her weight gain/my milk supply. I was appalled when she tried to force formula on me. She didn't even suggest speaking to a Lactation Consultant! I wouldn't let her give me any, though, and we eventually ended up switching her provider. I did call a Lactation Consultant, decided to stop taking the pill, and also started a Fenugreek regimen. I don't remember if this helped her gain weight, but it did help my supply! I did supplement her with expressed breastmilk for a few days, but found that it made her less likely to nurse. I wanted to protect our breastfeeding, so I nixed it. She was much happier with mama in the end, anyway. 

Fast forward 5 months, to the Nursing Strike of December 2012. =P I'm still not exactly sure what caused it, but I do think it was something my body did. I went to the commissary one morning, came back and attempted to nurse her. The strangest thing ever happened - my milk didn't let down. I was confused, but thought it was a fluke. This continued for the rest of the day and into the next day. I put in a call to the same LC and decided to start up on Fenugreek again to see if it would help. By this point, I couldn't even try to get Charlotte to take a bottle. She'd only had them a few times, and by 8/9 months, if you haven't kept it up, it ain't happenin. So she was getting nothing. I called everyone in a panic, seems like. =P After some good advice from my SIL, I decided to scale back her solids a bit and focus on nursing. I also started nursing her in our bed, lights off, fan on (to block outside noise). Within two weeks, things were back to normal. Whew! Even this far into our breastfeeding journey, she'll still refuse to nurse. Nothing like the Nursing Strike, but she will do it. I figure it's mostly because she's too busy to nurse. Too much to see! To much to do! So much to explore! She's very much a busybody. 

Despite all of the struggles we've had, I have thoroughly enjoyed breastfeeding Charlotte. It is tough, but it's also sweet.

Newborn Charlotte, passed out nursing. Sweetest thing in the world.

Gotta love the milk drunk face!!

This is when she started putting her hands and arms over her head while nursing. :)

Hehe. Seriously, isn't that the cutest?!

She wasn't asleep here, just closed her eyes because, gosh, life is hard, mama. 

This is when we started doing the side-lying thing.

No clue why I never did it before!

The hand gently laying there? Oh, sweetness.

And look at that sweet face!!

This is my favorite photo of her nursing!

I wish I had more recent photos of us breastfeeding... She'd grab my phone and stop nursing these days. So I guess I'll just stick with nursing while getting slapped, poked in the eyes, mouth, and nose, and getting my hair yanked. Yeah, that sounds good. ;-)

Yeah, breastfeeding may be tough, but it's totally worth it. If not for the sweet snuggles (though those are few and far between these days!), the health benefits are definitely worth it! And I'm not planning on stopping anytime soon. I know a lot of mamas will wean their babies at 1 year, but... I don't think we're ready yet. She still nurses 2-5 times a day. It's good for her and I think it's something we both enjoy. I enjoy the snuggles and she enjoys the milk (and putting her hands all over my face). I don't know when we'll stop, but I know it'll be when she's ready. Joe and I are both okay with that, so here comes year #2 of our breastfeeding journey - nursing a toddler!

Holy Growth Spurt

So, remember that post where I talked about our recent breastfeeding struggles? Apparently, it was caused (at least in part) by the awesomeness that is Wonder Week 37...also known as a growth spurt. 

I wish I'd known this going in... I really should've started reading The Wonder Weeks earlier. Truth be told, I haven't even read all of it. Just about the current growth spurt we're experiencing. I picked it up just a few days after I posted about our struggles. No lie, one of the first things I read went something like this:

Most mothers report problems with breastfeeding. Babies are distracted and don't nurse very long. One mother reports that her son refused to nurse for 3 days. It is very common for women to give up breastfeeding during this Wonder Week because of the difficulties.

Holy. Crap. That right there was enough to make me continue to push through our problems. It's like God was telling me, "Hey, mama. I know it's tough, but it's normal. Everyone goes through this. It'll be rough, but I'll get you through it." And, yeah, it has been tough. But I devised a plan to help us get back on track. 

First, I started nursing her in my bed. We're both more comfortable and relaxed in there (who wouldn't be?) and for some unknown reason, she's more likely to come back to nursing if she gets distracted. I can keep our room much darker than hers, so that helps with distractions too. One of the main reasons I went with this was for my sake. I was stressing like crazy about my milk not letting down and her not staying on long enough. I knew that if I laid down and snuggled with her it would help.

Second, I cut her solids back. I know this may sound a little...off to some people, but it helped a ton. Unlike most people, I have a small baby. Small babies have small tummies. Somehow, I'd forgotten this. Since she's not an average baby, I can't feed her the average amounts that all the books suggest, even though she'd very happily scarf down that yummy solid food. At 8 months old, she still gets most of her calories from milk - my milk. So that has to be the priority. At first I felt bad about cutting her back, but once she started nursing well again, I knew I'd made the right decision. 

By day 3, she was back to nursing normally. My milk was still taking for-ev-er to let down for her, but hey, progress! 

I'm also taking fenugreek to help with supply, and I can definitely tell an improvement. It's been about 2 weeks since I started having wacky problems. I feel like my supply is better and my milk is letting down more quickly for her now. Sometimes it still takes a few minutes, but that's okay. 

Other things that have helped? Praying a lot. {Especially while I'm nursing.} Singing a worship song or two. A phone call to my SIL (who's also the mama of small kiddos) texts with my bestie,

Please forgive her poor texting skills. She's awesome even without them. ;-)

awesome reader comments,

lots more praying, and flowers from my sweet hubby who knew how upset I was. 

Husband of the year award? I think yes. ;-)

This growth spurt has really been pretty awful. I think it's the hardest one so far. She's started crawling (yay!) and pulling up (not so yay), and she's become a 5-alarm-clinger. Serious clingy-ness. Sometimes it's sweet...but when you're trying to eat breakfast/lunch/dinner and your baby is crying and clawing you to death....it's not. She's also having trouble napping. No surprise there. Growth spurts always screw with her sleep. I've been rocking her to sleep for naps for the past week. {And given the events of the past week....I'm perfectly happy rocking my sweet baby and holding her close.}

She cried 2 seconds after I took this. Seriously. Growth spurts suck.

All in all.... Yeah, it's been rough. Not unbearable (except for that one day she only took one out of 3 naps...that was torture), but still pretty rough. I think it goes without saying that I'm ready for this one to be over with ASAP. Here's hoping it'll disappear while we're in NC for the holidays. 

Wishful thinking? Yeah, probably so. Oh well.

Struggles

So. I said before that I wish I'd blogged about our struggles with breastfeeding during the first few months. Now that we're hitting some more struggles, I feel like I need to talk about it. And maybe it'll either help someone else or it'll help me. Either way, it's a total win in my book. So here goes.

Joe was off on Friday. That morning I decided I'd go to the commissary early since it was payday. I nursed Charlotte and it was effortless as usual. She drank her milk, we relaxed in the nursery and cuddled. Then I had Joe feed her some cereal and apples while I got ready to go. 

After I came back from the commissary unscathed {which I'm sure you know is RARE, especially on payday}, the little missy woke up and I went to feed her again. Only...my milk didn't let down. 

Obviously, this had never happened before. And it was/is so random! I assumed it was a fluke, attempted to pump (to no avail) and then gave up. Next feeding? Same thing. And the one after that. I started taking fenugreek again after the 2nd time it didn't let down. I knew something was up and I had fenugreek on hand from when my supply slowed down because of the pill. I even had Joe go get me a beer (the hops help with production)... That just shows you how desperate I was - I HATE beer!

Saturday morning I decided to feed Charlotte in our bed because I'm more relaxed and she's more likely to hang out and try harder. I had felt fairly full that morning, so I thought it would go well. 30 minutes later....nothing. That's when I put in a call to the LC (lactation consultant). She suggested fenugreek (yay, I'd already started!), more pumping, and nipple stimulation. I also had Joe go out and get ingredients for lactation cookies...which I haven't made yet. Fail. I can already tell a difference in my production, though. The let down reflex? Not so much. It still took a while for it to let down for her this morning, BUT it did let down! 

We have another problem now, though. Charlotte's not wanting to nurse. She'll latch for maybe a minute, get irritated and pull off. Sometimes she lasts for a minute or two longer, but she hasn't nursed at all since this morning. Even better (or worse, actually)? She refuses to take a bottle. So not only will she not get milk from me, she doesn't want it at all! I don't get it. 

Looking back over the last few weeks, I'm really wondering if she's wanting to wean. I know it's a bit unusual for babies to wean before 1 year, but... She hasn't been nursing consistently for at least a couple weeks. She would skip feedings completely or she'd take small ones. The only feeding she really takes is the morning one. I'm starting to think I should just try to nurse her in the morning and at night and do something else during the day, when she gets solid food. 

Needless to say, I am extremely frustrated. Between loading up on fenugreek, pumping a gazillion times a day, trying to nurse her and/or coaxing her into taking a bottle... I'm about to lose it. I'm also really sad. I've said it a bazillion times here... I love breastfeeding. A lot. And I really don't want to give it up just because we're in a rough phase.

I mean, seriously, who wants to give up these sweet cuddles?!

So I think I'm going to give it a week. I'm going to try and nurse her as normal, but try and not freak out if she refuses. {No promises on the tears. My mama heart is hurting.} And then I guess I'll reevaluate at the end of the week. I'm thinking about pumping for her, but it might be a hassle since we're flying to NC in a couple weeks and when we get back we're going to be doing PCS-prep. 

I don't know. Honestly, I'm praying that this is just a phase - just one of those times you have to get through to get back to normal. Please say some prayers for us this week, if you think about it. This is tough!!

31 Days of Breastfeeding: Out of the House

Did you think I'd forgotten about this series?! I haven't! I was planning on doing this post on Halloween, but I just never got to it. Whoops. But here I am today, back with an exciting post on everyone's favorite topic...

Breastfeeding in Public

First, let me say that if you're one of those people who gets their panties in a wad about someone whipping out a boob in public and feeding their baby, you might just wanna check out now. So, on to the post.

All of us breastfeeding mamas know it's not always possible to feed our little ones a bottle in public {mine currently won't take one}. Nor is it always possible to feed them and then leave the house. Sometimes, a baby's gotta eat when we're out and about. And there's really not much we can do about that. It may not be the best situation, but you deal with it. The question for most breastfeeding newbies is: How do I breastfeed in public without showing all my goods?!

1. Use a nursing cover!

Source: uddercovers.com via Sarah on Pinterest

They're not the best things in the world, but with a little finagling they do work! Slip it over your head, grab your kiddo (or vice versa), lift/pull down your shirt, unhook the bra and feed your baby! Simple as that.

Ok. Well, unless your kiddo is a few days/weeks old and you're still learning how to breastfeed. Personally, I was a complete wreck trying to use the nursing cover the first several times I had to feed Charlotte when we were out. It wasn't pretty!

2. Use a baby carrier!

Believe it or not, you can breastfeed while wearing the baby. I personally have not done this, but I've seen many pics - and a few tutorials! - of women wearing their babies while nursing. Ergo, Moby, slings... 

Source: youtube.com via Sarah on Pinterest

You can check out my Pinterest board for another video on nursing in the Ergo. :)

3. Find a comfy, secluded location.

If you're out shopping, you can always take a break in a fitting room! I know a few people who do that and I gotta say that's a fantastic idea! I've never done it, oddly enough. Charlotte is usually happy while we're out shopping. And if not, I usually feed her in the car. Except for a couple times, I've fed her in the car without ever seeing people near us! And I didn't need to use a cover or anything. Just me and her chillin' out in the car.

I'm just gonna say this one time.... Please don't EVER let someone convince or force you into feeding your sweet baby in a bathroom! Public restrooms are just about the grossest place ever... Unless they have a specific nursing area in the bathroom,  don't do it!

4. Wear breastfeeding-friendly shirts and tank tops.

These days, I'm a little on the obsessed side about my nursing shirts and tank tops. I always want more of them! Especially since I know we'll be flying next month and missy will be needing to nurse during our travels. And, as you can see above, I'm not one for hiding out in the bathroom. Blech. 

My favorite nursing shirts are from Motherhood. I try to find them on sale when I can, but they're always expensive. *sigh* But I love the ones that you can just pull down. So much easier than lifting! Plus, there's nothing for your little one to grab and yank while s/he's feeding. {Please tell me someone else's baby does that!}

I actually sleep in tank tops like this:

Source: r.ebay.com via Sarah on Pinterest

I have never worn one of these out in public. I'm sorta particular in the whole wearing a bra in public thing. =P Haha! Even though Charlotte doesn't eat during the night, I still wear them to bed. It makes pumping at night and breastfeeding first thing in the morning super easy!

I have one of these nifty little things from Undercover Mama on my Christmas list (it'll probably end up being a Christmas gift to myself, though):

Source: sumossweetstuff.com via Sarah on Pinterest

I love that it just hooks on to your bra and then voila! a nursing tank top! And you're not flashing anyone when you raise your shirt! Trust me when I say that even while using a cover sometimes someone sees a little skin. 

There you have it. A little how-to for nursing in public. It's not always easy or comfortable, but that's all part of the job, right?! 

And remember, no matter how many looks you get or how many times your kiddo kicks the nursing cover...

Source: Uploaded by user via Sarah on Pinterest

What are your tips for nursing in public?

31 Days of Breastfeeding: Real Life

Hey, y'all! Just popping in to share a little something! 

One of my friends sent me a youtube video that's breast-feeding related and totally funny. It's actually a commercial, so if you have cable (unlike me) you've probably seen it already. Either way, it's definitely worth seeing! I can definitely relate...even though I'm still on baby #1. =)



Hope y'all are having a great weekend! I'm hoping to get to the beach at some point today. {Someone please enjoy fall for me! I love the beach, but I miss fall!}

31 Days of Breastfeeding: Why?

If you had asked me 5 years ago if I would even consider breastfeeding my future kiddos, the answer would've been no. A very emphatic no. I had absolutely no desire - zero, zilch, nada - to let a baby munch on my nipples. They make bottles and formula for that! 

Even when Joe and I got married and talked about kids, I still had no desire to breastfeed. And then one day...I considered the idea for more than 2 seconds. My SIL breastfed my niece. My bestie breastfed her little girl. I made friends here in Hawaii who breastfed. Hmmm.

The more I talked to my bestie - and even my SIL some - about it, the more I considered it. Everywhere I looked, moms were saying, "It's great for babies!", "Such a unique, sweet bond!"And, of course, I did some research. 

Source: notmilk.com via Sarah on Pinterest

First of all, the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends breastfeeding:

The American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms its recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for about 6 months, followed by continued breastfeeding as complementary foods are introduced, with continuation of breastfeeding for 1 year or longer as mutually desired by mother and infant. Medical contraindications to breastfeeding are rare.

As you can read in the article linked above, breastfeeding helps to prevent things like: bowel infections/diseases, allergies, asthma, SIDS, juvenile diabetes, respiratory infections, and ear infections. It also states that exposure to cow's milk (which formula is based on) can lead to an increase in all those things I just listed. And a study I read recently said that there is a certain ingredient (can't remember its name) that cannot be manufactured and added to formula!

The benefits for a breastfeeding mom are pretty fantastic too. Breastfeeding shortly after birth makes your baby-sized uterus shrink back down to its normal size. I was pretty surprised at how quickly, too! Every time I fed her for the first few weeks I felt little mini-contractions. 

By breastfeeding you burn a whole bunch of extra calories a day, leading to quick weight loss in some mamas. That's not always the case, but some women do experience rapid weight loss. 

What else? Oh, the holy grail: the delayed appearance of our "enemy," Aunt Flo. Some mamas go a whole year without experiencing it again. For me it only lasted 5 months. But I definitely enjoyed those 5 extra months!

It also decreases your chance of breast cancer and Type 2 diabetes. I call that a huge win!

Source: thebreastway.com via Sarah on Pinterest

For me, the best part about breastfeeding is the bond that the little missy and I share. It's so, so sweet and special. Unlike anything I've ever experienced.

Source: bestforbabes.org via Sarah on Pinterest

From the article above (The Breast Way), I read that a newborn's focal distance is 8-10 inches, which is exactly the distance from your face to your breast! WOW!!! Our bodies are designed so that when we're feeding our teeny, tiny newborn babes whose vision is poor, they can still see their mama's eyes. Isn't that something?! I love it when Charlotte looks up at me mid-feeding and smiles. It's the sweetest little thing ever. 

Source: beautiful-breastfeeding.blogspot.co.nz via Sarah on Pinterest

I also read (probably from one of the two Pinterest links above) that breastfeeding satisfies a baby's need to be held. It makes me think that because I'm breastfeeding Charlotte - and holding her! - she's satisfied and can be put down to play for a while after she's been fed. Not only that, but I'm meeting two of her needs at the same time! Kill two birds with one stone? Yes, please! And, come on. Who doesn't wanna snuggle with their baby 5+ times a day?!

Another awesome thing about breastfeeding? 

{Thanks, Google images!}

No bottles, no nipples, no scooping formula. No heating, no cooling, no "is this too much?" No wrong brand. No recalls.

Breastmilk is always warm, ready to go, and requires no hassle! Lift the shirt, unsnap the bra, and you're done!

And, should I mention, breastmilk is sweet. It doesn't smell funny and it's exactly the right consistency for your baby. Colostrum for newbies. Nutrient and fat rich once the "real" milk comes in. Antibodies. Vitamins. Protein. Yet it's still sweet! How sweet? When I was leaking everywhere in the beginning, it would get on my hands while I was attempting to feed her. My hands were always sticky because of the breastmilk that leaked onto them! 

For me the decision was easy. Ever since I did my research and talked to other moms about it, I planned on breastfeeding. I feel like this is the best decision I've made for her. There is no way I would not breastfeed my baby. Even when my supply was low, I did everything I could to increase it and get it back to normal. (Beware the mini-pill!)

Now that I'm 6 months in and have never given my sweet baby any formula, I'm oh-so glad I did! She is super-de-duper healthy, growing like a weed (at her own rate), and loves to cuddle with me. I won't lie; being her sole source of food for 6 months makes me feel like a supermom! 

What made you decide to breastfeed? 

31 Days of Breastfeeding: Nursing Essentials

I'm getting back on track here with my breastfeeding posts! Woo! Today I'm gonna talk about my favorite nursing accessories. Keep in mind as you read this post that these are things I've used and loved. Everyone has their own preferences and these are mine. 

First, we're gonna talk nursing pads. Before Charlotte was born I mistakenly thought I'd be good with just a few reusable (read: cloth) nursing pads. I had no clue about leaking and I thought those would be fine. Plus I could reuse them! Sounds great, right? Wrong. Oh, so wrong. Once my milk came in I was leaking all over the place. I leaked through those cloth pads in the same amount of time I leaked through any other bra or shirt. It was just another layer and it did nothing. Sigh. After a couple days, I sent Joe to the store to get me some disposables. I don't remember which ones he bought first, but these were the ones that I ended up loving for the my-milk-just-came-in-and-I'm-leaking-through-everything days and nights.

Source: amazon.com via Sarah on Pinterest

This is the only J&J product I have used. I love these. They have a little contour to help with sore nipples (wahoo!) and sticky on the back so that the pad doesn't move while you're sleeping (another serious bonus). The best part, though? They're super thick. And you need that if you're leaking.

Once I got past leaking ounces at a time, I swapped to these.

Source: amazon.com via Sarah on Pinterest

And these are my favorites. I still use them, but I don't need them in my bra all the time now. (And thank God for that!) I still leak a little when I feed her, so I buy them for that purpose. These are just very simple pads that suck the milk right up. Easy peasy!

Next up: lanolin. If you're pregnant and planning to breastfeed, you must have this! I went through about 3 tubes of lanolin before my nipples fully healed. I wish I was kidding. There are two popular brands, but I only used Lansinoh. {Side note: it irritates me to no end that some people mistakenly refer to lanolin as Lansinoh. Lansinoh is a brand name, not the name of the supplement!}

Source: amazon.com via Sarah on Pinterest

This brand obviously works, but I wished it wasn't so thick and clumpy to apply. I've heard that Medela's lanolin is thinner and easier to apply, but I never used it.

Source: medelabreastfeedingus.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Another thing I used to get relief when my milk came in were these relief packs. 

Source: amazon.com via Sarah on Pinterest

They're basically gel packs that you can put in the fridge/freezer or in the microwave. It hurt a lot once my milk came in. I was surprised how much it hurt...and how big "the girls" got. =P I read somewhere (or someone told me, can't remember) to do cold packs after a feeding and warm before a feeding. The warmth helps to release the milk easily and the cool, well that's just for you. I loved these. My neighbor gifted them to me and I was incredibly thankful for them.

Along with the new-to-breastfeeding and pain, I used a nipple shield to help with the pain of my cracked nipple(s) while she fed.

Source: gijoeswife.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

I used this one by Medela. It helped keep the pressure off the painful areas, while still allowing missy to eat. She didn't like it very much, though, so I only used it during a few feedings. Sometimes a couple times a day, but never more than that. They're very simple to use and clean. They also can help with a forceful let-down reflex and inverted/flat nipples.

As I said in my last post, I also used a nursing pillow (aka Boppy).

Source: www-secure.target.com via Sarah on Pinterest

This was a lifesaver for me. Charlotte was so tiny that I definitely needed help keeping her level with the breast while feeding her. Even though she was only 5 pounds, that's still a lot to hold up for 30-45 minutes at a time!

Another helpful thing that I use is a nursing cover. I'm planning a different post about nursing in public, but for now, this is the one I use.

Source: diapers.com via Sarah on Pinterest

It's not exactly the best one out there, but it works! I'm actually hoping to get a different one soon... Maybe one like this that has a better wire neck so I don't have to keep messing with it.

Source: uddercovers.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Of course, I also have nursing tank tops and shirts, but I think that's a post for a different day! If you're a breastfeeding mama-to-be I hope this has helped you! 

If you're already a breastfeeding mama, what are your nursing essentials? Did I miss anything?