Breastfeeding After One

When I was a first time Mom I distinctly remember going to a La Leche League meeting solely so I could ask them about my son, Mason's eating habits. He was just over one and was eating little to no solids. It didn't seem like he was trying to wean and was absolutely obsessed with Mama's Milk.


They explained to me that it was completely normal which I had no idea because it seemed like with all the information I was getting that he should be eating mainly solids and weaning.

But the truth is that just because your baby hits one doesn't mean that some magic switch goes off and your baby will stop nursing and start eating a ton of food and wean.

And that's completely okay!

My son primarily nursed for the first 18 months of his life. We offered him food but he was just way more interested in mama's milk and he thrived. The more I learned and connected with other breastfeeding moms the more I realized that it was okay and normal!

In fact in many parts of the world it would be ABNORMAL if Mason had suddenly weaned himself at a year.

Figure 1. A comparison of age at weaning in the United States and in 64 traditional societies. Reproduced from Stuart-Macadam & Dettwyler (1995).

In traditional societies around the world the average age of weaning is around 3 years old.

Nursing after a year can be a completely different journey than the first year. At times it may seem like they're weaning but they're most likely not. It's just different breastfeeding a child over the age of one. They're more active than ever before. They're soaking so much in. It may seem like they don't have time to nurse but that will change, it will come and go in stages until one day you've nursed you're little one for the last time and you may not have even realized it was the last time. 

I don't remember the last time that I nursed Mason when he was a little over 2 years old. We had some special circumstances going on and I was overwhelmed by other things going on in my life and that is something I regret, something I wish I could change.

I wish I had a snapshot of that moment, the last time he nursed so that I could save it forever.

Sometimes while you're nursing it can seem like it's never going to end that you'll be nursing your child until he goes off to college but that's not the case. It will end but you don't have to rush it, not if you don't want to and certainly not because our society makes us feel like "it's time".

It's time when you say it's time.

You Can Drink That?!

March is the month of one of the "booziest" holidays of the year, St. Patrick's Day.  It also ushers in spring and summer, which are great months for sitting on the porch and having a glass of wine with a neighbor or your significant other.

But you're a breastfeeding mom so the only thing green you'll be drinking is your kid's Kool-Aid and you'll have to get your grapes from grape juice, and not the fun kind, right?!

Or, even worse, you'll have to hook yourself up to that torture contraption known as a breast pump and at the end of your 15 minutes of pumping dump all that liquid gold down the drain.

WRONG!

Now, we're not advocating on behalf of the alcohol companies and we're not saying you should go out and get extremely intoxicated and then go home and nurse your baby.  What we are saying, is that you don't have to give up that glass of wine and you can certainly enjoy a green beer without concern.  We are also saying that you absolutely do NOT need to dump your pumped breastmilk after a drink, or even two.

The rule of thumb is that if you are sober enough to drive a car, you are sober enough to feed a baby and the amount of alcohol in breastmilk peaks at 1/2 hour after drinking.  According to kellymom.com, less than 2% of the alcohol a mother consumes actually gets into her blood stream and milk supply. Alcohol leaves the milk as it leaves the blood - so when your blood alcohol levels are back down, so is the level of alcohol in your milk.

And who doesn't love the Jack Newman Facebook post that has gone all sorts of viral that talks about a study a mother did in a toxicology laboratory regarding alcohol levels in breastmilk.  You can find the whole post here, but the end conclusion is that percentage of alcohol she found in breast milk after consuming one mixed drink OR half a beer and two 6oz glasses of wine is so negligible that it is unlikely to have any adverse affects on a baby.

Now, you should keep in mind the age of the child when making the decision to drink or not.  An older infant or a toddler will be able to process any alcohol that does enter their system via breast milk much easier and faster than a baby that is only a few weeks old.  

Also, please remember that while the amount alcohol that may pass to your child is small and will most likely not hurt them, it could effect your judgement and ability to properly care for your baby.  Keep in mind that if you are co-sleeping and breastfeeding it is advised that you not drink before putting a child in bed with you.  And while I've never experienced this, I can't imagine a hangover and a baby go very well together!

So today I raise a glass to you, fellow breastfeeders. Now go and enjoy that green beer guilt free!

Dear Amanda

Photograph provided by SarahCole Photography

As we approach our one year anniversary (eh hum, Harper's birthday) of our breastfeeding journey together I can't help but reflect. Lately, I'm thinking more and more about what I would tell my pregnant self about breastfeeding. So here it is, a letter to my pregnant self from my almost one year postpartum self.


Dear Amanda,

I'd like to tell you that this is going to be easy. And I'd like to tell you that it'll always be just like the images you see of new mother's nuzzling their newborns. I'd also like to tell you won't be tired. The truth is, though, that it [breastfeeding and new motherhood] is hard. You won't always feel the warm fuzzies at the thought of nursing your sweet girl. And you most definitely will be tired.

There will be times that you will feel like you can't move forward, as if you're suspended in time. The pain from mastitis, plugged ducts, cracked nipples, nipple blebs, and engorgement will seriously push you to your limit. Your tears will sometimes stream down your cheeks, to your breasts, and down onto your little nurslings face.

There will be days that you just want your boobs to be just your boobs. You will search to find a nursing bra that fits you like your old standby VS one, and you'll be disappointed when it simply doesn't. You will find yourself defending your choices and answering questions you shouldn't have to.

You'll out-grow the nursing cover and breastfeed in places you never imagined. People will probably stare and maybe even give you dirty looks.

I know, you're probably thinking that this doesn't sound real awesome right now. The thing is, I know you and you're a realist. So I started with the tough stuff.

Harper at 11 months old

Remember when I said you won't always feel the warm fuzzies when breastfeeding your little lady? You won't, but a very large portion of the time you will. The reason you see those soft images of new mothers is because you will have moments of being completely consumed by the love and joy that fills you while nourishing your baby girl. And yes, there will be days that you feel like you haven't slept in a week, but then it happens. That time comes when your little one has a full belly and just sighs the softest, sweetest little sigh. Just those few seconds in that moment will get you thru hours, maybe even days.

The pain. Oh, the pain. You've never been great at dealing with pain. You are, however a fighter. You can and will get thru this. Laugh at yourself and celebrate each and every triumph. Once you've surpassed the pain and the back-to-back night wakings, you'll want to shout from the rooftops that you've made it. You'll want to scream that you are victorious! That is ok to feel.

Don't worry about the bra. You'll have the rest of your life to wear a "sexy" bra, but you'll only have a couple of short years to wear the one that carries your fondest memories. And they WILL end up being some of your fondest memories. Sometimes you'll glance at that bra slung over your desk chair and remember that time you both giggled from her latest gymnurstic move. Or you'll be about to throw it in the wash and have a quick recollection of her grinning up at you while having a snack.

Harper at 11 months, having a snack!

Now for the questions about your choices… Breathe. The questions will not get easier to answer, BUT you will learn to answer them with grace. Just remember to breathe first, talk second.

You will become comfortable in your own NIP skin. Be happy that you can breastfeed anywhere and not have to wait for milk to be warmed.

Finally, once you've mastered the tough stuff and settled into your own nursing rhythm she will be about to turn one. She will be signing for "nummers" (aka milk) and astounding you with her intelligence.
Before you know it you'll be wondering if this is when she starts to wean and your heart will ache for those early days. You've done well. Be proud and savior every moment.

Sincerely,
Yourself

Increasing Your Milk Supply

 

What ways do you use to increase your milk supply?

Breastfeeding and Jury Duty

 

a few months old

Literally the day I came home from the hospital with my daughter I had a summons in the mail for jury duty.  Insert freak out.  I immediately called and got it delayed as long as I could because I knew I wasn't ready to leave my days old baby.

Fast forward a year and it was my time to serve.  I was pretty nervous about being able to pump- would they tell me tough luck, would they make me pump in the bathroom, would I be allowed breaks at all?

a year later

Some states will allow you to get out of jury duty if you are a breastfeeding mother (check out if your state is one of them here).  New York is not one of those states, so I showed up at the courthouse with my pump in hand, ready to serve my civic duty.

After waiting in line, going through a metal detector and watching a video my name was called to be a potential juror.  I was escorted to the building next door where a judge informed us that we were being interviewed for a 3 month long trial.  THREE MONTHS??  My heart started pounding.  Technically there was nothing preventing me from serving, and I raised my right hand and promised I would be honest during the selection process.

I was brought back into the judge's chambers where about ten different lawyers surrounded me.  The judge said he'd heard every excuse in the book at this point (he'd already met with over 200 jurors) and wanted to know what mine was.  I told him I had none and I was fit to serve.  I just asked that I could have two breaks a day to pump.

He told me that wouldn't be an issue at all, by law I was allowed to pump.  And get this- he even told me by law I was allowed to bring my daughter and breastfeed her in the court room.  How cool is that??

It turns out I wasn't chosen for that case for other reasons, and was sent back across the street to sit in the jury waiting room again.  By this point it was time for my first pump of the day, so I went to the front of the room and asked where I could pump.  I was taken into an office where they let me pump, no issues at all.

Lunch time came, I went outside and got some food and fresh air and resumed my waiting in the juror's area.  I pumped again in the afternoon with no issues.

Honestly, the only bad part was I had forgotten an ice pack and didn't want to dump that precious milk.  So I got creative and bought sodas throughout the day from the vending machine and stuck it in the cooler bag with my milk.  Did an impressive job of keeping my milk chilled!

back home after jury duty with a milk drunk baby

Overall it was easy peasy, and I had worked myself up to think I'd have all kinds of issues.  I actually quite enjoyed my time sitting in the juror's waiting lounge.  I had no one at work expecting me to get back to their emails and I didn't have a little one pulling at my computer plug or trying to snatch my phone.  I feel good that I performed my civic duty even though I wasn't chosen for a case.

See ya next time, jury duty!