These are the Moments

I'm at a significant point in my breastfeeding adventure. I've been breastfeeding Boo for 18 months and I'm 14 weeks pregnant with #2. While I plan to continue nursing Boo for the foreseeable future, I do know that anything can happen at this point, so I'm doing my best to savor our nursing moments today as well as memories we've made over the past year and a half. There have been some doozies!

Dumb and Dumber Moment

Photo credit

I'm almost too embarrassed to include this in the list. In the early days I struggled with over-supply. My breasts were engorged, hard lumps began forming, and I developed mastitis. I applied warm compresses (warm water poured into newborn diapers worked amazingly well!) and massage. I also pumped a bit to relieve pressure before Boo nursed so the poor thing wouldn't sputter and choke on the fast letdown. After each nursing session I took that pumped milk...and poured it down the drain. I know, I know. If I could go back in time I would smack my sleep-deprived, bleary-eyed face. The thing is, I had pumped colostrum at the hospital that I wasn't using and had to toss. What was I supposed to do with all this breast milk anyway?

Fortunately I had sweet friends who quickly informed me what an idiot was. I made a run to Babies R Us and picked up some freezer bags for my milk. I never made the same mistake again.

Apocalyptic Moment

In the early days I don't think there was a single 90 minute nursing session that went by where I didn't feel like my nipples were being sawed off, cauterized, then stuck back on with Krazy Glue. Yet there's one moment that sticks out. It was probably about 8 am, though I had lost all sense of time with the 24/7 nursing thing I had going on. I was sitting in my glider with my sweet newborn bracing myself for another painful latch. Teeth gritted, tears streaming down my face, I brought her to my breast. And I howled in agony, unknowingly in solidarity with other moms. Somehow I freed one hand (how that happened God only knows) to grab my phone and called my mommy. "Hey mom." Trying to play it cool. "What are you...sniff...up to?" The wobble in my voice betrayed me. All it took was a "Honey, are you okay?" and I was reduced to a blubbery, wailing, pitiful mess.

Fortunately I have an awesome mom who came right over with a hot breakfast and some grandma love so I could crawl into bed slathered with nipple butter. Ahhhhhhhhhh....

Merida Moment

My first time nursing in public was at a Panera down the street. I busted out the cover, peeked through the constantly collapsing top to try and get baby in position, and began to nurse like a champ. It didn't feel remarkable though. The place was buzzing with middle and high school students just out of school. The chaotic din made me feel inconspicuous so it didn't feel like a breakthrough moment. One that did, though, was the day I figured out how to nurse while I was wearing Boo at the grocery store. I felt brave and invincible, like, "Haha everyone in the grocery store, my boob is out and you don't even know it!" 

Victory.

All the Moments

The funny thing is that while a few of these memories stick out in my head, most of them blur into each other so that my breastfeeding journey is made up of impressions and feelings rather than distinct happenings marked on a calendar. The late nights with my sweet girl where her smell and warmth filled the silence. The nursing mannerisms she's adopted as a toddler, like standing with her bottom in the air as she chooses which side she wants this time. The way she attacks my breast with gusto that causes my family to laugh hysterically every time.


One great thing about the next baby is it's like having a do-over. Of course I know it will be different and this baby will have different needs. But I get a second chance at not being stupid and dumping out liquid gold. I get a second chance at knowing how it feels to have a tiny human nestled in my arms day and night. I get a chance to experience a new set of missteps and discomfort that will inevitably fade into success, until one day while nursing I'll think to myself, "Hm, this is so easy! When did that happen?"

Making Travel Easier for Breastfeeding Mothers

Have you traveled while breastfeeding, or more specifically, while pumping? I have a few friends who have and I give them huge props for being so organized! Having to remember to pack clothes, toiletries, and work items, in addition to a pump, storage bags, and a cooler makes my head spin just thinking about it. Wouldn't it be so nice if there was a special hotel package that took all this into account and catered to breastfeeding moms? Ladies, your prayers have been answered!

The Hard Rock Hotel in Chicago knows how difficult traveling without your nursling can be, so they created a package with you in mind. For an extra $30, the Hard Rock will provide you with everything you need to keep that liquid gold for your little one. The package includes a hospital-grade Symphony breast pump, everything you need to clean and sanitize it, nursing pads, breastmilk storage bags, ice packs, and a cooler bag. They will also make sure your room is equipped with a mini fridge and a microwave. In addition to all that, the concierge is available for anything else you might need, such as additional supplies or help shipping milk back home. The concierge team is trained on how to properly ship milk, and would be happy to help you get it back home without having to tote it through airport security.

The idea was launched on Mother's Day in 2013 and was the brainchild of Hard Rock Chicago's General Manager, Carrie Meghie. Meghie felt that this was important for breastfeeding mothers and, after doing research, was surprised to find no other hotels (at least in the US) offer a service like this. The icing on the cake? All proceeds collected from the additional fee for this package will benefit the families of local kids in the NICU. Now that's a win-win!

I think it's so great to see something like this and I would love to see more hotels follow suit! Who knows, maybe the Nursing Mother's Package will take explode in popularity and be available at hotels nationwide.

Share your thoughts with us. Do you like this idea? Would you pay extra for this package?



Information provided by The Chicago Tribune and Child Mode.

A Tale of Ten Toes: Newborn Screening

Photo by Susan Holstein Photography

Ah, yes. Ten fingers and ten toes: the universal signs of a healthy, sweet-smelling, squishy little newborn. Just look at those darling little feet, all curled up in contentment after his first meal of mama's milk (Okay, colostrum at this point, but milk sounds so much nicer....)! What a peaceful, perfect little human. I would move mountains for him. I would fight a grizzly bear for him. I would....

WAIT A MINUTE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BABY'S FOOT?!

This was basically my reaction when some poor beleaguered nurse came in to do a "foot stick" on my baby for his newborn screening test. Yes, it's just a little pinprick, but that that point I pretty much only thought in terms of "You're making my baby cry, NOOOOOOOO....." My protective instincts were in overdrive, and watching someone squeeze my wailing newborn's blood onto an index card did not exactly fit into the idyllic picture I'd had of his first hours.

Fast-forward to a couple of days later. We're home from the hospital and my milk has come in, but our son is crying again, and this time it's my fault (or at least that's how I saw it at the time). I couldn't figure out how to latch him properly and the poor child was screaming as though he would rather someone prick his foot 10 more times than spend another moment at my breast.

Unsuspecting little burrito....

How I wish I knew then what I know now.

Now I know that while I was struggling to establish a nursing relationship, that little card with my son's blood was being analyzed for:

Cystic Fibrosis
Hypothyroidism
Metabolic disorders (ex: PKU)
Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID)
Sickle Cell Anemia

And many, many other conditions, some of which are life-threatening and all of which seriously affect the quality of life for a child. Since K's blood came back negative for all of these, I don't really know exactly what each one entails, but for many parents, these disorders and their consequences are all too real.

But here's the good, the wonderful, the GREAT news: though your hospital or birth center may not have robust lactation services, and while they may send home formula in a goody bag, and while your doctors may or may not be knowledgable about breastfeeding, every baby can be screened for these serious conditions. While it's not compulsory in every facility and in some cases, you might need to request the screen, it's quick, free, and available to every family in the US.

As hard as breastfeeding and the newborn phase is, THANK GOODNESS at least one thing you can do for your baby's health is easy!

And the heel stick doesn't last long, although poor K did cry through the whole thing. With my next baby, I plan to be nursing while they perform the test. I didn't quite understand the power of magic boobies to keep a baby calm last time, but now I do and look forward to putting that superpower to good use!

To learn more about Newborn Screening or to learn about what tests are performed at hospitals in your state, check out savebabies.org and Baby's First Test!
.
.
.
I learned about Newborn Screening through our own Christa of Little Us and The Baby Ladies! Did you know about the Newborn Screening test when your first was born? Do you have a child who tested positive for any of the conditions covered in the screening? Share with us in the comments!
. . . . .

Mythbusters: Pumping Output as an Indicator of Supply

It's one of the first things a breastfeeding mother tends to worry about: "Do I have enough milk to feed my baby?"  It was only a few weeks into my now 19 month breastfeeding journey when my mom asked "Are you sure he's getting enough?  He wants to nurse all the time."  Of course I began to panic and wonder the same thing.  I was so lucky to have amazing and knowledgeable women supporting me as I pushed through those early months but, unfortunately, that's not always the case.

I'm a member of several online breastfeeding support groups and am involved in my local breastfeeding community as well.  I cannot tell you the number of times a woman has come seeking advice, often in a panic, because she didn't think she had enough milk to feed her baby.  Often she states that she can only pump "an ounce or two at a time - even if it's been a few hours since a feeding."

I'm not sure where this idea that a pump is a good judge of milk supply came from but ladies, hear this, IT'S NOT TRUE!!!  A pump is just a device that extracts milk from your breast.

 
And while technology is good, it's not good enough to really replicate the stimulation a baby at your breast as for your milk production and extraction.  There are so many things a pump can't duplicate such as the feel of you little one at the breast, the sounds he/she makes right before and during nursing and even the scent you baby has that bonds the two of you.

Just because you're only getting an ounce or two when you pump does NOT mean that is all your baby gets when he or she nurses.

If you are really concerned about your supply because of slow or  no weight gain or not enough wet/dirty diapers please contact an IBCLC to do a few weighed feedings.  That is a much better indicator of exactly how much your little one is transferring.

Also, it's important to note that as you move further and further into your breastfeeding journey, your ability to respond to a pump my decrease significantly.  Again, this does not necessarily mean your milk is "drying up."  As before, your little one is the best measure of an adequate milk supply.  And besides, the milk you produce for a toddler is much different than the milk you produce for a newborn and they often take much less as they get older and a variety of solids are introduced.

So let's stop this myth right now:  A pump is NOT a good indicator of your supply.  Listen to your baby and not an electrical device when trying to determine if your making enough milk to feed your little one!

Dinner for Two?

Lots of questions have come up in my mind as I try to plan for the arrival of our newest nursling. I'm fairly certain C will jump right back on this milk train and I'm totally fine with that but then I remember how difficult it was trying to get the hang of nursing a newborn. I figure I have two options:

1. I can use it as an opportunity to teach my oldest some boundaries

2. I can get creative, toughen up and enjoy the only time I will get to

nurse all of my children at once :)

If we go with door #1, I imagine Dad will have to help out a little more and be my wing man. Unfortunately, he has to work, too so I will still need to be a little creative. How can I distract him from boobies (Is it really possible to distract a man of any age from them, I mean - come on?!) without him feeling rejected? How can he still feel special even though he isn't getting a lot of extra snuggle time with mommy?

• Busy Box - Have a box of toys, coloring books or other special things that he will only get to play with when mommy is nursing sissy. Maybe this way, he will look forward to my nursing sessions with her instead of dreading them.
• Double Up With Story Time - Use nursing time to read him a book or two...or four.....depending on how long we are nursing and what his attention span can handle. I figure with this method, maybe he will feel like he still gets to share time, he's still close to me and sissy and he can feel more involved instead of maybe isolated or turned away.
• Big Boy Snack - Give him a special snack like organic fruit snacks or sweet roasted chickpeas that are healthy but sweet and something that he wouldn't normally get to snack on unless we're nursing.
• Mommy's Helper - Even at 18 months, my little dude is pretty good at following directions and helping out. When he's two, hopefully this won't magically go away, (pretty please, Lord...let it remain!) and he can bring my boppy, water, granola bar or whatever else mommy might need. This, in addition to being borderline child labor, may make him feel like an important part of the process.

If we go with door #2, while it may not be practical, my heart may actually explode from all the cuteness and love I will experience at once. I have always and I mean it...always,  from the first time I walked into a patient's room in L&D and saw her nursing her one hour old baby and her three year old, always wanted to nurse my newborn and my toddler together. There is just something so special about quite literally pouring out so much love at one time. Now, I always said that I wasn't sure if there was enough food in the world to nourish me pregnant and nursing. Come to find out there is. I also wonder if there is enough food in the world to nourish me nursing two hungry babies at once. I guess we will find out. Yes, realistically, if all things go as planned, we should find out. Will I be sore? Probably. Will I be beyond exhausted, absolutely. Will I have this moment to look back on for the rest of my life and even if we don't succeed for long, be able to be a witness to other mothers who doubt if they could do the same thing? Yes, yes, yes. 

I'm sure there'd be benefits to both and we may will not be able to see all sides until we are faced with it and deal with whatever may come. As much as we sometimes fight our children finding their independence, it may be a good opportunity for C to learn how to share more, to help more and to know that mommy doesn't love him any less just because sissy is here now. On the other hand, what better way to bond with your sister than to hold her hand while snuggled on mommy's chest? What if my princess is a slow gainer like C was? It may not hurt to have him boosting my supply by increasing that demand and creating a more substantial supply of hind milk for her to bulk up with. 

As it has been all along, C is the boss of our breastfeeding relationship. It seems like every time I think it's over, he proves me wrong. Every time I have wanted to give up, he gives me a reason to trudge on. Time will tell and I'll be here to share the adventure.

Til next time, mamas.

Keep Calm and Nurse On

~ Jessica