Category Archives: Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding Basket Updates

Over the last few months, I’ve had some breakthroughs with my breastfeeding basket construction. I stopped sharing the baskets on here because it started to feel repetitive. I’ve continued to work on the baskets as baby showers come up (which is pretty frequently in my age group) and I think they’re getting pretty awesome.

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First is a basket I did for a baby shower back in December. For this basket I did my regular routine, but tried to personalize it a bit more. As you can see, I added flannel burp cloths (pattern of which is determined by what I think the mother-to-be would like) based off some my friend gave me when Twig was born (tutorial found here). They were super easy, cheap (especially if you find a coupon), and a great way to add a little bit of a personal touch to the basket. For instance, this mom owns a comic book shop and part of her nursery theme is lions. I was so lucky to find this flannel (it’s superhero zoo animals)!

Second, I added a knitted toy. Another part of this mom’s nursery is The Nightmare Before Christmas, so she got a knitted Zero.

Lastly, I spiced up the tags that go on each item (explaining what the item is or why I’ve decided to put it in the basket, examples of what they say below). I started off with doing hearts from a paper punching machine I bought once while making thank you notes. These are cute, but I realized it’s another way to personalize the basket. This mom got spiders, to go along with the idea of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Yeah, that's taken in my car with my iPhone. I always forget to take pictures of these things until the last minute.

Yeah, that’s taken in my car with my iPhone. I always forget to take pictures of these things until the last minute.

On this next basket, I added a book. I have always wanted to add a book (or maybe even two, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and The Baby Book), but it’s been out of my budget. I realized that just because I can’t afford to put my favorites in every basket doesn’t mean I can’t include a book at all. So now whenever I go to the thrift store or local kid’s consignment store, I keep an eye out for breastfeeding books. Thus far I’ve found two and I’ve scanned through them to make sure they don’t say anything awful (a la scheduling or the like) and they’ve been good. This one included Breastfeeding: A Parent’s Guide by Amy Spangler, IBCLC and the next one included Why Should I Nurse My Baby? by Pamela Wiggins, IBCLC. This basket also got the updated personalized things from the last basket (giraffe burp rags because of the invitation, a Hungry Hungry Caterpillar because it was a book on her registry, and bow tie labels because she had bow tie stuff on her registry).

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On this last basket, I had a bit extra fabric after making the burp rags (cool trick if you’re shopping at Joann’s and probably other similar fabric stores, once you’ve chosen a fabric, look around to see if there are any bolts that are just over a yard. Most of the time for me, there is. When they’re cutting your fabric, they’ll see you have a little extra and ask if you want the rest at end of bolt prices. Score extra fabric for 50% off!) so I decided to try making some breast pads. Here’s the tutorial for those. It was super easy and I was able to make her 6 burp rags and 4 breast pads from just under 1.5 yards. I also included a brochure to a local babywearing group. She also got the items mentioned above from the last two baskets (I love mommy/I love daddy burp rags that match the blanket my mom is making, a knitted wool diaper cover since she’s planning to cloth diaper, football labels since it’s a football themed shower and the baby’s name is Eli, and the book mentioned above).

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Lastly, here’s the tags that I put on the items. Here are the things that they’re for, from top to bottom and left to right: the breast pads I made, babywearing group brochure, pregnancy tea, disposable breast pads, lanolin, reusable water bottle (check the dollar store for these!), mother’s milk tea, tear sheets that may not be necessary, La Leche League info card, the book, general breastfeeding info, diaper cover, burp rags, snack bars, just attached to the basket saying who it’s from.

Hope this info helps anyone trying to make a breastfeeding basket! Share your baskets you’ve made in the comments below!

Breastfeeding In Public Speech

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One of my favorite nursing in public photos, taken by Katrina Anderson as part of At Mother’s Breast

For my last speech of the semester (yay!) we needed to choose a topic of debate and take a position on it. My first thought was breastfeeding in public, but I almost didn’t do it because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to present the other side fairly. I’m happy I decided to go with it because I think I did a pretty good job. And since it’s on topic for my blog, I figured I’d post a transcript here.

By show of hands, who here has ever seen a mom breastfeeding public? Maybe you felt a little squeamish about it, or maybe you just didn’t even care at all. This is the center of the debate about breastfeeding in public. One side says that it is normal and should be encouraged, and the other side says that it is indecent and should be discouraged. It is my firm belief that breastfeeding in public directly affects breastfeeding overall and since breastfeeding is so important for the health of mother and baby, breastfeeding in public should be encouraged.

First let’s talk about what the proponents of breast-feeding in public have to say. Their main argument is that it is not an issue modesty but simply a baby eating. And many states agree. The national conference of State legislatures breast-feeding laws last revised in 2011 states that 28 states have laws Specifically exempting breast-feeding from indecency laws, and 45 States have laws that allow a woman to breast-feed any location public or private. Utah is Included in both these groups.

The second argument that they make is that discouraging breastfeeding in public shortens the overall duration of breastfeeding. In the article Got Milk? Not in Public! In international Breastfeeding Journal in 2008 Jacqueline Wolf states “If women are made to feel uncomfortable with public breastfeeding, breastfeeding becomes difficult, if not impossible, to sustain. Women who have successfully breastfed for long periods of time know that unless women can feed their babies anytime, anywhere, they’re going to end up housebound. And it’s the rare American woman who is willing to be housebound for months on end. So, many women give up breastfeeding early and opt for the bottle.”

Now let’s talk about what the opponents have to say about breastfeeding in public. Their main argument is that it is immodest and indecent. In an article written last month by Amy Bushatz she talks about the story in the Schofield Barracks commissary in Hawaii. Two women were told that they needed to leave because they were breastfeeding while shopping. While there were no regulations about breastfeeding in the commissary at the time of these incidences, the commander is developing a policy because of the “questions raised about what is considered exposure and how it is perceived by others.” By using the term exposure he turns this into a debate of decency.

The second argument they make is that it can make others feel uncomfortable. In an article by Sarah McGrath in 2010, she talks about the Head Start program in Washington. This program has a specific emphasis on nutrition and regulations about giving moms information on breastfeeding, but they told a mom that she was no longer allowed to breastfeed in the classroom because it was making others feel uncomfortable.

Now that we have those two sides and their arguments in mind, here is my opinion. First I will offer two solutions that that opponents to breastfeeding in public often give so that the mom will not need to breastfeed in public. The first solution is that you can time your outings around feeding. This is difficult for even the most scheduled baby, but especially so in circumstances like mine with my first daughter. She had horrible reflux and needed to nurse every 60 to 90 minutes for the first six months of her life. It was impossible to time outings around feedings, because even a short grocery store trip can take 60 minutes. And even a baby who is not in such an extreme circumstance may sometimes need to nurse more often than they normally do. Maybe they’re teething, having an growth spurt, or even just feeling overwhelmed from being out and about. So that mom is stuck in the middle of the store with a crying baby not knowing what to do.

The second solution that they offer is that you can pump milk and bring it with you. Besides the logistical issues of needing to purchase the pump, find time to pump and clean the supplies, and store it while out to keep it fresh, there’s the issue of milk supply. Breastfeeding is supply and demand system, Which means that the more you nursed the more milk you make. Conversely, if you skip feedings you will make less milk. So if a mom does this repetitively she will lower her supply, decreasing the duration of breastfeeding overall, bringing us back to square one.

The only solution is to just allow moms to nurse in public. In that same article by Jacqueline Wolf in 2008, she talks about how in other countries where breasts are not sexualized but rather some other part of the body such as the thighs or even the shoulders, breastfeeding in public is not an issue. And beyond that, they think that it’s very peculiar that it’s an issue here.

And yes, it can make others feel uncomfortable. But so does picking your teeth when you’re done eating, or a woman wearing a short skirt. And no one tries to say that those are indecent or should be outlawed.

In conclusion, I believe that we should encourage mothers to breastfeed in public. The proponents of breastfeeding in public say that it is an issue of eating not modesty and that by discouraging breastfeeding in public shortens the overall duration of breastfeeding. The opponents say that it is immodest and indecent and that makes others feel uncomfortable. As a society we choose what is considered indecent and by allowing and encouraging moms to breastfeed public, we will normalize breastfeeding so that this is not an issue in the future.

Nursing My Second Baby at One Year

IMG_0113There are many breastfeeding milestones, but the one year mark holds a special place in my heart. I know that formula is an acceptable alternative to breastfeeding (the fourth best according to WHO, with pumped milk from mom or from other moms coming in before it), but one year of nursing without supplementation means that my baby will never get it.

Thinking back to what nursing Peanut was like at one year and comparing to what Twig is like now, there’s much the same. It’s still the best cure for bumps and bruises (and oh boy does Twig get those). It’s still the way I’m able to get sleep at night. It’s still an awesome way to reconnect with my busy toddler throughout the day.

The biggest difference, I think, is my feelings about the whole situation. By a year with Peanut, I was still definitely going strong, but feeling much more touched out. You’d think that, considering I’ve nursed for four years straight, I’d be more touched out. Instead, I feel that every day as a mother has given me more patience. It’s been a big learning curve for me, but somewhere in the last three years since Peanut was a young toddler, I’ve learned to let go. I’m still learning now, but I’m leaps and bounds ahead of where I was when my whole parenting gig started.

So now that I’m less hitched to the idea of some ideal baby or toddler, the more I’m able to sit back and enjoy life as it is. This includes nursing. Yes, I often feel like I’m nursing Twig more now that I did when she was a newborn, but on those days (and nights!) where we’re nursing like crazy, it’s more easy for me to just go with the flow. It’s more easy for me to remember this stage in life is so fleeting. Before I know it she’ll be nursing just a few times a day, preferring daddy for bedtime over nursing, or like her big sister, weaned all together.

This time is short. Just the beginning of Twig’s life. I’m happy to have made it a full year (and now, nearly fifteen months) nursing Twig, but I’m also excited for what’s to come.

Informative Speech on La Leche League

This semester I’m taking public speaking (eek!), which is a requirement for my degree. I did my most recent speech last week and, since it’s related to breastfeeding, I figured I’d share a typed out version here. Prepare to have your minds blown away with information on La Leche League!

Once upon a time, there was a new mom. She went to the hospital with the plan to breastfeed. The problem was that she went into labor on a Friday night and the lactation consultants have the weekend off. When she got home she asked her mom for help, but she said that it was supposed to hurt. None of her friends had breastfed and her husband said he thought it was kind of gross. She quit within two weeks. This may sound like a worst-case scenario, but it actually happens pretty frequently. According to the CDC Breastfeeding Report Card 2012, 85% of moms in Utah breastfeed at all. This sounds great, but not so much when you hear that by six months, the minimum amount of time recommended to nurse exclusively from the American Academy of Pediatrics, only 25% of babies are exclusively breastfeeding.

I know from past speeches that some of you in this room are moms, but even those of you who aren’t moms probably know a new mom. Maybe you’re a dad or about to become an uncle. Maybe your best friend is having a baby. Maybe you don’t know any new moms yet, but chances are within the next few years you will. Wouldn’t you like to be part of that mom’s support system?

Well, there’s a group that can help. That group is called La Leche League. La Leche League was founded in the 1950′s, when breastfeeding rates were near 20%, by a group of breastfeeding moms who wanted to help other moms with their goals to breastfeed. They’re still doing that today and they do it through directly supporting moms and through their advocacy work.

First, let’s talk about how they directly support moms. Anywhere you find a La Leche League group, which is all over the world at this point, you’ll find at least one monthly meeting. At these meetings, new and not-so-new moms can come to get and give advice, ask questions, or just get support. The second way that La Leche League directly supports moms is through their one-on-one sessions with leaders. According to the La Leche League International website last edited in 2011, leaders take about a year on average to finish their application. Along with this extensive training, they have their own experience as a nursing mom. These leaders can help moms through checking latch, answering questions over the phone, and doing pretty much anything else they can do to help support a mom in her goals to breastfeed. And if they’re not able to help, they can refer that mom to an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

The second way that La Leche League helps moms to breastfeed is through their advocacy work. Now, there are many ways that La Leche League advocates breastfeeding, so I’m just going to highlight two of them today. As I mentioned earlier, many moms don’t have it easy when they’re starting off breastfeeding. La Leche League is working to solve this problem by publishing this book (hold up book) The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. They call this a “meeting in a book” and it has answers to virtually every breastfeeding question you can think of, what’s normal for breastfed babies, diagrams on positioning, and even how to form your own support network. It’s a great resource that I would recommend for every mom. Another way that La Leche League advocates breastfeeding is through their continuing education conferences. According to the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, revised in 2010, obstetricians, midwives, nurses, and even pediatricians may have little to no breastfeeding training. Even a non-board certified lactation consultant may have little experience actually helping moms breastfeed. La Leche League seeks to help this by offering continuing education conferences for health professionals so that the next time a mom comes to them with a question, they know how to help.

In conclusion, La Leche League is a group devoted to supporting breastfeeding moms. They do so through their direct support and through their advocacy. I hope that you’re able to pass this information about La Leche League onto the new moms in your life so that you can be a part of their support system.

Bibliography

Department for Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Breastfeeding Report Card—United States, 2012. Retrieved 20 March, 2009, from http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/pdf/2012BreastfeedingReportCard.pdf

La Leche League. (2008-2011). La Leche League International. Retrieved 19 March, 2009, from http://www.llli.org/

Wiessinger, Diane, West, Diana, & Pitman, Teresa. (Ed. 8). (2010). The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. New York: Random House, Inc.

 

Feeling the urge to put a little note here: I was not paid or anything of that sort by La Leche League to write or post this. They don’t even know it exists. I just thought it would be a good informative speech for my public speaking class and that you all may like it too. 

Sunday Surf: School, School, and More School

Welcome to the Sunday Surf.

I’ve been absent around here for the last week because of school. Schooooool. I’m feeling so done, but I really am almost done, so I’m forcing myself to chug along and get ahead so I can be done faster. I just keep reminding myself that I’ll be free a month from now, at least for a few months. Then it’s more schooool. Until then, here’s a cute photo of the girls playing outside in the glorious sun. Oh, and Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it! Yay for eggs!

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First off, here’s a great post published just today from Hobo Mama (on her Sunday Surf, actually) on the importance of breastfeeding and not guilting moms who nurse and don’t have a perfect diet. I was so busy with school that I didn’t even know about the Breastfeeding Support Blog Party, but I’m very happy to read all of the posts from it. Breastmilk is still superior, no matter what mom’s diet is. I’ll share more on that another day.

Also from Hobo Mama is A Trick to Unlatch a Sleeping Nursling. Her interesting idea is that, rather than relatching baby to the same side if they start rooting when you unlatch, that you switch sides. Often when I put Twig down it takes multiple times of relatching her on the same side to get her to fall asleep. I’m definitely going to try this trick.

Have you gotten into this “in a mug” trend going on? Well I hadn’t tried any of them out until just recently, and I must say that this one is delicious. Peach cobbler in a mug! I wasn’t sure about the whole thing because it makes dessert so readily accessible (yeah, like I need that), but it also means that it’s just one serving. No more going back for another helping, unless I want to go to all of the work of mixing the ingredients again! And no more eating a whole pan of peach cobbler over a few days!

Peanut and I did this awesome Egg Geodes Experiment this week in celebration of Easter. Peanut loved adding the different things to the different cups (we did sugar, rock salt, sea salt, baking soda, and honey). We’re still waiting for it to finish evaporating (We originally put it in a room where the cats wouldn’t get it, but since the door is shut the room gets cold. We’ve since moved it outside.), but Peanut is loving checking on it every day and looking at how they’re changing.

Have you ever made granola? Well, I suppose I’m truly “crunchy” now that I have! This vanilla granola is to die for, seriously. We made a half batch (because we didn’t have enough oatmeal, we go through that stuff like crazy!) and finished it in just a few days. I’m planning on making more today. So much cheaper and even more delicious than store-bought!

Given my current lack of time and effort to do my hair (well, to be honest, that’s all the time), I’ve been really loving buns lately. These fun bun alternatives are mostly easy and great for getting my hair out of the way for the day. I’m trying to put more effort into my appearance every day because it helps me feel confident and happy, so it’s great to have some quick and easy ways to do my hair that make me feel great. I especially love the Simple Gibson Tuck and Twisted Sister.

Surf with us:

Sunday Surf with Authentic Parenting and Hobo MamaWe love following along with fellow Sunday Surfers. If you have your own post of reading links to share, please link up your post on Hobo Mama or onAuthentic Parenting. The linky will go live every Sunday, and you can link up any day that week. You only need to add your post to one of the sites, and the linky will automatically show up on both sites.

You can get the Sunday Surf button by Jenna Designs and some code to add to your post from my Sunday Surf page.

Check out previous editions for good reading, and you can find more shared items during the week at my Tumblr blog, Hobo Mama’s Shared Items.

Breastfeeding and the LDS Church

For those of you who know me, you probably know I’m not LDS. I do have many, many friends that are (I’m in Utah, for Pete’s sake!) and I’ve been a long time fan of this post by Tophat about breastfeeding and modesty. It was through Tophat’s post that I first heard about this incident and I am deeply upset for this mother and about what she’s going through. I’ll turn the time over to my friend Megan. Please help out if you are able. 

A dear friend of mine is being released from her Young Womens calling tomorrow for breastfeeding at church. Furthermore, she has been told that if anyone complains in any other meeting, be that sacrament meeting, Sunday School, or Relief Society, she is to leave the room or cover to nurse from that point on. She was also told that if she does not comply, she is not sustaining her leaders and her recommend could be at risk.

We are collecting letters of support for breastfeeding in church to send to the First Presidency and Scott Trotter, LDS spokesperson. We will send all of the letters we have received on March 29th, 2013. Please email letters to ldslactivist@gmail.com

Suggestions for letters include: personal experiences of breastfeeding in church (good or bad), requests for a statement that breastfeeding in church is acceptable in the Church Handbook of Instructions, and why you think it is important for breastfeeding to be accepted in church. Please pass this along to anyone you feel might be interested in writing a letter.

Have Milk, Will Travel: Adventures in Breastfeeding

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Today I’m sharing with you all an opportunity to participate in Rachel’s new book, Have Milk, Will Travel: Adventures in Breastfeeding. Rachel wrote a guest post about art and breastfeeding for me last year when I was on my new baby break and I was happy to have her. When she emailed me telling me that she’s looking for collaborators for her book and would I please share, I said of course I would! Here’s the info from Rachel:

I’m currently working with a publisher to edit a humor collection
called “Have Milk, Will Travel: Adventures in Breastfeeding.” Most of
the pieces are short stories (2-4 pages) but there are also some
shorter poems as well as longer prose pieces. A few of the
contributors who were lined up never sent in their work, so I’m
opening it up with a call for new contributors.

Have Milk, Will Travel: Adventures in Breastfeeding reveals the
lighter side of nursing and throws a lifeline of humor to mothers in
the thick of lactation. Knowing that other mothers nurse in crazy
places, go to extreme lengths to regulate milk supply, or unwittingly
pump breast milk while on the radio, readers can be assured that they
are not alone in having lost all modesty and that, in fact, they may
be doing better than most. Have Milk, Will Travel collects stories, by
both established and emerging writers, that highlight in embarrassing
detail the trials, tribulations, and laugh-out-loud turbulence of life
as the one-stop milk shop.

If you’re interested in participating, contact me at rachel@ddtr.net
and send me your work by February 1. Hope to hear from you!

If you have a humorous story, poem, or anything else that you feel just sounds like it needs to be in this book, please send it in! And let me know if you do! I’m excited for it to come out so I can read it myself. 

Carson Daly On The Boob

First off, thanks for my friend Jillian for bringing this to my attention. Be sure to read her guest posts here and here. 

You all know how I love celebrities endorsing breastfeeding. Or even just saying that they breastfeed, since that is just another step towards normalizing. So when I heard that Carson Daly talked about his daughter being “on the boob” on the Tonight Show last night, I was pretty excited.

I loved TRL growing up. Back in the days before DVR, I would actually plan my day around needing to be home for it. I lived for the countdown. I haven’t followed up with watching Carson’s later pursuits so he’s something I purely associate with my late childhood/teen years. Just makes it that much more special for me to see him talking about breastfeeding, something that is so near and dear to my heart now.

In the clip (jump to timestamp 34:30) he talks about turbulance on the plane and how his daughter was fine because she was “on the boob.” Of course the audience laughs and then he elaborates (somewhat to Jay’s dismay it seems) “if my whole family could have gotten on the boob, we would have gotten on the boob.” Then him jokingly going over to his girlfriend to get on the boob himself (no crude motions, just a hand clawing-thing).

I love it when celebrities not only normalize breastfeeding in a serious way, but normalize the funny parts about it too. Breastfeeding is part of life for families with small children. Just like poopy diapers and sleepless nights, there are sometimes funny parts. Actually, there’s often funny parts. It’s okay to joke about it too, and I’m not saying in the “it’s so gross that it’s funny” sort of way that popular culture often depicts.

Here’s the episode for your viewing enjoyment (the rest of the interview is pretty funny too!): Carson Daly on The Tonight Show

Luvs and Nursing in Public

I don’t know if I’m late on the train on this one or not, but I just wanted to show you all this commercial that I saw before watching a video on YouTube. While I don’t use disposable diapers, I’m super happy with Luvs right now. Seriously to the point that if I ever need to buy disposables, I will buy Luvs brand. Yeah, they hooked me on this commercial:

Isn’t that the best commercial ever?!? Seriously, I can’t find a single thing that I don’t like about it. Usually when breastfeeding is portrayed in the media, it’s to an extreme, using the situation to sell more product. This commercial shows breastfeeding as it is. As a new mom, you’re fumbling around trying to keep covered. I remember being there. Second time around, you’ve got the hang of things. And this mom is just nursing a baby. Over the top too! Don’t get me wrong, as I’ve said before, I have nothing wrong with covers and moms who choose to use them. My problem is when a mom feels forced to use one by others.

Back to the point, well done Luvs. I salute you on having an ad that portrays real breastfeeding. I salute you on not hiding breastfeeding or portraying it as something that should be hidden. And, of course, I salute you in making it humorous all the while. I mean, come on! I have so seen that face on my waiter! Priceless.

The Milky Way: A Guest Post by Kathleen McCue

Today’s post is a guest post from Kathleen McCue, a lactation consultant and wonderful writer. Kathleen was nice enough to send me a copy of her book Mother to Mother, a truly charming and heartfelt book full of advice from other moms. For this post, she’s writing about low milk supply, a subject that is dear to my heart. I struggled to keep my supply where it needed and have heard many experiences from moms who believe to have had low milk supply, even though it is incredibly rare to have a supply low enough that you truly cannot nurse. Kathleen offers some very interesting theories on how our society and routines can hurt milk supply. 

As a lactation consultant, I spend a substantial amount of time counseling mothers on milk supply. “I have too much milk” or, “My supply is so low, I have to supplement with formula at every feeding.”

For some reason, how successful a mom is with breastfeeding is directly related to her idea of how successful a mother she is. So, you can see where low milk supply issues can drastically impact a mom down to her core. So, what happens to cause low supply? Where does this phenomenon originate. My thought is that it often happens during the first hour after birth when, instead of coming right to breast, babies are whisked away for weights, measurements, footprints, vital signs, apgar scores, suctioning and placement of what I call “the LoJack” around the ankle. I do realize the suctioning and possibly the apgar scores are critical functions after birth but believe these can be done while baby is skin-to-skin on mom.

There’s a beautiful video of a baby girl being delivered vaginally and immediately being placed right on top of her mom’s lower abdomen. During the 45-minute video, the baby CRAWLS from that position all the way up to her mom’s breast and drops her head right over the nipple! Of course I saw this movie with a group of other lactation consultants and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. So miraculous when you think of it and so different from what usually happens.

I constantly hear stories of babies being taken from their moms during that first hour to satisfy hospital protocol. When baby is usually returned to the mom, washed well and wrapped tightly in a blanket, they’re too tired to do anything. There’s ONLY that ONE golden hour to take advantage of before the baby naturally does some pretty deep sleeping for the next 23 hours. Although skin-to-skin is still important after that hour, it doesn’t have the exact same impact.

Another supply killer is the practice of some hospital personnel and nursing staff offering to take babies away to the nursery so moms can get some sleep. Afterwards, they return with results of a hospital protocol heel stick showing the baby now has a low blood glucose level. Really? Moms are advised to immediately give formula (not sure why we can’t give colostrum), and it’s there that the slope becomes even more slippery.

One mom I worked with last week told me a story of a post partum nurse telling her that her baby was “crying because he wants a hamburger and all you have is a French fry.” A real confidence boost, don’t you think?

Another mom told me that when she arrived home from the hospital, her mother was there heating up formula because “Breastfeeding doesn’t work well for Smith women” (not the real name).

What do people think formula is? Just the name alone makes it sound important, doesn’t it? Lactation consultants frequently call it “Artificial breastmilk.” For one, it’s not even species specific since it’s made from cow’s milk. Having said that, I highly recommend it to women with inadequate supply; at least until we get the maternal supply up. Babies can’t wait and aren’t very subtle about letting moms know where they stand.

Bags of formula and other treats for moms do nothing more than undermine womens’ sense of self. It’s akin to handing out six-packs at AA meetings….Here’s the 12 steps for recovery madam, but if it doesn’t work out, here’s a six pack of Bud Light.

We need to support women, right from the start with their “Breast Intentions.” Baby to the breast within the first hour, rooming in, frequent skin-to-skin, lactation consultants in Baby Friendly hospitals and more community resources for follow-up.

I often tell moms struggling “I believe in you. Your breasts are 3 million years of evolution sitting right there on your chest.” Melodramatic? Perhaps, but that’s what women need for this confidence game called breastfeeding.

About Kathleen McCue:

Each mother and baby is an individual with unique needs and circumstances. With the knowledge of many years (38 yikes!) as a nurse practitioner and assisting well over 5,000 mothers achieve a positive and nurturing breastfeeding experience, Kathy is also able to respond to a broad range of medical circumstances, that arise in the course of breastfeeding a baby.

“I feel it is paramount to understand what the mother’s objectives are for the nursing experience. By listening to the mother, I can help her create an environment of peace and understanding where both the mother and baby can thrive and grow.”

After understanding the mother’s objectives and lifestyle needs, her philosophy is to then approach the teaching of breastfeeding from the perspective of the baby. After explaining the needs and reflexes of infants, she then matches the breastfeeding goals of the mother to help the mother-baby couple create a unique, synergistic nursing relationship.

http://www.bethesdabreastfeeding.com/

http://www.allbabybasics.com/