Category Archives: Breastfeeding

Breast is Best, Would You Want This for Your Daughter?

  By Kristina | November 14, 2012 - 11:14 pm | ,
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This product image released by Berjuan Toys shows a girl playing with The Breast Milk Baby doll. The breastfeeding doll, whose suckling sounds are prompted by sensors sewn into a halter top, has caught some flak after hitting the U.S. market. (AP Photo/Berjuan Toys)

Oh, the breastfeeding doll is making the news again since it is time once again to shop for Christmas presents. And of course, it’s making a stir again. There are people that are for it and people that are against it. Some are calling it lewd and some are mad at the name callers saying that they’re sexualizing something that isn’t sexual.

What do I think? I think that it’s nice to have an alternative to bottle sucking dolls. Neither of my children have ever taken a bottle, so bottle dolls are weird to them, BUT my children have been able to “nurse” their dolls and stuffed animals without a fancy doll with an $89 price tag. I don’t think it’s sexualizing children like some have said it is. Has anyone taken a good look at a Barbie doll recently? Now that’s a sexualizing doll. NO ONE looks like that. Having a baby doll that encourages children to feed a baby in a natural, centuries old way isn’t a bad thing! It isn’t going to make them wear questionable clothing. If anything, it’ll help them to help our culture to see that breastfeeding is natural and NOT sexual.

Love it or hate it. What do you think of the breastfeeding doll? Would you buy it as a Christmas present for your child?

Want to buy it? Click here:

 

Moody Toddlers

  By Kristina | October 31, 2012 - 5:04 am | , , ,
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I suppose I could have thought of a nicer title, but let’s be honest, some toddlers are MOODY. If yours isn’t you’re lucky. My oldest wasn’t too bad in retrospect now that we’re dealing with his sister. Besides the fact she is almost two, she is also a redhead and, yes, I do buy into the stereotypes of red heads as do a lot of moms of redheads I’ve talked to!

When my daughter is unreasonable, which is more often then not, I reduce her options which sometimes helps. I’ll repeat her two options over and over in a calm voice until she picks one or I get tired and walk away. My leaving does sometimes incite a tantrum, but mommy needs a break at times in order to be able to remain calm with an angry baby. Which cup, diaper, shoes, etc. they like to feel like they have some control.

Sometimes I’ll give in to her desires. For instance, she wants a “nackkkk” (snack) which she will tell me over and over again. If I tell her I’m making dinner, she will yell about not wanting dinner, but a snack instead. So I call it a snack. My son wanted to wear his firefighter costume for months after he got it when he was two years old. Not the end of the world, so I let him wear it. We were living in Germany at the time and he got lots of smiles from the locals!

Validating her feelings helps. It may seem silly to talk in “toddlerese” but it helps! If she’s upset about having to come inside because it’s time for a nap, I’ll say “Baby girl is mad. Baby girl wants to play. Baby girl needs to nap. Then play outside later.” I usually repeat parts of it until it seems to stick or she gets distracted.

Some children need time to process what is going to happen next. If they want you to sing a song over and over again before bed time (which happens in our house), tell them you’re only going to sing it one more time before you start the last round of it. I’ll usually tell my daughter, and son for that matter even though he’s five, what is coming next. “After breakfast, we’re going to go to the library” or “After you put on your shoes, we can go for a ride in the car to the store.” Both of them appreciate the information and it usually excites my toddler enough for her to comply.

This may not be an option for a lot of moms, but my toddler’s moods and tantrums are a big reason why she’s not yet weaned. There are days when NOTHING else works, but some quiet time with mommy and nursing makes her a happy camper again. If you’re not nursing, try turning off all distractions and rocking with your toddler, hugging, just spending time loving on them.

Baby wearing has also helped lately for her moods. There are days when all she wants is to be in my arms which isn’t practical! She will go get her Boba carrier off the hook by the door and bring it to me. I get lots done that way and it soothes her moods.

Of course there are times where nothing really seems to work. I suppose there are days when we ourselves are very disagreeable with life and not much will distract us either. Toddlers just seem to do that more often, but they have limited reasoning skills and are pretty much stuck in the here and now so they can’t see that later today, tomorrow, next week, things will be better. During very moody days, I do have to confess, we watch a lot more Curious George than usual. I try to give her alone time in the living to sort herself out  while I’m in the kitchen cleaning or making our next meal. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Those are all my tricks I’ve discovered after having one relatively easy going child and one very moody child. Some children are very happy all the time and some are sullen. It’s just how they are and how they respond to situations will vary. You just have to go with it and on days it’s really rough, wait until Daddy gets home and then go run an errand or lock yourself in the bathroom for a bit!

Terrible twos in your house? What do you do to help the mood swings?

Guest Post: Breastfeeding and Working

  By Kristina | October 26, 2012 - 5:26 am | ,
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Returning to work is a big reason many moms start pumping. It can seem daunting because it is a big change from days spent nursing baby on demand. Here are a few tips that help make the transition back to work a little bit easier:

- Practice, practice, practice: Pumping a few weeks before you go back to work will allow you get familiar with your pump. It will also give you a small freezer stash to have on hand if needed. It would be beneficial to do a trial run and pump when you would pump at work. It will also help mom create a pumping schedule that agrees with her work schedule.

- Prepare for the unexpected: Despite having a routine in place, I found myself forgetting commonly used pumping parts. One day I even forgot my power supply! It never hurts to have extra membranes and breast milk storage bags on hand. I bought an entire spare set of parts that I left in my desk drawer at work. It’s also handy to know of a local place that carries pump parts in an absolute pinch. There are some pharmacies that even sell hand pumps and spare parts for certain popular breast pump models.

- Get support: Going back to work can be very difficult for many moms. I counted down the hours until I’d be reunited with my son, when I could nurse him rather than pump. There were many times I wanted to stop because it was too hard. Thankfully, I had several friends who were pumping and we would encourage each other when times were tough. Le Leche League and other breastfeeding groups are great places for support. You may even learn a new trick or two to help you as you pump more efficiently.

Want more information on breastfeeding and work? I’m teaching a class on Saturday, November 3 in Hurst, TX. Email fbs.naya at gmail.com for more information.

 

Blogger Bio: Naya is the working mother of a breastfed toddler and actively pursuing her IBCLC certification. She helps facilitate For Babies’ Sake’s support group in Arlington on Tuesday evenings.

Struggles With Breastfeeding – Jennifer’s Story

  By Kristina | September 26, 2012 - 4:02 am | , , ,
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One mom shares her guilt over her struggles over breastfeeding her child and her research that caused her to realize it wasn’t her fault.
Jennifer’s Story:
When I found out I was pregnant,  I knew I wanted I wanted to breastfeed. I never really considered the alternatives. I was planning on staying home with our child, so I figured breastfeeding would work out fine.  I owned a copy of “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding” and had read the parts that pertained to me at the time. We took Bradley classes and learned about breastfeeding. As we neared the birth of our son, we honestly just figured breastfeeding would happen naturally. I was even leaking colostrum during the third trimester. We took that as a very good sign.  I was ready.
My son was born on a Saturday night in May. We had the non-medicated delivery I had desired. Shortly after the birth, I breastfed my son for the first time, and that went perfectly as well. He knew exactly what to do. Over the course of our two days in the hospital, I breastfed him on demand. The nurses and lactation consultants told us we were doing great. His latch was perfect and he seemed to get satisfied at every feeding.
Then we went home.
When we got to the top of the stairs in our apartment, my son started screaming. There had barely been a peep out of him in the hospital, so we went in to panic mode. It was also 11 pm at night, and we were alone with no one to calm us down. I took him out of the carseat and started nursing him. He stopped screaming. Once he finished, the screaming started again. Back on the boob. More screaming. Repeat for approximately 48 hours with maybe a few hours of sleep in there. I’m not really sure. Those first two days are a blur at this point. I do know I was stressed to the max, and as a result I had no appetite. I ate and drank when my husband forced me to, but I still wouldn’t eat or drink much. We were both freaking out. I spent some time sobbing on the phone to friends who assured me all the crying was normal, and that my son would calm down when my milk came in. I just needed to keep feeding him as often as possible. When my son was four days old, we took him to his pediatrician check up. He had lost a lot of weight (more than 10% of his birth weight), and he was jaundiced. My milk had still not come in. The nurse made me give my son formula because I had been starving him. After I gave in and gave him the formula, he stopped crying, closed his eyes and went to sleep: our first moment of peace since leaving the hospital. I spent most of the first few weeks of my son’s life in tears. At four days old, we started battling the jaundice, and I had to give him formula after every breastfeeding attempt.
My milk finally came in on the fifth day, but there was no feeling of it when it happened. I found out it came in when the liquid coming out was white instead of the clearish colostrum. My breasts didn’t feel any different. But, I was finally making milk! I had some hope again that breastfeeding would work out after all. I continued to breastfeed my son all the time, but he was still hungry after each feeding and drank formula on a regular basis. I tried pumping, but that seemed worthless. At the two week mark, I hired a lactation consultant. She weighed my son, then I breastfed him with her watching until he got fussy, which was about 20 minutes. Then she weighed him again. She determined he drank less than an ounce of breastmilk in that time. His latch was still perfect. It was officially a supply issue (i.e. all my fault). She set us up with an SNS (supplemental nursing system), and it worked perfectly while she was there. She told me to start taking fenugreek and blessed thistle to increase my supply, and that she would check on me a couple of weeks later. I started taking the herbs, still breastfed and pumped all the time, ate foods that promote lactation, and worked on getting the SNS to work without her there. We tried and tried, but were never able to get it to work as well as she did. She never checked up on me and I didn’t have the money to hire another LC.
I spent the next six weeks smelling like maple syrup (fenugreek) and tending to my now (mostly) happy and chunky baby. The formula made him chunky. I made him frustrated. I still put him to the breast throughout the day, but he would either start crying right away or nurse briefly and then start crying. I’d be frustrated too. I felt like a huge failure, and it wore on me emotionally. I was also frustrated that, nothing worked. I never made more milk than I made when he was two weeks old. Around the time my son was about three months old, I gave up. I felt like I had tried for as long as I could.
Even though I stopped breastfeeding then, the guilty feeling never left me. It still hasn’t left me. I had failed at the one thing every woman should be able to do. I had always heard that women who don’t breastfeed made the choice not to do so. In my mind, even after all that I had done, I still had not tried hard enough. I could have done more and gone to more extreme measures such as taking prescription drugs. I began to hope and pray that if we were blessed with another child, I would be able to redeem myself when it came to breastfeeding. Now, 16 months after my son was born, I recently learned about a condition called breast hypoplasia that can prevent women from breastfeeding. After learning the characteristics of hypoplastic breasts, I’ve determined that I do have it, even though I don’t have the extreme physical characteristics of the condition. It was both a blessing and a bummer to find out this information. On one hand, it’s nice to know there was a real reason after all that I failed at breastfeeding. On the other hand, it’s disheartening to know I will probably have the same problems if I have another child. The good news is that I did make SOME milk, and the odds are pretty good that I will make even more next time. I will definitely be proactive from the beginning next time and work with an LC or midwife during the pregnancy to address this issue. Even though it didn’t work out as planned this time, I have high hopes for my breastfeeding future!
- Jennifer
Next week I’ll dive into the condition Jennifer believes that she struggles with and what to do if you feel like you’ve had the same struggles.

Wearing Boobies

  By Kristina | September 24, 2012 - 2:41 am | ,
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Have you ever seen a baby wearing a boobie beanie or old ladies wearing boobie scarves? They’re hilarious and kind of mock people’s fear of accidentally getting flashed, oh the horror!!, while a mom is breastfeeding her child.

We carry the beanies, but not the scarves although I think they’re awesome as well. Want to show your support for breastfeeding and perhaps stir up some talk at your next play date? For $16, plus s&h unless you’re local, you can do just that. Available in various sizes from 0-12 mos and colors.

 

 

A Lactation Consultant for Every Mom!

  By Kristina | September 14, 2012 - 2:51 am | , ,
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If I could have one wish granted, well it would be hard to choose, but if I could have a few wishes granted, one would be that every. single. new mom could have a lactation consultant meet with them at the hospital and then follow up again a day or two later at home and then again a short while later.

 

I met last week with a new friend, and a new mom as well, who was sharing with me her breastfeeding woes that she finally, after a month, is getting sorted out thanks to her asking questions and meeting with a lactation consultant for three hours this week. Thankfully, she was stubborn and stuck with it through the pain and thankfully she finally asked a nurse about the swelling she had going on. But not so many moms are as tenacious.

If you are new to breastfeeding, hire a lactation consultant. They are worth their weight in gold. Join a La Leche League group, there’s a ton of support there. Call or email me and I’ll try to help you the best I can and if I can’t answer your questions, I’ll hook you up with a lactation consultant in your area.

Do not suffer alone! There should be no suffering when it comes to breastfeeding. Most problems are simple to fix and once they are fixed, you will be on your way to breastfeeding bliss. It does take a few weeks to get used to it and for you to  not feel sore, but it does get easier if you ask for help!

Healthy Late Night Snacks

  By Kristina | August 18, 2012 - 4:01 am | ,
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As a pregnant or nursing mom, you’re bound to be more hungry then the average woman. In the early days of pregnancy, if you’re not throwing up or feeling like you may throw up, your stomach is growling almost constantly. Although you’re feeling hungry more often, you do not need to increase the calories you consume during the first three months, which is a relief to women who have a hard time eating during the first trimester. During the second and third trimesters, an increase of 300 calories is recommended. Granted everyone is different and if you’re hungry you should eat, but talk to your care provider to see what they recommend for your body type and pre-pregnancy weight.

If you’re nursing, you need to consume 300-400 calories above your average intake. Of course it’s more important to listen to your body then to count calories. If you’re hungry, you should eat, but what? That’s the part that always gets me. It’s a two hours after dinner, the kids are in bed and my stomach is growling again! Sometimes it’s because dinner was chaotic, but sometimes, it’s just because my daughter decided to nurse a lot that day and I’m hungry! Here are some healthy and tasty ideas for an after dinner snack (disclaimer: not guaranteed the lowest in calories, just that the ingredients include good things for you!):

Peanut butter oatmeal shake – I use a table spoon or two of PB, about a cup of milk, 1/2 cup of oatmeal, a sprinkle of cocoa powder and a bit of honey. Blend it together with an immersion blender (or stick it in a blender). Yumm. It’s not very thick, but it’s filling. PB gives you protein and oatmeal helps with milk production. Throw in a banana if you’re game.

Yogurt

Omelet -Scramble an egg, add in some low fat cheese and veggies. Quick, easy and there’s some protein, dairy and veggies for you.

Apples in nut butter – 2 tablespoons of PB and an apple sliced up! Yumm.

Popcorn – I’m not a fan of the microwave version. Too many calories, too much butter. I love popping it in a pot and adding a bit of butter and salt. For variety, you could add a sprinkle of ranch dressing powder mix.

Cheese & crackers

I know there are a many more ideas for late night snacking, but these are some of my go to snacks when I’m pregnant or breastfeeding and they usually get me full and make my stomach happy until morning. What do you like to snack on late at night?

Attachment Parenting & Dads

  By Kristina | July 2, 2012 - 6:33 am | , , , , , ,
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I’m not sure how many you read the article by a Time magazine writer about dads and attachment parenting. Not sure if it was meant to be a tongue in check article or a ridiculous response to the breastfeeding/attachment parenting spread Time did a few weeks ago. Either way, it got me thinking about attachment parenting and dads.
The article basically states that AP should really be called attachment mothering because outside of foot rubs and supportive words, fathers have no real good role in the life of an infant nor apparently one ever because the author suggests that dads should take it easy and pop on a video for his children and take it easy.

AP may come across as a mother centric style of parenting but it isn’t. Yes, the mom is the only one who can breastfeed but you don’t need to breastfeed to practice AP.  AP is about responding to your child’s needs.

The main proponents of AP is keeping your baby close which usually involves wearing baby instead of using strollers, extended breastfeeding, co-sleeping and not leaving the baby with others unless necessary. It also tends to include parents who choose to not vaccinate or vaccinate on a modified schedule and homeschooling. Of course AP looks slightly different for each family so dad’s role can vary as well.

Dads can baby wear, play with baby, help comfort a teething baby, give baby a bath, change diapers, snuggle baby, so many ways for dads to be involved in being a part of AP.

What does AP look like for your family?

 

 

 

 

Einstein was Raised by Attachment Parents

  By Kristina | May 21, 2012 - 7:06 am | , , , ,
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Actually, I have no idea what kind of parenting Albert Einstein received. What I have read though, is that according to a researcher at the University of Essex and Oxford University, children who are nursed on demand have higher IQs. They found that a child’s intelligence was linked to how in tune his or her mother was with the baby’s needs. These babies also showed to be the most emotionally secure in comparison to their non-fed on demand counterparts.

Didn’t breastfeed and worried that your child’s intelligence has suffered? Babies that were bottle fed on demand were also found to have the extra four to five point increase in IQ over schedule fed babies.

Moral of the story? Be in tune with your baby’s needs. If they’re showing signs of hunger, feed them. If they’re crying for you to hold them, get in some extra snuggles. The laundry can wait.

Non-breastmilk Donations Banned in CDO – Iligan

  By Kristina | February 20, 2012 - 10:31 am | ,
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Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities have been hit with flooding, the UN and other agencies are stepping in to help with basic human needs. And with breastfeeding! Here’s a direct quote from the article found here (Ocha stands for the UN Office of Coordination of Human Affairs):

“Infants less than 2 months have six times higher risk of dying if not breast-fed while infants 9 to 11 months have 1.4 times increased risk.”

In coordination with the Department of Health, Ocha also plans to provide support to some 26,500 children under 5 years old in flood-devastated areas. In its Infant Feeding in Emergencies program, the UN agency would establish breast-feeding areas in evacuation or relocation centers and monitor prohibited breast milk substitute donations.

Hurray! I’m so glad that they’re not allowing formula companies to take advantage of this situation. Throughout recent history, formula companies have come into situations like this and touted that their formula was better than human milk. Because of the lack of education, a lot of the time women would believe them. When water sources are not clean, the suggestion of formula causes a lot of problems in addition to the fact that it’s not better than breast feeding.