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I have four children and each have had their own unique feeding experience. With my first I was very unsure about nursing but did it because everything I read talked about how important it was and because my husband was pretty hardcore about it. It was SO HARD. I had every issue imaginable. Bleeding nipples, mastitis multiple times, constant yeast issues, hyper lactation, pain every session, clogged ducts, inverted nipples, etc, etc. I would literally be crying out in pain while I nursed my baby. I didn't enjoy it. It didn't come natural. It was HARD and I would dread when it was time to nurse him again. I made small goals for my nursing timeline and made it 9 months before weaning to formula while also using up the major stash of breastmilk I had saved up as well. My second baby I went into it knowing it'd be hard. And it was. She took ages to eat and was a biter and when she teethed her saliva caused me so many issues. I had all the same struggles as the first time...
I have breastfed three babies now and also have successfully implemented Babywise schedules with all three. It is often said that babies can't be breastfed and be on a schedule and that's simply not true. A common way the "haters" will hate on Babywise is to say that it is too structured and ruins milk supply. Again, completely untrue! It's not only possible to have a baby on a schedule while breastfeeding, but it's also beneficial! To have success with both scheduling and breastfeeding here are some tips I've learned through my experiences: 1. Focus on Full Feedings: If from birth you focus on full feedings with your baby, it will help establish your milk supply and also help keep your baby fuller longer which allows them to naturally fall into an eating schedule. A full feeding is typically defined as spending 15-20 min nursing from each breast at each feeding. Anytime you nurse your baby, focus on keeping them awake and actively nursing and ju...
Whether you nurse your baby for 3 weeks or 3 years, when the time comes when you decide to stop nursing there is a process involved. Prior to having kids I would have never known that so much goes into breastfeeding and weaning! After experiencing weaning three times now here are 5 simple tips for making the process as smooth as possible: 1. Introduce milk/formula prior to dropping feedings: I weaned my girls from breastmilk straight to whole milk as they were older when the weaning process started. I would still continue to nurse them for each feeding but started to offer whole milk in a sippy cup along with their solid food. This helped them to learn to like milk which made it easier as I dropped nursing sessions. 2. Timing is everything: Some kids are ready to stop nursing and may not care one bit, others will take some adjusting. By picking a time where you are more busy and leaving the home or even having the child in the care of someone else it makes droppin...
They say third time is the charm and when it came to my breastfeeding experiences, this was FOR SURE true. Out of all of my kids so far, Tess and I had the best nursing bond. She just loved it. I know I had heard from people before how much their babies loved to nurse and I never really understood that. Both Kye and Britt just weren't that way. Tess never, ever got the least bit distracted while nursing. I never had to force her head to eat. She never wanted to stop! I could tell it was something she just really enjoyed and it really deepened our bond together as well. The downside of her love for nursing was that the child never did take a bottle very well. She wanted the real thing! I introduced whole milk when Tess was 10 months old but she wasn't a huge fan and continued to just want to nurse over getting milk in any other form. I took the longest to wean her out of all my babies and it also made for the easiest weaning experience. The week after...
It is awesome to see how well supported breastfeeding mothers our in society today! Women nurse in public with less shame and more support. Women pump during office hours and aren't hassled as often about the time away from their desks. Breastfeeding is becoming more and more common ( According to the CDC, 45% of all mothers in 2008 were still breastfeeding at 6 months ). It's wonderful that breastfeeding mothers are getting more support. Breastfeeding is not easy . Let's be real, even if you formula feed motherhood is not easy! Being a new mom is scary. There is so much pressure. You have this little baby in your arms that completely and fully relies on YOU for everything . It's all so new and it's such huge adjustment that literally affects every aspect of your life. How about we quit adding extra pressure to new moms? I can't even count the number of times as a new mom that I heard "Breastfeeding is awesome! It'll make the baby weight just fall ...
My favorite gifts to give to new or expecting mothers are things they may not have known to register for. When people get married, I buy from the registry. But for babies? You legit don't have a clue what you really need until the baby arrives! I especially like to purchase things they will help the new mama be successful with breastfeeding. I've said it many times: breastfeeding ain't easy. And by having some essential items you can better set yourself up for success ( you can also read this post for my tips to help create a successful breastfeeding experience! )
Tonight I nursed you for the last time. At 13 ½ months old you are no longer nursing for the nourishment I provide. You drink whole milk like a champ and the 600 oz I have of breast milk in the freezer will keep giving you a daily dose of that liquid gold for quite some time. At this point I'm only providing you with three ounces at your nightly nursing session, my body has slowly stopped producing milk as you have slowly stopped needing it. Our nightly nursing session isn't about the amount of milk you are drinking. It's not about your caloric needs or about you needing a little snack before bed. It's about so much more than that. You are my third baby. My days are so busy. There is a rushing of the day that I did not experience when I only had one, or even two, children. I'm always needed. Always torn in several directions at once. But every night at 7:00 I sit. I sit and I savor you. Your soft skin. Your tender hands. The way you feel pressed against ...
One of the most important things during the first days of a baby's life is making sure they are getting full feedings. A full belly is important for the baby to thrive, for a nursing mother to establish milk supply, to ensure a nursing baby is getting the nutrient rich hind milk, and to begin laying the groundwork for sleep training in the future. { You can read my tips for starting Babywise from birth here! } A sleepy, snuggly newborn is so sweet and precious. However, that same sleepy newborn can be a source of frustration when he or she simply will not wake up for their feeding time! Here are some tips for how to keep a sleepy baby awake to ensure a full feeding: 1. Skin to Skin: Unswaddle and undress your baby and even expose your skin so you are both skin-to-skin contact. This not only forms a great bond but also gets a baby to start eating! 2. Tickle Feet, Side and Chin: Babies typically find tickling a little bit uncomfortable. By tickling the bottom ...
It's amazing to me how different parenting is with each child. Each pregnancy is different, each baby is different, and your body is also different every time. With my first child I had issues with over supply. I had "hyper lactation" and produced more milk than he needed. With my second, I had some struggles with both producing too much in the early days and then not making enough when I started dieting in an unhealthy way. This time around (baby #3!) I never felt like I made nearly as much milk as I did with the others. I don't know if it's age (I've reached the big 3-0!) or if it's just the way my body has responded to her. She is also my smallest baby so I've wondered if maybe she just drinks less so my body makes less? I felt like early on with her that I was making the perfect amount of milk. Not too much and not too little. We've been in-sync since she was born. My body has also held onto my weight more than it did with the oth...
I pride myself on being a very open and honest blogger. I try very hard to always be real and raw and truthful in all I write, especially about my own personal experiences. Claire is the spotlight blogger today for this week's topic of feeding our children. I love her writing style as it's very much like my own: she's not afraid to be transparent! She has written many blog posts in the recent months about her breastfeeding journey and her post today is awesome! She is talking about the pros and cons of BOTH formula and breastfeeding. You can read her post over on her blog My Devising ! Be sure to check out the other spotlight bloggers this week!
This week is Babywise Friendly Blog Network week and we are all discussing the topic of feeding our children. When I was pregnant with my first baby I wasn't sure how passionately I'd feel about breastfeeding. Once I learned about all the benefits of breast milk for babies, I became much more dedicated to giving my children the very best thing for them! I often get asked about how I pump, how I store the pumped milk, and how I use the milk that I have stored. I am blessed to be able to stay at home full time with my children so I don't have the pressure of pumping at work or dealing with transporting milk on a daily basis for child care. I do, however, travel often. And many of those travels require leaving my young baby at home while I'm away. When my son was 7 weeks old my husband and I went to Paris for a week. And when my newest baby was 11 weeks old we went to Hawaii. Both of these trips required me to start pumping soon after my babies were born to allow time to...
Breastfeeding is an amazing experience for both mother and baby. I'm truly thankful for the time I get with my babies and love nursing. I know it's the best thing for their health and it also helps to create such a special bond that I cherish! However, I am the FIRST person to say that breastfeeding is not easy . Many issues can arise while nursing. I posted recently about a common breastfeeding issue of plugged milk ducts . Today I'm writing about another common issue: thrush. I am a person who is prone to common yeast infections. Thrush is actually a yeast infection but it's one that is located in your breasts and is transferred to your baby's mouth. Sounds awful, huh? Well that's because it IS awful! Symptoms of thrush can be very tricky. Sometimes the baby will show symptoms (typically white spots in the mouth) and the mother won't. Or, in my case, the mother will show symptoms and the baby won't. I've battled thrush twice now and b...
I'm currently breastfeeding my third baby. I will be the FIRST one to say that breastfeeding is not easy . I have experienced pretty much every possible breastfeeding issue. I understand why so many people do give up with it, but am thankful I've always fought through the tough parts because it truly is SO worth it!!! Probably one of the worst things you can experience as a breast-feeding mother is mastitis. It's horrrrrrible and is something you want to avoid at all costs! With my first baby I didn't know about mastitis. I didn't know what signs to look for and I didn't know that it could have been preventable if I'd seen the symptoms. Recently I started having symptoms that mastitis could be on it's way and I was able to stop it from happening! The main thing that leads to mastitis is plugged milk ducts. How do you know when you have a clogged duct? Your breast will have a hard spot (or spots). They may be tender to the touch. They may als...
