Sort of sad and in a lot of pain. Baby boy is seven weeks old and guess what decided to pay a visit. Not only did my lochia last forever, but now I get to be a vampire again, or maybe I should say zombie; both can bleed forever and not die from it…
So what changed? I'm not bed-sharing this time; we bought a co-sleeper. We gave him a pacifier already; I think we waited nearly six months before Little Boy was given a pacifier, and my cycle didn't return until he was about 13 months…maybe a little before that.
Baby Boy is a horrible night nurser! I wake up engorged and he's still passed out, yet he also has a paci. I did it myself, didn't I. I have caused it to come back early because I'm not repeating the same steps.
I really just wanted my own space back and to snuggle with my hubby. Little Boy is sleeping in his own bed now, so can't I have my space from needy babies and cuddle time with hubby? I'm thinking it might be time to set some sort of schedule.
No, not the kind Dr. Spock has trained society to understand. This schedule will still follow Baby Boys's cues, but I'm going to have to time between those cues. Once I figure out his general pattern, I will have to set an alarm to get up and go pump. As much as I dislike the idea, cause I really hate to pump, I am going to have to find a way to use LAM.
I suppose we could always bed-share, but I really like my cuddle time. So no more pacis! Nurse more frequently! It's not that I want to keep aunt flow at bay, and yes I do for fertility purposes, but our supply can take a dip when menstruation happens. I have a seven week old. I don't want supply issues already.
Oh, and I'm in pain because I suffer from barometric arthritis. I don't have menstrual cramps.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
It's been too long...
Well, it's been so long since I've last updated this thing. What have I been up to...oh yes, I recently had baby number two, I started cloth diapering, I finished the semester, I'm taking a break from school for a little bit, I'm becoming crafty...I'm sure there is something I am forgetting.
Cloth is taking over my life! DH bought me a sewing machine for Christmas and I can't wait until it gets here! I have so many ideas in my head that I think I will explode! Hubby is glad though, it's keeping me happy and busy. Plus, I'm finding ways for us to save loads of money!
I'm successfully breastfeeding baby number two...oh, by the way we had another boy! Little Boy has decided he wants to nurse again. Not only am I nursing a newborn that has decided he is going to get an early start on his gymnastics, I'm also nursing a toddler that enjoys his gymnastics while tandem! How insane is that!
My birth was pretty easy. I wanted natural and was on my way there, but I was given pitocin and survived it for four hours. It became to unbearable and I wanted my epidural. I kept going back and forth, but for some reason I wasn't dilating fast enough. It had nothing to do with the scar tissue from last time. Maybe Baby Boy wasn't really ready, even though my water broke at seven in the morning...and on a Wednesday no less. Hubby tried to contain his enthusiasm as he texted "shit" to his boss, whose wife had baby number three two week earlier. Hubby works for a newspaper and it goes to press, needs to go to press, by Wednesday night. I laughed when DH told me the hospital staff gave him the dirtiest look as he brought a crate of work with him. It was hilarious especially since the crate is pink. Told hubby to bring my school work to the hospital. I was determined to get some work done. That didn't really pan out.
Baby Boy will be seven weeks soon. Little Boy just turned two. Hubby thinks I'm crazy because I'm already planning baby number 3, but we won't be pregnant, at least don't plan to be pregnant, until Baby Boy has already turned two. Little Boy will be four, almost five, when baby number 3 arrives. Hopefully being past thirty won't cause us too many fertility problems...especially since it took us nearly three years just to get pregnant with Little Boy.
DH and I are going to lose weight together. Part of our whole turning green is becoming more sustainable. That means eating more at home and making healthier choices for all of us. I've already lost the baby weight and plan on running soon. Actually, that was supposed to start yesterday now that I think about it, but sleep has escaped me and I don't have the energy.
Especially since my energy is focused elsewhere. I went to a Cloth Diapering 101 class through Starkville Natural Parenting. Since a friend of mine couldn't make it, I told her I would take notes. Well I took video instead. I'm finally getting around to editing the video. Yah, that's proving to be more work than I expected. I think I need to find an external mouse or put the video and software on DH's computer. Doing this on a laptop is killing me!
I told Laura, the SNP member who conducted the class, that I took video and was putting it together for a friend who couldn't make it and asked her if she wanted a copy for her website or SNP's website. Yah, now I've become a perfectionist. I told her it would be ready by the end of this week. So I've given myself a timeline and need to get it done. Which means I have started over twice. I am about to start over a third time. The software I d/l can't rotate video, and since PCs don't really like iPhone videos, I had to use Windows Movie Maker. DH came up with a brilliant idea, right as I saved the movie and it is still converting an hour later. Didn't think about rotating the video in WMM, making it and then putting it in the other software! I'm so angry with myself.
That's ok though. Day three of working on this should prove good. I know what I want it to look like and I know what I need to do now. It'll be looking pretty good by the end of the week, I hope. It better! I'm an amateur at video editing, but that doesn't mean it can't look good as far as amateur work goes. And the software I d/l is pretty good, so I'm hopeful.
Well, I suppose that is it for now. I am hoping to be more active here in the future. Planning on blogging every week. I have so much I like to talk about and so much going on right now!
Cloth is taking over my life! DH bought me a sewing machine for Christmas and I can't wait until it gets here! I have so many ideas in my head that I think I will explode! Hubby is glad though, it's keeping me happy and busy. Plus, I'm finding ways for us to save loads of money!
I'm successfully breastfeeding baby number two...oh, by the way we had another boy! Little Boy has decided he wants to nurse again. Not only am I nursing a newborn that has decided he is going to get an early start on his gymnastics, I'm also nursing a toddler that enjoys his gymnastics while tandem! How insane is that!
My birth was pretty easy. I wanted natural and was on my way there, but I was given pitocin and survived it for four hours. It became to unbearable and I wanted my epidural. I kept going back and forth, but for some reason I wasn't dilating fast enough. It had nothing to do with the scar tissue from last time. Maybe Baby Boy wasn't really ready, even though my water broke at seven in the morning...and on a Wednesday no less. Hubby tried to contain his enthusiasm as he texted "shit" to his boss, whose wife had baby number three two week earlier. Hubby works for a newspaper and it goes to press, needs to go to press, by Wednesday night. I laughed when DH told me the hospital staff gave him the dirtiest look as he brought a crate of work with him. It was hilarious especially since the crate is pink. Told hubby to bring my school work to the hospital. I was determined to get some work done. That didn't really pan out.
Baby Boy will be seven weeks soon. Little Boy just turned two. Hubby thinks I'm crazy because I'm already planning baby number 3, but we won't be pregnant, at least don't plan to be pregnant, until Baby Boy has already turned two. Little Boy will be four, almost five, when baby number 3 arrives. Hopefully being past thirty won't cause us too many fertility problems...especially since it took us nearly three years just to get pregnant with Little Boy.
DH and I are going to lose weight together. Part of our whole turning green is becoming more sustainable. That means eating more at home and making healthier choices for all of us. I've already lost the baby weight and plan on running soon. Actually, that was supposed to start yesterday now that I think about it, but sleep has escaped me and I don't have the energy.
Especially since my energy is focused elsewhere. I went to a Cloth Diapering 101 class through Starkville Natural Parenting. Since a friend of mine couldn't make it, I told her I would take notes. Well I took video instead. I'm finally getting around to editing the video. Yah, that's proving to be more work than I expected. I think I need to find an external mouse or put the video and software on DH's computer. Doing this on a laptop is killing me!
I told Laura, the SNP member who conducted the class, that I took video and was putting it together for a friend who couldn't make it and asked her if she wanted a copy for her website or SNP's website. Yah, now I've become a perfectionist. I told her it would be ready by the end of this week. So I've given myself a timeline and need to get it done. Which means I have started over twice. I am about to start over a third time. The software I d/l can't rotate video, and since PCs don't really like iPhone videos, I had to use Windows Movie Maker. DH came up with a brilliant idea, right as I saved the movie and it is still converting an hour later. Didn't think about rotating the video in WMM, making it and then putting it in the other software! I'm so angry with myself.
That's ok though. Day three of working on this should prove good. I know what I want it to look like and I know what I need to do now. It'll be looking pretty good by the end of the week, I hope. It better! I'm an amateur at video editing, but that doesn't mean it can't look good as far as amateur work goes. And the software I d/l is pretty good, so I'm hopeful.
Well, I suppose that is it for now. I am hoping to be more active here in the future. Planning on blogging every week. I have so much I like to talk about and so much going on right now!
Monday, February 7, 2011
I can admit when I am wrong...sometimes...
I am a very proud person, and I have this mentality that I am always right. I am a very stubborn woman and I try to be as educated as possible. Though, I do know that the most educated answer isn't always the right answer. And sometimes the most obvious answer is not the correct answer.
Two, maybe three, weeks ago I was ranting about how Mississippians can't drive in this winter weather. Mississippi isn't known for having "Northern" weather. Lately, we have had some very interesting winter weather. Weather that, any Mississippian would agree, is usually seen north of us, very north of us. Thus, the state only has a handful of salt trucks. We just aren't used to this weather.
Last week the winter fairy hit us, yet again. This time, it was really bad. DH calls me, as I'm leaving my last class for the week and tells me that I may not be able to make it home?
"Why?" I asked, suddenly panicked, thinking about my breastfed baby and how I'm going to survive the night if I'm stuck.
"The police are shutting down all the bridges. A cop has already been hit."
Unfortunately, the city we live in is only accessed by bridges. I'm sure I could probably find another way, but that would involve going way north or way south, entering Alabama and trying to avoid any bridge. However, being surrounded by many bodies of water, I'm sure that is also out of the question. So I'm panicking, pissed at the school for not letting us go early and frantic at how I am going to pump without a pump.
I called my lactation consultant. She is such a lifesaver, and though I was calm as can be, I'm sure she could sense my panic. I asked her if the local hospital had a pump I could rent or one there that I could use. I don't believe our hospital is very baby friendly, but surely they would have something I could use in case of an emergency.
"You have to call them to make sure they have one available. And if they do, you probably will have to purchase a kit."
That had registered at some point, but what didn't register is whether they would have one available or not. They are a hospital after all, wouldn't, or shouldn't, they have pumps available, or even a pump that can be used in the hospital with a purchased kit? So now I'm panicking again. Can my night get any worse?
Luckily, I was able to make it home. It took me anywhere between two to three hours, a trip that normally takes me about 30-45 minutes. I think I've ranted about something that has nothing to do with the title of this post...hmmm...
So what am I to admit that I am wrong about, this time? I'm not wrong often, at least I don't try to be.
"If you can't get to the hospital, or if they don't have a pump for you to use, you may have to manually express. Do you know how to do that?"
This was my lactation consultant, keeping me grounded in case I was to get stuck. Sure, I know how to manually express. Doesn't everybody? Well, no. If you haven't done it than you don't know what to do, or so the consensus is. So today, not even a week after this terrible storm came through, I forgot my pump. The one thing I absolutely need while at school. Sure, I need a pencil, some paper and a textbook, but I can borrow these things and or share with a classmate. I cannot do this with a pump. So what is a breastfeeder to do?
It was easier to go to the smaller lactation room on campus by this point. I was either going to waste the milk into a paper towel or put it into something, but I had no clue what. Well, I had a water bottle. I poured the rest of the water out, sat down and opened up shop. It's okay, I had done this once before. Maybe I wasn't fully prepared then. I didn't get very much milk then, but maybe this time would be different. I had an hour, well, 45 minutes really, before I needed to leave to get to my class. I could do this.
And then the pain starts. My wrists began to hurt, and squeezing your breasts tend to put your wrists at an awkward angle. Yes, I said breasts. Problem number one. I kept trying to express, but then my breasts started to hurt and ache. They were full, so I knew I needed to express before I became engorged, but I was only getting a drop or two. There was no let down happening! So what's a mommy to do? Before I answer that, I have to essentially show you what it was I thought was the correct way. Someone had told me that it's like milking a cow. Well, I don't know if they have ever milked a cow, but surely there had to be more of an explanation. After all, I grew up in the military and graduated high school from a retirement town. Though, it was a farming town, I never did see what it was like to milk a cow.
I've often told other women along my breastfeeding journey to do the same thing. And I've done this, how I thought it was supposed to be done. Manually expressing me, not a cow. There was so much pain. I thought this is what it would feel like to have a mammogram based on my mother's own experiences. It was so painful and I couldn't stand it. I told my self I would never do it again, I knew how and that was enough. I won't ever forget my pump so I don't need to ever worry about it again.
This is what I did to my entire breast! Well, not so fast, but it's what I was doing. So painful!!! I would start from my chest and move all the way down to my nipple, while grasping firmly and causing immense pain. Not even my pump causes that much pain! I had less than an hour left before class, let down hasn't happened and I'm almost in tears because my wrists hurts as well as my breasts. What is a breastfeeder to do? I did the only logical thing I could think of. I went to YouTube and searched for manually expressing breastmilk. Would YouTube allow that to be on? Thankfully, yes!
I'm searching, waiting for a video to come up and waiting for the pain to go away. Surely there was a much easier, less painful way to express a couple ounces from each side. And there was! Let me introduce you to the marmet technique! Why didn't I ever take a breastfeeding class? This would have been so helpful to know before all the pain I put myself through! Not to mention it was super easy and my wrists didn't hurt as bad. Actually, the pain was very dull. Though I don't want to ever have to do this again, I'm glad I did learn the right way to express. Now, all mother's I talk to in the future will know it's not like milking a cow at all. There is a right way and a wrong way.
Two, maybe three, weeks ago I was ranting about how Mississippians can't drive in this winter weather. Mississippi isn't known for having "Northern" weather. Lately, we have had some very interesting winter weather. Weather that, any Mississippian would agree, is usually seen north of us, very north of us. Thus, the state only has a handful of salt trucks. We just aren't used to this weather.
Last week the winter fairy hit us, yet again. This time, it was really bad. DH calls me, as I'm leaving my last class for the week and tells me that I may not be able to make it home?
"Why?" I asked, suddenly panicked, thinking about my breastfed baby and how I'm going to survive the night if I'm stuck.
"The police are shutting down all the bridges. A cop has already been hit."
Unfortunately, the city we live in is only accessed by bridges. I'm sure I could probably find another way, but that would involve going way north or way south, entering Alabama and trying to avoid any bridge. However, being surrounded by many bodies of water, I'm sure that is also out of the question. So I'm panicking, pissed at the school for not letting us go early and frantic at how I am going to pump without a pump.
I called my lactation consultant. She is such a lifesaver, and though I was calm as can be, I'm sure she could sense my panic. I asked her if the local hospital had a pump I could rent or one there that I could use. I don't believe our hospital is very baby friendly, but surely they would have something I could use in case of an emergency.
"You have to call them to make sure they have one available. And if they do, you probably will have to purchase a kit."
That had registered at some point, but what didn't register is whether they would have one available or not. They are a hospital after all, wouldn't, or shouldn't, they have pumps available, or even a pump that can be used in the hospital with a purchased kit? So now I'm panicking again. Can my night get any worse?
Luckily, I was able to make it home. It took me anywhere between two to three hours, a trip that normally takes me about 30-45 minutes. I think I've ranted about something that has nothing to do with the title of this post...hmmm...
So what am I to admit that I am wrong about, this time? I'm not wrong often, at least I don't try to be.
"If you can't get to the hospital, or if they don't have a pump for you to use, you may have to manually express. Do you know how to do that?"
This was my lactation consultant, keeping me grounded in case I was to get stuck. Sure, I know how to manually express. Doesn't everybody? Well, no. If you haven't done it than you don't know what to do, or so the consensus is. So today, not even a week after this terrible storm came through, I forgot my pump. The one thing I absolutely need while at school. Sure, I need a pencil, some paper and a textbook, but I can borrow these things and or share with a classmate. I cannot do this with a pump. So what is a breastfeeder to do?
It was easier to go to the smaller lactation room on campus by this point. I was either going to waste the milk into a paper towel or put it into something, but I had no clue what. Well, I had a water bottle. I poured the rest of the water out, sat down and opened up shop. It's okay, I had done this once before. Maybe I wasn't fully prepared then. I didn't get very much milk then, but maybe this time would be different. I had an hour, well, 45 minutes really, before I needed to leave to get to my class. I could do this.
And then the pain starts. My wrists began to hurt, and squeezing your breasts tend to put your wrists at an awkward angle. Yes, I said breasts. Problem number one. I kept trying to express, but then my breasts started to hurt and ache. They were full, so I knew I needed to express before I became engorged, but I was only getting a drop or two. There was no let down happening! So what's a mommy to do? Before I answer that, I have to essentially show you what it was I thought was the correct way. Someone had told me that it's like milking a cow. Well, I don't know if they have ever milked a cow, but surely there had to be more of an explanation. After all, I grew up in the military and graduated high school from a retirement town. Though, it was a farming town, I never did see what it was like to milk a cow.
I've often told other women along my breastfeeding journey to do the same thing. And I've done this, how I thought it was supposed to be done. Manually expressing me, not a cow. There was so much pain. I thought this is what it would feel like to have a mammogram based on my mother's own experiences. It was so painful and I couldn't stand it. I told my self I would never do it again, I knew how and that was enough. I won't ever forget my pump so I don't need to ever worry about it again.
This is what I did to my entire breast! Well, not so fast, but it's what I was doing. So painful!!! I would start from my chest and move all the way down to my nipple, while grasping firmly and causing immense pain. Not even my pump causes that much pain! I had less than an hour left before class, let down hasn't happened and I'm almost in tears because my wrists hurts as well as my breasts. What is a breastfeeder to do? I did the only logical thing I could think of. I went to YouTube and searched for manually expressing breastmilk. Would YouTube allow that to be on? Thankfully, yes!
I'm searching, waiting for a video to come up and waiting for the pain to go away. Surely there was a much easier, less painful way to express a couple ounces from each side. And there was! Let me introduce you to the marmet technique! Why didn't I ever take a breastfeeding class? This would have been so helpful to know before all the pain I put myself through! Not to mention it was super easy and my wrists didn't hurt as bad. Actually, the pain was very dull. Though I don't want to ever have to do this again, I'm glad I did learn the right way to express. Now, all mother's I talk to in the future will know it's not like milking a cow at all. There is a right way and a wrong way.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
How did you learn to breastfeed?
How did you learn to breastfeed? Did you have a lactation consultant or maybe you knew someone from La Leche League? Maybe you know someone who was nursing at the time and she let you watch so you could learn for yourself how to breastfeed when the time came. No matter how you learned to breastfeed, we have all had our stories where it may have not been very successful in the beginning.
I'm not going to say that everyone has a problem in the beginning. In fact, if I were to teach a class based on experiences and asked, "for those who have breastfed, did you have a perfect latch in the beginning," I would be surprised to see even one hand raised. Now that's not to say there isn't 1:20 moms who have a perfect experience from the beginning. And if I ever find you I may send you the evil eye but I honestly mean well.
I wasn't so lucky in the beginning. That's not to say it was a bad experience, but I think I made it a bad experience for myself. I had one friend who breastfed her three boys, but I hadn't watched her. I found that awkward, except now I've become so brave I use the Mississippi laws to my advantage and will NIP, hand a "thank you for breastfeeding" card to any mama I see bonding with her little one, and have even joined La Leche League.
I wasn't sure about breastfeeding in the beginning. I wasn't breastfed, but that's not to say my mother didn't try. In fact, she tried very hard. So hard to the point both my brother and I, we're 11.5 months apart, nearly starved to death. My mother refused to feed us formula because it was too expensive, but we refused her milk. Strange that her milk tasted bad both times, but she was also a military wife and in the 80's there just wasn't enough help.
Yes, La Leche League was created in the 50s and was really taking on a lot by the 80s, but there were still so many mamas who weren't getting any help for whatever reasons. And let's not forget the fake lactation consultants in the 80s. These women sounded like they knew what they were talking about, so the hospital administration didn't have any idea if they were actually telling the truth or were just looking for jobs to make the time go by and make money. These women were such a huge discredit to the battle on breastfeeding.
Back to my point, I hadn't gone in search for help. I didn't know if I wanted to breastfeed and I didn't know how it would impact me. I was unsure of the whole process, and I was like many mothers who were and still are uneducated on the whole idea. I thought formula was just as good because they say they are. Now I love to blurt out, "I give my baby enzymes my body has naturally made. Let's see your product do that!"
So in the beginning, my husband's cousin, a member of La Leche League, came to watch me breastfeed on our first day home. I didn't mind, was a little nervous, but didn't mind. It seemed to be going really great. Well, my supply hadn't come in and we were going to see the pediatrician the next day. He told me it was okay, give my son an ounce of formula and breastfeed from both sides afterwards to stimulate my supply and say, "Woohoo!!! It's time for you girls to do your thing! Come one now!!!" Well, he didn't say that last part, but I was so tempted to yell at them. They just weren't doing what I thought they would be doing. He also said I would know when my supply came in because my breasts would get really large and lumpy and I would feel the milk coming out my nipples.
Isn't breastfeeding natural? Doesn't it just happen? I guess I watched Return to the Blue Lagoon, or maybe it was the first one, one to many times. You know the one, they have a baby, the three day old baby (that really looks like she is about six months old) is crying like crazy and she won't eat anything they're giving her and she just so happens to start lowering the baby and the baby naturally latches on. Yes, that's how it's supposed to happen, just like that. Don't we all wish.
Babies know how to latch when they're born, so says Ameda, but it is the uneducated mother who may foul things up. I kept looking at the little slip of paper from the WIC nutritionist with two lactation consultant's names on it, but I am so hard headed I wanted to do it all on my own. Day five brought me to tears when I still didn't have anything and we were still supplementing with formula. And we wanted to sleep, so what did we do? We bought the night-time formula. Hubby and I both agreed to feed our son more than an ounce because he seemed so unhappy and he was crying all the time to eat. This was also due to the doctor telling us he only needs to eat every 2-3 hours and our newborn was crying about every hour to an hour and a half.
Yes, we starved our son because we thought that's what we were supposed to do. "Don't feed him any less than two hours or you'll have a cluster feeder that will rule your house and sleep schedule," said the other pediatrician. He was the son to the first pediatrician. They were great for the most part, but very Rx happy and pro-formula, not to mention the first time we saw the father, he was literally tossing my son around like they were performing a circus act; going from one hand to the other, back and forth, tummy up tummy down. I wanted to scream but I couldn't find my voice. My husband just laughed when the pediatrician left the room and said something about that was his job and he was just testing the our son's awareness and certain reflexes. I figured he would know, he has a brother 8 years younger then him, a sister 12 years younger then him and another sister 23 years younger then him. So he's seen plenty, I was sure of it.
Anyway, I finally called a lactation consultant on the sixth day. I told her everything that was going on, what I wasn't saying was I wanted her to come over and see why my milk hadn't come in. She asked about my latch and I told her. I told her what the pediatrician said and I don't think she disagreed. After all, a baby's survival in those first few days is vital. It's not the end of the world if you can't breastfeed, but I wanted to know that I was actually giving it my all. A living, thriving baby was more important to me than anything else, as is with the majority of the world.
I don't say the entire world because there is a culture in Pakistan that praises boys and not girls. A woman gave birth to twins, one boy and one girl The article said she was given the wrong information and wouldn't be able to feed both her children. One of my anthropology teachers showed me in a textbook how that culture praised boys and felt that the girl would have to die because she isn't important enough.
Back to my point, so I decided to do more research. My lactation consultant said I was doing everything right and that I just needed to be patient. I was worried at that point. Everything sounded like I was doing it right, but if I was why hadn't my milk come in yet? Google was my best-friend, well, when I could find the time. I did, after all, have a newborn that needed me every waking minute.
Youtube was fantastic. Did you know there are videos on youtube that instruct women how to latch and breastfeed properly? Some are by companies, I found one by a pediatrician, a baby-boomer pediatrician (weren't they all formula fed?) and some were done by mothers who wanted to reach out to other mothers. That is what this post is all about, to reach out to other mothers. I wanted to tell my story and show you how I learned. This is one of many ways, but I still insist on a mother meeting with an IBCLC and or a La Leche League leader. Hope you all enjoy!
I'm not going to say that everyone has a problem in the beginning. In fact, if I were to teach a class based on experiences and asked, "for those who have breastfed, did you have a perfect latch in the beginning," I would be surprised to see even one hand raised. Now that's not to say there isn't 1:20 moms who have a perfect experience from the beginning. And if I ever find you I may send you the evil eye but I honestly mean well.
I wasn't so lucky in the beginning. That's not to say it was a bad experience, but I think I made it a bad experience for myself. I had one friend who breastfed her three boys, but I hadn't watched her. I found that awkward, except now I've become so brave I use the Mississippi laws to my advantage and will NIP, hand a "thank you for breastfeeding" card to any mama I see bonding with her little one, and have even joined La Leche League.
I wasn't sure about breastfeeding in the beginning. I wasn't breastfed, but that's not to say my mother didn't try. In fact, she tried very hard. So hard to the point both my brother and I, we're 11.5 months apart, nearly starved to death. My mother refused to feed us formula because it was too expensive, but we refused her milk. Strange that her milk tasted bad both times, but she was also a military wife and in the 80's there just wasn't enough help.
Yes, La Leche League was created in the 50s and was really taking on a lot by the 80s, but there were still so many mamas who weren't getting any help for whatever reasons. And let's not forget the fake lactation consultants in the 80s. These women sounded like they knew what they were talking about, so the hospital administration didn't have any idea if they were actually telling the truth or were just looking for jobs to make the time go by and make money. These women were such a huge discredit to the battle on breastfeeding.
Back to my point, I hadn't gone in search for help. I didn't know if I wanted to breastfeed and I didn't know how it would impact me. I was unsure of the whole process, and I was like many mothers who were and still are uneducated on the whole idea. I thought formula was just as good because they say they are. Now I love to blurt out, "I give my baby enzymes my body has naturally made. Let's see your product do that!"
So in the beginning, my husband's cousin, a member of La Leche League, came to watch me breastfeed on our first day home. I didn't mind, was a little nervous, but didn't mind. It seemed to be going really great. Well, my supply hadn't come in and we were going to see the pediatrician the next day. He told me it was okay, give my son an ounce of formula and breastfeed from both sides afterwards to stimulate my supply and say, "Woohoo!!! It's time for you girls to do your thing! Come one now!!!" Well, he didn't say that last part, but I was so tempted to yell at them. They just weren't doing what I thought they would be doing. He also said I would know when my supply came in because my breasts would get really large and lumpy and I would feel the milk coming out my nipples.
Isn't breastfeeding natural? Doesn't it just happen? I guess I watched Return to the Blue Lagoon, or maybe it was the first one, one to many times. You know the one, they have a baby, the three day old baby (that really looks like she is about six months old) is crying like crazy and she won't eat anything they're giving her and she just so happens to start lowering the baby and the baby naturally latches on. Yes, that's how it's supposed to happen, just like that. Don't we all wish.
Babies know how to latch when they're born, so says Ameda, but it is the uneducated mother who may foul things up. I kept looking at the little slip of paper from the WIC nutritionist with two lactation consultant's names on it, but I am so hard headed I wanted to do it all on my own. Day five brought me to tears when I still didn't have anything and we were still supplementing with formula. And we wanted to sleep, so what did we do? We bought the night-time formula. Hubby and I both agreed to feed our son more than an ounce because he seemed so unhappy and he was crying all the time to eat. This was also due to the doctor telling us he only needs to eat every 2-3 hours and our newborn was crying about every hour to an hour and a half.
Yes, we starved our son because we thought that's what we were supposed to do. "Don't feed him any less than two hours or you'll have a cluster feeder that will rule your house and sleep schedule," said the other pediatrician. He was the son to the first pediatrician. They were great for the most part, but very Rx happy and pro-formula, not to mention the first time we saw the father, he was literally tossing my son around like they were performing a circus act; going from one hand to the other, back and forth, tummy up tummy down. I wanted to scream but I couldn't find my voice. My husband just laughed when the pediatrician left the room and said something about that was his job and he was just testing the our son's awareness and certain reflexes. I figured he would know, he has a brother 8 years younger then him, a sister 12 years younger then him and another sister 23 years younger then him. So he's seen plenty, I was sure of it.
Anyway, I finally called a lactation consultant on the sixth day. I told her everything that was going on, what I wasn't saying was I wanted her to come over and see why my milk hadn't come in. She asked about my latch and I told her. I told her what the pediatrician said and I don't think she disagreed. After all, a baby's survival in those first few days is vital. It's not the end of the world if you can't breastfeed, but I wanted to know that I was actually giving it my all. A living, thriving baby was more important to me than anything else, as is with the majority of the world.
I don't say the entire world because there is a culture in Pakistan that praises boys and not girls. A woman gave birth to twins, one boy and one girl The article said she was given the wrong information and wouldn't be able to feed both her children. One of my anthropology teachers showed me in a textbook how that culture praised boys and felt that the girl would have to die because she isn't important enough.
Back to my point, so I decided to do more research. My lactation consultant said I was doing everything right and that I just needed to be patient. I was worried at that point. Everything sounded like I was doing it right, but if I was why hadn't my milk come in yet? Google was my best-friend, well, when I could find the time. I did, after all, have a newborn that needed me every waking minute.
Youtube was fantastic. Did you know there are videos on youtube that instruct women how to latch and breastfeed properly? Some are by companies, I found one by a pediatrician, a baby-boomer pediatrician (weren't they all formula fed?) and some were done by mothers who wanted to reach out to other mothers. That is what this post is all about, to reach out to other mothers. I wanted to tell my story and show you how I learned. This is one of many ways, but I still insist on a mother meeting with an IBCLC and or a La Leche League leader. Hope you all enjoy!
I wanted to show this one first because I love her so much! She's the reason I started to NIP!
Be prepared this video does cut in and out
She's a little scary but helpful
Teeth and trying to cover...hmmm
I hope these have all helped!!!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Breastmilk and the TSA
I've been advocating a lot lately on The Leaky B@@b. I'm loving the fact I can help so many moms with any potential problems or answer any questions that I am able to.
So one interesting question did come up what are the rules and regulations as far as traveling with your breast milk? Now years ago, especially when I was a child, such a question may have been seen as silly. Now, it's almost absurd to even know that such a question has to even be asked. Really? Why should it even be a problem or bother for TSA? I understand with national security in mind, some people may think the bags of great liquid nutrition could possibly pose a danger. Well, maybe if you're a conspiracy theorist a think everything white is potentially hazardous, but come on people. Really?
So with the question in mind I decided to start researching. Really, how hard could it be? Well, without the proper keywords you get several results, but none of them current. Finally, I found the right information
At http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm, there is some great information on how to travel with your bags of pumped milk. Did you know that breastmilk is treated with the same respect and security as liquid medications? This must have been changed rather recently since the latest stink TSA made over a mom who had recently traveled. She almost missed her flight because security wouldn't let her board with the one thing that makes a baby's tummy happy.
Next, did you know when going through security you will NOT be asked to test or taste your breastmilk? Can someone fill me in here, please? Was someone asked at one point to do this? How horrible is that? "oh, I don't believe that is what you say it is. I'm going to need you to taste it. It's standard procedure. You understand." However, be forewarned. Ifyou have more than 3oz in a bag/bottle, TSA will ask you to open the container and they will test your milk, thus making it unsanitary for your baby. This is to make sure that anything over 3oz isn't a potential danger.
"You are encouraged to travel with only as much formula, breast milk, or juice in your carry-on needed to reach your destination." So what happens in the event you are taking fenugreek or eat extra oatmeal or what have you? What's considered "only as much [as] needed to reach your destination?" Unfortunately, I'm unable to find any legit sites that make mention of traveling with a pump. By legit, I mean anything other than a blog.
So when traveling and pumping, refer to TSA's website on the matter, and remember: Anything over 3oz hag the possibility of being checked.
So one interesting question did come up what are the rules and regulations as far as traveling with your breast milk? Now years ago, especially when I was a child, such a question may have been seen as silly. Now, it's almost absurd to even know that such a question has to even be asked. Really? Why should it even be a problem or bother for TSA? I understand with national security in mind, some people may think the bags of great liquid nutrition could possibly pose a danger. Well, maybe if you're a conspiracy theorist a think everything white is potentially hazardous, but come on people. Really?
So with the question in mind I decided to start researching. Really, how hard could it be? Well, without the proper keywords you get several results, but none of them current. Finally, I found the right information
At http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm, there is some great information on how to travel with your bags of pumped milk. Did you know that breastmilk is treated with the same respect and security as liquid medications? This must have been changed rather recently since the latest stink TSA made over a mom who had recently traveled. She almost missed her flight because security wouldn't let her board with the one thing that makes a baby's tummy happy.
Next, did you know when going through security you will NOT be asked to test or taste your breastmilk? Can someone fill me in here, please? Was someone asked at one point to do this? How horrible is that? "oh, I don't believe that is what you say it is. I'm going to need you to taste it. It's standard procedure. You understand." However, be forewarned. Ifyou have more than 3oz in a bag/bottle, TSA will ask you to open the container and they will test your milk, thus making it unsanitary for your baby. This is to make sure that anything over 3oz isn't a potential danger.
"You are encouraged to travel with only as much formula, breast milk, or juice in your carry-on needed to reach your destination." So what happens in the event you are taking fenugreek or eat extra oatmeal or what have you? What's considered "only as much [as] needed to reach your destination?" Unfortunately, I'm unable to find any legit sites that make mention of traveling with a pump. By legit, I mean anything other than a blog.
So when traveling and pumping, refer to TSA's website on the matter, and remember: Anything over 3oz hag the possibility of being checked.
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