breastfeeding

If you are pregnant or a new mom then I am sure you have been learning all about breastfeeding and breast pumps. You might wonder why a SAHM might need a breast pump. There are numerous reasons why a breast pump will come in handy.

 

1. Medical Issues with newborn– If your baby is born a preemie, has latch issues or is put into the NICU then a breast pump will come in handy with helping your milk supply come in. Yes, you may feel silly pumping when only a drop of colostrum is all you have but trust me it is well worth it.

2. Multiple Births- I personally have not had twins or multiples so I am only speaking from some ideas from other moms. You may not be able to get your newborns to nurse at a schedule that will allow you some sanity. Using a breast pump would allow another caregiver to feed your infants while you rest. This could be a very good thing or bad thing depending on the reliability of your help and your babies resistance to a bottle.

…

Read More »

I was a formula fed baby, not even a single drop of breast milk was put into my system. I grew up giving my dolls bottles filled with baby powder and water to look like formula. All the babies that I was ever around were formula fed, except my two youngest nieces. My sister in law nursed each of them for about 6 weeks, but it was never spoken about and always done in private. Breastfeeding might as well have been a different language to me considering how “normal” formula was for my family. I always figured when I was to become pregnant I would buy the cutest print bottles I could possibly find and likely use soy formula with my own children like I was given as an infant. But when I found out I was pregnant in 2012 something from within me decided my child would be fed differently than I was.

…

Read More »

Today we are going to discuss breastfeeding and some ways to increase your milk supply. I had someone recently contact me and share her story. It was heart wrenching- NOT enough milk to feed her child. She is not a newbie she just had her 7th child and is trying everything she can think of. She said she drinks lots of water and eats healthy fat. She has had to resort to formula feeding and supplementing with breastmilk due to extremely slow weight gain of her infant. I mean dangerously slow weight gain. Let’s rally around this mama and think of things for her to try!

I am so sad for her because I have never struggled to have enough milk to feed any of my four children. With Eldest, my first baby, I could probably have fed 2-3 other babies. I tandem fed Eldest and Princess for a couple of months. Then completely was done breastfeeding for almost 3 years before Big Red was born. I had just weaned him and 2 months later found out I was pregnant with Lil’ Red.
Now I am on a mission, a quest. I hate to hear of a mom struggling so hard to do something she feels is right for her child. I spent most of a day researching and reading ways to increase your milk supply and thought I should share them in case others need ideas as well.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, midwife, doula, herbalist or a lactation consultant. I have not taken any formal training past a 30 minute class after I was pregnant with Big Red. I have consulted once with a lactation consultant after Eldest was born and in the NICU. I am just a mom breastfeeding her 4th nursling trying to give support and ideas to other breastfeeding moms.

…

Read More »

My mom breastfed all three of her children, each for increasingly shorter periods of time; I think she nursed me for 6-8 months, my brother for less than 6 months and I think she may have made it to 3 months with my sister. However she talks a lot about her time breastfeeding and while she endured some trials I get the feeling that she is very proud of that time and having done it the way she did. I’m not sure about my husband’s mom and what she chose to do. I will say whether it was my family or my husband’s family they have all been fairly supportive in letting us make our own choice when it came to breastfeeding and I have not come against any negativity concerning our choice to breastfeed.

For me breastfeeding was just the natural choice. Besides it being free, I figured if my boobs are going to fill up with milk I may as well at least try to use it to feed my baby. What I didn’t realize was just how strongly I would come to feel about breastfeeding when I first set out to breastfeed our first born. As it turns out I’m somewhat of a breastfeeding extremist when it comes to my kids, not to say I look down on others for the choices they have made for their children but when I decided I was going to breastfeed I totally committed to it (in sort of an extreme way).
…

Read More »