Inspiration Thursday: Baby at the Breast

One of the questions I’m asked by almost every couple in my childbirth education classes is “How soon can I start pumping so ______________?” Fill in the blank with: dad can give baby the bottle; I can go out with my friends; I can go back to work.

We live in a culture that promotes feminine independence. The feminist ideal of the working woman, the woman who can do it all, doesn’t always appear with a baby at the breast. But why not?

As I grew up, I considered myself a feminist. Misogyny pissed me off, frankly. I honestly couldn’t understand how any human being could treat any other human being as inferior. I believed women could do anything just as well as men and should be given the opportunity to do so. I still believe this.

I believe in the strong, powerful woman. The one with a baby at her breast. That, to me, is inspiring.

What inspires you? 
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BABYWEARING WEDNESDAY

Shifting Positions in a Ring Sling

One of the benefits of wearing your baby in a ring sling is that it's versatile. It's versatile and it's quick. You don't have to set baby down while you get the ring sling situated, and it's easy to change baby's position. Contrary to what you might think, you can wear baby in many different positions in a ring sling; you're not limited to a cradle hold. In fact, I use the tummy to tummy hold most often when using my ring sling.

My babies have both liked to be held upright more than in a cradle hold, and I find it easier to keep an eye on them in a tummy to tummy hold. That said, there are times when I feel like they want to lay down a little. Either we're at the beach and the sun is in their eyes, or they seem really tired and staying upright is making them fight sleep. If I'm wearing them for a long time, I also like to change positions to prevent them from getting stiff or uncomfortable.

Below are two videos showing how to shift a baby from the tummy-to-tummy position to the cradle hold without taking off the wrap or taking baby out of the wrap. Then I show how to move baby back. It's just a quick flick of the wrist!

Shifting baby from the tummy-to-tummy to the cradle hold:

Shifting baby from the cradle hold to the tummy-to-tummy position:

Wordless Wednesday: Close to My Heart

I wanted to post a breastfeeding picture in honor of World Breastfeeding Week, but I think I've posted all of the ones I have at some point or another. I wanted to post something new. When Little M was sick a few weeks ago, I put him in the Moby skin-to-skin to help soothe him. I loved the fact that he was curled up so close to my chest, and he looked like he might have looked when he was inside me. I had Big T take a picture.

I love this. If this doesn't make you want to wear your baby, nothing will:

A Lactation Consultant for a Gorilla

My dad is a docent at the Memphis zoo. Recently, he called me and said he was thinking of me because they had hired a lactation consultant for one of the female gorillas who had recently given birth.

“Wow! Why did they hire a lactation consultant for the gorilla?” I asked.

“Well, gorillas learn how to breastfeed by watching their own mothers and their peers. And gorillas raised in captivity don’t have that community to learn from, so even though the baby knows how to breastfeed, the mother does not.”

Wait. It gets better.

“And if the mother and the baby don’t create the bond formed by breastfeeding, the baby won’t thrive.”

Wow. Really. And they didn’t just think it was easier to give the baby a bottle, huh.

A Breastfeeding Challenge: Excess Lipase in Breastmilk

In the 26 months that I’ve been breastfeeding, I haven’t had too many challenges. I dealt with the occasional nursing strike with Baby T and struggled with weaning, but it has been pretty smooth sailing. I did, however, have to deal with excess lipase in my breast milk.

 

Lipase in breastmilk? What is that?

Sunday Surf: Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

 

Happy World Breastfeeding Week! To help celebrate, this week I am going to be writing about breastfeeding. It's been quite a journey. Join me by checking out some of the interesting articles I came across this week:

 

Just Cover Up?

This is a wonderful article from Lactation Narration explaining why it’s not ok to ask a nursing mother to cover up or to be more “modest.” Breasts were made to breastfeed, not to be sexualized. It’s not our fault as moms that society has a dirty mind. I feel uncomfortable seeing babies stuck in bucket seats, holding onto their own bottles and not being held, rocked, or talked to while they are getting fed, but I keep my mouth shut.

Things to Do With Your Extra Breast Milk

This is an old article, but I came across it when researching an article for a freelance client. It’s a great resource. I’ve used breast milk to treat an eye infection, diaper rash, and cuts and scrapes, but I did not know that a breast milk ice cube can soothe an insect sting, that breast milk can be used as a mask to treat acne, or that it can be made into soap. But it makes sense… goat’s milk soap is a popular trend these days; why not make it one step healthier?

Nighttime Breastfeeding and Maternal Mental Health

This is also an older article, but I came across it on Science and Sensibility and thought it was important. It basically explains how breastfeeding mothers get more sleep. As a mom who rarely coslept with Baby T and often cosleep with Little M, I can vouch for that. If Little M only wakes up twice a night but I have to get up and nurse him sitting up in the rocker, I am so much more tired the next day than if I slept with him and he nursed ten times during the night. Being able to stay lying down in bed makes all the difference. 

To Wean or Not to Wean?

I feel Hannah at Wild Parenting's pain. Although breastfeeding was essentially a nonissue for me—I didn’t experience mastitis, plugged ducts, severe problems with latch, or any problems with supply—and I always expected to breastfeed my toddler until he was at least 2, extended breastfeeding was a struggle for me. This was mainly because of my pregnancy with Little M, but it’s interesting to read about another mother’s journey with extended breastfeeding.

THE PROS AND CONS OF WEANING A TODDLER

This is my story, and I'm sticking to it. I guess.

Weaning my 2-year-old has been a roller coaster. When I thought he had weaned while I was pregnant, I was an emotional wreck. Then I had Little M and decided I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tandem nurse. I did tandem nurse for a while, but then I started to become irritable every time I nursed him. And he seemed to be asking out of half-hearted habit, not out of true desire. So I distracted him when he asked. And he was easily distracted. So he stopped nursing.

And then he started again, and then I decided to wean him for good.

Here’s why:

My First Mistake: Losing Confidence in Myself as a Parent