Freezing Milk

I used the Breastmilk Storage bags to freeze my milk. They were easy to use and store in the freezer.  There is a system to storing and using Breastmilk.  Here are a few rules I go by:
1. Make sure your pump is always clean and sterilize the bottles as often as possible.
2. Nurse your baby first and then pump or use the "third boob" method
3. Freeze your milk right away
4. Use your oldest frozen milk first
5. Remember milk changes as your baby gets older
6. Do not microwave you're milk to warm or thaw rather use a bowl of warm water to set your bag in or thaw in the fridge.
7. Remember that you can add your Breastmilk to baby cereal, baby food, or use the frozen pieces in mesh feeder (this can get messy but it's great when baby is teething)
8. Don't feel guilty if you have to throw some away

Here is what you say...

I believe that I could have screamed every time someone asked me, "is the baby getting any milk" or "do you think she's crying because you're not making enough milk?"  Come on people!  If you're not a nursing mom and you're reading this, please make sure to never ask a nursing mom or any mom for that matter these questions.  For me it was down right insulting but don't get me wrong, I'm sure they weren't trying to piss me off.  They were just concerned and didn't know the right thing to ask or say. So, here is some advice on what to say..."let me take you into a nice, quiet area of the house and help you get comfortable.  Let me bring you a glass of water and while you're nursing the baby I will sweep your floors with the utmost respect and I will do it without making a peep so that your precious baby can nurse and fall asleep.  Once the baby is asleep, you will take a shower.  Once you're out of the shower, I will have something for you to eat.  Then, if you want to or need to, you can sit and pump while I run to the grocery store for you."  AMEN!

La Leche League

If you haven't heard of La Leche League check out their website.  Go to your local chapter meetings and surround yourself with some support.  I can't tell you how relieved I felt after leaving my first meeting.  There were all kinds of mothers there too!  Attachment parenting moms, homeschooling moms, first time moms, moms that used cloth diapers, young and old.  So diverse, one could really learn a lot just by observing.   You don't have to pay for a membership to attend the meetings, your not obligated to anything.  Just a bunch of mommas supporting one another, it's great.

http://www.llli.org/

Reasons are like nipples...

It's easy to find a site that will list the "top 10 reasons to breastfeed" but what are your reasons you want to breastfeed or the reason/s you did nurse your wee one.  It's funny that there can be so much hype surrounding something so natural.  You either have to be a Coach toting, formula feeding self centered mother or a crunchy, organic eating, breastfeeding hippie.  WHY!!!  Why can't it (breastfeeding) just be the norm.  Why can't I just be a normal mom, who shops a Target, eats organic as much as possible but still enjoys an In and Out burger way too often, lives paycheck to paycheck, breastfeeding momma!  Damn it!  Okay, so I'm a little passionate, what can I say.  Another thing, why does it matter our reasons for breastfeeding.  It's what we're supposed to do with these lovely lady lumps God gave us. So who cares if you do it because your mom did it, or because your mom didn't do it.  Who cares if you do it because your sister or BFF did and you can't imagine listening to another lecture from either one.  So...to all my breastfeeding mommas out there......breastfeed your baby no matter what your reasons are.  Remember, breastfeeding will always be the best nourishment for you baby, period!

Blogging and sharing my experiences

Hi moms!
I've been doing a ton of thinking about my blog.  I've realized that even if I never have one follower (besides myself :-) I still want to blog.  Not because I'm a good writer or because I hope to get rich doing this but because I wouldn't otherwise have these experiences documented.  My goal was always and will always be to help mothers breastfeed.  I don't have agenda, not to say every other breastfeeding site does, but sometimes I feel that I'm being pushed.  I never want you to feel that way.  Being a mom is hard enough, breastfeeding can be difficult to establish and no one ever wants to feel that they aren't doing enough. So, hopefully I will never come off pushy!

As I was on Pinterest tonight I came across a really small but powerful little post.  It showed some of the really important benefits of breastfeeding.  There are so many!  It's such a great thing to do for your baby, it's natural and beneficial for their health and yours.  I posted on my breastfeeding board if you want to check it out.  Powerful stuff I must say.

One last thing tonight before my grammar gets really awful and I start posting misspelled words, ha!  If you're reading this because you were searching for breastfeeding help....give yourself some major credit.   Researching and educating yourself if so important, good job momma!  You're a great mommy, who loves their baby, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this.  Keep trying, keep at it, you can do it!!!!!

Must knows

-Is my baby latched properly?
"One really important tip I read somewhere was, when your baby unlatches from the breast look at your nipple.  If it's shaped like lipstick in a tube, the baby is latched on incorrectly.  I had been feeding my first like this for a good month, once I corrected the latch, my nipples started to feel much better."

-Is my little one getting "enough" milk
"The first week was really scary. I didn't know if I was producing enough milk.  The second day home from the hospital he still hadn't had a wet diaper (since being home). I called the pediatrician and she said she couldn't see the baby, I would have to take him to the hospital..gasp!  I supplemented with a bottle of formula and needless to say he went potty and pee immediately.  Talk about feeling inadequate.  I couldn't even feed my baby enough milk.  Still I didn't let that stop me.  I started pumping and that really helped my supply flourish.  Finally, I was producing enough milk to satisfy the recommend number of wet diapers a baby should have in a day.  Whew!"

-Can I drink alcohol while I'm nursing?
"Let me answer this for you.  No!  A sip of wine or beer won't hurt but in my opinion and only my opinion, you really shouldn't drink more than that.  But do your own research please, I'm just giving you my opinion."

-When and how to introduce solids?
"Always offer the breast before you feed your baby solids.  This will help insure you keep an adequate milk supply."


Just a few Must Knows as a breastfeeding momma!  If you can't answer some of these I've attached two great websites to do some research.
http://www.llli.org/ and http://kellymom.com/

The importance of feeling comfortable

I've encountered so many mommas who stopped breastfeeding earlier than they expected for various reasons.  Some of which, honestly, I thought were excuses. I just want to reiterate that when you are ready to stop nursing your baby, then stop.  One reason I was hearing a lot of was that,"it just wasn't for me." Maybe just maybe it was something else...something deeper? Could it have been a feeling of uncomfortableness (is that even a word)?  If you find yourself feeling resentment or feeling malaise while sitting down to feed your baby, first ask yourself why??  Is it because you have dishes sitting in the sink from three days ago, or because you just sat down to type that email and here you go again...no time for yourself!  Or have you or your baby (or both) just moved on and it's time to let go of breastfeeding?

  I remember when my oldest was nursing just for comfort, around 2.5 years old.  We would snuggle up to nurse and then he would latch on...at that very moment I would start to feel uncomfortable....looking back now I know it wasn't because I had "things to do" but rather it was the natural and instinctual "start of the end".  After about 1-2 minutes of nursing I would unlatch him and tell him that was it.  He was satisfied with 1-2 minutes of nursing because he wasn't in it to eat he just wanted comfort and surprisingly our beautiful season of nursing would naturally and gently come to an end.

 So, the importance of feeling comfortable while nursing is vital.

Please learn to relax and enjoy these moments, they will come to an end sooner than you might think. Once you are ready to stop nursing for whatever reason it's okay, don't make excuses, be honest with yourself.  Everyone is different and every baby is unique.  Nurse as long as you can, every ounce of milk you give your baby is a beautiful gift, even if it's for 1week or 3 years.