While breastfeeding, when did your cycle return?

Did you milk it for all it was worth? (breastfed or pumped)

Friday, August 29, 2008

I'm excited...

to have a Lactator in the White house!
It seems that many (online) articles cite that Sarah Palin is still BF/pumping for her son Trig. Way to go!!
She briefly discusses pumping here in a recent People article.

Does anyone know...

if Sarah Palin is still breastfeeding?

"We don't gnaw on our mommy"

Austin Powers movie lines seem to play a large role in our family banter. I know--quite bizarre--but I have noticed that men have an amazing ability to remember movies line for line--yet, important conversations seem unheard. So--this happens to be a movie that I've seen (and there is nothing worse than hearing lines from movies that I have NOT seen)so I go along with it. My husband is hysterically funny--he has pretty good timing when it comes to inserting lines that coincide perfectly with Par's actions.
Anyway, I had mentioned that Par has started helping himself to the morning buffet. I had opened my eyes just briefly to see him eating away. As usual, he grin at me--as if to say "good morning mom! I was hoping you'd wake up!" and then I shut my eyes again. Then--HE BIT ME! This was no accident--he was definitely trying to get my attention. So what do I do? I looked at him and said, "we don't gnaw on our mommy!"
I couldn't believe I said it--and in a Dr. Evil voice! For those of you who may not know--Dr. Evil has to tell Mini-Me not to gnaw on the kitty. It is a pretty funny line. We joke that Par is Rusty's mini-me--so it is not so surprising--but still. Speaking to my child using Austin Powers' movie lines is not something I'm proud of. The good news is--he didn't bite me again (yet).

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

"Now you nurse me down to sleep"

Do you nurse down?

I do. I love putting my son to sleep. He seems to fall into his nap or bedtime so peacefully. It seemed a little too easy--and I wondered if I would be regretting this decision later on (imagining a five year old who won't go to sleep without being nursed down). I've committed myself to BF and I want to do it as long as Par wants to do it. What I didn't imagine was that Par would want to quit before me.

For the past couple of nights Par has remained awake while I feed him before he goes to sleep. I was so confused/frustrated. Why was he still awake--now he's full--what do I do? It didn't occur to me to try another way to put him to bed. But...as I pondered this while nursing an alert child at 11pm I realized that maybe his needs are changing--maybe BF is becoming less of a comfort to him. Don't get me wrong--it is still the easiest/quickest/best way to calm him if he hurts himself. So in that aspect, BF is definitely a comfort. So I have started rocking him while singing Edelweiss to him (just like my mom did for me)--and what do you know--He falls to sleep!

I realize this sounds ridiculous to a lot of people--of course you should rock your baby to sleep! Well...for me--this has never been part of our "routine" (see previous post).

Funny thing is--I read something about this a few months ago. It reminds us BF moms that our babe's needs change--and although he may be pulling at your blouse acting like he wants some Mommy Milk--this might be his way of saying "play with me"--the article encouraged us to try to meet needs in additional ways. It makes sense--I wish I had remembered that the first night I was perplexed.

So--although he still nurses quite often--this little piece of his life is changing...like everything that reminds us that our little ones grow up too fast...I end this post with a deep sigh.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Routine

I like routine. I probably like routine too much. God designed this universe to be constantly living, growing, breeding, wilting, dying, etc.--change is a part of that--it is natural. Yet, I fight it daily.
If I had my way, I would get up each day and BF Par while checking email and drinking my morning cup of joe. Ideally, Par would remain 9 months old--but maybe I would be 15lbs lighter and with longer hair...anyway, I like the routine we've made.
But things change--and nothing says this more than watching a baby grow.
At this point, Par really doesn't need "me" to eat. A few times lately I have woken up and he has already helped himself to the morning buffet (remember, we co-sleep). I look down at him and he just grins. He's a good boy--he didn't want to wake me.
This morning while checking email, Par managed to kick my coffee onto my computer--he's getting so big--this part of my day is going to have to change.
And now I'm here, sitting by myself because my little boy is sound asleep in his bed--I spent a good bit of his morning nap looking at pictures from his 1st month of life. I do this a lot--but today was especially emotional as there are 3 new little babies born within a day--all afflicted with CDH. I have been praying--begging--looking at my son awe struck at how far we've come.
I know this blog is about BF--I really don't think I can clearly explain how truly amazing it is that Par was able to BF. God gave me the perseverance--I know that much. But Par's ability to BF and without reflux or intestinal issues is miraculous. At this point, I do try and use the words miraculous/miracle conservatively--mainly because I now know how powerful it is--the word alone proclaims God's Glory! So thank you Lord for your gift of breastfeeding my son.
For those of you who have been blessed to breastfeed your little ones from the beginning--praise God! I ask that everyone will offer prayers up for these 3 new little babies--that they may be healed Miraculously by our Father in Heaven. That their parents may know the love of our Lord and find rest, peace, hope & understanding as they endure this roller coaster like journey of CDH.
May they be encouraged by their family and medical team in breastfeeding/pumping for their baby. I know that my success is definitely a product of prayer and encouragement of many people.

Monday, August 18, 2008

URGENT!!! CDH AWARENESS TRADEMARK

THIS IS NOT ABOUT BREASTFEEDING, BUT PLEASE READ...

Many of you know that CDH (Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia) is something near and dear to my heart since our son Par was born with this defect in November of 2007. Since his birth, I have felt that it is part of my mission/goal/responsibility to educate and support people facing a CDH diagnosis since it is such a little known defect.

My outreach is small, basically the individuals that I meet through my blog, but it is important to me.

There is currently an organization that has filed an application for trademark ownership of the phrase “Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness”. This means that anyone (an individual or an organization) who wishes to use this phrase or its likeness, must receive permission from this organization before using it or risk being sued. While this organization has done a lot to raise awareness and show support of some families who have suffered from CDH, I think that a trademark of the phrase is irresponsible and ultimately will work to decrease awareness of CDH.

For me, this means that I would need to have special permission to have the descriptions on my blog or links to information about CDH Awareness. This means that the organization Rusty and I support, Real Hope for CDH (made up of patients/families of Dr. Kays) would also have to get permission to use such phrases. In my opinion, this is absolutely ridiculous; you cannot own a defect or awareness of it. For so many families who have suffered because of CDH, helping to raise awareness about this little known defect has become a personal passion-- a way to help heal and grieve in a healthy manner. This trademark would make that difficult or impossible for so many, at the same time limiting awareness, rather than helping to spread it.

No one owns Breast Cancer Awareness or Cystic Fibrosis Awareness, it just doesn’t make sense that an organization could own CDH Awareness either. Even if awareness is part of a campaign, it doesn’t need to be trademarked. The goal is “awareness of a defect”, not “awareness of a defect by individuals associated with a particular organization.”

If what I have said makes sense to you and you agree, please sign an online petition! This trademark application is currently before the U.S. Patent & Trademark office for review so the sooner that you sign, the better. There is also an option to sign anonymously in case you would not like your name available for privacy/security reasons. Here is the link to the petition with more information. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me. Also, please feel free to forward this to anyone that you think may be interested.

My goal is not to be divisive about this issue or in regards to this organization. My goal is to keep “CDH Awareness” available to all of the many families and individuals who have suffered because of this defect and who wish to work towards educating and supporting people who face this diagnosis and its many effects.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/cdhawareness/index.html

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Hungry Babies?

Well...there must be a lot of REALLY HUNGRY BABIES out there--our virtual nurse-athon barely exceeded 1.5 days in total BF hours--and we didn't make our goal of 50 participants--so this mommy will not be taking home any medals...so sad.

I waited a few days because I had some late entries--and if you want to still turn in your hours--shoot me an email today.

Our t-shirt winner is Beverly Norwood of Bessemer, Alabama! Way to go Beverly!

On another "hungry baby" note, my baby is eating all the time. I think he must be going through a growth spurt, but he seems to have picked up an additional feeding. Keep in mind, he has started eating solid food at dinner (but that wasn't replacing a BF meal, it was an addition too. So basically, he is just one HUNGRY HUNGRY hippo. I'm fine with that--if you've read Par's story, you'll see why this isn't a bad thing.
So here is my question for you veteran BF mommies, why do my breasts (as of this week) seem smaller?

Happy BF!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Mommy wants a medal!

It is World Breastfeeding Week--and our virtual nurse-a-thon is into day three--and I've been informed that if we have 50 participants (or more) then we are qualified to when a BRONZE medal.
So email all of your pumping and BF friends and tell them to send me their bf/pumping hours!!!!
Remember--to send me your hours, all you have to do is post a comment below--but don't worry, no one else will see it since my comments are moderated--I'll share the total of all the entries at the end of the week!

Remember--YOU COULD WIN a t-shirt!!!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

surely there are more than a few...

mothers still BF that read this blog!

August 1st kicked off World Breastfeeding Week--For our Virtual Nurse-a-thon,email me your hours of BF (or pumping) for each day from August 1 thru August 7--and the winner will get a Mommy Knows Breast t-shirt. Good Luck!
I'll post the total number of hours at the end of the day August 7th! Go Mommy Milk!

Someone thought I might clarify how to email me with your hours of BF...(great question)
Just post a comment below--my comments are moderated, so I won't post it on the blog, I'll just keep track and then post the TOTAL of EVERYONE at the end of the week.


Note any BF in public hours--they'll count double!

Come on...don't you want a free t-shirt!?!

Friday, August 1, 2008

Would you? Could you?

I'm watching Martha Stewart right now (a rerun) and it has moms with babies on today--hooray for the BF mom--she's using a Hooter Hider--and I know no one would notice if they weren't looking...
Could I BF on Martha Stewart? Sure...I could.
Would I? probably not.
Would you?

Today kicks off World Breastfeeding Week--For our Virtual Nurse-a-thon,email me your hours of BF for each day from August 1 thru August 7--and the winner will get a Mommy Knows Breast t-shirt. Good Luck!
I'll post the total number of hours at the end of the day August 7th! Go Mommy Milk!