HAPPY WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK!
just some titbits – i mean, tidbits…
Last week, Maryam of Milk Friendly interviewed me. I talk about breastfeeding decisions & gear, nursing style, and a most-embarrassing-moment!
This project is a funny & much-needed one. So excited that they reached their fundraising goal. Would love to nurse in the Milk Truck one day.
Chris warned me that this photo is a bit revealing, but:
a) It’s only nudity if there’s nip. Right?!
b) I barely have ANY photos of me nursing the twins.
c) There’s more skin than this on any given Facebook page.
Nursing the sisters has been one of the easiest things I’ve ever done as a parent. No joke. And I don’t take that lightly. In that meticulously neurotic, calculating place in my heart, I know that the Lord made it easy for a reason. To give me peace. Or rather, to keep me sane.
But I know that not every mama & baby have such an easy time of it…
I recently came across this post and wanted to pass it along. A mama is reaching out for help, and I certainly hope she gets some answers. I’m sure some people will read this and wonder why she’s so upset. We are fortunate to live in a place where we can give up breastfeeding and still keep our babies alive & thriving. But the nursing relationship is obviously important to this mom, and it’s her right to feel discouraged. I want her to get some support!
And while we’re on the topic of breastfeeding struggles, what happens when there’s just not enough milk? After you’ve nursed on demand, pumped in between, and swallowed so much fenugreek you smell like waffles… then what? My friend Gretchen gave birth (naturally) to twin boys (one of whom was breech) exactly one week after the sisters were born (in the same hospital – a nurse caught one of her boys in the water). Watch her birth video here – it’s totally appropriate and will totally make you cry. Once she settled into a routine with her new sons, though, she began to realize she wasn’t making enough for them. This was certainly by no fault of her own. In addition to the methods mentioned above, Gretchen pulled out all the stops – domperidone, a supplemental nursing system, and donor milk from other mamas. There wasn’t much improvement, so Gretchen got creative. Read her goat milk formula recipe here.
Wanna be part of a world record? Nurse your baby for a minute at an approved location on Saturday morning… Check out the Big Latch On! I’ll be out of town, but I’m hoping to hit up a location in Asheville, NC!
Lastly, donate here to the Best for Babes “a Buck a Boob” campaign! This organization devotes its efforts to helping breastfeeding mothers succeed and beat the “booby traps” that trip up many new moms.
And there you have it! My titbits for World Breastfeeding Week. MOOOOO!!
8 Comments
I LOVED nursing my son and I do miss it sometimes. Here’s to hoping I’m not done. It was one of the most rewarding things I did. We nursed for oa little over three years and pretty much on demand…until one day my little guy just strted weaning himself.
I LOVED watching the video from Gretchen’s birth. So amazing. This makes me so hopeful that I’ll be able to deliver my twin boys vaginally!
Oh my word Rachael, I watched your friend’s video birthing twins….and with one breech!!! This is near and dear to me since Jenny is having twin boys and wants to do this SO SO badly the natural way! Thank you for sharing!
I love it. Our baby boy is due in October and I’m psyching myself up for breastfeeding. I can’t wait and I just pray that all goes as it should!
My brother and his wife did a supplemental goat milk formula that worked great for them! It was goats milk, carrot juice and barleygreen (a barley grass supplement). It looked gross but the baby loved it.
I’ll be in Asheville with my little family this weekend too! So excited to finally be back to the mountains – I truly feel that’s where my heart lies.
We’re leaving in the a.m. but depending on Adelaide’s schedule we may be able to be in town early enough… I wanted to participate here in Charlotte, but then we figured out Asheville trip would work, so oh well! If nothing else, I can pull the car over and nurse her for a minute in the spirit of the Big Latch On!
You are an inspiration!!! Happy Breastfeeding Week indeed!
i wish i would have had more support and help when i had my daughter. i had an emergency csection and was so drugged due to an infection that she had to be bottle fed her first night. i tried the next day but could not get her to latch on. even the lactation consultant at the hospital was no help. i pumped for two months but ended up losing supply. if i have another baby i will definitely seek more help. thanks for sharing.