Can you drink alcohol while breastfeeding? Let's take a look. From the time we start preparing for pregnancy, we are bombarded with rules. Regulations. Strong suggestions. The dreaded Mommy Guilt. When I first found out I was pregnant with my oldest, I started reading everything I could get my hands on. I wanted to do everything right. I wanted the best for my little guy. I wanted to be the best house for him that I could. I avoided lunch meat and hot dogs (despite crazy cravings). I added in more healthy food. I worked to increase exercise and lower my stress. (Though this was the hardest as in the first 4 months: I lost my … [Read more...]
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10 Tips to Keep Your Baby from Weaning at 6 Months
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It's extremely common to hear mothers say that their infants self-weaned between six to eight months of age. With developmental milestones, teething, and just generally getting more involved in the world around them, babies are easily distracted from nursing. Fortunately there is no need for this to signal an end to the breastfeeding relationship. In no particular order, here are some tips that have been very helpful to other moms who have kept their baby from weaning at 6 months. 1. Start with a calm baby. Babies who are being forced to the breast will usually resist, which can lead to further breast refusal. 2. Take the baby into a dark, … [Read more...]
Our Breast Advice: Baby Impatient for Let-Down
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Breastfeeding Question: My little one, almost 5 months, is becoming increasingly impatient with my let-down. I have had to feed her breast milk from a bottle on several occasions over the last 2 or 3 days. I have also done some let-down pumping, where I pump till let down then put her to the breast. I feel like this could become a real problem. I'm concerned for my supply and our time together breastfeeding. I do think that she is in the very early stages of teething, gum widening, and wonder if this is related. What should I do about it? I hate to encourage laziness and hate to give bottles when not necessary. Is this a phase? Will it pass, … [Read more...]
5 More Benefits of Breastfeeding for Baby and Mom
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Thanks for joining us for the second part of "Benefits of Breastfeeding for Mom and Baby." We talked about bonding/empowerment, antibodies, passing of meconium after birth, contraction, and developing sucking reflexes. If you missed the first 5 benefits, click here. Easy to Digest Breast milk is packed with a lot of vitamins, proteins, and amino acids that are easier to digest when compared to formula. Babies will have fewer occurrences of colic, constipation and diarrhea. However, because breast milk is so easily absorbed by the body, babies tend to nurse more often. Mothers need to be aware of the amount of time their babies spend … [Read more...]
5 Benefits of Breastfeeding for Mom and Baby
Breast milk is naturally produced by a woman’s mammary glands during or after pregnancy. Mothers who have decided to breastfeed their infants and toddlers are able to offer a natural source of vitamins, nutrients and immunizations, which enhances growth and development. This article highlights 5 benefits of breastfeeding for baby. These benefits are: bonding/empowerment, antibodies, passing of meconium after birth, contraction, and developing sucking reflexes. Bonding & Empowerment Mothers who have decided to breastfeed their babies after birth are able to develop a close emotional bond with their little ones. Mother and baby are taken … [Read more...]
An Extraordinary Breastfeeding Story (Part 2)
In the first part of this post, I shared a story of extraordinary breastfeeding obstacles, but now I come to the point in the story when we reached extraordinary success. After both of my boys were released from the hospital, we settled into a routine at home. I was successfully breastfeeding Simeon, and he was gaining weight and thriving. JohnOwen was still fed by a tube from his nose to his intestine, and his stomach was completely unable to process food. The first night at home he pulled the tube from his nose, and we found ourselves back in the hospital having it replaced. Feeding from the Tube After about a month at … [Read more...]
An Extraordinary Breastfeeding Story (Part 1)
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I always wanted to be a mom. With a big family. Wanted to start right away after getting married. And, of course, breastfeeding was a given. But God had other plans. After two years of trying, I finally saw two pink lines. And if the story had continued down a traditional path—baby showers, new maternity clothes, What to Expect When Your Expecting, birthing classes, and a little bundle arriving on time—well, then there would be no extraordinary breastfeeding story to share. Instead, two pink lines were followed by months and months of extreme hyperemesis, so that by the time of my 20-week ultrasound, I looked a bit like a skeleton with a … [Read more...]
I’ll Be Here For You: Hope For The New Nursing Mom
“I don’t think I can do this.” “My baby is hungry all of the time!” “My mom is right; formula might be a better choice.” How many moms in our culture have you heard say things like this? Nine years ago I had high hopes of breastfeeding my son. My mother had breastfed, so I assumed I would be able to. But, when I was confronted with a host of difficulties rare to the majority of breastfeeding mothers consisting of tongue and lip tie, IGT, failure to thrive, and quite honestly the most “unsupportive support”, our breastfeeding relationship did not last. In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, where the focus is on Breastfeeding … [Read more...]
Celebrate World Breastfeeding Week: YOUR Breastfeeding Victories
Happy World Breastfeeding Week 2013! This week, we will be celebrating by sharing real-life breastfeeding victories that you, our readers, shared with us! We were so thrilled to see all of the wonderful photos and heartwarming stories, and we cannot wait for you to read them all. Each day this week, we will be celebrating a different "category" all in the theme of "Breastfeeding Victories." Any of you that have breastfed know that it is never a smooth-sailing ship, so each and every story is worth a celebration! Today, we celebrate victory stories for any mama who has breastfed her little one(s)! Our photo contest winner will be … [Read more...]
Celebrate World Breastfeeding Week: Exclusive Pumping and Working Mamas
Happy World Breastfeeding Week 2013! This week, we will be celebrating by sharing real-life breastfeeding victories that you, our readers, shared with us! We were so thrilled to see all of the wonderful photos and heartwarming stories, and we cannot wait for you to read them all. Each day this week, we will be celebrating a different "category" all in the theme of "Breastfeeding Victories." Any of you that have breastfed know that it is never a smooth-sailing ship, so each and every story is worth a celebration! Today, we celebrate victory stories for mamas who have exclusively pumped or are working mamas! Our photo contest winner … [Read more...]
