Warm Hearts Happy Family

Welcome to the June Carnival of Breastfeeding–exploring the topic of nursing in public.  Check out other participants linked at the bottom of the post!

Unless you are one of the rare few–the bold moms that I so admire–the question of how to balance breastfeeding with summertime activities is bound to enter your mind.  Over at Mamapedia, I saw a similar concern posted by a reader. 

Concerns like pools and leakage, family bbq’s, trips to the park, and going for that morning jog can have many modest moms camped up in their home for the whole season.  This is not only completely unnecessary but wasteful!  There is no reason to sit this summer out, because the public and breastfeeding are compatible.  I promise.

Let’s start with the family bbq’s.  If you are new to nursing in public this is absolutely perfect.  You are breaking your nursing in public seal surrounded by friends and family.  Once you are a nursing pro you will look back and feel silly at how awkward you felt feeding your baby outdoors. 

If the thought of nursing around people still makes you a little uneasy start smaller.  Go in your backyard in the morning, breath in that fresh air, nurse your little one, and listen to the birds sing.  I am telling you, that is peace and love baby.

Another popular summertime spot is the public pool.  This setting can be downright terrifying, especially for the boob, I mean the noob.  There is just not a lot of modesty options when nursing in a bathing suite so start with the above –backyards and bbq’s if you have to.  One key piece of advice I have–especially at the pool–is people are really not paying attention to you. 

I always felt like when I was about to nurse a huge spotlight beamed directly down on me and everybody held their breath and stared, absolutely appalled at what I was about to do.  But in reality the insecurity was all mine, nobody around me noticed or cared.  So when you are at the pool nurse with pride and if somebody happens to notice all the better.  You are helping change our culture for the better (and don’t worry about the leakage, you won’t be swimming around with a streak of milk in your wake I swear).     

Nursing in the summertime is beautiful, it is convenient, and it is healthy.  You don’t have to carry around formula, bottles,  and sterile water.  Food is always ready, always the perfect temperature, and always perfectly mixed.  And all this with zero clean up required.  So enjoy your summer of breastfeeding, I know I will!

Blisstree.com: Nursing in Public: To Cover or Not to Cover

Lucy and Ethel Have a Baby:  (Boobs) Out and Proud

PhD in Parenting:  Would you, could you nurse in public?

Dirty Diaper Laundry:  Breastfeeding in Public- Talents- I haz it

Kim Through the Looking Glass:  Here?  At the Restaurant?

Grudge Mom:  Nursing in a room full of people you know

Mum Unplugged:  Aww, is he sleeping?

Massachusetts Friends of Midwives:  Nursing in Public: Chinatown, the Subway, the Vatican, and More

Mother Mary’s Soapbox:  June Carnival:  Breastfeeding in Public

Tiny Grass:  Nursing in Public as an Immigrant

A Mother’s Boutique:  Breastfeeding in Public

Chronicles of a Nursing Mom:  Why Worry About NIP?

Blacktating:  Thank You for Nursing in Public

Musings on Mamahood:  NIP, no tuck

Motherwear’s Breastfeeding Blog:  Get kicked off a buss for nursing in public?

babyREADY:  A wee NIP in the park

Long Life:  Planes, trains, and automobiles–we’ve breastfed in them all

Breastfeeding Moms Unite:  Nursing in Public: A Fresh Perspective on Nurse-In’s

Pump Ease:  Breastfeeding Hats? YES! Nursing Covers? Uh… Not So Much

Breastfeeding Mums Blog:   Nursing in Public - What’s a Breastfeeding Mother to Do!!

Hobo Mama:  Easy, discreet way to breastfeed a toddler in public

Stork Stories…Birth and Breastfeeding:  Little Old Men… & Nursing in Public

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Becoming a mother has made me whole in a way that I never expected; has filled me up with so much more love and joy than I ever expected. In fact motherhood has been jam-packed with surprises and has been a huge part of my personal growth. 

For example, I never knew I would be a mother nursing a toddler and absolutely loving it.  Not that I thought I wouldn’t necessarily, I just never even thought about nursing an older child.  And then when breastfeeding did enter my reality I assumed I would nurse for 6 months (if I could make it a whole 6 months!). 

I have learned so much over the past year about breast milk, nursing, and the unique bond that forms through breastfeeding.  Nursing a toddler is an entirely different ballgame all together.  They can verbalize how much they need mama’s closeness and tell you how much they love their <insert your name for nursing here>.   We call our nursing session num num’s.  Lacks in originality, I know.

Some statistics from kellymom:

 In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:¦lt;br />  29% of energy requirements
 43% of protein requirements
 36% of calcium requirements
 75% of vitamin A requirements
 76% of folate requirements
 94% of vitamin B12 requirements
 60% of vitamin C requirements

My daughter does have a healthy appetite and eats a variety of different nutritious foods.  What better vitamin supplement than mom’s milk, produced and designed just for her!  The fat and energy content significantly increases in breast milk produced beyond the first year of life and continues to provide key nutrients to the growing toddler.

There are the benefits we have long heard about such as fewer illnesses and allergies and some immune factors increase in the second year of lactation (Goldman 1983, Goldman & Goldblum 1983, Institute of Medicine 1991).  And this from the World Health Organization:  A modest increase in breastfeeding rates could prevent up to 10% of all deaths of children under five: Breastfeeding plays an essential and sometimes underestimated role in the treatment and prevention of childhood illness.” 

Just as important however is the gentle transition from baby to independence that nursing your toddler can provide.  According to Elizabeth N. Baldwin, Esq. in “Extended Breastfeeding and the Law”:  “Meeting a child’s dependency needs is the key to helping that child achieve independence. And children outgrow these needs according to their own unique timetable.”  In short, meet your individual baby’s dependency needs and so will follow healthy independence.

So let’s ban together, rethink our own definition of the mother and child nursing relationship, and change our culture for the better!

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So I almost always wear a nursing tank under my clothes, even at home.  I just feel so uncomfortable pulling up my shirt and having that lovely post baby belly out for the world to see.  Even if the world is just my little family.  But today I didn’t wear one.  I wore my new lacy black bra and didn’t want to ruin the feel by throwing a nursing tank over top of it–would have totally defeated the purpose right?  That’s what I thought too. 

Anyway, I get home from work and diva-licious wanted to nurse right away.  So I sit down, pull up my shirt, and she stops mid lunge.

“Uh-Oh.  Ooooooh.  Nooooo.  Uh-oh mama”

Yep, the look on her face was horror mixed with confusion.  All while pointing her chubby finger at my stomach.

Nice.

If my 15 month old has that reaction, I can’t help but wonder what my husband thinks.

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To my fabulous boobs: May you RIP

As I got into the shower today, I saw your buoyancy has gone away
We have had some great times, been through thick and thin,
You have made many men sheepishly grin.
You helped me snag a great man, who made me his wife,
You have been like two best friends with me for life.
Now I’m afraid you just lay on my belly flat,
Oh how I long for your perky youth back.
You no longer tempt men, but please feel no guilt,
Because you make the sweetest mama’s milk!

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Many mothers don’t realize that there is are a few crucial things they can do before baby arrives to make their breastfeeding efforts a success. I will outline the top 5 things that will help aid in stress reduction and create a happy breastfeeding relationship.

1) Create your support group:

This is absolutely essential. Even if you have read all there is to read I promise the first few days when baby is here you will have questions. You will doubt yourself. And you will at some point feel like you are failing. This is where your support women come in. Having a woman on your side, who had been where you are and came out successful on the other side will be your saving grace. She will be there to encourage you, guide you, and help you celebrate your success.

2) Research baby’s nourishment needs:

For some women it can take up to five days before their full milk comes in. This alone can cause much anxiety, because surely baby is starving, right? Well, not really. The colostrum that is produced before your milk comes in is extremely potent and packed with all the nourishment baby needs in the first days of life. The first day they need less than a teaspoon, a little more the next day, and so on. Know ahead of time what to expect in the way of wet and dirty diapers and you are good to go.

3) Expect your nipples to hurt:

And by hurt I mean send you into excruciating, toe curling, scream out loud pain. And not all women experience nipple discomfort but I sure did. And my daughter was latched perfectly. Everything I read said you may experience mild discomfort, but not pain. Pain meant that baby was latched incorrectly. I have not found this to be true in my experience. You may be one of the lucky ones, and I do know a few, that do not experience this two weeks of nipple boot camp. But prepare yourself anyway, just in case.

4) Throw modesty out the window:

A huge huddle I hear so many woman talk about is trying to nurse with all of the company around. Your loved ones are so excited to see your new bundle, and want to be with you to relish in the first few days of your new babies life. This can wreak havoc on the new modest moms breastfeeding efforts. Either they hide out in a different room (no fun!), supplement while company is there, or they breastfeed too infrequently while waiting for the entourage to leave. All of this is so damaging and sets you up for failure. I made ALL of these mistakes my first go around. With my daughter I let everybody know that I would love their company — I am nursing and will not seclude myself to do so — and if they were uncomfortable with that I would completely understand and they could visit at a later date. I urge you to adopt the same attitude before baby makes their arrival.

5) Leave the free samples of formula at the hospital:

Don’t be fooled. These “free” samples are the biggest, most genius marketing campaigns ever. If you are stressed, frazzled, and doubting yourself, that free can of formula looks really good at 3am. And then again the next day, and before you know it approximately $2,000 per year is lining the pockets of that formula company. Leave the artificial breast milk at the hospital and give your angel the real thing. Trust your body because it is all that your baby needs. You will be so proud and thankful that you did.

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