Wow its been awhile!

So I have totally neglected this blog! The shame!!

The last post I made, my daughter Emmaleigh was 4 months old. She is now approaching 1 year old and is still nursing! I am coming to the point right now where I would like to be done. I would like to get my period back so that we can TTC what will more than likely be our last baby.

It's been a rough road the past 7 months. I've been on and off Domperidone trying to up my supply. I managed to pump while I went to work and left the baby with my husband. I only worked on Saturdays from Jan. thru April, and it was about 8 hours that I was gone. She was so hooked on the boob that she refused a bottle until probably my last 2 days of work. Up until then my husband had to feed her with a medicine dropper!!
I've drinken so much water lately to keep my supply going,I am surprised that I haven't floated away! lol

Although I've thought about giving up many times, I am glad that I kept going. I know its best for Emmaleigh, and she's proven to me just how much she loves it. I also thought that it would be easy for me to wean her, but its just not that easy. Now that she takes a bottle, I should just stick with it, but I always give in. She needs me. The least I can do is pick her up and fill her needs!

Win It Wednesday- Sasha Wrap!

My friend Meghan has an awesome blog where she is always holding contests and trying to help out WAHMs. On Wednesdays she has Win It Wednesdays. She places a contest on her blog where you can win a certain item.

Today you have a chance to win a Sasha Wrap! Here is a link to the contest, and the rules.
http://tuckerstaketennessee.blogspot.com/2009/12/win-it-wednesday-sasha-wrap.html

Rules of what to do once you get to HER blog:


1. Place a comment with your name and email address (so we can contact you if you win) stating why you'd like to win this.


2. For extra entries:


place a link on facebook


place a link on twitter


place a link on myspace


place a link on forums


place a link on your website


Also, become a follower.


***NEW!! You can add an extra entry by signing up at My Great Retreat www.mygreatretreat.com and posting an intro!


Please "comment" on her blog again with each place you post it. So, one comment per place you posted about it with your name, and link to where you posted it, and email address.



(Winners will be announced by using random.org on Wednesday night after 9:00pm CST.)

And the show must go on

So I made a call to Em's pediatrician the other day because my supply just seemed to tank.
The physician's assistant asked me if I was drinking 96 oz of water a day. Wuh!? Squeeze me? 96 oz are you KIDDING me!?
I'm a mom, not a goldfish, was my 1st thought, and my mouth literally dropped and I swore it hit the tile on my countertop! My reply was "Well, I have a water bottle that I fill and sip from..." in short, no, I am not drinking 96 oz!

I was told to drink 96 oz in 24 hrs and then I will see a boost. She told me I was under hydrated and not eating enough (she came to that conclusion when I told her that I ate a granola bar the other day for my breakfast/lunch!) I thought she was gonna reach out the phone and strangle me. LOL She said " A granola bar is a snack, not a meal" lol

So anyhow I did manage to drink over 64 oz, and I am sipping the remainder of the 96 oz right now, and yes, she is right, I did see a jump in my supply.
This is without taking fenugreek or any other supplements. I also did make some lactation cookies (link is on the side bar :) ) but those are just to snack on, I dont think they do much for my supply.

Since upping my water, Emmaleigh has cried WAYYY less, she's also been pooping more and sleeping more. She is happy to have a full tum tum again!

My 1st blog contest!!

Ok, so I've decided that since this blog will eventually be linked to my 'official breastfeeding counselor' website once I get certified, that I'd really like to get some traffic in here.

I am holding my 1st blog contest! From now- Sept 24th thru October 17th, when you follow my blog, you will be entered into a lotto to win a Milkies Milksaver!

If you don't know what a milk saver is, check out http://www.mymilkies.com/ to see the demo.

I really like this thing! It s Ieemed a little weird at first, and I was skeptical on how it would work for me, but it does work.

The first time I used it, I got little over 1 oz out of my right side, and that was all just from the letdown! I then dump that collected milk into a Medela bottle and put it in the fridge. All the milk that I get throughout the day goes into bottles and then into a bag and put in the freezer.

I've collected about 12 oz just from my letdown, and I have that in the freezer. I just think pumping is too tedious, so this is nice. You just put it in your bra and forget that its there.

Wow its time for an update!

Well, nursing is still going good. She had a 6 week check up last Friday and was 11 lbs even. It seems that the 6 week milestone is also bringing changes for both of us. She has her days where she nurses more often, which is oh so tiring, but I know its to make her grow, so I sit and deal with it. The changes in me are somewhat typical I guess. Breasts feel fuller when she goes w/out nursing for awhile and when she's doing her ravenous feeding binge, its like I almost have no milk left in me. ALL NORMAL!! :)



I've discovered that I have a fast letdown. I don't know if I would call it an oversupply, but I am definately causing her to spit up after burping. Yesterday I had her over my shoulder and when she burped, it hit the back of the couch! *gross* So I have discovered that the best way to nurse her and combat some of that spit up is to have her in the football hold, and have her facing my breast in a semi-sit up position. It seems as if when she nurses sitting up, we have less spit up when burping.

She's not a very good burper, so hopefully within the next few weeks it will get better!

Also with the change of the 6 week milestone comes the "no longer pooping everyday" phase.
Emmaleigh hasn't pooped since Monday I think, and she went out with a bang. She was wearing a cloth diaper, which is evidentally too big in the leg area, and ewww it went all out the leg. All over my shirt and pants!

I am trying to eat and drink things that will bring poop on because I really don't want to see what the diaper is going to look like when she finally goes!

Sometimes you just need a break!

Ok, so I am SOOO gung ho with breastfeeding, but my Lord, I swear this child is going to kill me. I think because she is hitting her 2 week growth spurt, she just feels compelled to eat all the time. My nipples are killing me and I've noticed a jump in my supply. Thing is, she still sleeps ALL the time during the day.

We had a follow up visit with the pediatrician last Thursday and I was praying that she was back to birth weight since she was nearly 2 weeks old. Well, on 8/20 she was 7 lbs 12 oz and last week she was 8 lbs 6 oz! It was 4 oz shy of her birth weight, but the pediatrician said that she made awesome progress gaining that week, and that I do not need to supplement with formula. That made me happy!

I weighed her yesterday with a clean diaper on and a pair of pj's and she weiged 9 lbs 4 oz, so taking off 1/2 oz for the diaper and maybe 2 oz for the jammies, she must be at least 9 lbs 1.5 oz or so. That is great gaining for 6 days since her last weigh in!

It's awesome seeing her little thighs fill out. She still has chicken legs and is still in newborn Pampers, but you can see little creases forming in her thighs :)

Sometimes you need a break. I gave her 1 oz of pumped milk last night. I managed to pump 1 oz in the course of 2 days last weekend. I'd try to pump more but she sucks me dry right now. Pumping will have to wait I guess! She drank the 1 oz and then still latched on to my left side for about 8 minutes. When she was done, she was awake, so we did tummy time on the floor and then I turned her over and she was just so content looking around. It kind of made me wonder if I should just try to pump 1 oz daily and give it to her as a special "treat" lol It was just so great seeing her lay there, looking around wide eyed at all of us. She's such a blessing. It's what keeps me going with breastfeeding- knowing that she loves it, and that we both enjoy the closeness. There is just something special about knowing that she needs me, and only me, at that moment.

I sometimes have to wonder though, if my husband is jealous though, of all the baby & me time. I mean, I make sure to allow him time to bond by changing poopie diapers, etc... (LOL)

I guess the moral to my rambling is, although I feel I need a break because this is so overwhelming to me (its been 5+ yrs since I've last breastfed), when I look at my precious bundle in front of me, I know that I have to suck it up and move on til the next feeding. If she eats every 2 hours, then that is my break. I get 2 hours to have to myself, to enjoy a cup of coffee, or to shower. My baby needs me. She needs the mommy and Emmaleigh time that we are having. It's what helps her thrive and grow.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and feel that you just want to quit, take a deep breath. Go grab a cuppa somethin. Have a cry if you need to, because God knows I've cried several times during her crying fits at 2 am when she just wanted to stay permanently attached, yet I needed sleep!
It will all blow over soon. Know that it WILL get better. This, I promise you!

Another great night!!

Seems Ms. Emmaleigh is having a growth spurt. She was nursing about every 2 hrs last night. She usually never wakes up to eat, I have to wake her to feed her. Last night, she woke on her own, about every 2 hrs like clock work. She actually ate from both sides as well, which is great for my supply.
I decided to take 3 Fenugreek tablets last night to give myself a little boost in the milk department. Be sure to check out the link on the sidebar on Fenugreek dosage for tablets, teas and tinctures.

Her jaundice is beginning to go away, so maybe that has something to do with her waking up to eat. She's having the normal, nasty breastfed baby poops and wet diapers, so that is all a good sign of her getting enough.

Speaking of getting enough, little Ms. is up from her nap. Must go change her diaper and feed her!!

Lactation Cookies Recipe

For this recipe, you need to visit a health food store to find the brewer's yeast. It is NOT the same yeast you use to make bread. It's around $11-14 for a huge jar.
Also, you want to use thick cut oats, not the quick cook ones. You can find those in your grocery store's natural food section, or maybe even in with the cereal/oatmeal. The brand I have is Bob's Red Mill and I bought it at Whole Foods.


Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips
2-4 tablespoons brewer's yeast

Directions
1Preheat oven to 350°.
2Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 3-5 minutes.
3Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar well.
4Add eggs and mix well.
5Add flaxseed mix and vanilla, beat well.
6Sift together flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt.
7Add dry ingredients to butter mix.
8Stir in oats and chips.
9Scoop onto baking sheet.
10Bake for 12 minutes.
11Let set for a couple minutes then remove from tray.

I ended up in Urgent Care

First, let me say that I posted this the other day and for some reason it didn't post, so here I am again.
I've been having shortness of breath, chest tightening, headaches, and its been hard for me to catch my breath. I finally decided to go to the urgent care to check for clots, because my legs also are really swollen from the c-section.
We were there for like...4 hours. It was terrible!! I did an EKG, chest x-ray, blood work, and a CT Scan. I was hesitant to do the CT scan because it was with contrast. I had my husband look up CT Scan and breastfeeding while I was back there waiting, because they told me that I wouldn't be able to nurse for 2 days.
I at first declined the test. When they told me I would have to pump and dump for 2 days, I began crying. I said there is no way I would do that. I can't pump very well. Not only that, I just knew that would be it. Once she got a bottle, she wouldn't want mommy anymore! We've worked so hard to get to where we are (had a horrible time latching in the beginning and I was in SO much pain!)

The urgent care doc was really nice. She said she fully understood that nursing was important and that she wouldn't make me do the test. She took the time to Google an article by Dr. Jack Newman who basically specializes in breastfeeding. The article stated that so long as no radioactive dyes were used, I wouldn't have to stop nursing the baby.
I also whipped out my BlackBerry and went to KellyMom.com and read an article on the use of radioisotopes during nursing, and even they stated that its OK to continue nursing. So, that's what we did.
So, if you ever need to get a CT scan, God forbid, know that its ok so long as the contrast used is classified as an L1 or L2. See the link above for Kelly Mom for more info on the dyes used. The one that they used for me was Omnipaque. I was sure to have the RN phone radiology to double check. It's iodine based.

So anyhow, after all of that, everything came up ok. I have no idea what is going on with me. Maybe its all just a side effect of the spinal anesthesia or something. The doctor told me to just continue taking my prescribed meds because the pain in my chest could be from an inflamed chest wall, and the ibuprofen will take that inflammation down.

I don't even want to see the bills from this visit!!

Thrush Prevention Recipes

If you suspect that your baby has thrush, try this natural method of cleansing. First, be sure to check that the white spots on the tongue and cheek do not wash off with a gentle rubbing with a clean damp rag. Once you've established that it is thrush, you can do the following:

1/4 tsp baking soda into 6 oz water. Mix well. Dip a cotton swab into the solution and gently swab the baby's mouth wherever you see white. Do NOT double dip the same cotton swab. If you need more solution, you need to use a fresh swab each time. You cannot keep that batch of solution to use the next day. You need to dump it out and make a new one every day.

For mom's breasts:
As a yeast preventative:
1 TBSP vinegar to 1 cup water. Cleanse your nipples and surrounding area 4 times per day. Allow to dry thoroughly before applying any lanolin or nipple butters.

Emmaleigh Claire is here!!

Sorry that I haven't been updating the blog, but I've been too busy babymooning with my new daughter!!
Emmaleigh Claire arrived via c-section on August 7th at 9:55 am. She weighed in at 8 lbs 10 oz and was 19 3/4" long.
She came out crying and sucking on her hands. Ok, maybe crying is too nice of a word. She was screaming her brains out for about 15 minutes. LOL
Since I had a c-section and don't do well during recovery, I couldn't sit up straight all the way, but the nurse in the recovery room was nice enough to come lay Emmaleigh on my chest, skin to skin. I was amazed to see that when she was placed on my chest between my breasts, that she maneuvered her way over to my left breast- all from smell- and attempted to latch on!! It's called a Breast Crawl. Once she was there, we latched her on and she suckled and was comforted for about 45 minutes. It was amazing!
Needless to say, my Em is a breastfeeding pro, right from the womb. I am blessed that we haven't had any issues thus far.

Let the journey begin!

Wow! As I sit here typing this all out, I have come to realize that I will begin yet another breastfeeding adventure in 2 days! I haven't nursed a baby in...5 years!! At least I know this time the challanges that may lay ahead of me.
Thinking back to 2004 when I had my son, it was so unfamiliar. Thank GOD that I had taken time to actually sit and read up on breastfeeding. The La Leche League Womanly Art of Breastfeeding book was on my coffee table, and I used it religiously. Everytime my son would squeak or fuss at the breast, I'd have to thumb through the book to see what could be wrong.
"Why is he eating every 5 minutes!?" (running to consult the infamous book). Of course, I didn't take everything in that book seriously. I mean, even for me, that book was a little too serious and even ridiculous at times.

Why am I making this blog? Well, as a huge pro-breastfeeding mama, I wanted to sort of document my breastfeeding trials and tribulations. I wanted a place where people can read about the ups and downs, and get straight forward answers to questions from a 'real' person and not medical mumbo jumbo that has been Googled.
I am taking classes through Childbirth International to become a breastfeeding counselor. I am studying the composition of breastmilk, how breastmilk is made by the body, and everything else that comes along with it. It's sort of become a passion or obsession (if you want to call it that) to expose others to breastfeeding.
I wasn't always a breastfeeding mama. In fact, my 1st two children were bottle fed, formula babies. I was 22 when I had my first child. I didn't read up on nursing, but I knew that I wanted to do it because afterall, its best for babies! Yeah. I made it maybe one day in the hospital nursing, then cried desperately to the nurses to give me formula. My baby was big ( 9 lbs 2 oz) and was seriously crying at the top of his lungs, even right after feedings. As soon as he got that bottle of Similac, a hush fell over the room, and this first time mama was happy!
Because of that experience, I didn't even attempt to nurse baby #2 19 mos later. Eventhough by the time my milk had come in after having her, I could've probably fed an entire small village somewhere, I wasn't about to try it. I was scared.

Baby #3 was a breeze. Now, I will admit, I did have my 'Oh my God, he's wanting to eat every hour' freak out moment. I did call my husband from the hospital at 1 am crying because eventhough the baby had just eaten, he was crying again to eat. I was 7 hours post partum. I needed sleep! In reality, what was my husband going to do? Come to the hospital and nurse the baby? I just needed someone to vent to. Someone to gripe to. At 1 am, who else was I going to call (that wouldn't mind me calling at 1 am)?
After my new mama again freak out mode passed, I was able to successfully nurse him for 16 months. I am sure we would've had a longer nursing time, but it was my desire to persue becoming a surrogate mom, so we needed to wean in order to begin that process.

Speaking of becoming a surrogate mom- after I had my surrogate daughter, I did pump for a short time for her. I was able to ship her 480 oz of frozen breastmilk!

Now that I am getting ready to give birth in 2 days to my 4th child, I want to be sure to document every moment of our nursing experience.
My blog is entitled "Breastmilk is the best milk". I have bought a domain that I will also be making to encorporate a link to my blog, as well as post email questions and answers to breastfeeding questions onto the website. As I sit around "nak" (nursing at keyboard) when time allows, I plan on creating a website for new and seasoned breastfeeders to come to, to get advice, to chat with other nursing moms, to obtain the answers they are looking for, and possibly even find a needed milk donor or a milk recipient for their breastmilk!

I ask you, to make this a success, PLEASE pass on the link to my blog! Please become a follower! If you have any questions related to breastfeeding, please email me and ask me. I will take all emails and compile them into a Q&A session where I will post my answers every Friday for the week.

I hope you enjoy following my journey!