WBW--More Info and some Fun

Okay, World Breastfeeding Week is technically over, but I was really busy the past two days and didn't get a chance to post. So here are the posts I would have done on Friday and Saturday.

First, resources. I don't know if I'd still be breastfeeding if I hadn't found some excellent sources of information. Four websites in particular have been extremely helpful both in helping me know what was normal (babies are supposed to nurse often in the evenings, it doesn't mean you don't have enough milk) and helping me fix what was not normal (herbs can help you make more milk). I would recommend these sites to anyone looking for more information and support.

BFAR--This site is for women BreastFeeding After Reduction. The online support forum is out of this world!
Low Milk Supply--the sister site to BFAR but for women with low supply problems of any cause
Dr. Jack Newman--great videos on how to latch properly as well as great handouts on a number of issues
Kelly Mom--a great resource on what normal breastfeeding looks like

I would also recommend the following books:
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
Defining Your Own Success: Breastfeeding After Reduction Surgery
The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk (this one is especially useful in identifying the causes of low supply)
The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers

And finally, some humor:

WBW--Breastfeeding helps you sleep

Did you know exclusively breastfeeding mothers get more sleep and better quality sleep than their formula-feeding counterparts? This in turn lowers the risk of post-partum depression. I know I slept a lot better when Smartie finally started nursing and I didn't have to get bottles in the night. Just latch on and go back to sleep--bliss!

WBW--Yes, I'm still nursing

Now that the twins are a year old, I've been getting two questions: Are you still nursing? And how long do you plan to keep it up? The answers are yes, and I don't have an end date in mind.

The World Health Organization recommends a MINIMUM of two years breastfeeding with continued nursing for as long as is mutually enjoyable. Research shows that the natural age range for weaning is between 2.5 and 7 years with most children weaning in the 3-5 range. I don't know if I (or they) will want to continue that long, but I do know right now it's still mutually enjoyable. So we continue.

One of the reasons I'm in no hurry to wean is that I feel like I'm fulfilling God's plan for my breasts. That may sound silly, but think about it. God designed babies to drink their own mother's milk until they are old enough not to need milk anymore. As previously stated, that is usually between 3 and 5 years old. This is the way He meant it to be. Loving my enemies? That's hard. Reading my Bible consistently? A struggle. Submitting to my husband? No walk in the park. But breastfeeding? This I can do.

I don't know when this ride will end, but I plan to continue to enjoy it while it lasts.

WBW--What I've Learned

One of the most important lessons I've learned while breastfeeding my babies is that good things don't have to be all or nothing propositions. I had breast surgery when Smartie was a year old. As a result of the damage to my glands and nerves, I was unable to produce a full supply when Sweetie was born.

Many women in situations like this feel they have to give up. It's either all breast or all formula. I didn't want to give up, though. I knew breast was best and that I wanted to breastfeed this baby, but I just couldn't make enough milk. I did a lot of research. I started taking a medication to boost my supply. With this med, I increased my supply from 25% to 65%. I bought an at-breast supplementor so all her feedings could be at the breast even if it wasn't all breast milk. I was able to have a successful and rewarding breastfeeding relationship despite my circumstances.

I won't lie--it was hard work. I mourned the loss of the easy, ideal experience that every woman hopes for. I hated having to mix up formula and strap on a contraption instead of "lift shirt, insert boob". BUT IT WAS WORTH IT! Sweetie got the important growth factors and immunities from my 65% supply. She got the oral development from nursing. We both had the unequalled bond of feeding at the breast. Yes, she got some formula, but that was okay.

When the twins were born, I had an even better supply with the help of meds and herbs--110%! This was split between the two of them, each getting 55% of their needs from me. I again nursed with the at-breast supplementor. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. When I see my sweet nurslings cuddling close for their Nummers, I know all the struggles were worth it.

My support group has a list of mantras we repeat to each other when we're struggling with our low supplies. My favorite is, "Don't stop giving what you can because of what you can't."

Birth Through the Ages

I wasn't planning to post anything else during World Breastfeeding Week, but I found these videos to be so moving. While I am grateful for the lifesaving medical advances (Smartie and I likely would have both died during my first pregnancy, and I again could have died after the twins were born without these advances), the fact is modern birth practices that interfere with normal, healthy births do more harm than good. I find it fascinating that birth throughout time has included a doula and a midwife. I look forward to the day I can join this process.

(Warning, some of these images are a little graphic. But I would love to hear anyone's thoughts if you watch all the videos. Especially 4 and 5.)

WBW--Getting a Good Start

Many women start out wanting to breastfeed but have the deck stacked against them by the advice and treatment they are given when the baby is born. I find this analogy really telling.

When my first child Smartie was born, the hospital did not follow the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. Of course, there were extenuating circumstances (a preemie in the NICU) that made some of the steps impossible. BUT hospital policy prevented me from nursing my preemie despite evidence that preemies benefit from the act of nursing. I had terrible advice from a hostile lactation consultant who refused to leave the maternity floor to help me in the NICU. Smartie came home with a strong bottle addiction that took weeks to correct. It was sheer strength of will that allowed us to overcome our horrible start and successfully breastfeed for 10 months. The fact that we overcame it is one of my proudest accomplishments.

Actually, I have had difficulty nursing all of my children for various reasons--low supply issues due to breast surgery, nursing twins, severe maternal illness during and after birth. But with the proper information and support, I happily nursed Smartie to 10 months, Sweetie to 10 months 1 week, and the twins to 12 months and counting. I would love to see all hospitals give mothers the support they need to get a good start. But I'm proof that even a bad start can be overcome.

World Breastfeeding Week--Benefits to Babies

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, I plan to do a series of blog entries about breastfeeding. I want to make it clear that my intention is not to make anyone feel guilty about choices they have made. I believe the vast majority of mothers want to do the best for their children and make the best possible choices given their specific circumstances and the information they have available. No one should feel guilty for doing what they thought was best. That said, I also believe some mothers might choose differently if they had access to better information and/or better support in their circumstances. That is my goal: to get the best information out there and offer support to women who need it.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children be breastfed for a minimum one year with continued breastfeeding for as long as is mutually desired by mother and child. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for a minimum two years with continued breastfeeding for as long as is mutually desired. A few generations ago, infant formula was invented. Our grandmothers were told this was superior to human milk because science had developed it. A whole generation of children was formula fed. But the more we study breast milk, the more we realize how vastly superior it is to formula. There are so many components in human milk that simply cannot be recreated. These components offer many benefits to children.

Human milk is easier to digest.
It's always available and doesn't need to be prepared.
It has the perfect balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats to meet the baby's needs.
It has growth factors that ensure the proper development of the baby's organs.
It helps protect against diseases. In fact, breastfed babies have lower incidences of ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia, and meningitis.
It lowers the risk of SIDS.

The benefits of breastfeeding are not limited to the infancy period. Adults who were breastfed have lower incidences of obesity, diabetes, and even some cancers. The longer a child is breastfed, the greater the benefits. But even a short time of breastfeeding is worthwhile.

Source: AAP