Three little letters

I did it. 
I passed all of the competencies necessary to become a Certified Lactation Counselor. 
Now I get to put three little letters after my name: CLC... I couldn't be more happy about it!

I expected to hear from the ALPP 6-8 weeks after my training was over. Its what they prepared us for, I chose to lean towards the latter part of that time frame so I wouldn't be obsessively checking the mailbox before then. And then, I just forgot. Sure, it was in the back of my mind that I hadn't found out yet, but I went on about life and didn't focus on the packet I hoped for in the mail. 

And then yesterday, at just the five week mark, the packet came and it contained the most wonderful-head-into-the-weekend-on-a-sunny-day kind of news! I'm still in a little disbelief, but more than anything, I am so so so so thankful. Thankful that the signs God was giving me as I made the decision to take the training were legit, not all in my head. Thankful for the incredible friends and sister-in-law that I have that helped fund the training. Thankful for the encouragement, prayers, words of affirmation and love that I received in the weeks leading up to and throughout that week of training. Thank. Full.

Now begins the somewhat dizzying process of trying to figure out just what I can do as a CLC and then gaining the necessary confidence to do it. I am up for the challenge, I know this is the route I'm supposed to be taking. I can confidently say that the prodding I've been receiving from God sits well with my soul and I'm sure that through Him, I will get to do great things. 

Ahhhh! I did it! I'm so happy!!!

Images to normalize breastfeeding

I don't remember whose Facebook page I saw this on first, but I've come across it a few times now. Its great. It made me chuckle a few times and there were a couple photos that made my insides ached a bit because they're so sweet. 

These three are my favorites. 

I'm guessing that this woman is somewhere in the southern states and its probably pretty hot wherever she is. Look at that big, thick, long dress she's wearing! I like how she's just plopped down on the side of the porch taking care of business. That's real life, ain't it? Baby's hungry when baby's hungry and you have to meet the demands in the moment, no matter where you are... or how hot you might be in your many layers!

I don't particualrly care for the style of this painting, but I do like what's shown here. A very sweet and tender moment between mom and babe, a playfulness and carefree-ness that is so wonderful. They've been few and far between, but there have been a few nursings where I've been propped up like this with a (nearly) naked baby just suckling and exploring and being cozy. The times I get to be like this with J are few since he wiggles and wanders mid-nursing most days. But I cherish the times when I've been able to be still and lazy with my wee ones the last few years. One day I'll really miss that.

And how beautiful is this photo? I like how you can see the baby's eye and how she/he is gazing lovingly at the mother. I like that its in black and white. I like how mother's head is cocked to the side. Is she even awake? Who knows. Maybe she's looking at her child with love and astonishment as so many of us do while we nurse. That oxytocin is no joke and I especially like how (in my opinion) a hormone is made into art by one simple photograph.

If only we saw more images like these in the mainstream social world today. What would that do for the promotion of and education about breastfeeding? What would that do to our health, our emotional wellbeing, our love for one another? Maybe I'm an idealist. Maybe what I'm thinking out loud here today has some value. I'm on a mission to do something about it - to make breastfeeding a more accepted thing in our culture. I'll be baaaaack!

World Breastfeeding Week: Days 6 & 7

To close out the week of my breastfeeding-themed posts, a little encouragement to anyone reading this who needs a pat on the back. We mothers can be all too critical of one another far too often. I know I'm guilty of this. What we should be doing, is building each other up, walking along side of each other reminding each other of the good work we're doing raising these small people. Its hard no matter how you're doing it - formula feeding, pumping breast milk, nursing from the breast, giving your babe a little bit of both - and its important to do our best. Always.

I'm thankful for the women who have walked this path before me and for the love and encouragement they've given me. I'm looking forward to being one of those wise women for other friends in years to come too. Let go of guilt, mamas! Embrace some love and joy! Hooray for being a woman and bringing forth new life!

World Breastfeeding Week: Day 5

Today's WBF post is brought to you by The Sisters Blinn! 

Unfortunately, there's no one to take breastfeeding photos with on my side of the family as I am the only one to nurse my babes. (Well, slight correction: Aunt Barrie nursed her three for a total of less than nine months and her youngest is a high school graduate so that was all a while ago.)

I'm thankful that I have many of my parenting ideals in common with my two sisters-in-law and I'm really thankful that they agreed to this photo! One day all of our babes will be older and we'll have forgotten what it was like to be in this stage of motherhood. Between the three of us, current nurslings included, we've nursed for a total of eight and a half years!

Lisa & Katelyn, 4 years old;
Amy & Lydia, 3 months old;
 me and Jonathan, 7 months old.

World Breastfeeding Week: Day 4

Oh man. I'm a sucker for Ryan Gosling. But Ryan Gosling, the Lactivist? Gah!

My stud of a husband is not only more attractive than this chap, but he supports me in ways like this - and then some! I am so thankful for the love and encouragement he's given me as I've nursed our children and I sincerely appreciate him. 

He's bonded with our kids by talking to them in the womb, doing lots of skin-to-skin time with them when they were newborns, reading to them, wresting with them, telling them they're loved and beautiful. He helps with feeding them solids and changing their diapers, he spends quality time with them all the time. Ryan Gosling is right: There are lots of other ways for papas to bond with their children other than feeding them milk from a bottle and my man's got them down pat! Matty Boy, I love you and I love that you're the daddy to our kids. 

World Breastfeeding Week: Day 3

I missed The Big Latch On. 

Sad. 

Its an annual part of World Breastfeeding Week where mamas and babes meet at a common public place and nurse openly. I didn't learn about this in time to do it with Zachari and last year when it came around I was pregnant. I can't believe I missed it this time around - I actually have a baby who's nursing!

Annabelle was here today so it wouldn't have worked out anyway, but if I had been on the ball and researched it and planned, we would've been there with bells on, me and my boy. Ohio is one of the forty-five states in the union where public breastfeeding is allowed, thanktheLord. I've never gotten any flack for nursing in a public place, but I just wish someone would give me some 'tude! I would dish it back so fast their head would start to spin and I'd sit there in that public place and let my sweet boy drink Mama's milk to his heart's content. 

Shoot!

World Breastfeeding Week: Day 1

Its World Breastfeeding Week and I plan to write a little something about breastfeeding each day. Today I want to focus on breastfeeding among women of color. 

Frankly put, you just don't see many women of color nursing their babes. I don't know if its a societal thing that primarily only caucasian women are displayed in the media or if its more statistical and there simply aren't as many minorities nursing out there. Whatever the case, I think there needs to be some change. 

This article from the CDC gives some numbers of nursing mamas which  have increased and that's a good thing, but they're still not where they should be in my humble opinion. According to their research, by 2008 just under 60% of black women nursed their babies and that's great!... but where are they? I've personally never seen a black woman out in public nursing her babe. Very rarely do you see an ad featuring a woman of color and recently, Beyonce has been in the media because she nurses her little one, but she is one of a few who get the press. 

Here's something produced by The Joint Center for Political and Economical Studies Health Policy Institute. I haven't read it in its entirety, but I'm intrigued by it. They list some factors that influence one's decision to breastfeed: the government, the media, the formula industry, community/environment and relationships with other to name a few. The last one might be what sticks out to me the most because as a woman of color, I am the first in my family - on both sides - to nurse my children. Well, to be fair, I should say that Barrie did nurse all three of her kids, but it was combined less than 9 months. And don't get me wrong, that's something, but its not like I looked up to her in years past and formed an ideal of what nursing would be like from her. I basically educated myself, made a decision that felt right for me and my child and now I've changed the tide for women in my family. I hope. There's nothing that says that my own daughter will choose to make the choices that I've made when its her time to be a mother or if Kristi has a daughter, she might not be any different than her own mother. But! I can hope. I can help educated. I can help change the statistics one teensy step at a time.

I'm not sure what I'm trying to say here except that I want breastfeeding to be as mainstream and acceptable as the boobs we see in a Victoria's Secret ad. (Actually, I'd prefer that it be more acceptable than those dumb ads, but that's an entirely different point.) I'm extremely thankful for the friends that I've been able to surround myself with who have taught me the benefits of this life-giving magic substance called milk. I'm also thankful that I've been able to find the resources to learn things on my own. This post and the posts that follow it throughout the week are in no way my attempt to make it seem like I'm better than someone else or that my ideas are the only and best ones. I'm simply using this blog as my outlet to rant a bit about the things I'm most passionate about. After all, this thing is primarily for me and my family and well, they're all used to my ramblings by now!

Milk!

A little bit ago I pumped 2 ounces of breast milk in less than 5 minutes! Can you say AMAZE BALLS?!

With Zachari, it'd sometimes take pumping from both breasts to get the same amount. What a welcomed change of pace! Such a victory and I shall rejoice in even the small thing like this!

First checkup

Jonathan had his first pediatrician appointment this afternoon and the report on our little man couldn't have been better! The most exciting part of the visit was the weigh-in. In a mere 6 days Little One regained what he lost right after birth and he's back to his birth weight: a whopping 5 pounds, 2 ounces! I'm still on a high from it! He's only had my milk and I'm meeting all of his needs so far. Already the journey with my son is so different than with my daughter. My prayers (and those of many others) are being answered. What a sweet, tiny man-tot we have. Thank You, Jesus!

The first week

Z and Blinn are at Central Vineyard, Jonathan is swaddled on my bed and fast asleep. There have been very few times since he's been home that he hasn't been in my arms so I'm taking advantage of this freedom to record thoughts on the week. 

To be succinct, this week has been a long one. However, I'm sooooo thankful that I've been given the gift to experience such a draining first week of my child's life. With Zachari, she was in the NICU and we missed out on a ton. I didn't even realize all that we missed out on until Jonathan came. So many firsts with him that I didn't have with Z, ones that I won't ever get back. But this post isn't about that...

Things are a bit of a blur, but I'm gonna do my best to remember what the last week has been like. Lots of interrupted sleep - from a newborn as well as a toddler, lots of coffee in the mornings, lots of lounging in bed cuddling, snoozing Jonathan and I and just staring at each other. Its been beautiful, really. The nights at St. Ann's were decent. J wasn't super interested in nursing so I was able to get a bit of sleep - as much as is possible while in the hospital, anyway. The nurses left us alone for the most part and for once in my life the discharge process was swift and happened before I expected it to!

It was New Year's Day when we brought J home and there couldn't have been a more meaningful way to start out the new year. There was a blizzard the day we drove Z home, but this time around was less crazy and we got home by 10 a.m. Blinn put a roast, carrots, taters and 'kraut in the crock pot as soon as we got home so that we could stick to our annual New Year's meal and I soon settled into bed to snuggle with my boy. There I lay with him in the stillness of the mid-morning sun, topless with fresh new life nuzzled between my breasts. His breaths synchronized with my breaths, his sweet, unblemished skin daintily pressed against mine. Bliss. Those moments can never be replicated. No one can steal them from me. 

My phone's been silenced all week, I've been less distracted by Internet, no television. Its been wonderful. We started The Lord of the Rings trilogy, our annual thing, and its been entertaining as always. Lindsay was here for a few on Friday to pick up Zachari and Mandy came for about an hour that night to deliver a meal, but we haven't had any visitors other than them til this weekend. Blinn's done a fantastic job of protecting this time for me and our family. His support of bonding and breastfeeding has meant the world to me. 

Oh, how could I forget the first night at home?! It was maddening! I got a total of three hours of sleep, but not a consecutive three hours. No one told me that it'd be like that. (Side note: Also, no one told me that breastfeeding pain is worse with each kid because your uterus has to work harder to shrink down. Yowza! I breathed through the discomfort a lot, made lots of sour faces and even gripped onto things when the pain was bad. Ridiculous. Its passed now though. Whew!) We slept with the light on all night because Jonathan and I were a bumbling, dopey duo in the dark. Blinn was a good sport and would put his hand on the small of my back at just the right moment or he'd wearily sit up in bed next to me and I'd press into him. Pain, fatigue, uncertainty of how to care for J... The nights have slowly been better. We're getting through. 

On Thursday my milk came in and it wasn't as uncomfortable as I remembered from the first two kids. I was so thankful that my supply was starting up and within a few hours of nursing and giving him milk rather than just colostrum, any discomfort I felt with him at the breast lessened because he was less tense and was getting his tummy filled. 

Something sorta random to remember: The transition from meconium to breast milk poop. Good grief, is it smellllly! Its as if he was leaking that foul raw sewage smell day and night. I even called a lactation consultant about it to see if it was normal because its not at all how I remembered Zachari's poo smelling. Probably because I wasn't really with her much as it was changing. Grrr! Yes, its normal for sweet J to be as stinky as he's been and within a few days, it should be over. Thank goodness!

Over all, this week has been heavenly. This is how things should've been with Zachari and this is how I hoped it would go with this child. Blinn is home until Monday, the 14th and I'm thrilled about that! Here's to another good week of rest, bonding and good care.

A prayer

God, 

You are good. 
I am blessed beyond measure. 
I am taken care of. 
I am full. 

Tonight I come to You as the mother of a third child. My sweet baby boy sleeps here on my lap, belly full of my milk, all of his needs have been met. So have mine. 

Thank You for the gift of life. I am humbled by all the ways You lavish Your Love upon us. You are good and Your love endures. 

Cherry-sized tummies

A newborn baby's stomach is the size of a cherry. A cherry! Its important that we're all educated about the anatomy of a newborn babe if we're going to get off to a successful start with nursing. The stomach is this small because its designed to hold just enough colostrum, which comes out in small amounts in the first few days of life. Often hospital staff, well-meaning family members and strangers alike will warn that "You might be starving the baby." when he or she cries a lot in the first days of life. Not true! You're not starving the child because colostrum is A) soooo vital in a new babe's gut; And B) meant to be what's in baby's tummy and nothing else.

The Best Start organization has a great chart breaking everything down for us. Where was this when I was a first-time nursing mom?!

A photo project

For today's World Breastfeeding Week post, read Val's thoughts and check out her lllllllovely photos! Oh, how I wish Z was still nursing or Little One was here and at the breast already. Her photos are worth more than a million of my words today. So beautiful.

Breastfeeding gets a boost

Here's a great article from the L.A. Times about nursing. Its about time there's something positive to read out there!

Warhol supports it too!

I found this sketch that Andy Warhol did in the mid-eighties called Mother and Child and its great. Look at that amazing latch!

Montgomery's gland

The following portion of an article was found on the Best for Babes site, a wonderful resource I often turn to. 

"The odor from Montgomery's gland stimulates appetite. And it likely helps the baby find the nipple, get positioned and latch, with the odor serving as a road map to where they need to go. These behaviors appear to be specific to the species, as human babies don’t respond to the scent of cow’s milk (for example).

So think about what we know about self-attachment or breast crawl. The newborn, un-bathed baby licks their hands, which smell of amniotic fluid, which in turn smells like the secretions from the Montgomery glands. They can use the taste and smell of those secretions, plus their preference for contrasts and circles (hmmm, what dark circle is near?) to navigate their way to the nipple and facilitate the latch.

That also means that that baby needs hands free- not wrapped up to prevent scratching the face. Take the gloves off! And that mom and baby should be together skin to skin. It appears that things were designed to be that way."

I don't love that they use the word "odor", I suppose I'd suppose "scent" or "smell", but whatever. I learned about this just before the CLC training and then while there, we talked about it in depth. Its fascinating and such a reminder that we women were meant for this sort of things. Our bodies rock! Oh, and babies are pretty great and smart, too.  :)

For more detailed information, go here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2761488/?tool=pubmed

Breastfeeding: What I'd do differently

The list of things I'd change has gotten longer, the further out from Zachari's birth I've gotten. It was as if all the stuff I knew about (labor, delivery and) breastfeeding went out the window when she was born and I became well... dumb. Looking back, I realize that I really did not know much in comparison to now, but there were very obvious things that I would do differently this time around. And God willing, I'll get to do things differently because I'll have a big, healthy, full-term babe with no need for the NICU and a speedy discharge so we can be home, free of hospital interruptions. I realize that so often my plans aren't the ones that in reality get carried out, but in a "perfect" world, they would be. Here's hopin'.


This time around, our plan is to have no separation of baby and mama for the first 24 hours. That's right, an entire day from the minute of birth. As soon as the baby's born, we'll allow the staff to weigh and measure him or her, do the APGAR tests, etc., but then its right to my chest. I've opted for this rather than straight from the womb to the chest so that there's no need for interruption once we're skin to skin (STS). Aside from my need to pee, shower or maybe eat something with two hands, I plan to have that child on my chest consistently if possible. This means no visitors for the first 24 hours of life. I think I might make an exception for Zachari though. The benefits of having continuous STS are incredible. Allowing baby to do the breast crawl finding my breast on her/his own is a perfect introduction to nursing. No "screwing the baby on" as was done to me and Z (and so many other mom-baby teams) and no rushing the baby to get on the boob with my own agenda.  I'm sure this will be a little difficult at times. The nurses won't want me to sleep with her/him in my arms, I'll be exhausted, etc., but I'm telling myself now to push on. I will hold that child like my life depends on it and while the babe and I are safe, that's how we'll stay. When I need a break, Papa will be the one caring for Wee One so that he can bond with her/him too. I'm really looking forward to this time with our baby. 


With this child I won't worry so much about being covered while I nurse. I will be discreet of course, but I'll worry less about having the nursing cover all the time or what others will think. I think those things can get in the way. I'm not a large-busted woman so the fear of someone seeing the girls isn't so big. And if they do, they do! I'll be much more comfortable and confident this time around, so that'll help too.


Another thing, I needn't stress over nursing. That'll do a number on ya. I know what I'm doing now. I know a little bit about what the bebe should and shouldn't do. I won't be afraid to ask for help, I know of good resources for help and getting questions answered, I just need not fret. I don't ever want formula to be my backup plan because I want to be successful from the get go and not need that. But, if supplementation - either with formula or my pumped milk becomes absolute necessity - then so be it. Take each moment as it comes. That's all I can do. I do know one thing though, I will not be taking the complimentary Similac package home from the hospital. That's a Booby Trap if there ever was one! 


When I started this post Zachari was napping and all was quiet. She's been up for a little while now and I'm losing my train of thought. Oh well, this is enough for now. Second day of World Breastfeeding Week - yay!

World Breastfeeding Week

Its the first day of World Breastfeeding Week and I'll admit it, I've been looking forward to this for months! Its my hope to have a post every day to educate myself (and maybe anyone who ever reads this blog) about breastfeeding-related topics. 


From the Centers for Disease Control's 2012 Breastfeeding Report Card, I found out these statistics for the state of Ohio. Shameful, to say the very least. 


Percent of live births occurring at Baby-Friendly Facilities: 4.18
Percent of breastfed infants receiving formula before 2 days of age: 17.8
Number of La Leche League leaders per 1,000 live births: 1.08
Number of IBCLCs per 1,000 live births: 3.57
Number if state health department full time equivalents dedicated to breastfeeding: 1.50
State child care center regulation supporting lactation: No


We have a lot of work to do, a long way to go. I learned some of this stuff in my CLC training, but when I actually take the time to get on the websites myself, the information is copious - and depressing in some regards. 


Thankfully, I've never gotten much flack for nursing - in public or otherwise - but there are hundreds of women who have. I'm grateful for the friends who nursed before me to teach me the ways and make it seem normal and easy (even though my road wasn't all that easy at first!). My family has been supportive and even though a good number of them don't really like the thought of breastfeeding, they've supported my decision to do so. Its an understatement to say that I'm so excited for Little One's birth so that I can nurse another child at my breast. I have so much more knowledge this time around than I did with Z and I hope that will be beneficial for us. Maybe one of these days I'll become a true Lactivist and do something to change the face of the breastfeeding stats in our state... hell, even in our country!