Breastfeeding SUCCESS!

October 30, 2010

Yesterday, we were speaking with one of Ella's doctors and I asked when we would start introducing breastfeeding. After determining how old Ella was gestationally (33w2d), Dr. Bendel-Stenzel (whom, by the way, I call Gods right hand..) said we could start breastfeeding...RIGHT AWAY. I was so flustered and excited! Ella had just eaten so we decided we'd come back for her 8:00 PM feeding.

That evening, we came back at 7:30 PM and I pumped so that if Ella did manage to latch on again this time (she'd latched on once before), she wouldn't have any issues with choking or aspirating or anything. I got comfy on the chair, with a pillow on my lap and the nurse handed Ella to me. I wasn't sure the best position on how to hold her because she's so darn small! Holding a 3 lb 5 oz baby is much, much different then holding a 15 lb baby to your breast! The nurse asked me how I'd nursed Olivia and I told her that Olivia's favorite way to nurse had always been draped across my body with her belly against mine. So, that's how she told me to hold Ella. Ummm...it's that simple?? Guess so! 

See those smiles? Those are the smiles of pure amazement
 at a  3 lb baby that latched on and started sucking without any help at all!!!!

I don't have any fancy words of advice to other moms of preemies except it simply can come down to patience and knowing that babies just know what to do sometimes! With Olivia, that wasn't the case, but with Ella, it was. She latched on with not a single issue. She's obviously not taking any full feedings or anything like that and she latches and pulls off but she latched and breastfed from my left breast (both times we've breast fed funnily enough). You can see in the above picture how I held her and that worked out really well except the arm I was using to hold my breast got really sore so I think I need a pillow or something to go underneath it. 

It was so amazing though. I can't even tell you. Just to have her latch and suck but when she actually caused a let down and started nursing for several minutes...I swear, a choir of angels started singing!! It was the most beautiful, natural thing ever. All the fears I had about breastfeeding such a tiny baby completely flew out the window and it was like we fit together like two puzzle pieces. I had worked myself up so much being so worried about having such a tiny little baby at such a ginormous boobie but when she latched on and we relaxed, it all fit together. My advice to new breastfeeding moms, whether or not you're breastfeeding a preemie is to relax and trust your body. And DON'T GIVE UP!! :)

Whole30 Days 6 and 7

So, yay! Days 6 and 7 were GOLDEN. I'm back to feeling good, my normal energy, no cravings. And I am way less crabby, so now would be a good time for social contact, if you still want some after reading these blog posts.

We are eating out way less, which I thought would be really hard. It actually hasn't. We at out at Longhorn on Saturday night on Day 1, and we ate out there again for lunch on Day 7. That's it! This from the family who sometimes eats out every day! I miss sitting at a restaurant alone at lunch, reading my book, and letting someone else do the damn work. I'm certainly reading less. But I'm getting used to the planning and cooking at home.

Our Day 7 trip to Longhorn was good; really, I think it was too good. I ordered ribeye, asparagus, and salad. Aaron ordered sirloin and broccoli. We asked the waiter to leave off the butter-lemon sauce. When the food came, it was just too delicious, too shiny, too juicy, too BUTTERY! So we asked the waiter to bring us another steak. The cook and the waiter swore there was no sauce, that it was just steak juice, but Aaron and I agreed that we think we ate at least a little butter sauce. Aaron says that he was happy for the first time in 7 days, and that is proof positive there was something illegal in there.

At home, we've been eating my homemade spaghetti sauce, grilled chicken, ribeye, flat iron steak, roast chicken, and pork loin. I've fried up broccolini, roasted veggies in with the chicken, and made lots of salads. We've eaten nuts very moderately, fruit even more moderately, and learned to drink water. I've also learned that Friday night Pub nights without alcohol SUCK.

This first week has been a huge success! Full steam ahead!

Fertility and Birth Control...Um...I'm Irish...

OK, so last month Mama Christa and Mother Hen posted their harrowing stories of trying to conceive their first children. They've been harassing me ever since to add my story to the series. The thing is...

There is no story.

Seriously, the most challenging thing about trying to get pregnant for my husband and I was to get him to agree that it was TIME to try to get pregnant! We were married for 4 years before that decision was finally made and we decided it was time to start a family. Personally, I had been clamoring to have a baby since we got married in the first place...I just wanted to be a mom. Good thing my husband is a little more pragmatic. 4 years of planning allowed me to stay at home with our son like I always wanted. Now I have the best job in the world.

So technically it took a couple months, but really it was a logistical problem. B was out of town during a couple cycles, we were sick during a cycle, and then...it happened. We did the horizontal tango 2 times during a cycle (yea, it was one of those months) but it was over that particular time...and BAM! We were pregnant. Just like that. The same thing happened with this second pregnancy...we started getting the URGE for another baby when Aiden was 1. We started trying and 2 cycles later...BAM! Pregnant again...and I knew it a week before my missed period. Both times I engaged in antics to improve our chances because I was convinced we would struggle to get pregnant. So I would lay for half an hour or so with my hips propped up on a pillow afterwards, sometimes even doing headstands...I'm a little rediculous. I didn't want it to take forever, and being pretty much the only person in my family who has ever TRIED to get pregnant, I figured the universe would strike me down and make it nearly impossible. Not the case eh?

So, apparently my ovaries are like clockwork, my husband's little men are abundant and strong swimmers, and we're made for baby making. In fact, I could have had irish twins...my fertility returned almost immediately after Aiden was born despite co-sleeping and exclusive breastfeeding. Just so you know, breastfeeding is not reliable birth control for many women! I was ovulating again before Aiden was even 2 months old. I envy women who do not menstruate for months and even years while nursing...You can talk to Mother Hen about that...makes me want to beat her.

So apparently my fertility problem is PREVENTING pregancy. We've always been very careful about birth control so we don't have unexpected surprises. For a few short periods I used hormonal birth control, but it made me fat, um...dry, and KILLED my sex drive so we've been using condoms ever since. In addition we use some family planning. Because my cycles are EXTREMELY regular and you could set your watch by my ovulation, it actually makes it very easy to NOT get pregnant for us. My husband is overly cautious though, and i think he doesn't trust me to just NOT get pregnant...cuz he doesn't pay attention and would just never know. LOL! I also decided against hormonal birth control because of the risks associated with affecting milk supply in nursing mothers. This just wasn't and isn't a risk I was/am willing to take. At my six week postpartum visit my midwife recommended a product I had NEVER seen before. It was a contraceptive film that is to be folded up and inserted into the vagina. Once there it dissolves and is a spermacide, she said it was as effective as condoms when used properly. I was delighted because, really, who LIKES using condoms ok? I actually liked the product...the problem, and I tell all of you this so that you know to try it over a weekend in case this happens to you or your partners, was that B had a very EXTREME reaction to the spermicide the first time we used it that lasted TWO full days and kept him home from work because he was in such excruciated pain. According to the packaging, the burning he experienced (in his urethra) happens to less than 2% of men. But just the same...try this stuff on a Friday night in case your partner or you have a similar reaction and are out of commission for a couple days.

Look at that, kids...a little of everything...Breastfeeding, fertility, and birth control!

Whole30 Day 5

Okay, so day 5 kinda sucks. I am actually having cravings, which I didn't at first. Livy had a frozen pizza for dinner (not our usual fare, but it was leftover from vacation), and only because she is my only child did I not rip it from her tiny hands and shove it down my throat. I don't even like pizza, but damn it smelled good.

However, I did not rob the small and innocent. I made myself a Whole30 dinner (homemade spaghetti sauce from the freezer) instead.

We had a bad day in general (only a parent can imagine just how bad), and I am sure it was worse because of my lack of energy and my irritability. I am really looking forward to day 10 or whenever this will shift, when I will feel rockin' good and madly clean the house like an energetic J. I want the personality I had my first week on thyroid medicine when I was not only making a to-do list, but actually doing the things on it!

I didn't go to Crossfit tonight, partly because I lack the energy to walk to my car and partly because no one but me should be burdened with my child today. (It was that bad.) So anyway, the summary is that this day kind of sucked and would have sucked full out if it wasn't for Rory and Lorelai Gilmore. They rock, but they eat a lot of really carby foods.

Jumping on the Bandwagon of Questions

Hey, figured if the cool kids at 3-Ring Binder and The Playful Spirit are doing it, I should too.

1. What book from your childhood do you remember the most, and why?

Definitely the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. I read them many, many times. There was dogwood tree in the backyard that looked like a covered wagon to me when it was in bloom; the branches sort of hung down in arches, like the wagon bows and the blooms were white like the canvas. I used to pull a bench up to the base of the tree and pretend to drive west over the prairie. Once, I asked my mom when the next book would be coming out. She told me that Laura Ingalls Wilder had died long ago and that there would be no more books, and I cried myself to sleep.


2. What type of music do you enjoy the most? Please include examples!

I like classic country most of all - Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson. I also love the White Stripes, the Dixie Chicks, bluegrass, and Billy Joel. My most played songs on my IPOD are Kansas's "Dust in the Wind," The Dixie Chicks' "Traveling Soldier," K.D. Lang's version of "Hallelujah," and Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby Magee." I also like hiphop and reggaeton, mostly to dance to, not so much to listen to.

3. What subject do you find most challenging (to teach or to learn)?

Math is a little harder for me to learn than other things. Though I made As in it in school, I made a 1 on the Calculus BC exam. I didn't really get calculus until my third semester of it college (my 6th semester of it over all).

4. What is your favorite hot drink? Bonus points for including the recipe!

Not a fan of hot drinks. When I drink one, it's usually a latte made with heavy cream instead of milk.

5. About what new book, movie, or TV series do you want to let others know?

I'm usually behind on all these things. Gilmore Girls is new to me and is my new love. I don't often read new books; I guess Percy Jackson is new, and I liked that series. Instead of something new, I recommend that everyone reread or rewatch something they love.

1. What is the most exciting thing you’ve ever done?

I think I am just not an exciting person, cause I can't think of anything. Memories come to mind, but none of them really seem exciting.

2. What is the most meaningful thing you’ve ever done?

Visiting Keat's house in Hampstead Heath. I crouched on the floor beside his sofa, where he lay sick for so long, and looked out the window he must have looked out of, longing to be alive and vital in the world. I felt, rather than knew, as I had before, how tragic his death was. I thought of his poems, of the ones he would have written, of Fanny and the life they might have had, and I felt close to him and to "When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be" in a new way.

3. What is the general activity you enjoy doing most often?

Reading. I do it most of the time. Fiction, non-fiction, great literature, pulpy teen romances, I enjoy it all.

4. What do you like most and least about blogging, if applicable?

I hate feeling like I should write some substantial posts, about parenting, Oism, etc, when I really don't feel like it. I like writing personal posts very much, especially stories about my family or my past, but long, well-researched, more philosophical posts sometimes make me want to hurl.

5. How do you feel about Colin Firth?

I like him pretty well; I mean the man WAS Mr. Darcy. But I like them a little more masculine, a little less polished. It's Alan Rickman for me. And Colonel Branden before Mr. Darcy, too.

Being objectified while breastfeeding/pumping

I had a creepy thing related to pumping happen tonight and I was talking to Shane about it and he thought it would make a good blog post for TGL (TGL=The Good Letdown).

I was at the NICU tonight, pumping before I did K-care (kangaroo care for those who aren't sure) with Ella. I had closed the curtain to the front of the room but it hadn't gotten closed all the way. As I was sitting there pumping, I noticed an older man in the hallway who was pacing back and forth. At first I thought he was just mindlessly pacing or being impatient as he waited for the family he was with. It was obvious he wasn't a parent, I think he must have been the visitor of the family whose room is next to ours. After a minute or two though, I realized that he was moving back and forth and each time he moved within view of Ella's room, he stared in...at me. Pumping. I gave it probably another minute to make sure I wasn't completely crazy but no, he was definitely looking into my room at me pumping. I brought my sweater down to cover my breast shields and then our nurse walked in. I immediately asked her to close the curtain all the way and told her what was going on. She said she also noticed him and was about to go say something after she checked on Ella. She did and I don't know if he left or went into the baby's room he was visiting.

Now, I'm all for nursing in public and I have pumped in public more times then I can count. In fact, I think I've pumped in public more then I've nursed in public! I don't mind people seeing me pump, although I don't prefer it simply because it's a very mechanical thing as opposed to breastfeeding which is totally natural. But he wasn't just seeing me pump. He was watching me pump and going out of his way to stare. I felt extremely uncomfortable about the whole thing. When I was telling Shane about it, he got angry and said the man was objectifying me. I would have to agree. I definitely felt creeped out and objectified by this man who was going out of his way to stare at me as I pumped.

It may not have been a sexual thing for him. Maybe he was just a nosy person, or a weird-o but it certainly seemed to be since I was pumping and my breasts were exposed. Regardless of whether it was, it's creeptastic men like this that make so many American women feel uncomfortable with breastfeeding in public or even breastfeeding at all. It's people like this who take the primary function of our breasts and make them dirty. Don't get me wrong, I understand that my husband enjoys my breasts and not for the functions of feeding our children. And that's okay. But primarily, they are for feeding my babies (and he'll get punched in the face for using them for anything else right now because they are sore ha-ha) and he understands and respects that.

This man, and so many others like him, seek to pervert the natural act of providing sustenance for our children as God (or your maker, whatever) has engineered us to do out of ignorance, selfishness or outright being a skeevy dirty pervert. And it makes me sad that women experience this and it actually affects their decisions on how to feed their babies or when. Have you ever felt objectified while breastfeeding (or pumping, as it was in my case)? What's your take on this whole situation?

Whole30 Days 3 and 4

My blogging fell by the wayside, but the Whole30 didn't! Still on track!

Yesterday, I did Crossfit for the first time since starting this diet. I haven't felt any bad effects, so I was surprised when my workout SUCKED!!!!! I got dizzy and light-headed. I couldn't even finish the modified workout. I had to lie down on the floor before I could drive home.

When I told the trainer that I was on Day 3 of the Whole30, he nodded sagely and quit worrying about me. He said after day 10, I'll be totally okay again and feeling great.

The worst thing about this whole plan is the amount of cooking! That should tell you how much we were eating out. So, to solve this problem in a totally rational and calm way, I yelled at Aaron until he agreed to help me more. Never fear, this is not because of the lack of carbs. This is kind of normal. (Poor Aaron). But I apologized afterwards, and good man that he is, he still did the dishes.

Lest you think the man is a saint, I am cooking him 3 meals a day, freezing food for him to take to work, and doing all the grocery shopping.

But anyway, the cooking sucks. But I guess I'll just have to follow my own advice and suck it up.

Discovery Toys Fundraiser for the Atlanta Objectivist Society

Here's the post made by Rational Jenn about our new AOS fundraiser:

I am pleased to announce a big fundraiser for the Atlanta Objectivist Society! I've been a Discovery Toys Peopleguy for a few years (joined up to get the discount on educational toys) and am planning to retire at the end of this year. But I thought it would be nice to go out on a high note!

If you are unfamiliar with Discovery Toys, they are a company that's been around for about 30 years and they specialize in creating fun, durable, educational toys for children from birth through about 10 years of age.

AOS has had a great start this year, and we have big plans for the future. To make some of these plans happen, we need funding. 100% of the proceeds from this fundraiser will go to AOS to pay for advertising, the website, and future events such as MiniCon 2011.

So . . .

If you have children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, neighbor kids, etc. on your Christmas shopping list this year, please consider buying something from DT! The kids will love the toys and AOS will benefit! Also, please pass along the website address and/or a catalog to other family and friends who are shopping for their children!


FIND OUT MORE ABOUT DISCOVERY TOYS:

To learn about the toys, go to the website and check out the catalog. I also have a couple dozen catalogs which Kelly or I will pass out at AOS events. If you have questions about any of the toys, please email or call me.



WHEN TO ORDER:

The fundraiser will be ongoing during the month of November. 100% of the proceeds (after costs) of any orders placed through me or the website from today until the end of November will go to the Atlanta Objectivist Society.



HOW TO ORDER:

Here's the website: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/jenncasey


In you are in Atlanta: You can place an order through the website, or complete an order form and return it to me. You can also email me with your order number. If you need help with the website, let me know. If you choose to complete an order form/email and you are local, I will enter your order directly into the DT system. The advantage to this is that if I'm entering lots of orders all at once, AOS will become eligible for a cash bonus (amount determined by the amount of toys ordered)!

If you are Out-of-Town: Place orders through the website only.



HOW TO PAY:

If you order online, use your credit card.

If you order via email or order form, you can use cash, check (made out to me) or credit card (all credit card numbers are kept confidential and I destroy any written record of them after processing your order). You can email me for more details.



WHEN TO EXPECT YOUR TOYS:

Orders placed through the website will ship directly to you. It usually takes about 5-7 business days to receive your order.

Orders placed through me (via order form or email) will be entered into the system at the end of November. Your toys should be delivered directly to me during the first couple weeks of December and then I will make arrangements to get them to you.



SPREAD THE WORD!

Please feel free to forward this information or links to the website to your family and friends, even if they live outside of Atlanta! Anyone can participate, anywhere in the US! I plan to announce this on my blog, Twitter, FB, etc. and I encourage you to do the same.


I'm excited about sponsoring this fundraiser. Best of all, it's win-win: all proceeds after costs will go straight to the Atlanta Objectivist Society, and the kids in your lives will receive some awesome toys from you!

Whole30 Day 2

Well, here I am, well into Day 2. So far, I'm not dead or miserable. In fact, this morning one of my students used the word "dyke" in class, and I didn't even lose my mind. So that proves I am fine.

Aaron and I ate dinner last night at Longhorn, and it was good, though not as good as when they pour that buttery lemon sauce over the steaks and asparagus. Aaron whined a lot, but I placated him with my feminine wiles (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

I wasn't that hungry when I got up this morning, which was a bit of a surprise, so I had my usual early lunch at about 11 - my delicious homemade spaghetti sauce. It was so yummy, and I was reassured by eating some of my typical food.

I cooked a chicken between work and school, something I have never been productive enough to do before, so SCORE! I'll have the chicken, and the brussel sprouts, tomatoes, and onions I roasted with it, for dinner.

And as a psychological side note, I thought you might enjoy knowing how Aaron and I both approach diets.

I do really well for a day or two, and then slowly slip. I am more confident this time because I quit smoking a month and a half ago, and now I feel that I can do anything, even keep my head when people say bigoted things in my class. So, surely I can give up blue cheese dressing and cupcakes. Anyway, I am unanimously (the two of us) voted most likely to "forget" the Whole30 and eat a piece of red velvet cake and drink a glass of champagne. I am also the most likely to take some of these habits into my regular life after the 30 days are up. I am also the most likely to be tolerable as company during the Whole30.

Aaron is the one who will finish this 30 days with no cheating. He wouldn't eat a piece of red velvet cake if a criminal held a gun to my head said it was eat the cake or he'd shoot me. He would gnaw his own arm off and eat it (it's paleo, after all) before he would even sniff a red velvet cake. And, if I wasn't here, he would just buy 40 pounds of ground beef, cook it all at once and freeze it in small portions, and eat it at every meal for 30 days. He is voted most likely to be diagnosed with OCD and most likely to actually finish what he starts. He is also the most likely to eat 4 candy bars and a bowl of pasta on day 31.

Wasted Away Again in Tandemville...

Three days after the birth of Chicklett I was starting to feel more fullness in my chest and knew that the milk would be coming soon. I had thoughts back to two years ago and how painful engorgement was for me, but thankfully this time around I have a secret weapon in my pocket! My toddler, Chicken Little, was going to be the star of the show for a few days by helping keep ahead of the engorgement wave.

The first night CL had already gone to bed before I realized that a flood was upon me. Chicklett was gulping and nursing more, but I knew from experience that a newborn is not generally enough to keep up. Around 4am I had serious thoughts about waking CL up JUST so he could nurse and drain me. But I just kept with Chicklett's newborn schedule and knew that soon enough my boy would be awake to help.

Rooster brought CL into the room around 8am and I informed CL that I had a present for him. We cuddled in bed and he had the surprise of his life! After 6 months of just comfort nursing and getting some colostrum (or "cat nip for toddlers" as I like to call it) he found himself access to mamas milk again! He did about 5-8 minutes on each side and I immediately felt much better. We were both happy campers all morning!

For the next week we had a bonus nursing session every morning where he would come bursting into the bedroom and nurse for a few minutes on each side. I was careful not to let him nurse for too long as I was afraid of him actually creating a demand of milk at that time and thus making a vicious cycle where I would have over supply in the morning. We soared through engorgement with flying colors and I couldn't be more happy!

I did nurse both children together a handful of times. It was difficult to do, but very sweet experience. Big brother would reach out and hold hands with little sister while they nursed. Melted my heart! And of course the camera was never around to capture the moment, but there will be more opportunities I hope!

During my pregnancy there were several times when CL went on a nursing strike and am I now very glad that I fought to keep our nursing relationship alive. Not only did I get to the goal of the World Health Organization of nursing for a minimum of 2-years, but now my children have a special bond and sharing opportunity. CL is only nursing about 1-3 times a day, and I will let him decide when he is done with mamas milk.

I am surrounded by supportive friends and family members whom I think understand the importance of this extended breastfeeding. It may not be the "norm" for our country, but there are a lot of things I do that aren't considered normal for the United States but is totally normal everywhere else in the world. :)

Whole30 Day 1

Well, I'm gonna do this. Not cause I have thought it out or anything. In fact, I have Halloween, Jenn's birthday, and a fun wedding all during this 30 days. But oh well! I'm just gonna dive in and see how it goes.

So far, I ate a pork chop. I'm going the grocery store later, so I will get some variety. For now, a pork chop was pretty damn good.

Aaron is doing this with me, and he may drive me insane. We have been on this diet for 1 meal so far, and he is already whining and miserable. I may beat him to death with a pork chop. That would probably be sort of Crossfitty, right?

I'm gonna try to make daily entries about our progress, but they will all probably be just as flippant and helpful as this one. So return at your own risk.

Copy Paper Box, Remixed

I stayed up far too late last night finishing off my new photo implement, but it's finished(ish) now and is working well.  I thought my last post was about making the box, but looking back I see that it wasn't, so looks like I need to start earlier in the process than I anticipated and that I'll have less pictures than I thought.  Alas.

My new light box started life as a copy paper box.  Following the directions in the article, I cut the center out of each side of the box except for one, leaving a 2" border on each side.  Then I covered the inside with poster board, leaving the duller side up.  The article used bristol board, but when I went to get some at Michael's it seemed very similar to poster board, if more expensive, so I figured I'd try the poster board first.  My first WIP shot is from right around this point.

I will call it Clothespinhead.

I had to improvise in a couple ways since my box was different than the sample box.  My box is a single layer of cardboard and not terribly stable on its own, so I reinforced the sides with strips of cardboard.

Mmmm, extra rigidity.

I also filled in the "handle" on what would become the bottom of the box so that when I put something in the box it would have a mostly flat surface to sit on.

All holes filled.

Then I covered the bottom in poster board.  Originally I was going to hang the sheet of poster board from the cut-out back panel, leaving the front completely open (the top of the original format box).  After consulting the plans I reconsidered and hung the poster board from the open end, leaving a frame on the shooting end.  I concluded that the whole idea of the box was to have the light bounce around inside of it, so having a completely open front might have been bad for lighting, though it would have been nice for shooting.  I lightly attached the poster board to the bottom of the box to have the curve on it, then covered the holes with muslin.  After an adjustable desk lamp with a florescent bulb, my box was ready to go.

Ready for action.

I grabbed my Iron Dwarf case, long neglected, for some test shots.  Since the flagship was on top, that was my subject.  Behold!

The beast, unleashed.

One of the issues I need to address is obvious here.  The sheet of poster board that forms the background could be a little longer, but it was as long as I could make it.  As such, the lip is visible.  This isn't horrible and I don't think it ruins the picture or anything, but it is something I want to address.  More of an issue is flat, usable space.  The curve starts perhaps halfway into the box at best.  Combine that with the lip on the front of the box, which is also visible in the bottom right, and the area where I can put a mini and be able to photograph it is small indeed.  This is especially true with the ships here.  Oriented like this, perpendicular to the camera, everything works fine.  If I try to shoot it straight on though...

Unsightly gap ahoy.

Whether or not it shows, the prow of the ship is up the poster board curve and there's a substantial gap between the bottom of the ship and the bottom of the box.  I need to move the poster board back so there's more usable space, but at least I have an idea of how to fix it.  While I was happy enough with the first batch of pictures, I wanted to see how it would look with more light, so I set up my painting light as well and took some more pictures.

Double lights.

Obvious in this picture now is that if I continue to do this, I'll need to find lights that are the same color.  The top light is a little brown, while the side light is a little blue.  In any case, I retook the pictures to see what the difference was.  I didn't find much to choose between them, but I'm soliciting opinions.  Here's roughly the same set-up, but with the second light.

Does this look better?

The second shot looks bluer than the first, but given the difference in the lights that's to be expected.  Overall I'm happy with the results, though I think the top light could be brighter.  The set-up should be easier to put together than the ramshackle combinations I used before, so hopefully that will mean more and better pictures here.

Becoming a breast milk donor

This is not a picture of my milk. 

When I was struggling with exclusive pumping with my first daughter, I didn't know there were milk banks. I didn't know that women donated their milk for other babies. But even if I had, I couldn't have afforded it. While I had a premature baby, insurance probably wouldn't have covered it just because I didn't produce enough milk because she wasn't SO premature that her body couldn't handle formula. Milk banks charge, from what I've seen, $2-3 (or more) per ounce. If a newborn baby eats 2-3 ounces per feeding and eats about 9-12 times a day, that adds up REALLY quickly. Unless insurance is covering the cost, most people couldn't afford to give their babies donated breast milk from a milk bank. 


Now, I'm not saying that milk banks aren't a great idea or shouldn't exist. With my current baby, Ella, who as many of you know was born at 29 weeks, if I hadn't produced enough milk or if my preeclampsia had caused me any problems with my milk, insurance would have covered the cost of milk from a milk bank. Is it absolute choice? No, because they do pasteurize it which does affect the nutritional value of breast milk but it is definitely better then formula! In our file somewhere, there is a signed form authorizing the hospital to give Ella donated breast milk if it was necessary. 


Fortunately, for me, it wasn't necessary. I pump 40+ oz a day and have milk stored both in my freezer and Meg's freezer. I'm a milk machine. I have more milk then Ella would ever go through unless I decided to stop breastfeeding and as we all know, that is not going to be happening. In fact, since this is my last nursling, I intend on breastfeeding her until she's in college because I wasn't prepared for only two nurslings so I'll be producing breast milk forever. ha ha 


Once I filled up my freezer and literally couldn't fit a single more bottle in, I turned to my friend Meg to let me store milk at her house. The day after I did that, I started seriously considering donating milk. I was pumping 40+ ounces a day and my baby was eating 1 ml every hour. It was adding up. Even by the time she got to full feedings for her gestational age, she would be no where near eating what I was producing. Even though I was only 2 weeks in to pumping exclusively, and I knew there was a chance that my supply would decrease, I decided to look into private donation. I did this because I wanted to ensure that a baby who wouldn't get it otherwise, but needed it, would get breast milk. A friend of mine told me about Milk Share, which is an  is a parent-to-parent connection tool for those seeking milk and donating milk (http://milkshare.birthingforlife.com/). I went on there and immediately found a posting from an adoptive mom of a preemie baby girl who wanted to provide milk for her baby. I was ecstatic! I contacted her immediately and we set it up. Within a week, she had somewhere around 100 oz of my perfect-for-a-preemie breast milk. I am so thrilled to be able to provide milk for her baby girl! Disclaimer: If you do private milk donation (whether giving or receiving) it's important to ensure that the mother is screened for diseases and dangerous medications. 


If you're interested in milk donation, whether private or through a milk bank, here are a few resources: 


http://milkshare.birthingforlife.com/

http://www.hmbana.org/ Human Milk Banking Association of North America

http://www.milkbanking.net/ Specifically for low birth weight and premature babies.

Do you know of any other resources? Do you or anyone you know have any experience with milk banks or private donations? Had you ever heard of donating breast milk? What are your thoughts on this?

Objectivist Round Up - October, 21, 2010

Welcome to the October 21, 2010 edition of the Objectivist Round Up.

Here's a quote for inspiration purposes: "Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves - or whether it should be ours here and now and on this earth." -- Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged)

Peter Cresswell presents It’s not every day you meet a real-life hero posted at Not PC, saying, "In which I meet up with Yaron Brook, and fall into unashamed hero worship."

Burgess Laughlin presents Why construct a chronology? posted at Making Progress, saying, "For students of history in particular and students of life in general, constructing a chronology of events can be a tool for clearer thinking in confusing situations. The attempt to construct one reveals gaps in one's knowledge about a chain of events. It also prepares the way for identifying causal connections between events. This post considers a recent conflict as an example."

Rational Jenn presents Handling Lying posted at Rational Jenn, saying, "Recently, a blog reader asked me how we handle it when one of our children lies. I include my original response to him as well as a few thoughts about why I think it's important to not to let even little lies go by without comment."


Miranda Barzey presents Child Beauty Pageants: Right or Wrong? posted at Building Atlantis, saying, "Some lingering thoughts on the good, bad, and ugly of child beauty pageants. Comments are welcomed!"


C.W. presents Gold is Undervalued posted at Krazy Economy, saying, "There tends to be lots of excitement when gold costs more made-up dollars. But a broader perspective suggests that gold is much more undervalued that the current price level and its advance might indicate."


David Lewis presents i can't, i won't, i shouldn't posted at david in real life, saying, "Dear Diary: Why don't people just say what they mean? Have you ever been confused by people saying "can't" when they really mean "I don't want to"? Well, you're not alone."


Stella presents Lessons learned from the ER posted at ReasonPharm, saying, "ReasonPharm is back -- and *I'm* back from the ER. Here are my thoughts on the experience."


Kelly Valenzuela presents Beauty Pageants posted at Rant from the Rock, saying, "I left this in the comments of another blog, but was so pleased with it, I made it into a blog post of its own. You often hear people dogging beauty pageants (and often with good reasons), but my experience in a few pageants was a lot of fun and a great way to bond with my mother."


Ari Armstrong presents Would Perlmutter Also Lambast Soviet Bread Line Critics? posted at Free Colorado, saying, "A congressman blasts his challenger for daring to benefit from tax-funded programs he is forced to finance."


Zip presents Let's Forget. posted at UNCOMMON SENSE, saying, "With the news that the Afghanistan Government is in secret talks with the Taliban to end almost 10 years of war it seems like it is time to find out what went wrong."


Shea Levy presents Thoughts on Dr. John McCaskey's Resignation and the Events Surrounding It posted at Shea's Blog, saying, "My evaluation of the various parties in the kerfuffle surrounding Dr. McCaskey's resignation."


Diana Hsieh presents Bonus Footage from My Stephen Bailey Interview posted at NoodleFood, saying, "I posted a bonus segment from my interview with Stephen Bailey. Here, Stephen is joined by his wife Reiko."


Aditya Pawar presents The Right to Petition Government for Redress of Grievances, Part II posted at Axiom.


Paul McKeever presents Multiculturalism, Judeo-Christian Values, and the Broken Clock posted at Paul McKeever, saying, "this one relates to Angela Merkel's condemnation of multiculturalism, and the false dichotomy between "secular humanism" and the adoption of "Judeo-Christian values"."


Stephen Bourque presents Fresh Agitprop From The DNC posted at One Reality, saying, "I would have thought that if Democrats were interested in presenting a new image, they would have tried to conceal their anti-American views by hiding behind a red-white-and-blue, American-as-apple-pie logo--something unambiguously patriotic."


Amy Mossoff presents Family posted at The Little Things, saying, "How much do genes matter when it comes to making a family?"


Trey Givens presents My First Gay Bashing posted at Trey Givens, saying, "Don't worry. I'm unharmed. As I said on Facebook, apparently, homophobic thugs hit like wet spaghetti noodles before they run. But, yes, a grown man did actually punch me in the back of the head for the mere fact of my existence as a gay man. And I was in the San Francisco bay area of all places!"


Edward Cline presents Let’s Not Roll: The Islamic Memorial in Pennsylvania posted at The Rule of Reason, saying, ""Are you guys ready? Let’s roll!" That was the call to arms, the cavalry charge sounded by Todd Beamer aboard United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11th, 2001. The forty passengers and crew decided to not be helpless pawns of what they now knew were jihadist hijackers – through their cell phones they had learned of the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center – but to do what they could to foil the plans of the “martyrs.”"


Benjamin Skipper presents Obama on Mythbusters? posted at Musing Aloud, saying, "Obama is going to be on Mythbusters? What a terrible juxtaposition!"


Kelly Elmore presents My Teaching Philosophy posted at Reepicheep's Coracle, saying, "This is an early draft of the teaching philosophy that I will submit with job applications to community colleges."



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My Teaching Philosophy

For my composition pedagogy class, I wrote the following teaching philosophy. It is my earliest draft of the teaching philosophy I will submit to community colleges in my job application packet next year. I'd love to hear any comments, especially from other teachers. What do you agree with? What do you do differently?

My freshman composition teacher returned our first essays with comments, a grade, and an appointment for a one-on-one consultation about my writing. The conversation at that appointment, about content, style, and grammar, was the single best experience I ever had with a writing teacher. We talked one-on-one, discussing my specific writing challenges and how I could improve; I shared my general academic goals and goals for my writing; and he showed me that I had an ally, a mentor I could rely on to help me learn academic writing. That conference exemplified individual and student-centered teaching and shaped my own teaching philosophy.

My vision of a student-centered class begins with my vision of the student. Just as John Holt saw himself as playing the cello, rather than learning to play the cello, I see each student as a writer, working on his writing, rather than someone who will only do “real writing” when he is finished learning. The students and I are peers, all adult writers, and we all bring knowledge to the classroom. I probably have more knowledge and experience about academic writing, but the students have other kinds of knowledge and experiences, equally valid and important. Vygotsky theorized that students can learn most effectively when teachers provide scaffolding to bridge the gap between the things they already know and do well and the things they are trying to learn. I use scaffolding in the form of encouragement, examples of excellent student writing, feedback on papers, and collaboration with more advanced peers, and I tailor the amount of support to each student’s individual needs and goals, strengths and weaknesses. I attempt to provide just the right amount of scaffolding for each student, aiming to keep them in Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, not underestimating them and not pushing them beyond their current limits.

I envision my role in the classroom as a mentor and a guide. I have some expert knowledge about college writing from which they may benefit, and I have facilitation skills that can help them get the most out of class discussions and group activities. Depending on what the student needs, I am an active listener, a moderator of discussions, a coach, a resource, a critical reader, or a devil’s advocate. I agree with David Bartolomae that a part of my job is to initiate the students into “the peculiar ways of knowing, selecting, evaluating, reporting, concluding, and arguing that define the discourse of our [academic] community." I teach my students to translate their own thoughts into academic language and to read academic writing with understanding. I break down writing tasks into manageable pieces so that students experience success in this new discourse and learn to think of themselves as capable writers.

To keep the focus of the class on each student’s writing goals, I try to individualize assignments as often as possible, allowing students to do writing that is applicable to their interests, including writing for their churches, jobs, or social groups, writing for their chosen discipline, and writing about themselves and their experiences. Like Piaget, I am a constructivist and believe that students must build knowledge for themselves through research, conversation, and challenging the ideas of authority figures, including the teacher and the academy. They must learn writing, not by listening to me talk about writing or by reading about writing, but by actually writing. The focus of my classroom is on student learning, not on my teaching, so the majority of the class time is spent on discussions, in-class writing activities, individual writing conferences with me (especially early in the semester), and peer editing of at-home writing assignments. Because the individual student knows better than anyone what is relevant to him and what is or is not working for him, I take student feedback about class time and assignments very seriously. I have found that some of the best ideas for improving my teaching and for engaging the students more effectively have come from student suggestions. In one course, feedback from students allowed me to restructure my evaluation system in a more effective way.

My favored way to teach and to learn is in large group discussion. I love to talk and to listen to others and to argue about ideas, and I know many of my students do as well. However, because each of my students is important to me as an individual, I try to vary my classroom activities. Along with large group discussion, I include small group activities like peer editing, collaborative writing, and pre-writing conversations, which might appeal to more introverted students. For students who prefer to work alone and only share a finished product, I include individual in-class writing assignments and lectures with thought problems to be considered in class. I try to include some practical application in every class, whether it is a conversation applying the principles we learn to our own lives or a writing assignment practicing a new skill. I want the students to constantly apply their new knowledge, since I believe that only knowledge which is relevant to our lives is remembered and transferred to other settings.

Lisa Delpit has heavily influenced my ideas about students whose home language is not English or not the standard dialect of English. I see teaching Standard English as my duty as a writing teacher, but I am open with my students about the fact that non-standard dialects and other languages are not wrong. I use the home language of my students as a scaffold on which to build knowledge of Standard English, pointing out the similarities and differences. I want my students to be able to code-switch and to use Standard English in settings where it is appropriate, without losing the dialect or language that links them to their communities and families.

When I remember the effect that the conference with my freshman writing teacher had on me, how motivated I felt to improve my writing, how much better I understood my own strengths and weaknesses as a writer, how much support I felt in my struggle to learn academic discourse, I am inspired to make my own teaching as student-centered and individual as I possibly can. I hope to have the kind of profound effect on my students, their writing, and their entire academic experience as that professor had on me.

Being an Exclusive Pumper (part 1)

The hospital grade Medela pump I'm using

I will be writing many a blog post about exclusive pumping. This first one, I thought I'd just talk about how I slipped into being an EPer (EP=Exclusive Pumping) with my first and briefly touch upon EPing with my second daughter. I touched upon exclusive pumping in my first blog post, and some of this will seem repetitive but it's a bit more detailed about my EPing journey!

My first daughter was born at 34 weeks due to severe preeclampsia. I tried really hard to breastfeed her but every time I'd bring her to my breast, she'd fall asleep. The few times she kind of latched on (and it was never a proper latch), she would doze off before she could start suckling and never got even close to causing a let down. The lactation consultant (LC) at the hospital where I gave birth was pretty useless and didn't help AT ALL. Luckily, when my daughter was in the NICU, the nurses brought me a breast pump and had me start pumping immediately. If they hadn't, I honestly don't think it would have ever occurred to me to pump full time and I'm guessing I would have taken the formula route. I continued for several weeks to try and get Olivia to breastfeed but each time, we would fail and I would end up a sobbing, pumping mess while my husband bottle fed her. After several weeks, I gave up and just decided I would pump. I had NO idea what I was doing or how often I should pump. I called a lactation consultant and she said to pump every 3-4 hours. I pumped every 3-4 hours and for a while, I woke up at night but the LC told me I didn't need to do that because my sleep was just as important. NOTE: Yes, sleep is EXTREMELY important while your breastfeeding but if you go 7-8 hours without pumping, it drastically decreases your milk supply!! I also wasn't using the right size breast shield (which is the part that actually touches your breasts) so my pumping wasn't as effective as it should have been.

I tried to find support and help but I didn't know the term "exclusive pumper". I felt like I was the only person in the world who pumped their milk for their baby. I also had no idea that you could actually do this successfully because the advice I had received from the LC was incorrect and my supply was decreasing drastically. I started looking into what I could do to increase my supply. I tried the typical things, drank tons of water, ate oatmeal everyday, Fenugreek, and Mothers Milk tea. The Fenugreek and Mothers Milk Tea did actually work a little bit. I believe it increased my supply by about .5 ounce each pumping, sometimes as much as an ounce. Olivia was eating way more then I was producing though and it was getting to the point where she was getting more then half her feedings in formula. I found some information about marathon pumping sessions and I tried this a few times, but that didn't help me very much because by the time I tried, my milk supply was so low it just didn't make a difference. By the time Olivia was 5.5 months old, she was getting one bottle of breastmilk a day and the rest was formula. I was beside myself and knew that it wouldn't be long before I wouldn't be able to give her any breastmilk at all. Luckily, I was able to get her to latch on and successfully breastfed her until 16 months, but that's a story for another day!

My second daughter, Ella, was born at 29 weeks gestation and with her, I started pumping within hours of her birth. I know so much more now then I did with Olivia and my supply is out of this world. I'm hoping that this continues, and I'm working hard to ensure that my supply stays up until she's strong enough to start breastfeeding which probably won't be for several more weeks. The LC program at this hospital far, far surpasses the one at my original hospital and they are used to dealing with moms with preemies so I have high hopes that we'll be able to successfully breast feed! I'll talk more about why I'm so much more successful with EPing in my next EPing post.

Welcome to Our Second Nursling!

Well, Mother Hen had her baby on October 12th, at 1:22pm.

Chicklett is a sweet little girl weighing in at 7lbs 3oz, born into her mamas hands. Here's her first nursing picture...she nursed for 2 solid hours and is a little champ!

When she has the time and energy she'll post her birth story, a very different event than her first. For those who are wondering, Fiby caused no issues. :)

Chicklett Birth Story

Sunday 10/10/10 I was excited to have some noticeable contractions starting around supper time and lasting through most of the night. They were exactly every 30 minutes apart. By Monday morning that was gone and I chalked it up to false labor. I was a little bummed, but I knew that even false labor is doing some good. Getting baby into position!

I had a generally average Monday with Chicken Little and met Rooster for lunch at his work. After putting my son down for his afternoon nap I noticed regular strong contractions exactly 10 minutes apart and lasting about 20-30 seconds long. This most certainly got my attention! But I tried not to get too excited after what had happened on Sunday.

After about 5 hours of 10 minute spread contractions we were at the point of voting whether to try and do things to speed up labor or doing something to slow it down (as if I have complete control over the situation – ha ha ha). Laboring overnight did not sound like fun to me, and I was already tired from the contractions the night before keeping me awake. We went for a short walk around the neighborhood, it seemed to not increase intensity or frequency of the contractions. I was convinced it was probably just more false labor. My friend Meghan told me that taking a bath might reveal the truth in what is happening as her experience as a doula showed that a bath would slow/stop false labor but not the real thing. She also knew what complete and utter denial I’ve been in over going into labor and thought I might be mentally blocking myself. I took a bath, tried to relax, and had a serious talk with my lady parts. I gave myself permission to go into labor and promised that I wouldn’t let bad experiences from the past get in my way anymore. This baby was going to be here soon no matter what, and fighting it wasn’t going to do me any good. I called my mom who was going to be watching my son to see if she wanted to spend the night here just incase this was the real deal rather than risk having to drive here in the middle of the night. She came right over for a sleep over!

I went to bed early with some anticipation of activity overnight. Rooster stayed up late to watch the Vikings football game, something he probably regrets for a number of reasons. Ha! He came to bed close to 11pm and was having an allergy attack and overall annoying me by talking and being loud. I had a real hard time falling back asleep, it dawned on me around 1am that perhaps the reason why I couldn’t fall back asleep is that the contractions were happening closer than 10 minutes apart. I got up and went online to use a tracker. First spacing was 8:22 minutes apart and lasted about 50 seconds, then 6:22, 6:15, 5:45, 5:40… this would be when I started to get nervous. My midwives had instructed me not to “play around” as my first labor was only 4 hours long. I was supposed to go to the hospital when my contractions were 7 minutes apart. Oops! I called the afterhours midwife hotline and spoke with Mary. She thought it best for me to go into L&D and be monitored just incase. I called my doula to give her a heads up, and woke up my husband. We finished packing the labor bag (because I am Queen Procrastinator!) and made it to the hospital around 3:30am. At this point my contractions had gone back to being 10 minutes apart. They did a strip of monitoring baby and me and told us to stay for a few hours for observation. I allowed an internal exam… not even 2 cm dilated. Slightly devastating to hear, even though I KNOW it doesn’t mean I’m not in labor.

We did some walking to try and kick my contractions back up to 5/6 minutes apart, but it didn’t seem to take. Around 5:30 being completely exhausted I voted that we take a nap.

I woke up about 7am and realized that no contractions had really kept me from napping. I was immediately depressed and convinced that we’d be going back home. I kept waiting for a nurse to come in and check on us, no one had checked in since around 5am. My husband woke up around 8am and I told him I thought they had forgotten about me. We pushed the call button several times, no one came. Finally we went out to the desk and asked to be assisted. Ha! I told the nurse that my contractions had disappeared and we probably just needed to be released. They wanted to hook me up to the monitor just to double check. Right before she hooked me up I had a really good contraction and remembered being very upset that she missed it because they had been so spaced out I was afraid the 20/30 minute strip wouldn’t catch any.

I laid in bed feeling overall sorry for myself and was on the verge of crying that all this had been for nothing and I wouldn’t be holding my baby anytime soon. I had my husband call home to let my mom know we’d probably be back there in about an hour. While they were talking I suddenly got very nauseous and threw up several times. Then the contractions came like a huge wave. Very intense and very often. The nurse came in and did an internal check. I was holding my breath imagining her saying 3cm and knew I was just going to lose it. Then came the magic words… 5, almost 6 cm dilated. Say WHAT??? That’s when things got going very fast. We called my doula, who had heard nothing since 2:30 when I initially called her. Karen said she would be there ASAP.

I was aiming at a water birth and the tub takes 45 minutes to fill. They started filling it immediately! Ha! My midwife Mary came within about a half hour and we had everything set up. We had to do a few laps around the hospital as the bathtub ended up being 107 degrees so they had to cool it down. Oops!

I spent about 2 hours in the tub. I found it relaxing, but overall the pressure seemed to be hitting more on my tailbone and I was unable to really get comfortable. I got out to use the bathroom and while sitting on the toilet felt the first “urge to push” wave hit me. I got back in the tub and we tried some different positions, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I suggested the birthing stool as I thought the positioning would be similar to the toilet so maybe I would feel the urge to push again. I stayed on the birthing stool for about an hour and made great progress. I had major contractions and pushed several times. I did my patent pending “mooing” style, it was effective, though not quite as much as with my first labor. Karen was worried about my throat being destroyed and had me try silently pushing. This was just as effective so yay!

My back was starting to get very sore and I had thoughts about getting into bed. It felt a little bit like defeat to end labor in standard position, but something was telling me to do it. I moved over to the bed and my pitiful left leg lasted about 1 minute before starting to shake. My wonderful husband took over that leg and did everything for it.

At this point my water was still intact! I had lots of fun thoughts about my baby being born in the caul, but second or third contraction to the last one that bag popped and shot water about 5 feet across the room! I was so glad I opened my eyes and caught it. I almost started laughing, but then another contraction came fast and stopped that “BWHAHAHAHA” moment temporarily.

Within about ten minutes of being in the bed we got to crowning. My midwife had me touch the baby’s head and let me see everything in the mirror. After the contraction that got us to crowning my midwife explained that with the next one I should take a nice breath and then just go “puh-puh-puh” rather than bearing down. I waiting with anticipating through the ring of fire… and waited… and waited. Suddenly panic struck in… the contraction was not coming. I wasn’t sure what was wrong or why my body wasn’t kicking that final contraction into action. Four minutes past… and then it finally started up. I went to bear down and my midwife held the baby inside while yelling at me to stop! This last part needed to happen slowly for me to avoid tearing. I took a breath and went again to bear down. I couldn’t remember what she had told me to do and she kept just instructing me to breath. I wasn’t sure what I was doing wrong! Finally I heard someone say “puh puh puh” and I remembered. Third breath the head and shoulders were out. My midwife had me reach around and deliver the baby myself! I loved being so much more involved with the delivery instead of just letting medical staff handle everything. I pulled baby out and up onto my stomach. The cord was very short so she could only be about belly button height. I immediately went to try and see if we had a boy or girl.

Baby was so swollen and the cord was in my way. I thought I saw a girl… but just couldn’t believe it. Indeed we have a baby girl! Chicklett was born at 1:22pm on Tuesday October 12^th 2010 – completely intervention free. She weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces, 19 inches long, with a 13 inch head. She looks exactly like big brother, but with black hair instead of red. And when I say she looks exactly like big brother… I mean it… we have another surprise clubbed footed baby. The adventures in leg braces and castings will begin for us next Monday when she will be only 6 days old.

Chicklett is a nursing champion! She latched on and did both breasts for about two hours immediately after birth. I hope this is only a sign of things to come!

Big brother has been interesting in nursing more, though I think he'll be unstoppable once the milk comes in. So far there have just been a few extra comfort nursing sessions for him.

P.S. I had been a hemorrhage risk due to having a 9.5 cm fibroid tumor growing on the outside of my uterus. We were very fearful of needing surgery immediately after birth to stop my bleeding and remove the tumor. Thankfully "fiby" did no harm and infact less than 72 hours after delivery I appear to already be done bleeding! This has been amazing!

5 Breastfeeding Myths You Probably Believe are True

Here is an article on some common breastfeeding myths. Have a look and comment about what other myths YOU'VE heard about breastfeeding. In coming posts we will address more breastfeeding myths! 

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"There are so many barriers and roadblocks to successful breastfeeding that make it so hard for so many women who want and do try. Medical professionals often get in the way of breastfeeding -- sometimes even lactation consultants can give bad advice.

No wonder our country's breastfeeding rates are so low, eh?

The number one weapon we have against bad information and advice is to SQUASH IT LIKE A BUG!By perpetuating myths, we only continue to make things harder for women in the future. That's why it's so important to really listen when someone tries to explain to you where someone misled you if you're discussing reasons why breastfeeding didn't work out for you -- even if it's too late for you, any time you discuss your baby's feedings, you can help quell the myths that were your downfall so maybe where you failed, someone else can succeed!

So, here we go..."

Nursing the Babies - In the event of "what if"

If I had posted this a few weeks ago like I was supposed to, I would be posting a slightly different story, but as you can see from Christa's last post...things have changed. Initially we thought Christa would be giving birth last, not first, so she was going to be the recipient of a lot of "trickle down" cross nursing support. As it turns out, She's going to be filling the gap for us!

So...as Mother Hen has stated, she has a large fibroid tumor on her uterus that may or may not cause problems following her latest baby's birth. There's no way to know until the baby is born if the fibroid is going to cause heavy bleeding. If it does and the medical team is unable to control the bleeding through the use of medications and fundal massage, she will have to have surgery to remove "fiby" and control the bleeding. In this case Mother Hen's little Chicklet will need some breastmilk to get by on until she's off her meds and can nurse safely. Initially she had arranged for a friend's milk to be available, she has several 1oz bags of breastmilk in her freezer. Unfortunately this milk is intended for an 8 month old baby, and as we know breastmilk composition changes with the baby's age and needs...one of those really awesome things nature built into our really awesome bodies. So really, this was never ideal, but filled a potential need. Well, as we know, Christa had to go and have a preemie (29 weeks) and is now lactating like a crazy woman. She estimates on the order of about 30oz a day and sweet baby ella barely gets any right now as her feedings are largely contingent on her health and medications right now. So now, if Mother Hen needs it, she has fresh pumped NEWBORN breastmilk just down the road!

If you remember from my nursing story with Aiden, it started with much fuss after he puked up all the mucous lining in his tiny tummy and left him feeling hugely starving and unsatisfied with colostrum. We had to supplement with formula using an SNS system a couple times a day for the first couple days. Well, initially Mother Hen was going to either pump a little for me in case Chase needed it OR just directly nurse him for me so he won't have to have formula. This was always something we were unsure of because Mother Hen seems to make just enough milk for HER baby and never had a great deal of success with pumping. Well, again, Christa to the rescue, with her huge and growing store of breastmilk, she's going to set aside a little milk in case I need it for Chase or directly nurse him.

So what does Christa get? Well, Christa is in a funny spot, her milk supply is good right now, pumping is going well, but it's likely it could be as much as two more months before her baby is home, and she spends limited time skin to skin with Ella because of her health. Evidence has shown that sometimes pumping alone is not enough stimulation for the breasts to keep supply up to adequate levels. So Christa will have access to Chase and to the Chicklet for direct nursing if her supply starts to dip and she needs a boost to keep things going.

There is a great deal of controversy around arrangements like this...in many ways this constitutes wet-nursing. Many people think it's wrong, or unhygeinic, or gross, or or or....to nurse another mother's baby. People often ask "well what if the mother isn't healthy," "what if baby has thrush," "what if mom is on meds," and so forth? This is a concern with donor milk as well as direct wet-nursing. However we are all familiar with eachother's lifestyles and trust one another...so none of this is an issue. Breastfeeding isn't a sexual act, simply an act of nurturing, so there is nothing obscene or wrong about nursing another baby who needs to be nursed. With the three of us, soon ALL to be lactating (albeit out of order... ) we have our bases covered to provide the best for our babies' health and wellness.

So what do YOU think about wet-nursing and sharing breastmilk with other mothers? Would you nurse another woman's baby if it was needed? Would you take donated milk from a friend if you needed it? what about a stranger? Would you let another woman nurse your baby if you were in a situation where you could not? Please, share your thoughts and experiences!