World Breastfeeding Week & Belly Fish

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Inspired by World Breastfeeding Week- I wanted to share with you my breastfeeding adventures thus far… My son is 15 mos. now and he’s been breastfeeding since birth! It has been quite the journey and VERY challenging. I’d be lying if I told you it was easy. It’s easy once you get the hang of it and incorporate it into your lifestyle…but challenging when it is interupted by unexpected experiences such as overactive letdown, thrush, and teething to name a few. These are my personal experiences- after the 3rd day my son was born he began to choke at the breast and would not suckle at all. I became very worried and learned about overactive letdown and adjusted- except that I was leaky from all pumping  I mean squeezing (LOL!) and constantly wearing washable organic cotton pads in my handed down nursing bra’s that seemed like the silliest form of fashion ever. What an annoyance, especially when you’re in public and you’re fighting your way through your shirt then fiddle with the clasp and finally get your baby positioned after the pad as fallen on the floor somewhere! LOL! 

Anyway, after the choking and my boobs getting back to their normal size…Tristan had thrush! The absolute worst thing ever.  A yeast infection in the mouth. Luckily, I did not contact thrush so my breasts were saved from all the pain…but my poor child endured approximately 3 months of discomfort. Boy, was it hard to continue nursing…for I feared an infection but I kept going…I was determined and it was not going to stop me from breastfeeding. We found out about Thrush when he was 18 days old and it did not clear until he was a little over 3 mos. I knew we could both get through it and we did. Teething seems to be an ongoing issue since Tristan broke his first tooth at 3 months!

As of today he has 8 teeth and is getting in 3 molars!!! So, he’ been a little more needy than usual but it’s all for a reason, right!! He’s clamping on and rubbing those molars against my nipple lately, and it hurts! There’s just times that I feel like I’m fed up with nursing and other times I don’t want to loose the special bond. I always remind myself how fast time fly’s and he won’t be nursing before I know it! It will be then that I will be grateful for the time I spent with him while nursing. We go back and forth on the night weaning. He does well but as soon as a new tooth cuts he’s in need of extra TLC and it usually disrupts his sleeping pattern. Ugh. I know he’s enjoying it and feels comfort and is soothed- yes, he uses it as a pacifier but at least I have the control of taking it out of his mouth!!!

Some people think that 15 mos. is way too long to nurse but in my opinion and from what I’ve read-breastfeeding / extended breastfeeding  offer plenty of benefits. Breastfeeding will always have a nutritional benefit. You hear the information that says there are no nutritional benefits past a year…but you also hear that nursing till 2 yrs. is the answer. I’m sorry, but you’re body doesn’t have any idea the age of the child so as far as I concerned, it will continue to produce nutritional benefits for your baby as long as you continue to nurse!  I think any child has an attachment whether it’s a favorite bear, blankie, toy, paci, song- whatever- in my son’s case it’s the breast! I just go with the flow-hahaha! No pun intended. I’m hoping that he’ll naturally wean himself when he’s ready to. As any child would from their favorite attachment item.

 I’ve tried different techniques to help with the night weaning and so far it’s worked out okay. It’s really all about what works best for you and your baby. I’d say he still nurses frequently, but then again, he’s teething so I should give him a break. We’re supplementing with goat’s milk…but he still prefers mama’s milk! I’ve learned a lot of great things from breastfeeding just through my experiences alone. I’m also happy to know that I’m saving the planet in some way by foregoing all the bottles and packaging that comes along with formula…etc.

All in all, my decision from day one was to breastfeed and I do not have any regrets. It is an emotional, spiritual, and physical journey that I will continue to take a day at a time. Breastfeeding may not be for every woman but I do believe that every woman ought to give it a chance. There are many issues surrounding it and there is support and plenty of literature to help you along the way! I’ve gone to La Leche League meetings and they’re very beneficial. I always walk away feeling so much better because a lot of the mom’s are dealing with the same issues – I don’t feel like I’m the only one struggling.

Some of my favorite breastfeeding books are:

 The Nursing Mother’s Companion by Kathleen Huggins

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding- La Leche Leaque

Mama Knows Breast by Andi Silverman

and

I’m Made of Mama’s Milk by Mary Olsen

Breastfeeding is not picture perfect. I have plenty of moments and it get’s frustrating when my little guy wants to nurse frequently because he’s teething- or more recently, traveling in the car for 8 hrs. required that I get in the backseat and nurse my child while en route.  You make things work. I don’t recommend doing that but it helped maintain my sanity. I’m not one to be shy about nursing either- I’ll usually go with it and am always discreet. Speaking of discreet, while at the Green Baby Expo in Chico a few backs, I found out about a company called Belly Fish.

Belly Fish is a nursing pillow that allows you to feed your baby in privacy. It’s like the Bobby but 100x’s better! Think of it as a nursing bra- it has to covers on each side with straps. It was developed by two stay at home mom’s, in Chico, Ca. These mom’s wanted to create a product for nursing mom’s on the go! The Belly Fish nursing pillow folds down the center and folds. It comes with a tote bag for easy traveling.  I used it on the flight to Kauai, in the airport and while hanging at the beach. It has been a great investment so far. If, I’m in a place where I feel uncomfortable, I can use the Belly Fish and both baby and I are comfy. You’re not exposed in any way with the Belly Fish there is complete privacy. I purchased the Slate, Morning Glory design. It fit perfectly into our backpack and in our stroller. I keep it underneath the seats in the car for ready to have use. The Belly Fish nursing pillow is the way to go- I’d rather use it than any nursing cover. Check out Belly Fish today!

 

(wish it was a picture of me- but never had the chance to snap a shot!- Darn!)

Breastfeeding is a personal choice!  Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

Please feel free to share your breastfeeding experiences…

I love hearing from my readers!!!