Did you know that when nursing it is possible to end up a bit, ahem, uneven?
I’ve written about this before, but a friend mentioned her friend that after nursing for several years was an A cup on one side and a C cup on the other. This is actually more common than people think, especially for those with twins.
But why, you ask? When you nurse, your breast makes enough supply to meet demand. Often, nursing on one side or the other is more comfortable and so, without really thinking about it, you end up having more “demand” on one side. With twins, each baby may have a favorite side and may have different appetites as well.
There is a cure! If you notice that you are beginning to become a bit lopsided(as I myself started to be with my second child) make an effort to nurse more often on the smaller side. If you catch it early, it usually fixes itself within a week. If you have weaned and you still find yourself lopsided, it should fix itself within 6 months, as that is how long it takes to get the nursing hormones out of your system.
Happy Nursing!
It has been a long time since I posted, so it is crazy to me that it has only been three months since I last breastfed! I am due in 2 1/2 months and taking a 6 month break from breastfeeding seems both too short and too long.
With that in mind, I am getting mentally ready to get back on the breastfeeding wagon. I am making a DIY nursing cover tonight – instructions, dimensions, and photos to follow.
I am also getting ready to build up my “supply”(the puns never end around here) of content.
Do you have a great breastfeeding story? I will be posting a few in the next few days and I would love to include some from people I don’t know personally!
Happy Nursing!
If you’re like a lot of moms I know, the closer the end of maternity leave comes, the scarier continuing to breastfeed sounds. Here is a checklist to help make things a little easier.
1. Pump – Double electric is the way to go! I like Medela’s freestyle best.
2. Hands-free nursing bra – I know it sounds weird, but pumping while sitting in your car(dare I say driving) or reading a magazine makes the whole thing a little faster and easier.
3. Picture of your baby – Sometimes let down can be difficult. To help, I suggest a picture of your baby or some article of clothing that smells like your baby.
4. Water! – Drink a lot. It helps maintain your supply, so is especially important when you baby is away.
5. Extras -batteries, extra wall charger, tubes for your pump, and pads. It never fails, you feel super prepared and then ta-da, you look in your nursing bag.
This has been a very long week. Not a bad week, just very long and filled with challenges. I thought I would share my “happy shoes” with you. Whenever it looks like it’s going to be a long day, i.e. the kids wake me up at 5:30 whining at the top of their lungs, I make sure I wear my happy shoes. The metallic pink glinting in the sun is so ridiculously bright, it just makes me happy and helps me get on with my day with a smile.
This morning as I was giving my children breakfast, I was reminded how hard it was to get my first one to drink cow’s milk after I weaned her. She would eat cheese, yogurt, basically anything dairy, but would not drink cow’s milk.
With my second, I didn’t have a problem and I think this is what I did right.
1. While still nursing, I introduced cow’s milk as a snack. This was around 11 1/2 months.
2. I introduced milk with differing fat percentages, i.e. skim, whole, 2%. Since I cook a lot, I made a point of making recipes that called for milk to use up the extra. My son still prefers skim milk, but he will have to tough it out at least until he is 2.
3. I introduced milk in varying forms. For some reason, my kids favorite way to drink milk is from a box with a straw. I started this at around 11 1/2 months and although he couldn’t use the straw for a couple weeks, my son liked the novelty of the squirting. On second thought, maybe it wasn’t such a novelty.
My husband got me a card for Mother’s Day when I was pregnant with our first. I really appreciated it, but can’t really remember any Mother’s Day after that. There have been two. I don’t really remember much these days, actually. I guess it goes with having been nursing or pregnant for 3 years. It’s a pleasant, pinkish sort of fog – kind of like a ball of cotton candy, I guess – though I am definitely looking forward to getting my brain back.
I recently read in a magazine that pregnancy brain has been proven to actually be true(duh) and can last through the first year of your child’s life. Experts say this may be due to sleep deprivation(double duh). I am looking forward to October 2011. I was going to say I am looking forward to x number of months from now, but I can’t really figure out how many months from now that is.
A very good friend just moved back to her native Germany. Among the many baby items she gave away to friends was her nursing cover. Did she stop nursing? Nope, she still has a 5 month old. However, in Germany nursing covers are non-existent.
You may not believe me if you have read any of my “I Can Nurse Anywhere” posts, but I really am rather prudish about nursing in public. My friend loved her cover in the US, but said, “In Germany, a nursing cover would be much more distracting.” Americans are definitely less comfortable with nudity of any sort than Europeans are, but does that mean that they are more comfortable with nursing or more comfortable with bare breasts? What do you think?
It has been a whole month since I stopped breastfeeding, but it feels much longer. I have just gotten used to the fact that I don’t have to wear nursing pads and can wear shirts with high necks! I also realized that I have forgotten many of the basics, like when to buy a nursing bra and when your milk comes in. I had a friend ask and for the first time in forever, I had to look it up.
So here’s the rundown(or should I say let down?)
Your breasts begin to grow the cells that make milk at about week 12 of pregnancy, but you won’t know what size nursing bra you need until about 37 weeks. After your baby is born, you can start wearing underwire nursing bras at 3 weeks postpartum and your size will stabilize then. It will remain that way until you begin feeding solids for the majority of your baby’s meals – about 8-9 months. Now that I gave you(and me) a refresher, how about a poll?
You probably know that breastfeeding is good for your baby, but did you know that breastfeeding could save your baby’s life?
A recent study, published in the medical journal Pediatrics, compared the benefits of breastfeeding with outcomes of 10 common childhood illnesses and found that if 90% of US women breastfeed exclusively for 6 months, approximately 900 lives could be saved annually.
The findings are focused at healthcare professionals, who often introduce breastfeeding as a lifestyle choice and give infants formula in hospitals, regardless of the mother’s intent.
My favorite part of the article was from a doctor, who believes that women who can’t breastfeed for the first 6 months shouldn’t be made to feel guilty. As a working mother of 2, I know that it can sometimes border on the heroic to breastfeed and pump and work away from your baby. Heck, being a sane person and working mom to a 1 and 2 year old feels heroic. But, in this case, I think it is worth the extra work.
Do you need a nursing pillow, stat? If you do today’s your lucky day. We are spring cleaning and have one blue nursing pillow left. Since we need to make room for new, fun stuff, you can get the last one for 50% off. Check out www.ladolcemama.comand get a deal!
