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By Lisa Lactivist, on November 22nd, 2012  Each month we will be putting the spotlight on one of the fantastic Lactivist.net sponsors.
The money they pay to advertise their breastfeeding friendly businesses on www.lactivist.net keep the site running and help us keep supporting breastfeeding mums. If you have a breastfeeding friendly business that would be of interest to Lactivist.net readers please check out the advertising rates and contact me if you are interested. Rates start from a mere £5 a month and reach thousands of breastfeeding mums through this site, the Lactivist Facebook Page and Twitter.
The featured sponsor for November 2012 is the Birthing Shirt Company
How to use a wheat bag to give comfort during pregnancy and after childbirth when breastfeeding.
 Warmth brings a deep reassuring feeling to the body and provides a sensation that is also extremely therapeutic. A wheat bag can be used in pretty much the same way as a conventional water bottle is used. However with a wheat bag there is no need to heat up water and then fill it with the water. All one needs to do is put it in the microwave oven for a couple of minutes to heat it up and then it can simply be applied to the problem area on your body. And that is not where the therapeutic use of the bag ends. It can also be used for cold treatments as well as hot treatment. If you place a wheat bag in your freezer it is then ready to be used for cold therapy as well.
The “drug free” healing properties of a wheat bag for a mum-to-be on pains, aches, the after effects of labour and breastfeeding are outlined below.
For late pregnancy and labour…
- Use a wheat bag whilst pregnant and during labour as a warm compress to help alleviate backache, aching limbs and labour pains on the lower back.
For after-birth and breastfeeding…
- To ease the after-birth pains from a contracting uterus, pop a warmed wheat bag on your tummy.
- For blocked ducts and Mastitis apply a warmed wheat bag to the sore area of breast.
- Engorgement – If breasts are really sore, hard and feel too full, then putting something cool on the breasts after a feed helps reduce what feels like hot swelling. A cooled wheat bag from the freezer can give relief.
- A warmed wheat bag is also great for shoulder pain associated with breastfeeding.
For pain relief the wheat bag is both a natural and drug free answer. They are a flexible and very easy to use heat pack or chill pack that actually mould to any particular body part to give complete therapy to that area.
With all this in mind we at The Birthing Shirt Company decided to create a perfect sized wheat bag designed to be used during late pregnancy, labour and as relief & comfort to sore breasts.
Created in a rectangular shape of a pillow, our versatile and pliable wheat bag is handmade in the UK with a supersoft, removable organic cotton/hemp fleece cover and is filled with a cotton pouch of cleaned & graded whole organic British wheat grain. – £19.99
All wheat bags are sent out with heating, cooling and washing instructions and a freezer bag for cold applications.
For more information and to buy one of our wheat bags please visit
http://www.thebirthingshirtcompany.com/organic-wheat-bags
By Lisa Lactivist, on November 8th, 2012 Each month we will be putting the spotlight on one of the fantastic Lactivist.net sponsors.
The money they pay to advertise their breastfeeding friendly businesses on www.lactivist.net keep the site running and help us keep supporting breastfeeding mums. If you have a breastfeeding friendly business that would be of interest to Lactivist.net readers please check out the advertising rates and contact me if you are interested. Rates start from a mere £5 a month and reach thousands of breastfeeding mums through this site, the Lactivist Facebook Page and Twitter.
The featured sponsor for November 2012 is the Birthing Shirt Company
How kangaroo care and skin-to-skin contact can increase breast milk supply.
Kangaroo care is a method of holding a baby, either premature or full term, that involves skin-to-skin contact immediately after giving birth and beyond, that will soothe and calm your baby and will aid in their development.
Straight after birth the baby is placed directly next to the mothers skin, on their bare chest upright between their breasts with a baby blanket or mother’s clothes covering his or her back.
This snuggling of the infant inside the pouch of the mother’s clothes, experiencing her warmth, smell, and familiar heartbeat will feel like a warm “womb with a view” to the baby much like a kangaroo’s pouch, hence the term “kangaroo care.”
What are the benefits of kangaroo care / skin-to-skin contact?
Results from studies on mother-Infant skin-to-skin contact suggest that this type of contact has several benefits to both mum and baby.
 The benefits of kangaroo care / skin-to-skin contact to your baby include:
- A happier baby
- More successful initiation of breastfeeding
- Better regulation of their body temperature
- Elevation in their blood sugar
- Stabilization of the baby’s heart and respiratory rates
- Improved oxygen in their blood
- Spend more time in deep sleep
- More rapid weight gain
- Decreased crying
- Earlier hospital discharge
The benefits of kangaroo care / skin-to-skin contact to the mum include:
- Improved bonding
- Feelings of closeness with their babies
- Increased breast milk supply
- Increased confidence in ability to care for their babies
- Increased confidence that their babies are well cared for
- Increased sense of control
With all this in mind Bamboo Birthing Shirt from The Birthing Shirt Company has been designed with a convenient extended pop down front especially for the purpose of skin-to-skin with your baby post birth.
For more information on the many benefits to a bamboo birthing shirt for pregnancy, labour, breastfeeding and bonding please visit our website:-
http://www.thebirthingshirtcompany.com/#/benefits/4552979884
By Lisa Lactivist, on November 1st, 2012 Aunty Lactivist is all of us so please help with any comments, links or ideas if you can help at all. There are many issues in this question, the mum didn’t get much contact with the baby in hospital, she feels the baby is not taking much from the breast but will from the bottle, she also feels she cannot express enough.
This post will feed through to the Lactivist Facebook page so I will cut and paste any advice from there and add it to the comments later.
Dear Aunty Lactivist
I am wondering if you could maybe give some advice for my sister-in-law. She is currently living overseas and is not getting much help at all from the doctor’s/midwives with regards to breastfeeding.
Her daughter was born on 6 weeks premature and where she lives they do not allow the babies home until they are at what would have been the 38th week of pregnancy. However, my sister in law and brother in law brought the baby home after 2 weeks I think it was as the doctor’s said there was nothing medically wrong with her – other than being a premature baby – and kept wanting to do all these tests on her for no reason (they have to pay for each thing done over there).
While in hospital, the mum had to feed the baby by bottle every 3 hours – if the baby wanted more, she couldn’t have more than what was in the small bottle, she wasn’t allowed to be fed apart from every 3 hours. My sister in law did express (I’m pretty sure) the whole time so it was EBM the baby was getting. My sister in law also wasn’t allowed near the baby apart from during feeding time.
Anyway the past week she has been trying to breastfeed the baby as she’s been doing nothing but expressing and she’s really worn out. Here is some info from my Mother in Law.
She finds she is feeding the baby for a couple of hours – 45 mins on each breast , she is not taking much – then takes 90- 100 mls in a bottle. She then has to express 60 mls for the next bottle. Whilst some one is giving the bottle she is expressing the 30 – 40 ml top up. Last night at 11 p.m. she looked so weary & down – her husband was telling her to keep trying – she was pumping away and nothing was coming. All day and night she is trying to produce sufficient milk – apart from changing nappies and settling the baby. I really am worried about her – there is little joy in this routine. She hasn’t even been out to show the baby to anyone and has put off anyone coming to see her. A new Mum gets tired but should be having a bit of a life. The baby will be seven weeks on Sunday. I am making sure she is eating and drinking plenty and resting.
If there is anything at all you could suggest that I can pass onto my SIL I would be ever so grateful. When we see her on Skype she looks very tired and worn out – black eyes from lack of sleep, etc etc. I know I was tired after having my baby, but I don’t recall looking the way she did once I was out of hospital.
These are the Facebook page comments:
By Lisa Lactivist, on November 1st, 2012 Each month we will be putting the spotlight on one of the fantastic Lactivist.net sponsors.
The money they pay to advertise their breastfeeding friendly businesses on www.lactivist.net keep the site running and help us keep supporting breastfeeding mums. If you have a breastfeeding friendly business that would be of interest to Lactivist.net readers please check out the advertising rates and contact me if you are interested. Rates start from a mere £5 a month and reach thousands of breastfeeding mums through this site, the Lactivist Facebook Page and Twitter.
The featured sponsor for November 2012 is the Birthing Shirt Company
 At the Birthing Shirt Company we are always looking for great products that will compliment our birthing shirts and they have just started selling 2 delicious herbal teas from Mama Tea to help with your birth preparation and afterwards when nursing your new baby.
The birth preparation tea ‘Ready mama’ contains Raspberry leaf and motherwort which are both herbs that stimulate the uterus and help to cause contractions.
‘Ready mama’ tea combines traditional raspberry leaf and motherwort and is blended with fruity hibiscus and rosehip to provide a powerful, fruity blend – great for anyone who likes fruity teas and perfect for pregnant women (after 38 weeks)
 The breastfeeding tea ‘New Mama’ contains active galactagogues (a substance that increases milk supply) which help stimulate milk production and flow.
‘New Mama’ Tea is made of delicious liquorice root and fennel to sweeten up this lovely tea, so perfect for those of you who have a sweet tooth and normally find herbal teas a bit bitter. (for use post birth only)
‘Ready Mama’ – Raspberry leaf tea for birth preparation – £3.45 for 16 sachets
‘New mama’ – Breastfeeding tea – £3.45 for 16 sachets
Both these teas are great for every mama-to-be or breastfeeding mama and available from our birth prep shop :-
http://www.thebirthingshirtcompany.com/#/birth-prep-shop/4565329845
By Lisa Lactivist, on September 9th, 2012  Lactivist is really proud to be stocking The Food of Love, Your Formula for successful breastfeeding by Kate Evans.
We are even prouder that Kate Evans will write personal dedications inside the copies before they get sent out – all you have to do is tell us what you want written at the checkout of www.lactivist.co.uk. And as an added bonus the book has free delivery to the UK!
It is a is a fresh and funny look at motherhood. Acclaimed author, cartoonist and mother Kate Evans explains everything you’ll need to know to breastfeed successfully, and a lot more…
- So, what’s so special about breastmilk anyway?
- See step by step instructions for your first feeds.
- Learn how often to feed your baby.
- Breastfeed in your sleep.
- Beat the baby blues.
- Discover why babies cry.
- Find help for breastfeeding complaints.
- Check out The Mama Sutra – crazy breastfeeding positions.
“Vibrant, exciting, funny – there’s really nothing else like it. It’s so honest — and based on up-to-date research.” Sheila Kitzinger
By Lisa Lactivist, on August 3rd, 2012 Many mum’s find themselves in a situation where they need their baby to take milk from another source, it could be due to a hospital appointment with overnight stay or it could be work commitments, what ever the need is, it can be stressful and full of worries. Not only is there the worry of leaving your little one in the care of another, there is the added worry and stress of “How are they going to eat?”
The iconography we see everyday is of a baby and a bottle, when you have your baby you are told “introduce a bottle at 6-8 weeks post partum” and you have many well meaning friends and relatives not only encouraging the use of a bottle but also which bottle to use. There are lots on the market, a large proportion claim “closer than ever to mum’s breast” and so on.
There is however one issue with the scenario of introducing a bottle, it is a one size fits all method. Not all babies can transition to a bottle, not all babies like bottles, not all babies can transition back to a breast but this isn’t discussed because of the imagery we see every day regarding babies, they ‘all’ appear to be able to take a bottle.
This adds extra pressure and stress on a mum needing to leave her baby for an extended period of time and can result in being quite unhelpful. Instead of offering other avenues of feeding vessel people discuss which bottle is best, if you have limited funds, exploring bottles may not be a viable option, if you have a limited time in which to find an alternative feeding vessel bottle exploration is also out of the question. As no alternative to a bottle has been discussed, nor explored the mum could well be feeling even more pressure and stress to get her baby to take the bottle she has to settle on, this could result in mum forcing the bottle teat into her babies mouth, that in turn could result in trauma to the childs mouth.
A baby uses their mouth to explore their world, it is full of nerve endings and has heightened sensitivity, it’s one of the reasons babies bring everything they grab to their mouth, they are exploring it with the very best testing and tasting device. Although a mum may not see any physical trauma to the mouth from the bottle of a teat, it could still be there and this could potentially lead to problems later on, in some cases food aversion in others, a reluctance to use their mouth to explore their world.
It is so important to not force a baby to take into their mouth an object foreign to them which they have no control over like to bottle, a dummy, a finger or a spoon. It is best to wait for the baby to open their mouth in a responsive manner to which the baby is agreeing to accept the foreign object.
The last thing an already stressed mum wants is to upset her baby, so with that here are some alternatives to bottles:
Feeding cup
A feeding cup is a small open plastic cup, slightly angled and with a lip, this encourages baby to mimic milking a breast much easier than the teat of a bottle. A baby uses roughly 17 or so facial muscles to extract milk from a breast, the cup encourages this same reflex and the use and stimulus of the same facial muscles. A bottle only requires 3 facial muscles to extract the milk. Feeding cups can be used from birth with reports of little interruption to breastfeeding.
Spoon
A spoon behaves much like the cup, it’s not very well suited to older babies due to a spoon only holding small quantities. That doesn’t outlaw the spoon for older babies though as every baby is different.
Syringe
You can use a syringe for medicine. this method can get milk into a baby quickly if struggling, it can also be gently lapped at by the baby. It can be a very useful tool for some mum’s and babies.
The lid of a feeding bottle
Used in the same way as a feeding cup if a feeding cup isn’t available. If you have a bottle lid that can’t be placed on a flat surface, a narrow cup/glass or toilet roll can provide the perfect docking station.
A bowl
A small bowl can also be used like a feeding cup, as can a Doidy cup (which looks like a large version of a feeding cup, minus the lip but with handles) and a free flow beaker with lid removed if pre 4 months, it can be tried at 4 months with lid in place. Some babies however find a free flow cup too fast and they aren’t able to ‘milk’ is as they would a breast, cup or some types of bottle.
The main objective is mum and baby find a viable alternative to a breast and bottle that suits them and more importantly suits baby. Having access to a wider method for alternate feeds is less stressful for both mum and baby. It doesn’t have to be a bottle as the only alternative milk delivery system.
By Lisa Lactivist, on August 1st, 2012  When I had the first of my four children, I was determined to breastfeed. And I did. It was wonderful, beautiful, and it ended all too soon. She was just three months old when I returned to work and breastfeeding came to a premature end.
Exactly three years on from that point, her baby sister was born. She suffered some injuries at birth and, if it were at all possible, those problems made me even more determined to breastfeed her, and for much longer than I had her sister. What I did not realise at the time, but can appreciate with hindsight, is how much easier life was as a result of that determination. Whilst her elder sister was a gentle and easy child, which obviously helped, my new baby was difficult, demanding and disturbed. Breastfeeding offered me the only means to comfort her when she became distraught, and meant that, without the stress and hassle of having to sterilise and make up bottles, I had more time than I would otherwise have had with her elder sister, to make sure that the older child did not suffer any neglect.
But I still had to return to work, and, when I did, she came to prefer the bottles she was given at nursery and she rebelled against breastfeeding. It then became clear how much breastfeeding had helped maintain the status quo. Having to work and yet still having to get up to make her a bottle at night time was soul-destroyingly exhausting and I went through a really bad patch, during which I felt so overwhelmed and overrun I could barely function. Had I been able to continue breastfeeding, my nights would have been far less disturbed and life could have gone on in a more even manner.
Just 22 months later my third daughter arrived. I then had a five-year-old, a toddler and a new baby. For a while, I doubted my ability to cope, but breastfeeding was still of paramount importance. It had become second nature to me to breastfeed, there was no way I was going to complicate my life with a steriliser, bottles and assorted feeding paraphernalia. I had two babies in nappies and a busy, intelligent and interesting schoolchild; it was mad!! Add to the confusion by bottlefeeding? No way!! I think that this period represented one of the most chaotic of my life. I took a new full-time job when my third daughter was nine months old and I’d never intended to go back to work and, like her sister, she came to prefer her bottles. So breastfeeding finished when she was ten months and wanted no more of me. I was heartbroken, and, although I did not sterilise her bottles at that time, I still used formula milk for her and still found a sharp increase in my stress levels when the convenience of breastfeeding, its soothing capabilities, and the protection it offers against illness were gone. Trying to juggle the two older girls, a demanding job as a teacher, and a baby who came down with every bug the world in general had to offer (and could not, therefore, always go to nursery) was not easy. I’m not sure, even now, that it was actually possible, but we somehow scraped by!!
As the youngest daughter grew up, I found myself longing to do it all once more. I didn’t particularly want a baby boy, but I did want another baby. Badly. Told by my doctors that it was unlikely at best, I continued to hope and to pray, and found myself pregnant for the fourth time in August 2001. But I got rather more than I bargained for. Desperately ill, and with psychological issues regarding my second birth still unresolved, I suffered devastating depression and was almost admitted to the local psychiatric unit. I was in a very, very bad way, but the one thing I held fast to was that I was going to breastfeed my baby. Given the information (which I refused for some time to actually believe) that I was carrying a boy, I feared that the likely connection, between his sex and how ill he made me, would lead me not to love him. At this point, I can hear everyone who knows how I adore my son laughing, but, at the time, I had serious fears and genuine worries about whether or not he and I would do that mystical bonding thing. And so did those caring for me.
There were two things that I needed. I needed to feel that special closeness with my baby, and I needed to keep my life as simple as possible after he arrived. By now, I knew that only breastfeeding was going to work for us. And I held on to that throughout everything, researching the effect of the drugs I needed to take on my breastmilk and building my determination to breastfeed no matter what.
There were, however, bigger blows to come. And, when I say bigger, I mean bigger . His birth was slightly complicated by shoulder dystocia and, though wonderful and triumphant, it was a little shocking and bewildering. And then, when he was weighed, it transpired that he was a whopping 12lbs 2ozs!!
Well, everyone had something to say about that!! No-one believed that such a big baby could be sustained by breastmilk alone, but, of course, he was. He and I share a marvellous bond and he is still breastfed at 23 months of age. With his three older sisters also to contend with, there was no way I was taking the chance that he would come to prefer bottles so I never gave them to him. The only formula he has ever had has been on his breakfast cereal. He is unbelievably healthy, has followed his growth pattern off the charts, eats a variety of foods and has quite adult tastes.
So my philosophy is that breastfeeding a baby when you have older children to occupy you can only make things easier on you. Breastfeeding was simpler and quicker, so I had more time for the other children, whether there was one or whether there were three. Breastfeeding keeps a baby healthy, boosting his or her immunity against the bigs that older children inevitably contract and bring home for you all to share. That can only be an immense boon to any harassed mother. Breastfeeding bonds you closely to your child, and when there are others to consider, that time to generate a close bond with your youngest can go by the board. It’s true that, a first child has it’s parents fitting around it, whereas subsequent children tend to have to fit in with the existing family. So many times I have nursed my son on the sofa with one of my daughters next to me, getting my help with her homework or reading whilst he fed. Breastfeeding makes for easeir nights, especially if you combine it with co-sleeping, which means you can cope better with the demands of your family because you are not so exhausted. Breastfeeding gets your child accustomed to a variety of flavours (as the flavour of the things you eat comes through in your milk) and that means that weaning is far less traumatic for the mother of many, who has little space in her life for complications in the form of fussy eaters.
Oh, and the best thing of all? If you breastfeed, you never get to a stage where a baby can hold the bottle itself. You just have to sit down!!!!!
This article by Kate Pryde is reproduced with permission from www.breastfeedingsupport.co.uka ‘not for profit’ website packed with articles and advice about breastfeeding, written by mums from their own experiences.
By Lisa Lactivist, on July 29th, 2012  Some babies go for solids in a big way right from the start, but others are more reluctant. A baby’s first taste of solid food should be exactly that, just a taste, so don’t be concerned that your little one isn’t chomping through three bowls of baby food a day at the beginning. First foods should be in addition to the milk the baby normally has, not a replacement.
The World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months to avoid potential allergies, excema and asthma. All babies are different though and there are a few signs that a baby is ready for solids.
- The tongue stops thrusting everything out of the mouth
- The baby grabs food off your plate
- The baby copies you when you eat
- The baby can sit up unaided
- The baby opens its mouth for the food
If your baby isn’t interested in solids at 6 months there is some argument for trying them with a spoonful of something each day as this is supposed to be the best time for them to learn about new tastes. Some people say that if you miss this ‘tasting window’ the baby will be a fussy eater in the future.
Starting solid foods links
www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp
www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/ready-solids-links.html
http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/eating/start-solids.html
First foods
If you are worried about allergies there is a sequence of introducing solids for the allergic child developed by Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre. It lists foods and the age at which they should be introduced. The main things to avoid at first are nuts, wheat, unpasteurised cheeses and eggs.. Organix Baby Food have removed gluten from their stage 1 and 2 baby foods and clearly label those that are gluten and lactose free.
So, how do you make baby food? Choose a nice looking vegetable, a carrot or a potato and steam it to within an inch of its life. Squish this through a sieve and add the milk the baby normally has until it looks like thin mush. You can steam, squish and sludge food to freeze for the future, ice cube trays are a good way to do this, just freeze and decant into plastic bags when they are solid. Banana is a great first food, just mush some up with a fork, place that bowl in another with some hot water and stir ’til it gets brown and mushy, no need to sieve.
www.hallpublications.com/title2_sample2.html
Organix Baby Food
Expressing milk
The easiest way to express is to do it first thing when you have the most milk. Start the baby off on one boob and when the baby activates the let down reflex unlatch it and put it on the other side. The milk should then pump quite easily but be careful not to overdo it at first or you risk sore nipples. The baby is used to and probably likes the taste of your milk so mixing it with steamed veg will make the solid food more palatable for them.
Second Stage Solids
When the baby is used to the slushy stuff you can start to introduce a bit more texture to the food, either by whizzing it to a less slushy consistency, mashing it roughly with a fork or adding flaked rice (from health food shops). Finger foods such as rice cakes or chips of steamed veg may go down well though you have to watch the baby in case it chokes. If it does choke, turn the baby upside down over your lap and give a sharpish tap to the centre of the back. This should dislodge the food. Never try to fish anything out of a babies mouth unless you are sure you can grab it as you may shove it further down the throat.
Bibs. Bowls and spoons
My 8 month old gets too distracted with bibs so I either feed him naked (him not me!), in already dirty clothes or I tie a dishcloth round his neck. Tommee Tippee sell a range of useful bowls. They have small containers with snap on lids that fit into a larger storage container with a small gap. I heat food by putting a defrosted ice cube of it into the smaller container and hot water in to the second. Stand the smaller in the larger and mix until the food is piping hot to kill off any lurking nasties then let it cool down again. You can get soft tipped heat sensitive spoons that show when the food is too hot for the baby, or you can test it on the inside of your wrist. It is handy to have 3 spoons when the baby starts to grab them. The baby grabs the first spoon, you use the second, the baby grabs the second, you use the third, the baby grabs the third, drops the first, you use the first…… this saves loads of arguments and tug of war games and I have been told it works with toast, rice cakes and slices of fruit.
Don’t like the idea of baby mush?
There are alternatives, Baby Led Weaning is when you let the baby decide when and what it wants to it, it can be a whole lot less stressful than the more traditional shovel mush in method. We have an excellent article on Lactivist.net by Laura Park which goes into more detail http://www.lactivist.net/baby-led-weaning-the-end-of-mush-shovelling/
copyright Lisa Cole www.lactivist.co.uk 2005
By Lisa Lactivist, on July 25th, 2012 I discovered the Baby Greenhouse forum after I had suffered two miscarriages. I was 22 and didn’t know much about babies or pregnancy. I had no particular opinion on whether I intended to breastfeed or not, when (and if) I had a successful pregnancy.
One night there was a thread on Baby Greenhouse discussing the Nestle boycott. I read with interest and someone posted a link to a document containing official World Health Organisation research on breast-feeding and their policy on advertising and marketing of formula milk. It describes in detail the *actual* benefits of breastfeeding and the shocking statistics about the health effects of ‘not’ breastfeeding, according to the WHO research. It explains that due to pressure from American formula companies, some of the ‘scarier’ statistics were removed from a health campaign heightening awareness of the risks of ‘not’ breastfeeding. The reason given was that it “..might make (formula-feeding) mothers feel guilty..”
From the second I read the stats I knew I wanted to breastfeed. Up until that point all I’d really heard was ‘Breast is best’. I’d read all the usual stuff that you read in magazines, NHS leaflets etc. None of it really had that much of an impact. But this did. I was shocked. That this vital information would be down-played for fear of upsetting people…?? I couldn’t get my head around it.
With my third pregnancy I researched online and in books for information on breastfeeding. I read all the breastfeeding posts on BGH that I could find! I felt strongly that I wanted to do this for my baby and for myself.
Finally in December last year my dream came true and my baby girl was born. Unfortunately she was very ill. She had risky but life-saving surgery performed in the womb at 32 weeks gestation, causing me to go into premature labour and she was born by emergency c-section at 34+4. At this point I wasn’t really thinking about how I’d feed her – I was more concerned whether she would live or die .
When it became clear that she was going to recover and come home, I started to think again about the reality of caring for her. I knew that I still wanted to breastfeed, but the odds were against us. We had been separated for the vital first few days of her life (she on a ventilator, me immobilised from the section). We were unable to have skin-to-skin contact because she had a chest drain inserted which meant that she couldn’t leave the incubator. I was able only to hold her head and stroke her skin through the ‘port-holes’. I couldn’t smell her. I couldn’t hear her cries without bending myself at a 45 degree angle (!).
I looked into ways I could *try* and get breastfeeding established. I expressed milk every 3 hours to feed to the baby through her nasal-gastric tube. Beginning to express milk when I had no baby to stimulate me naturally was hard. And painful. I found the act of expressing more painful than the seven hours of contractions I’d had whilst in labour. At points I felt like giving up. But I kept going and eventually got used to the electric pump.
The premature baby charity Bliss had information about using a dummy to stimulate the baby’s sucking reflex whilst they received their tube feeds. The baby would hopefully begin to associate the ‘sucking’ with the feeling of a full tummy. I spent every day at the hospital, using the dummy with every feed. 12 hours from 9am – 9pm until my feet were sore and my back ached. I was completely exhausted, people kept asking me to take a break, have a morning off. I couldn’t bear to.. Every minute that I was awake and not there I felt ill. I had asked the nurses to use the dummy when they did her tube feeds overnight but I knew from observing them that they are often very busy, and doing this every hour on the hour might not be practical for them.
She spent 2 weeks in Intensive Care with some terrifying moments, including a collapsed lung before she was finally able to move out of an incubator into a cot. On the 21st December at 16 days old she was ‘allowed’ out to try sucking at the breast. I was over the moon when she began rooting around and after a few attempts she latched on. That night at home I cried with relief. The weeks of pain and emotion and uncertainty had been worth it. It is one thing to try breastfeeding and have it not work out: at least you know that you *tried*; it is quite another to not even have the *chance* to do it.
I was allowed to stay over at the hospital for the next two days with the baby in order to get breastfeeding established. Again it was difficult because suddenly I had the responsibility all to myself – DP wasn’t allowed to stay and I felt under incredible pressure. Of course I had put *myself* under this pressure but I knew that my reasons were good. After two days and nights of this, she had gained weight. Clinically she was given the OK to go home and that meant we could have her home with us on Christmas Eve.
Breastfeeding at home was harder than it had been in hospital. As she gained weight she needed to feed for longer. Her sucking became practised and STRONG! I had a cracked nipple on both sides for about two weeks. The pain of feeding through a cracked nipple was almost unbearable. I screamed and shouted and gripped the couch, but somehow we managed it. Through all of this, the only thing that kept me going was my determination. A determination which was brought about not by any health advice I’d received from doctors or nurses or midwives or friends or family, but from reading a post one night on Baby Greenhouse!!
My opinion on breastfeeding now is that more should be done in this country to encourage women to try it. I am sure there are thousands of women / girls who choose to bottle-feed because they investigate the options and bottle-feeding seems the easiest and most practical. The health benefits of breast-feeding *as advertised* by our health authorities are simply not ‘strong’ enough to outweigh the practical benefits of bottle-feeding. Even the midwife simply said “We don’t ask how you’re going to feed your baby, we only say that breast is best. It’s your decision.” This, of course, is true. But my personal opinion is that there is a responsibility on our healthcare providers to properly advise on the pros and cons of both methods. My honest opinion is that bottle-feeding *seems* to be easier because I like the idea of the baby’s Dad and other family members being able to do some (or all!) of the feeds. If I hadn’t read this document I would probably have decided to bottle-feed. And I do *not* blame anyone else who thinks this way. I blame the Government or NHS or whoever it is that doesn’t provide sufficient information for us to make a properly informed choice!
Please please please let me stress that in no way do I think formula is “poison”. I think formula is a perfectly acceptable substitute for breast-milk, when breast-feeding has not happened. Particularly if for medical reasons – HIV, milk doesn’t come in, low pain threshold etc. But I do believe that we should be encouraged to *try* it.
The reason I posted the article was in the hope that I’d reach someone who was like me two years ago.
copyright Mhairu Hamilton
By Lisa Lactivist, on July 23rd, 2012  There is a school of thought in this country that when babies reach a certain age, they develop a craving for mushed up vegetables. From this point on you feel you must strive to provide interesting flavours and exotic fruit and vegetable combinations.
In reality, most parents will tell you that weaning can be stressful and messy with you wearing more lovingly pureed butternut squash than your little one can consume in a week! Said little one will sit in the high chair with lips firmly clamped, occasionally letting the spoon in only to spray the veggies back out and then stick a chubby baby hand in the bowl you were sure you’d put out of reach!
So why do we do it? Why don’t we follow the example of other cultures and let babies decide for themselves when they want to start eating solid food? The idea of baby-led weaning is as old as the hills but has been overlooked in recent years as new mothers have increasingly been told what they ‘should’ be doing by magazines and marketing companies.
The idea of BLW is to have appropriate food available to your baby, but not to force or even spoonfeed them. It’s a bit scary at first, especially if you are used to shovelling in mush, but your baby will soon show you what is needed!
I have two children, the first, Alexander, was weaned like most babies in this country and my second, Ruby, was weaned with BLW techniques. I can assure you that the second was much easier!! I used to give Ruby boiled carrot batons, broccoli (her favourite!) or chunks of boiled potato which she would eat at the table as we had our extended version! She didn’t eat much at all until she was about 10 months but she was still drinking a lot of milk and her chubby thighs were testament to the fact that she was not fading away!!! There was always plenty food available to her, she just took what she wanted.
I am so glad to have discovered the BLW techniques, we have never had any battles over food with Ruby, mealtimes with her are very relaxed and she will eat ANYTHING (chilli and curry are the favourites!) which is more than can be said for her brother!!
BLW Food Suggestions
- - Sliced banana
- - Grated cheese
- - Rice cakes
- - Small sandwiches
- - Peeled, sliced apple
- - Cheese on toast
- - Sliced peaches/nectarines
- - Strips of cooked meat
- - Sliced mango
- - Oatcakes with houmous
- - Halved grapes
- - Boiled carrot batons
- - Boiled potato chunks
- - Boiled butternut squash chunks
- - Boiled broccoli florets
- - Boiled cauliflower florets
Written by Laura Park, devoted mummy to Alexander 3 and Ruby 21 months.
Laura is also the owner of Brightspark Slings, home of the Coorie Fleece Pouch Sling – it’s how your baby would choose to travel!
By Lisa Lactivist, on July 14th, 2012  This was written by Fiona, mum of 3. The article is from www.breastfeedingsupport.co.uk which since the article was written has changed, there is an enormous amount of information still on there though it is under a different site name – www.infantfeeding.info
“Before I was even married, and certainly before I contemplated having children, I had a lecture on infant feeding from a rather brusque midwife at work one day.
“You’ll HAVE to breastfeed of course” she said.”Huh?”"Well you’re a doctor, you’ve got to do the right thing haven’t you?”
Not surprisingly, this didn’t really convince me of the benefits of breastfeeding, and I was annoyed by her attitude. My sister was a successful breastfeeder already, but as someone who had never really thought that having children would be important, I’d not really taken any interest.
Years later, on discovering that I was pregnant for the first time, that conversation came back to haunt me, as after reading more about the health benefits of breastfeeding I concluded that yes, I would have to “do the right thing”. It didn’t hold any appeal for me though. I resolved to feed for 3-6 months, until I went back to work. It would be a chore, but I ‘ought’ to. I certainly would never be able to feed in public, and would stop as soon as it was reasonable to do so.
Things didn’t quite end up like that though: as it turns out I fed my daughter ’til she self weaned at around 3.5 years, and I’ve fed her pretty much anywhere you can think of. I’m now feeding my son, and am a passionate advocate of the benefits of breastfeeding. My old friends still find this amazing, and not a little amusing!
So how did this change of heart come about?
Well for a start I had a hideous pregnancy. I had envisaged myself carrying on heroically, as if nothing was happening, probably working until labour was established. In fact I had horrendous hyperemesis (sickness), necessitating repeated hospital admissions and no work after about 16weeks. I then developed pre-eclampsia and Isabel was delivered, just over 2 weeks early, by caesarean section. How on earth did that help me breastfeed, I hear you ask. Well, I’m pretty stubborn at the best of times, but all this disappointment made me even more determined that I was going to get something to work!
Breastfeeding did not come easily either: the pain from my nipples overshadowed the post-section pain in a major way. Despite numerous visits from midwives, health visitors and breastfeeding counsellors, no one could find why I was in so much pain. I cried in pain everyday for 3 months or so. (I’m not encouraging you here am I?) So why did I persist? Well partly that stubborn streak again, partly the encouragement from my b/f support group and especially my sister, and mostly because of my beautiful little girl. She was so obviously thriving on it, and the closeness of the feeding times was marvellous. The look of contentment on her face as she fell asleep at the end of a feed made it all worthwhile. I had never imagined I would feel that way, and if breastfeeding was what she needed, I would carry on. I also loved the convenience; ‘Have baby, will travel’! No need to worry about warming bottles or running out of milk. I love the outdoors and was soon back to sailing and walking with no worries. If she got hungry, I just fed her, wherever I happened to be.
I stayed off work longer than I had anticipated, returning when she was about 8 months old. I had expected to stop feeding her then, but we were both so happy with the arrangement that I carried on. Although leaving her was very hard, the joy of the ‘reunion feed’ at the end of the day made it a little easier. My husband was an absolute star, bringing her over to work in the evenings when I couldn’t get home, so that she could still have her bedtime feed. Breastfeeding had become such an integral part of all our lives, it seemed daft to try and stop.
I didn’t ever consciously make the decision to breastfeed for as long as I did, it just kind of happened. My sister fed her 3 children til they were over 2yrs and my sister in law fed her 4 for between 18months and 3 years, so I didn’t really see myself as that unusual. Of course with time her feeds got less, but a breastfeed continued to make a lovely end to the day, and it was a godsend on the few occasions when she was ill.
Likewise I never made a conscious decision to stop. She began to ask less often, and I stopped offering. It ended naturally. I don’t remember her last feed, or even exactly how old she was. Despite the numerous dire warnings I received, she did stop of her own free will, and she is now as happy and self confident a 6 year old as you will meet, not for ever tied to my apron strings as I was told!
For me, breastfeeding is the healthiest option for a baby, but it’s also hugely convenient and a great source of pleasure. With my son, I found the whole business a lot easier and I intend to let him choose the time to wean too. I am not everybody’s idea of a ‘typical’ extended breastfeeder (if there is such a thing) so if you don’t think it’s for you – give it a go. Like me, you might just be surprised!
This article reproduced with permission from www.breastfeedingsupport.co.uk a ‘not for profit’ website packed with articles and advice about breastfeeding, written by mums from their own experiences.
By Lisa Lactivist, on July 9th, 2012  A is for:
Antibodies….which are passed from mum to baby through breastmilk.
Allergies, and also for asthma – their incidence is less in breastfed babies.
Alcohol – which you shouldn;t drink when pregnant, but can have (in moderation!) while breastfeeding.
“Awwww”….that lovely snuggly feeling you get…
B is for:
Beautiful smiles I get when she sees the boob coming
Big Bouncing Bazoongas that I have when Breastfeeding (I won’t say what they’re like when I’m Not lol!)
C is for:
Colostrum – babies perfect first milk
Convenience – breastmilk is ready to serve, any time, anyplace, right temperature, no preparation and no clearing up.
Closeness – that special bond between mum and baby
Counsellors – people who can help if you’re finding it hard
Calories – the extra ones you use up whilst feeding
Chocolate – you know every new mum needs it!!
D is for:
Don’t give up, during the Difficult times, which we all have in one way or another,
or
Dental Development
E is for:
Excitement from baby when they know they are about to be fed delicious mummy milk! Extra benefits that bf gives, and
Extending those benefits into toddlerhood
F is for:
Feeding frenzy – what a bf baby does when you need to increase your supply to support a growth spurt – and don’t we wish we’d been warned, rather than (F is also for) fretting that there’s something wrong with us or our supply!
Formula manufacturers – they take every chance to pretend that their product is just as good, for instance pushing (F is for) follow-on milk – implying that bf babies might be deficient in iron! www.ibfan.org/english/news/press/press13may04.html
Flora – the good kind in our babies intestines www.drjaygordon.com/bf/supplement.htm
G is for:
Goodness – all those extra special ingredients in breastmilk.
Gastroenteritis, which is less common in breastfed babies.
Groups – support groups are a great help, especially if you’re finding it hard in the early days.
H is for:
Happiness, the feelings you get when you feed your baby, mmmm, endorphins, fabulous!
High blood pressure and cholesterol, something those who are breastfed are less likely to have.
Healthy, healthy baby, healthy mummy, what more could you ask for?
Help, we all need a little, at some point, and it is always here on iVillage if nowhere else.
Health Visitors, often not experts in breastfeeding, and sadly often far to quick to suggest formula, grrrrrrr!
I is for:
ivillage Breastfeeding support board it’s fab!
Immunity, which breastfed babies get a boost to via the milk.
IQ, breastfed babies have higher IQs, and the longer they are breastfed for the greater the IQ advantage.
Illness – breastfeeding is a fantastic gift when your baby is ill, it comforts and soothes, and when they can’t digest anything else breastmilk can often keep them going.
J is for:
Just the right temperature
Joy to both mummy and baby
Boobie JUICE
Job satisfaction
K is for:
Knowledge…which along with support is the Key to success
Keeping going, through those tough early times – it does get better!
Kip – get it whenever you can!
L is for:
LOVE from mother to infant: breastfeeding increases the bonding feeling
LOVELY LEISURELY feeds
Little cute smiles, when your baby is feeding and you look at them and they have let go of your nipple and are smiling up at you (aww so cute)
Lactation obviously!
Lazy – when you can just put baby to nipple and don’t need to bother with the bottles and the mixing and the
washing and the sterilising!
Lactational Amenhorrea breastfeeding as contraception in the first 6 months
M is for:
Mammories!!
Milk: Mummy milk of course!
Medications – some of which you cannot take when pregnant but are ok when breastfeeding – see the BFN drugline site or www.motherisk.org
Mmmmm Mmmmmm Mmmmmm, the cutest sound in the whole world as your baby guzzles away!
Money: the stash of cash you save by not buying formula
Marvellous and Magical: the way a booby can instantly soothe a fractious child, not to mention the healing powers of breastmilk: put it on a small cut or sty and see how fast it heals!
N is for:
Natural thing to do
No Need to sterilise
Nipple cream, most needed at least in those first days
O is for:
Ooops my milk is squirting everywhere!!!
Other peoples problem if they dont like you feeding in public
Our boobs were made for feeding just like our feet were made for walking!!!
Open mind, Open heart
Q is for:
QUALITY milk
QUANTITY – as much as baby needs
QUICKLY available
QUIET baby who doesn’t have to wait for a bottle to be made!
P is for:
Pumps, so baby can still get your milk when you’re apart
Pads – might need lots at the beginning
Public – you CAN feed whilst out and about, even if it seems daunting
Positioning – take time to get it right, right from the start
Problems – there can be lots, but most can be overcome
Practice – it makes Perfect!
R is for:
Rest – get as much as you can
Restful – all those lovely hormones helping you to get back to sleep in the middle of the night and having a great excuse to get everyone running after you whilst you’re sitting feeding!
Rubber – you don’t need any (teats or condoms!) whilst your feeding (at least to begin with) (see ‘lactational amenhorrea’)
Rosy glow of satisfaction knowing you’re doing the best for your baby
S is for:
Snuggling up with your baby So close to you.
Saving money – it all comes for free.
Selfish because I get to have my babes all to myself.
Support, without which we might not have coped.
Size of boobs no object: breastfeeders can be AA or H cup!
T is for:
Time, none of it wasted washing, sterilising, mixing, warming……
Terrific, yet another word to describe how good breastfeeding is
Toddlers, and all of us Weirdos who still feed them! In public!!! http://community.webshots.com/photo/180981338/180982424hJkyuC
Tandem feeding, double the fun!
Truth, what the formula manufacturers try to bend
Teeth, careful now, but it doesn’t mean it has to be the end
Tasty, sweet, light, delicious, no wonder your baby can’t seem to get enough of it!
and – dare I say it? -T is for T*ts: get ‘em out for the babies!
U is for:
Unique: your breastmilk is made just for your baby
V is for:
Vitamins and minerals that breastmilk is full of, and the Vitality they give our babies
W is for:
Weight gain: it tends to be slower and steadier in bf babies leading to heathier adults with lower blood pressure, lower cholestorol (sp?) etc. (it’s just a shame not all medical professionals seem to realise this!)
W is for how wonderful bf is.
Weight loss for mum through bf: an extra 500 calories a day are consumed by BF
X is for:
Xenogeny, which means production, as in milk production!
Xerophagy, which means fasting or dieting, which most breastfeeding mums don’t have to do
Xerox, which actually means to copy or imitate, which is what formula manufacturers try to do to breastmilk, but don’t really manage!
X-ray, avoid it whilst pregnant, but it’s perfectly safe for a breastfeeding mum
Y is for:
YUMMY
Yes please Mummy, I’ll have some more breast milk
Yellow breastmilk poo – and no constipation or smell
Y not?
Z is for:
Zealous breastfeeding and breastfeeding zealots!
Zero formula needed
Z is for breastfeeding being the Zest of having a baby
This article reproduced with permission from www.breastfeedingsupport.co.uka ‘not for profit’ website packed with articles and advice about breastfeeding, written by mums from their own experiences.
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Warmth brings a deep reassuring feeling to the body and provides a sensation that is also extremely therapeutic. A wheat bag can be used in pretty much the same way as a conventional water bottle is used. However with a wheat bag there is no need to heat up water and then fill it with the water. All one needs to do is put it in the microwave oven for a couple of minutes to heat it up and then it can simply be applied to the problem area on your body. And that is not where the therapeutic use of the bag ends. It can also be used for cold treatments as well as hot treatment. If you place a wheat bag in your freezer it is then ready to be used for cold therapy as well.
I now it’s not want anybody would want but if it’s putting her health at risk and there’s no help maybe express during the day so she can use it at night or the next day and use formula in the interime. I no its not the ideal solution because I’m all for breastfeeding but if it’s getting to the point where she’s not going out and her health isnt get nobody can blame her for needing extra help and it doesn’t make you a bad mother something is better than nothing and hopefully if she expresses more constitantly and builds up a store that will be better- I also think stress plays into it as well. If I was stressed or anxious I would find it almost impossible!! I no I would rather give my children milk that was made my me for them it’s seems stupid not to but try having a relaxing bath being calm, meditation even?
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“Any old Cow” Short Sleeved T 3-6 months 
Care Instructions – Shopping Bag 
Mummy Milk Rocks – Shopping Bag 
Any Old Cow – Shopping Bag 
“Any old Cow” Short Sleeved T 6-12 months 
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