I Was Here... Breastfeeding- Pumping!

I have tried pumping a few times in the last few weeks and although Lion Cub doesn't seem to be as completely averted to the bottle as R-Man was, he still isn't that interested.  I am hoping that in the next month or so he actually will take one and Jer and I can have an evening out by ourselves!  We'll see!

So, instead of an actual breastfeeding pic this week. I thought I would post some pumping pics.  I think you can understand why I just couldn't resist posting these!

Phone?

Oxygen Mask?

So do you have any breastfeeding (or pumping) pics or stories to share this week?  Include the I Was Here... Breastfeeding button and link up!

Make sure to come back next week for a little Mama Time- we will be talking about dealing with the blues and postpartum depression.

Changes for the fall

So, now that The Summer of Baby Love is over, I have decided to restructure my memes a little bit.  Basically, each meme will be posted once a month, instead of weekly.  Memes will be posted every Tuesday.  When each meme is posted I will also be announcing the meme for the next week, along with the topic, so that it is easier for everyone to participate.  Here is what the new meme schedule will look like:

1st Week of Month:  Chic Cheeks
2nd Week of Month: Where I Babywear
3rd Week of Month:  I Was Here... Breastfeeding
4th Week of Month:  Mama Time

I decided to do this so that I could participate in more of the wonderful memes that you ladies have out there, and because I feel like it will be more feasible for people to join in my memes if I only host one a week!

So, with that said, this week's meme will actually be on Wednesday (because of the holiday) and will be Wear I Babywear- you can post whatever recent babywearing pic you want, to join in!  I can't wait to see where you all have been wearing your babes! 

I Was Here Breastfeeding- In a Boat!

We went back out to the lake this past weekend and my in-laws finally put their boat in (they hadn't because during our horrible winter their shed collapsed and broke the whole windshield- frame and all). It has been really warm so it was great to get out on the water! Lion Cub and R-Man loved the new adventure!

I do breastfeed in a boat, I would breastfeed with a goat!
I like to breastfeed, yes I do! I like to breastfeed, how 'bout you?!
Post (include the I Was Here... Breastfeeding button) and Link!

I Was Here Breastfeeding- At My Grandma's!

We went over to my grandma's house this week so that I could do some uninterrupted work on the computer (she has a big beautiful new Mac!) and R-Man could play with my young cousin. So here we are nursing and visiting!


Share your nursing photos for the week! Post, include the I Was Here... Breastfeeding button, and link up!

I Was Here... Breastfeeding- Nursing Rules!

A few weeks ago a friend of mine posted these rules for nursing on her Facebook status and I just couldn't help but post them for an I Was Here... Breastfeeding Meme! I hope you all get as big of a kick out of these as I did!

1. No acrobatics
2. Keep all pinching, hitting or twiddling hands to yourself
3. No favorites, treat both sides as equals
4. No suck, pull back, and let go
5. If you bite, you will be placed firmly on the floor
6. Ask nice
7. Baby kisses or snuggles are not required but are a nice tip
8. I reserve the right to remind you of all the things you did to me when you have little people in your life. ;)

Aren't those great?! So, now I want to hear from all of you! For this week's meme I would love for you to blog about your own little "Rules for Nursing," I am sure this could get hilarious! As always, if you can't think of any rules for yourself (or if you would just rather) you can post a nursing pic of you and your little one(s). Write your post, include the button and come back here to link up in the MckLinky to your direct post! Happy Nursing!

Two Memes in One!

Alright everybody, I got a little behind this week- it was a looooong week! So, please forgive me for the absence of two of my normal memes! To make up for it I am doing a two for one deal- you can link up any post your have that is Breastfeeding or Babywearing related, right here, right now!

Just make sure to place the appropriate button on your blog and then come back and leave the direct link to your post! Can't wait to see what you contribute!

I Was Here... Breastfeeding! World Breastfeeding Week!

Did you know that August 1 marked the beginning of World Breastfeeding Week? What better week to get out there and nurse those babes in public, changing people's perception of what is normal when it comes to feeding babies?!

To celebrate this week I wanted to point out a few sites for you ladies to check out! The first is, of course, the official World Breastfeeding Week site from LLL. They even have a page that lists local events going on this week, so be sure to check it out to find the one nearest you!

The second is a blog called Breastfeeding 1-2-3 and it has lots of awesome info about this week plus other fun support for breastfeeding moms.

Lastly, I wanted to get the word out about another event that will be happening on October 3- it is called the Global Breastfeeding Challenge and they are trying to organize events all over the country to set a record for the most babies nursing at one time! So far, the US only has 2 events scheduled (Canada has 53!), so I think we really need to step up to the plate ladies, and see about upping that number dramatically! What do you all think!?

As usual, I would also love for all of you to link up your latest breastfeeding pics! Include the I Was Here... Breastfeeding button in your post then come back here and put the direct link in the MckLinky! Can't wait for you all to share!

Now, go celebrate!

I Was Here... Breastfeeding!- Out to dinner!

Alright- this is a HORRIBLE photo of me, but I guess that just goes to show that this dinner was less than relaxing! None-the-less, we did get to go out to dinner and the food was delicious! Lion Cub was a little crazy (okay- a LOT crazy), but he did nestle in and nurse under our cover a few times which allowed me to eat a bit of our scrumptious fare! Eventually my husband did have to wander the restaurant with him so I could finish my meal, but like I said, it was delicious and getting out of the house was so worth it!

Have some breastfeeding pics you would like to share?! Blog about them, include the I Was Here... Breastfeeding button, then come back here and post your direct link in the MckLinky! Let's make breastfeeding the norm ladies! People don't point, whisper and stare at what is average! Go on... get to it!

I Was Here... Breastfeeding! At the park!

Yesterday we took R-Man to the park to run through the water features and it was the perfect chance to get a little "nursing in the park" shot! Lion Cub LOVES being outside, and since we had had a rough morning, it was a great way to relax (even though it was CRAZY hot out!).

Post your nursing pics! Include the I Was Here... Breastfeeding button then head back here and post your direct link in the MckLinky! Get out there and feed your babies ladies- it is the only way to make nursing the American norm!

I Was Here... Breastfeeding- at the Lake!

Well, as most of you know, we spent our 4th of July at my in-law's lake cabin. It was so nice to get away and relax! Here is a pic of me nursing Lion Cub on the shore- watching R-Man make a sand castle and go crazy in the water!


Do you have pics of your 4th of July nursing adventures? I would love for you to share! Post them, include the I Was Here... Breastfeeding button, then hop back over and put your direct post link in the Mr. Linky!

I Was Here... Breastfeeding- in my Sleepy Wrap!

Well, this week I learned how to nurse while keeping Lion Cub in our Sleepy Wrap- how nice!

The pictures on the Sleepy Wrap site show keeping your babe upright while nursing, which I plan to work up to. However, simply sliding Lion Cub sideways into a cradle hold worked quite well also, especially since he is still so small. One of the really nice things about this nursing position was the support it gave my back and the release of weight on my arms- let's face it, we nursing mamas don't always have the best posture and arms support while feeding our babes, but this hold totally took care of that! I think I'm hooked!

The only thing that would make it nicer would be to have a shirt that opened from the top down (or an actual nursing shirt) so I didn't have to pull my shirt all the way up out of the wrap- at home it didn't matter but I probably would be less likely to use it like this in public.

We also had our first nursing outing this week when we went to dinner with my in-laws. I got to use the nursing cover I made for the first time and it worked quite well. I probably won't use it as much as Lion Cub gets older and I don't have to expose so much of my breast while nursing him, but for now it is definitely efficient!

So, where have you been nursing this week? Post about it, include the I Was Here... Breastfeeding button, and come back here and include the direct link to your post in the Mr. Linky! Can't wait to see! Get out there and breastfeed ladies- let's make it the norm!

I Was Here... Breastfeeding!- For the First Time!

I thought it only appropriate to kick off the first real week of I Was Here... Breastfeeding with our first ever breastfeeding photos with our Lion Cub!

So far breastfeeding is going fairly well. There has definitely been that initial nipple soreness- ya know that catch breath thing when the baby first latches on?! It is getting much better though. Judah also has a tendency to kind of slurp my nipple in instead of opening his mouth wide to latch which has caused a little bit of rawness on the end of my nipple, but between applying Lansinoh lanolin cream and giving my nipples time to air-dry after feedings things are much improved.

My milk came in just two days postpartum and, oh boy, the girls are HUGE! My husband was like "Holy Cow! They are bigger than Judah's head!" I am finally starting to get past some initial engorgement I experienced with my abundant supply and things are becoming much more comfortable!

It is amazing how different breastfeeding Judah is than breastfeeding Roman! Roman was a high-maintenance babe but he was also always an excellent nurser. He had a terrific latch from day one and would normally eat very frequently for short periods of time, around the clock. Judah is taking a little more time to learn the whole process and get his latch down, but when he does nurse he stays at the breast for quite a while (with a few burpings in the mix) and then goes a longer stretch before getting hungry again. I have to admit- getting 2-3 solid hours of sleep at a time has been very nice this time around! All in all, it is such a special relationship to have shared with both of my boys!

So, this week for you to get involved in I Was Here... Breastfeeding, I would love to hear about your initial breastfeeding experiences with your little ones! If you have more than one kiddo, how have they been different? How is breastfeeding different or than same as you expected? And of course, we would love to see pics! If you aren't newly breastfeeding then you can just post pics of where you have been nursing your little one as of late!

Once you have written your post come enter your direct link into the Mr. Linky below and visit some of the other mama's blogs to hear their experiences as well! Make sure to include the I Was Here... Breastfeeding button (HTML in left sidebar) somewhere in your post so other mamas can get involved too! For all the details about the I Was Here... Breastfeeding Meme please visit here.

Until next week- Happy Nursing!

Little ways to fight back & a new Meme!

As many of you are probably aware, The World Health Organization (WHO) has a code, that most of the world (other than the US) abides by, which outlines appropriate practices of formula companies so that they do not undermine the mother-baby breastfeeding relationship. Among the items on this list is not marketing formula directly to mothers as it makes them feel as though at some point they will fail and need to supplement- it sends the message that mother's milk can't possibly be adequate all of the time (which is of course, untrue!).

Regardless, US formula companies host one of the largest advertisement campaigns of any industry and continue to market to us mothers not only through the mail, but also through our reading materials (magazines & websites), and even doctors and hospitals- all of which are against the WHO Code. In addition, I have even seen advertisements from Enfamil lately that specifically promote what they call a "breastfeeding support kit"... which includes formula! Doesn't sound very supportive of breastfeeding to me!


Obviously- this is a huge frustration for me as a breastfeeding mother, doula and lactation educator in training! So, I do what little I can to fight back. First, of course, by helping educate mothers- informed consumers make the best choices, and really, breastfeeding mothers have no need to be "consumers" of infant food anyway! Second, I try to send a message back to the companies- hence the pictured envelope! I send it back and make the message clear! Also, if I attend an event or appointment at which any formula propaganda is distributed, I refuse it.


What else can we do? How about call the companies or write a letter? We can also boycott other products distributed by formula companies (such as Nestle'). We need to let these companies know that their practices are not acceptable and are directly contributing to the horrendous rates of breastfeeding in the US! Every little bit helps!

Of course, beyond "fighting the man" directly we can also do so by simply breastfeeding, and doing it publicly! By this I don't mean that we should be flashing our breasts everywhere, but rather modestly feeding our babies in public locations so that the breastfeeding image returns to the norm in America. The general public needs to be educated in order for any change to occur.

In honor of this idea I will be introducing a new Meme in the coming weeks for all of us BFing mamas out there! It will be called: I Was Here... Breastfeeding!

Each week I am going to try to post a new picture of some place I have breastfed that week- whether it be the park, the mall, the lake, or my son's baseball practice, it doesn't matter as long as I am out there doing it! And I want you all to join me! I will have a Mr. Linky for you to post the direct link to your own post with a pic of where you have been out breastfeeding! Oh, and make sure that you post the I Was Here... Breastfeeding button (code in left sidebar) on your blog post if you would like to be included!

Come on ladies- let's form an army of publicly breastfeeding mamas, share our experiences and help change public perception! This Meme will begin just as soon as this little person pops out of my belly, so keep watching!