Be sure to join us in our social media accounts and be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our hashtag

#BreastfeedingWorld

Jessica Speer

I am a first time momma to Landon and I am loving every sweet moment that passes by with him. I work full-time as a Registered Nurse, so I know how important and beneficial breastfeeding is for your baby. On my free time, I am a writer, avid photo taker and cook. As a contributor for Breastfeeding World, my goal is to encourage and inspire other new moms as they start on their own personal journeys through motherhood and breastfeeding. We are all in this together!

www.asthespeeritmovesyou.com

The post ‘For The Nursing Mommas’ 2017 Holiday Gift Guide appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

I’m not ready to give them up.

My first thought when it comes to weaning is, are we ready? I wonder, will it hurt? Is there ever ‘the right time’ to stop? Will I be judged for stopping? Will I be judged for continuing? I am sure I am not alone in thinking these things.

To be truthfully honest, I do not know much about weaning. I wanted to write this article, not only educate myself, but to be able to help some of you ‘wondering mommas’ in the process as well. In this post I hope to cover the basics of weaning, when the right time to wean is and what the best way is to go about it.

Time to wean?

The basics:

When you start the process of weaning you may notice that your breasts are still engorged. It takes time for your body to adjust to this change and for your body to decrease your milk supply. In the meantime, you may feel some discomfort when your breasts are full. Cold compresses are a great way to decrease swelling and discomfort (I have read that cabbage leaves do a great job!) Also, ibuprofen can be used for the swelling and discomfort.

As per Kellymom.com, “Do express or pump if you get uncomfortably full. It’s not good for your body to not have any way of relieving the fullness. Pumping or hand expressing just enough milk to relieve discomfort will not prevent your milk supply from decreasing. What causes milk production to stay the same or increase is adequate milk removal. If only a small amount of milk is removed from the breast, then milk production will decrease. In addition, expressing a little milk will relieve your discomfort and make it less likely that you’ll develop plugged ducts, a breast infection, or an abcess.”

Timing:

Breastfeeding is a mutual relationship between baby and mother. Weaning should occur when you and your baby are both ready. But how do you know? If baby seems disinterested in the breast, this may be a good time to start. If baby is still giving you cues that they still want to nurse, this may be an indication that now is not the right time to wean. On the flip side- breastfeeding over one year has many advantages to baby and momma. If nursing is doing good for you both, continuing is a great option as well. Go with your gut.

How to wean:

The best way to go about weaning is to slowly taper down feedings. Are you used to 5 feedings a day? Step back to 4. A gradual decrease in baby’s feeding schedule will slowly decrease your supply. In the meantime, you will still want to supplement with formula or a breastmilk replacement (whole milk, almond milk, goats milk, almond milk etc – over 1 year), depending on what your pediatrician recommends. Also, shortening the time that your baby is spending at the breast during feedings, will help in the weaning process. If your baby usually nurses for 15 minutes, try cutting the time in half. Depending on baby’s age, follow the feeding with a healthy snack, such as unsweetened applesauce or a cup of milk or formula. This will help to keep baby feeling full and still satisfied, easing the weaning process.

I know for me, I noticed a decrease in my milk supply when I stopped pumping as frequently. I continue to breastfeed Landon every 4 hours or so, but it seems that he is taking less at each feeding now. At (almost) a year of age, he is doing great drinking from the bottle and is becoming more and more independent- so I think this may be our time to begin weaning- which to be honest, I think we have started naturally.

Have any advice to offer any moms who are starting the weaning process? Feel free to share you comments below. We welcome advice from other mommas who have been there!

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts and be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our hashtag

#BreastfeedingWorld

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Jessica Speer

I am a first time momma to Landon and I am loving every sweet moment that passes by with him. I work full-time as a Registered Nurse, so I know how important and beneficial breastfeeding is for your baby. On my free time, I am a writer, avid photo taker and cook. As a contributor for Breastfeeding World, my goal is to encourage and inspire other new moms as they start on their own personal journeys through motherhood and breastfeeding. We are all in this together!

www.asthespeeritmovesyou.com

The post Successful Tips For Weaning Your Baby appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

After Landon was born, while in the hospital, I felt even more helpless. Each nurse would come into our room telling me to hold baby this way (or that way) and to do this or do that to adjust his latch. Although they were only trying to help, it only left me feeling more confused. This whole breastfeeding thing wasn’t as easy as I had hoped. I felt all of the pressure with finding the right angle, the proper tilt of their head, while making sure that the baby felt comfortable and secure in my hold. The days before hospital discharge were spent absorbing tons of information from the nurses and lactation specialists- with one common goal in mind, to get “the perfect latch”. (Wait, does that even exist?)

I hope that I can make this process simplifed for you by going over “the basics” that I found during my research. Just remember, like everything, helping your baby take the breast will take patience and practice. Do not feel it is something that you need to get right away and be an expert at. We all went through it- practice makes perfect, right?

1. Get comfortable

Try to relax yourself as much as possible. Dim the lights, turn down the music and get yourself relaxed. Find a place were you feel is right for breastfeeding, whether that be in the corner of your cozy nursery sitting in your new rocking chair, set up on the couch or in your bed, wherever you feel peaceful and safe. Some moms find pillows to be a great support to them, so I encourage you to use one if this is you. There are so many breastfeeding pillows out there and a lot of moms find them to be very helpful. From my experience it is nice to be able to prop something beneath baby’s head, to give your arms a rest for the moment.

2. Holding baby

Now let’s talk about positioning. There is no ‘proper’ way to hold your baby, it really is whatever works best for you and your baby. I will be perfectly honest with you here, this took us a good three weeks to conquer. On the nights when I felt like we had a good session, I would actually take a picture from the angle, which I fed him, so that I could remember to replicate this position the next time. After a period of time we found what worked for us both.

Below are some of the common/popular positions to hold your baby in when feeding.

Side-lying: Some women prefer laying down when feeding their baby. This may help take the weight off of your body and provide some extra comfort. Use pillows to help support your own head. Lay on your side and face baby toward your breast, help to support baby’s back with your free hand. Use your free hand to help aid baby to your breast.

Football: (great option after a C-section) Hold baby to your side, with your elbow bent. With your open hand, support baby’s head and face baby towards your breast. Baby’s feet face toward your back and his/her back will rest on your forearm.

Cross-cradle: Bring baby across the front of your body – tummy to tummy. Support baby’s head with your free hand. Cradle your baby with the arm opposite the breast you’re feeding from.

Cradle: Similar to the cross-cradle, but you will support the baby with the arm on the same side of the breast you are nursing on. I like to think of this position as ‘wearing baby like a seatbelt.’ There is a diagonal line that forms when baby is feeding and laying against your belly. This is the position that works best for us.

3. Prepare for a good latch

Once you and your baby are comfortable, it is time to latch on.

• Make sure to line up baby’s nose to your nipple.
• Tilt baby’s head slightly backward.
• Make sure that baby’s mouth is wide open.
• Try cupping your breast in a U shape while you aid baby to your nipple. The key here is to keep baby’s lower jaw as far away from the nipple as possible.
• Support baby firmly behind the shoulders and back, pull his/her hips against you.

I hope that these tips will help you feel more comfortable when it comes to getting the (not so) perfect latch. Remember: just as you are learning, so is your baby. This may take some time get used to and feel natural, do not worry if you both aren’t experts right away. It will come. Do not give up. You got this!

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts and be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our hashtag

#BreastfeedingWorld

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Jessica Speer

I am a first time momma to Landon and I am loving every sweet moment that passes by with him. I work full-time as a Registered Nurse, so I know how important and beneficial breastfeeding is for your baby. On my free time, I am a writer, avid photo taker and cook. As a contributor for Breastfeeding World, my goal is to encourage and inspire other new moms as they start on their own personal journeys through motherhood and breastfeeding. We are all in this together!

www.asthespeeritmovesyou.com

The post Is there such a thing as the “perfect latch?” appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

Today I want to share with you an awesome company, Kindred Bravely.

Kindred Bravely is a company devoted to creating maternity and postpartum clothes that are effortlessly chic and beautiful, while still being comfy and practical.

Founded by Deeanne Akerson, who was sick of all of the impractical and often times, ugly, maternity wear (especially for breastfeeding moms). She set out to make a change, and Kindred Bravely was born. She wants moms to look and feel great all the time. I love how Deeanne describes her clothing line; “Our clothes have been meticulously designed to make your superhero journey easier.”

Our Team at Breastfeeding World leaped at the opportunity to collaborate with Kindred Bravely to pull of the most epic Big Latch On Events in NYC, Times Square, Central Indiana, and Martha’s Vineyard.

Read more about how DeeAnne started Kindred Bravely here.

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As a mom to an eight month old boy, I understand how difficult it is to find the “perfect” nursing bra or an adorable nursing set that you feel comfortable flaunting around the house in front of close friends and family. The struggle is real…well, until I found about out KB.

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To test out some of the products first hand, Kindred Bravely sent me two nursing bras and two pajama sets- one was with long pants and the other shorts.

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When it comes to bras, I never seem to get it right. I find that every bra fits differently. I feel like every bra is a different size, in every new bra style that I choose from. Does this ever happen to you too? When KB asked me what size to send me, I was a little hesitant that yet again, they wouldn’t fit me right or be uncomfortable. Man, was I pleasantly surprised.  When I received my package in the mail, I instantly ran over to grab my phone to do an ‘insta-unpackaging story’ -because obviously everyone on my Instagram had to know about this

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The first thing that grabbed my attention when I opened the pack of bras, was the feeling of the fabric.

I have never owned a bra that felt that soft. Kindred Bravely Sent me the Simply Sublime Nursing Bra in beige and the Marvella Nursing Plunge “T-Shirt” Bra in black. Now, you may think that what I am about to say is just ‘a way to get you to buy these products’ – truth be told, it is not. I put on the Marvella Bra first and instantly shouted out loud,

“OMG finalllllly!!! This bra is amazzzzing!”

My husband looked at me like I had two heads. I kid you not, I did a little dance around our living room. I had never experienced a bra like this. Usually bras are so uncomfortable for me or like I said, never fit, but this bra was magical. It fit PERFECT!

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Since I received both bras, I haven’t worn any other. They fit great, are super comfortable and convenient for nursing mamas- being that the straps snap off for easy access. You can tell right away that KB made both bras with high quality fabrics.The soft and stretchy nylon makes them feel almost like you aren’t even wearing a bra at all!

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The Marvella bra has a criss-cross back.

I love its wire-free design and how comfortable it feels on my chest. After trying on this bra, I now realize that I am willing to pay a little more to get the better quality. This bra offers great support and is very appealing to the eye. The Marvella sells for $39 and comes in a variety of colors.

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Jessica Speer

I am a first time momma to Landon and I am loving every sweet moment that passes by with him. I work full-time as a Registered Nurse, so I know how important and beneficial breastfeeding is for your baby. On my free time, I am a writer, avid photo taker and cook. As a contributor for Breastfeeding World, my goal is to encourage and inspire other new moms as they start on their own personal journeys through motherhood and breastfeeding. We are all in this together!

www.asthespeeritmovesyou.com

The post The Only Nursing Bra (and Jammies) that You’ll Ever Need- Kindred Bravely Review appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

I am a mom who has thankfully been able to produce an abundance of milk for my baby. But, I always wondered, what will I do with all of this milk? Donation had never entered my mind. I would joke with my husband, “Who needs chicken for dinner when Landon has all the food he will ever need in here?”  The milk in my freezer was seriously starting to take over… 

From the day that I brought Landon home from the hospital, I knew that I wanted to create a decent stock pile of milk, to make my transition back to work as easy and worry free as possible. I wanted to make sure that I had enough stored away, so that on a ‘bad day’ I wasn’t stressing over where my baby’s food would be coming from.

I have to take a moment here to acknowledge how lucky I am that pumping and breastfeeding came so easy for me- as we know, this is not the case for all mommas.  Thinking back now, I have an idea of why I was blessed with a plethora of milk. It was not only my purpose to feed my own little one, but to help supply milk for another baby in need too. What an incredible feeling.

So, you may be wondering.

How did she do this?

One day when I was re-organizing my milk supply and having a mini panic attack about where I would stockpile it all, I had a thought run though my head — what about breastmilk donation? I have heard of little preemie babies needing donored breastmilk in the NICU of the hospital, but wasn’t sure If I could be a donor myself. What are the requirements?

I quickly whipped out my iphone and pulled up my best friend, Google. A quick internet search for breast milk donation led the way. I quickly wondered, how I would get my milk from point A to point B. Who would actually take it? What I started to realize was that most milk banks were requiring intense questionnaires and interviews, as well as blood work for screening and in some cases, even a doctor’s consent.

I dug a little further and submitted a question to my FB breastfeeding group. To my surprise, got some really great feedback. A bunch of moms responded telling me to checkout the informed milksharing network, Human Milk 4 Human Babies. The mission of HM4HB is to promote the nourishment of babies and children around the world with human milk. They are dedicated to fostering community between local families who have chosen to share breastmilk. This is exactly what I wanted to be a part of.

The most convenient part about this network is that each state has their own Facebook page, which helps mothers in need link up with potential milk donors.

I quickly discovered that there were more mothers in search of breast milk donations than I thought. Surprisingly, there were two women, whom I personally know, who had requested breast milk on this page in the past. I submitted a post to the group, stating that I was a non-smoking, alcohol free, Registered Nurse from Northern, NJ looking to donate over a month’s worth of milk to a mother in need. To my surprise, within a half hour I was linked up with a momma who, believe it or not, lives practically in my backyard. I was floored. How could it be that the baby who needed my milk, lived just five minutes away. It was meant to be.

The mom and I quickly got to chatting. I soon found out that she was a nurse too (what are the chances?). And she was having a problem with her supply. I was so happy to be able to help out. I now knew that the milk that I had stored up in my freezer was not only for Landon. It was for Emilia, too.

Being able to donate my milk has been such an honor. Knowing that I could take part in helping baby E get the nutrients that she needs, is an extraordinary feeling. By being able to help out this momma in need, I, in return was touched.

What is your experience with milk donation? Have you ever given or received? We’d love to read your story in the comments below!

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts and be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our hashtag

#BreastfeedingWorld

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Jessica Speer

I am a first time momma to Landon and I am loving every sweet moment that passes by with him. I work full-time as a Registered Nurse, so I know how important and beneficial breastfeeding is for your baby. On my free time, I am a writer, avid photo taker and cook. As a contributor for Breastfeeding World, my goal is to encourage and inspire other new moms as they start on their own personal journeys through motherhood and breastfeeding. We are all in this together!

www.asthespeeritmovesyou.com

The post How Breastmilk Donation Has Changed Me appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

To be completely honest, I haven’t given much thought to NOT breastfeed. I mean, it is SO good for your baby and there are many health benefits. So, why wouldn’t I? Being a full-time Registered Nurse, I know how beneficial breastfeeding can be for your newborn, so of course I want to be able to provide that for my Little One.

I want to start by saying that I am in no way against formula feeding. Of course, I understand that some mommas have to take this route for various reasons (including personal) and that is totally fine. I am pro-breastfeeding in the event you are given an option to choose between the two.

Breastfeeding has so many great benefits for not only baby, but mommy as well. Now, I hope you don’t mind that the Nurse in me is going to come out in this article. By choosing to breastfeed your baby, you not only get to be super close and cuddly with your mini-me, but you get to give him/her the best momma juice out there, your breast milk.  It still fascinates me how amazing our body works and what it can do! I mean, it just knows when to produce milk and just how much your baby needs.  How cool is that?

Since the moment that I found out that I was pregnant, I knew that I wanted to try to breastfeed my baby.

Being a nurse and constantly working around sick people, I have built up a great immune system. It was a ‘no brainer’ that I had to pass this immunity onto my baby too. By giving your LO breast milk, you are already helping to prevent your newborn from any possible infection.

This is particularly beneficial during your baby’s first few months of life; because this is the time baby uses to build up their defense against foreign organisms. By choosing to breastfeed your baby, you are also helping to lower your baby’s chance of contracting many illnesses later in their lives, such as asthma, allergies, diabetes, cancer, as well as helping to improve their brain development and reducing the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). AND, children who were breastfed are shown to have higher IQ scores later in life. Have I convinced you just yet?

Guess what? Baby is not the only one who benefits in your choice to nurse. There are many incentives that also come to mom as well.

One, you will save money- roughly $1,500 a year. I know that money was certainly a factor for my husband and I. More money to save for diapers, they sure add up quick. 

Another thing that drew my attention was the fact that breastfeeding helps with weight loss. I gained 29 lbs. during my pregnancy (all in my belly, thankfully) but it was surprisingly SO EASY for me to lose it postpartum. My fast weight loss was attributed to eating healthy throughout my pregnancy, being active (walking daily) and yes, breastfeeding. I watched the weight fall off in front of me. For so many people, weight loss alone is the reason many moms choose to breastfeed- and that’s OK.

Your baby benefits and so do you! Another reason why I am pro-BF is because it is so convenient! No waiting to heat up bottles when baby is HANGRY and crying. Just lift up your shirt, pull baby close and there you go. There is no mess. Not having any bottles to clean makes it quick, simple & easy.

Being an RN, it is my role to support, empower and educate moms on their journey breastfeeding their new baby.

I hope by writing for Breastfeeding World that I am able to help provide you with the tools and resources you will need to be successful and have an easy transition into your breastfeeding journey. To me, nothing beats the feeling you get when you look your little one in the eyes and know that you are providing them with the best nutrients possible. It puts me at ease and comforts my heart, knowing that Landon is going to grow big and strong, by reaping all of the wonderful rewards breastfeeding has to offer!

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts and be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our hashtag

#BreastfeedingWorld

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Jessica Speer

I am a first time momma to Landon and I am loving every sweet moment that passes by with him. I work full-time as a Registered Nurse, so I know how important and beneficial breastfeeding is for your baby. On my free time, I am a writer, avid photo taker and cook. As a contributor for Breastfeeding World, my goal is to encourage and inspire other new moms as they start on their own personal journeys through motherhood and breastfeeding. We are all in this together!

www.asthespeeritmovesyou.com

The post Nursing from a Nurse’s Perspective appeared first on Breastfeeding World.