I nurse my child in the name of peace, love, and family

It is a blessing to know that milk is always there, dripping and ready for baby’s lips.  It becomes a comfort for both the parent with breastmilk oversupply and nursling as it provides instant gratification. The freezer stash is growing and pumping at work yields more than enough for tomorrow’s bottles. Oversupply can also be a curse. Frothy poops. Bad gas. So much spit up. You want to nurse again? I need not say more. 

A breastfed child most certainly learns while spending time at the breast.  When babies learn the typical routine of milk spewing down the throat to the point of gagging a bit, they accept it as normal.  Baby nurses in a pattern that best suits their personal needs given the forecast.  In a nursing relationship that is purely child-led, oversupply evens out naturally in due time. 

Sometimes, just when you think you’ve leveled everything out and helped your child to breastfeed more easily, said child brings on a behavioral plot-twist.  Instant gratification is gone and the child must learn a new routine: working for and waiting for the milk!  This can be frustrating to the little one who only knew chugging as a means of receiving nourishment.  This child may take a while to adjust expectations when latched and more noticably behaviors.

My son Eric is learning to cope with a delay ed letdown

Issues I have been dealing with in this situation with a young toddler are usually during the evening and include fussing, kicking, body jerking, pulling at the nipples, latching back and forth between breasts, kneading, grabbing, maybe even a bite. If your breastfeeding toddler is also experiencing frustration with a harder to tap supply, help them through this transition peacefully and gently.

The best way to help an older child relax while initiating letdown is to be proactive.  While nursing much less, it is still important to remain hydrated throughout the day.  Continue to eat healthy and possibly treat yourself to a lactation cookie midday.  Set the mood to be relaxing with light music and soft lighting.  Talk to your nursling in a soft voice and validate their frustration. Reward them verbally for their efforts.  “I know you want milk right now, you are frustrated and are working so hard to get it! Keep suckling, you are being so patient.” 

While it may be stressful and tempting to yell, spank, bite, or punish the nursling who physically hurts us during a nursing session, remember that it is developmentally normal for this behavior and it is our job to guide by example. By being mindful of the source of the nursling’s behavior and responding through gentle methods, we equip the child with coping skills and confidence that may be useful in future delayed gratification.  

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

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #BreastfeedingWorld 

–

[col1][/col1]

[col2][/col2]

[col3][/col3]

Laura Pollera

I am excited to share my experience and knowledge with you! I’m a certified elementary school teacher turned stay at home mom. My former specialty was in direct support to children with intellectual and developmental disorders as well as being a lead teacher in preschool. I have a passion for lactivism and am in the process of becoming a La Leche League Leader. My son and I follow natural term breastfeeding/baby-led weaning, plant-based living, bedsharing, and babywearing while my fiancè and I consider ourselves to be attachment and peaceful parents. Find her on Instagram: @peace_love_fam

peacelovefam.wordpress.com

The post Breastmilk Oversupply and the Ungratified Toddler appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

“Tend and befriend” is the saying and more mothers need to keep it in mind.  Research has examined stress responses in women, specifically mothers, and noticed a marked pattern that follows this model more consistently than the typical “fight or flight”. Basically, stressed out moms are more likely to engage in caring  for their children and seeking out social groups to cope and ward off furthur distress.  

If you are a mom to a new baby or are a soon to be mom, it is a great idea to connect with like-minded mothers who can provide the necessary education and community support involved in raising babies. Consider your parenting goals and use that to find a suitable group of mothers to join. While you may already have an established community of friends and family, there is no guarantee they will be able to support your specific needs as a mother and baby unit.

Riddle Memorial Hospital’s Big Latch On event brought local families together to support breastfeeding

“My mom tells me I spoil the baby and he should start getting in good habits now.”  While mom may be doing her best, she may not realize that her advice to not care for your baby is counter productive for the well-being of both of you.  Keep mom around as she means well, yet find a tribe of moms who are supportive of your ideas as well. Spread your newfound knowledge to help reinforce your supporters. Remember, her generation was given a lot of poor advice from the trusted medical community that worked against a mother’s natural instincts. No wonder crying it out just feels wrong!

“Exactly why I need to get back to work.  I miss being around other adults and having conversations and independence.” While this may be a viable befriending strategy for some new mothers, other mothers take a different route due to even more distress about not being able to tend to the baby all day. This is ok and normal. If it is a financial possibility I would highly recommend remaining as the primary caregiver and finding a community that meshes well with your new family life. 

“I have no choice.  I need to work to support my family.” Be vigilant as returning to work in the first six months after delivery puts women at increased risk for PPD. Remain close with your baby when home to benefit from mothering hormones and do not feel ashamed to reach out for support. 

“My situation is a lot worse than I expected. My depression and anxiety are getting the best of me and my baby would be better off without me.” Reach out today. Motherhood does not have to feel like this and you deserve to be happier. Your baby loves you unconditionally and there are resources to get you through this tough time. 

Let’s stop the mommy wars and show community support.  We as women all need to feel a sense of belonging and validation.  We deserve unity, dignity, and good quality education in our journey through motherhood.  We are our best resource in growing a healthy, successful network to raise the next generation. Below are ideas and resources listed for mothers to find that community support.

Free resources:

• La Leche League holds free local, regularly scheduled meetings for breastfeeding mothers. Children play while women conversate. 
• Babywearing International also holds free, regularly scheduled meetings for families to mingle and learn. 
• Check your local library for storytimes.  This is a great, free way to branch out and feel a sense of community that caters to family life.
• Your place of birth most likely has a mother’s support group for families with close delivery dates. 
• Facebook and social media.  Get onto facebook and enter your favorite key words in.  I belong to multiple different and specific online communities such as my local town’s parent group, a lactivist group, vegan moms groups, breastfeeding, attachment parenting, babywearing, and the list goes on.  Drop a comment below if you are looking for a specific group and I can help you find it! 
• Start your own in-person or online tribe through www.meetup.com or Facebook. Be the matriarch and bring the mamas together!

Remember, if your support system is making you feel disconnected, unsupported, or negatively about anything it is in your best interest to find a new one! Just because a mother’s group exists does not automatically mean it will be the right one for you. 

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

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #BreastfeedingWorld 

–

[col1][/col1]

[col2][/col2]

[col3][/col3]

Laura Pollera

I am excited to share my experience and knowledge with you! I’m a certified elementary school teacher turned stay at home mom. My former specialty was in direct support to children with intellectual and developmental disorders as well as being a lead teacher in preschool. I have a passion for lactivism and am in the process of becoming a La Leche League Leader. My son and I follow natural term breastfeeding/baby-led weaning, plant-based living, bedsharing, and babywearing while my fiancè and I consider ourselves to be attachment and peaceful parents. Find her on Instagram: @peace_love_fam

peacelovefam.wordpress.com

The post Tend and Befriend appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

She might be your coworker, relative, neighbor, or cashier. While neither spoken of nor receiving as much attention as other birth practices, ingesting the placenta is on the rise. Everyday women who are enmeshed in everyday societal functions are subscribing to this form of self-care.  

Whether raw in a smoothie to mask the taste, dehydrated and encapsulated into pills, or frozen and saved for later in menopause, women who eat their placentas choose from a variety of methods to reap benefits that are wildly unresearched by scientists. The age old tradition of personal reccommendation and anecdotal evidence is how the practice is promoted. On closed facebook groups, in small prenatal classes at birth centers, and simple word of mouth is how women are finding out about the notion of natural healing through the placenta. 

While the scientific literature backing up the benefits of consuming placenta are scarce, women who have done this can firmy attest to it. Ensuring milk supply, hormonal balance to overcome PPD, endurance after birth, and speedy recovery are just a few benefits women experience. 

Nowadays encapsulated placenta is commonly consumed by mothers

Nurse Manager Megan King of Lifecycle Woman Care tipped me off to this strange yet appealing practice. She calmly told her own personal story during a break in the birthing class she was teaching. Her story was heartwrenching as she described how it felt during her first newborn experience with PPD versus that of her second child in which she ate her placenta out of desperation to avoid that feeling again. 

“Night and day” was the exact way she put it. My fiancè leaned over and whispered “you should totally do that” as he recalled the midwives identified me as being at risk for depression and anxiety post partum.  Later that day I got on the internet to begin my quest for more information. I stumbled upon a local mother who runs a small service out of her home. Heather admitted the process was simple and I could do it for free, but it is not something most women want to busy themselves with on their first day home with baby. 

Three days after birth, my placenta pills arrived and I followed the approach recommended by my encapsulating service.  My story adds to the library of unresearched testaments of profound benefits. My milk spewed from my breasts, I found myself scrubbing the bathroom floor while my newborn napped, and while I experienced a degree of maternal anxiety I can confidently say PPD did not take over my new mom experience!

I was not prepared for my endless supply of milk postpartum!

 If you are worried about developing post partum depression or anxiety, milk supply, or simply want power over your own birth experience through ingesting your placenta, here are a few pointers: 

• Find a local service online through a google search during pregnancy. 
• Write it in your birth plan, inform your birth partner, and verbally inform your birthing staff before delivery. 
• Understand that lack of research is why many of these claims are unsupported and women continue to rely on other experienced women to pass down this information.
• Nothing is guaranteed and not all women will have the same outcome. 
• Bring a cooler and ice to your birth to preserve the placenta until you are ready to prepare or transport it.
• Consider the health of the placenta and your personal health during pregnancy. 

Only you can decide if ingesting the nutrient dense placenta is right for you. Drop a comment below if you have or are considering using your placenta instead of  labeling it medical waste! 

Don’t leave without checking out my previous post: “Nursing Blind”

Don’t forget to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #BreastfeedingWorld 

–

[col1][/col1]

[col2][/col2]

[col3][/col3]

Laura Pollera

I am excited to share my experience and knowledge with you! I’m a certified elementary school teacher turned stay at home mom. My former specialty was in direct support to children with intellectual and developmental disorders as well as being a lead teacher in preschool. I have a passion for lactivism and am in the process of becoming a La Leche League Leader. My son and I follow natural term breastfeeding/baby-led weaning, plant-based living, bedsharing, and babywearing while my fiancè and I consider ourselves to be attachment and peaceful parents. Find her on Instagram: @peace_love_fam

peacelovefam.wordpress.com

The post Do Women Really Eat Their Own Placenta? appeared first on Breastfeeding World.

The beauty of breastfeeding, however, is that time never has to be a constraining factor. Moms and nurslings can and do nurse until the child has grown out of the need to nurse, well past the age of two! When you reach a point in your breastfeeding relationship in which you may question weaning, consider the list below to help make an informed decision that best suits your family. 

Here are five reasons why natural-term breastfeeding might be right for you:

1. You care about the environment, animals, and overall health. Being eco-friendly, healthy living, and showing love for furry friends interests you.  Maybe you are super savvy when it comes to saving the planet, or maybe you aspire to adopt a healthy eating plan by the time baby starts solids.  Either way, mother’s milk never loses benefits in the environmental department. Natural-term weaning is sustainable, unlike dairy farming.

2. It is relatively easy compared to nursing a newborn. By the time your baby is one year old, you have already overcome so many obstacles that happen in the early weeks and months.  Latching and positioning have become a breeze, your life has finally adapted to the demands of nursing (errands? No problem!), and baby’s growing ability to communicate is making it easier than ever. Why should a child’s ability to ask for it determine readiness to wean?

Laura nursing Eric at 13 months

3. The mental image of your little one as a teenager driving off with friends is frightening. You know there will come a time when your baby will be all grown up and instead of nursing to sleep in your arms, he or she would rather be at a sleepover with friends. With the confidence that your nursling most definitely will not be drinking bottles of pumped breastmilk in college, you can rest assured that they in fact will eventually wean on their own!  

4. Breastfeeding calms Your baby and you down. Maybe you secretly enjoy escaping to a other room to nurse to get away from the crowd and steal away some cherished alone time.  Or, maybe you find yourself snoozing away after a nursing session.  The fuzzy feeling brought on by hormones involved in bonding and breastfeeding will continue to work its therapeutic magic.

5. Selfish selfish selfish. Yup, maybe you are just one selfish woman who enjoys burning calories in her sleep during a night feed. You love clocking out at work for pump breaks and facebooking for your unpaid 15 minutes three times a day.  You finally discovered the art of self-love as your body serves incredible purpose. Let the haters hate, you are too selfish to care how others view your decision to breastfeed a walking, talking human.

One year old breastfeeding on a public beach

While there are many more benefits to child-led weaning, these are great starting points to explore if you, family, or friends have doubts.  Ultimately, if it is in your family’s best interest to introduce weaning before age two, there are gentle ways to go about it.  Remember that it is always up to the child and mother to make this decision.  Comment below to add to the list! 

–

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

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #BreastfeedingWorld 

–

[col1][/col1]

[col2][/col2]

[col3][/col3]

Laura Pollera

I am excited to share my experience and knowledge with you! I’m a certified elementary school teacher turned stay at home mom. My former specialty was in direct support to children with intellectual and developmental disorders as well as being a lead teacher in preschool. I have a passion for lactivism and am in the process of becoming a La Leche League Leader. My son and I follow natural term breastfeeding/baby-led weaning, plant-based living, bedsharing, and babywearing while my fiancè and I consider ourselves to be attachment and peaceful parents. Find her on Instagram: @peace_love_fam

peacelovefam.wordpress.com

The post Five Reasons to support Child-Led Weaning appeared first on Breastfeeding World.