Archive | Breastfeeding Encouragement

Breastfeeding Blog Hop: Week 20 – Fun Times Ahead!

May 16, 2013 By Jeniffer

This post is part of the weekly breastfeeding blog hop, hosted by us, and co-hosted by Life as Wife, Mummy, and Nurse. This week’s topic is, “Breastfeeding Activities!”

Some babies love nursing. It’s not just for food, it’s truly a time that they enjoy. Abby was not that way. The most I ever did with her was to teach her sign language for “mama’s milk.” (In case you’re wondering, it’s simply the sign for Mama followed by the sign for milk.) By the time that she started enjoying our time together, I was pregnant with Lily and had started weaning her. Coincidence? Probably not.

Lily is another story altogether. After I started cutting dairy and soy out of my diet, she started enjoying our time together more and more. While I have made it a point to teach her “mama’s milk,” I have also made it a point to introduce other activities while she nurses. You know, other than just me playing Candy Crush Saga on my phone.

My all-time favorite activity is singing to her. I made up a simple song for her, and it doubles as a reinforcement for the “mama’s milk” sign! It goes, “Mama’s milk is good. Mama’s milk is yummy. Mama’s milk fills up my Lily’s tummy!” And when I get to “Lily’s tummy,” I tickle her. If she smiles, I know she’s very much awake and wants to party some more. If she doesn’t, I know she’s sleepy and will be out soon.

I also talk to her some and play with her. I’ll tickle her feet at times, too. We are also finding ways to share this time with Abby, who generally is lurking nearby while she nurses. But I still enjoy our song the most.

Do you have any special breastfeeding activities, rituals, or games? Share them with us in the linky or in the comments below!

Be sure to check out what other moms have to say in the linky below! We would love if you would link up your old or current posts on this topic. Please be sure to mention the BF Blog Hop and link to this post or our page. We would love it if you shared the BF Blog Hop with your readers by including the linky code in your post, too. If you’ll leave us your twitter handle in the comments, we’ll be sure to tag you when we tweet your post! If you are new to the Hop, be sure to check out the Breastfeeding Blog Hop page for more information about how it all works.

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Breastfeeding Blog Hop: Week 16- For the Struggles

April 19, 2013 By Jeniffer

This post is part of the weekly breastfeeding blog hop, hosted by us, and co-hosted by Life as Wife, Mummy, and Nurse. This week’s topic is, “Toddler Nursing Struggles.”

Deciding to nurse your baby can be an interesting study in what is considered appropriate in different social settings. When you’re in the hospital with your newborn, it can seem like either a surge of support or a wave of disappointment, depending on how soon you see the lactation consultant and if the hospital even has one. Then come the comments: how long you should nurse, why your baby is crying, what you should do to stop it, and even, “just one session with formula isn’t going to hurt!” Depending on your personal nursing goals, it can seem like an uphill battle, all over this little baby.

Finally, some of the smoke clears. You have set your goals, decided what is reasonable for your family, and most of those close to you have accepted it. That is, until your baby hits that magical age. For some bystanders, it’s 6 months. For others, it’s “when they start asking for it.” And still for others, seeing a toddler nurse is just weird. You’re thankful that you have had several months without comments because, baby, you’re going to need that arsenal.

By this point, your sweet little newborn has grown. Whether you have a crawling explorer or a toddler confident in his surroundings but not his own abilities, the situation arises. Maybe it’s your sweet sitter deciding to bite you. Or your adorable toddler is still nursing despite the comments from others (behind your back or to your face.) Maybe it’s even your own feelings towards your darling gymnast, feelings you may not want to admit. One comment from you about how it’s difficult or how it isn’t what you pictured and someone is bound to tell you that it’s fine to give up now. After all, your sweet little one really doesn’t need it anymore.

Oh, my dear, what do you do? Because, really, you just wanted some reassurance that your feelings are valid and that you still are on the right track. But your vulnerability has made room for an attack, whether it’s meant to be one or not.

You weigh your decision carefully, considering your baby’s feelings as well as your own. Biting isn’t an acceptable way to end a breastfeeding session, no matter how adorable a look your baby gives you afterwards, so you plan how you will act the next time you are bitten. Maybe you aren’t ready to wean your toddler and neither is he, so you keep nursing despite the comments. And if you are ready to wean, you plan out how you will work with your baby to do just that. And those feelings of angst? Are they really telling you something about your breastfeeding relationship or are they truly fleeting?

And let me tell you, you are doing a wonderful job. No matter what your ultimate decision is, no matter how many times something negative is said or how many people you have to ignore. When your decision is based on the relationship you two have, it’s going to be the best one.

If you’re looking for encouragement in your breastfeeding decisions, check out The Leaky Boob on Facebook, #bfcafe on Twitter, and @latchthebabes or #latchthebabes on Instagram. You can also email us at sistersncloth at gmail dot com or tweet us @sistersncloth. <3!!

What has been your biggest struggle with nursing an older baby or a toddler? What do you wish you would have known when dealing with it?

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Breastfeeding Blog Hop: Week 15- Fiddlesticks and Gymnastics

April 11, 2013 By Jeniffer

This post is part of the weekly breastfeeding blog hop, hosted by us, and co-hosted by Life as Wife, Mummy, and Nurse. This week’s topic is, “Raising the Future Gymnast.”

If you have been able to breastfeed beyond six months, whether it’s exclusively or not, you probably know what I’m talking about already. Something happens around this time that greatly changes the breastfeeding relationship. At first, you may notice that your baby is becoming easily distracted. Maybe they like playing with your hair, necklace, the other breast, the nipple, your hair…or all of them at once.

Keeping baby entertained can become interesting, but it’s doable. There are necklaces specifically made for breastfeeding babies in mind, like these by KangaCare or the lovely Jellystone necklaces, which are not only cute for mom but also safe for baby. Or, if the baby is like my older daughter, she will figure out how to grab your hair and twirl it. (This drove me crazy, by the way, and it still does. Thankfully her hair is long enough now that she is grabbing mine less these days!)

Once you feel that you’ve gotten passed this stage, the real fun begins: baby begins gymnurstics! Lily is still in the early stages, which is not much more than grabbing her foot and stretching it out. However, soon enough I know that she will begin turning around, obviously trying to see how elastic my breast really is. One day, she will try standing, kneeling, bending, sitting up, and all sorts of really fun moves! She has already started trying to type on the keyboard when I’m on the computer, too. I can tell that she’s going to be a very interesting nursling!

In all fairness, Abby was more laid back when she nursed. She often nursed to sleep (or close to it) even as a toddler. Lily, on the other hand, seems to gain energy from nursing. I love how very different my girls are, even in this regard. So what’s in store for my future gymnast? I have no idea, but I’ll be thankful if she decides to leave my collarbone alone!

Does your baby seem to have a future career as a gymnast? Share your stories on gymnastic training sessions or “fiddling” in the comments!

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