What to expect the first 2 weeks of breastfeeding

I found this great article on what to expect during the first 2 weeks of breastfeeding on askthelactationconsultant.com. She consistently gives great advice on breastfeeding topics most people do not talk about. I love this article because there are links to find out more if you want to know it. I hope this helps shed some light for those of you wondering... Pass it on to those it may help. I wish I knew this BEFORE I had my son! :) Nicole Days 2-10: Your milk will come in sometime between day 2-5. Your mode of delivery will impact when the milk comes in. As well as factors like illness, excessive blood loss, hormone levels, exhaustion and emotional state. Click here to learn how vaginal vs. c-section deliveries will impact your milk. The time your milk comes in can be affected by several factors. Your birth experience, health status, medications you are taking and exhaustion. Milk production is considered an "extra" function so if your body needs to concentrate on something more important, like keeping you alive due to excessive blood loss, milk production may have to wait until you are better. But lets now assume your milk is in. How do you know? Most women will experience engorgement. Click here to learn more about engorgement. If you do not experience engorgement (WHAT? Seriously, there are people who do not experience engorgement?!), then your first indication could be that you are now hearing your baby gulp with every suck. Or that your breasts are leaking. If you do not experience any of these signs by day 7 I highly encourage you to see a lactation consultant. When your milk comes in another sign can be LETDOWN . The letdown response can be uncomfortable at the beginning. For me it was. It felt like it feels when your hand or foot falls asleep and the blood is returning- that strong tingling sensation only on your nipple areola area. It was pretty intense. The good news is that it only lasts for 10-15 seconds. Not all experience this but most do. After your milk is in, you can change your feeding pattern up a little now to better empty the breasts by: Feed on one side per feeding instead of both sides at each feed. A simple way to do this is to feed for 10-15 minutes, take baby off to burp and put them back on the SAME breast until they fall asleep. Then for the next feed go to the other breast. Why change the pattern? We suggest changing the pattern because of the foremilk/hindmilk that you have once your milk is in. Once you have milk volume, the milk in is catagorized as fore and hind milk. Foremilk is a thinner/watery type milk that can be obtained at the beginning of a feeding. HIND milk is a fattier milk that can only be obtained toward the end of a feeding. The idea is that if you offer BOTH breasts for 10 min and 10 min your baby may not get to the hind milk thus causing them to feed more frequently and possibly be gassy because the of the foremilk. Learn more about ForeMilk and HindMilk here For the next week, you will have these days: Feeding every 2-3 hours, changing diapers, sleeping when the baby does, eating whenever possible, showering daily if possible, visiting with people that you will not remember visiting with, and repeating it over and over. Sounds crazy but it is pure bliss getting to know your child. Cherish it, the time is over before you know it. Go from days 2 to 10 to first 2 weeks main page Go from days 2 to 10 to askthelactationconsultant.com

Genetically Modified Cows Produce "Human" Milk

I just read this article titled Genetically Modified Cows Produce "Human" Milk. As I read the first few paragraphs I could not believe China had pulled off genetically altering cows milk and more importantly I could not understand why. But once I got through the genetic make-up mumbo jumbo, I understood it and I dare say it is brilliant (if they actually pulled it off) but is something so complicated necessary?

I did not realize that 90% of the adults in China are lactose intolerant and that they recently had a sickening of nearly 300,000 infants fed the tainted milk powder, which is what inspired this 10 year genetic project. Could a simpler solution be found by increasing support for and awareness of the benefits of breast-feeding itself and increasing enforcement of food safety laws?

This is very interesting, informative and had me saying "really" throughout the entire article so I thought I would share it and possibly spark some conversation. Share your thoughts!

FUN FACT: In ancient China, only the emperor and the empress could drink human milk throughout their lives, which was believed to be the height of opulence.

Click on the link to read the full article http://paper.li/60secondparent/breastfeeding

Top 7 must-haves in your postpartum kit

I was recently asked what I would have in my postpartum kit. That is one thing I wish I knew before I had my son so I thought I would share my insight. If you have a different item we'd love to hear it! Please share...

What would be in my postpartum kit?
*2-3 quality nursing bras: A quality bra is essential to maintain breast health. You should typically have one sleep bra and one soft cup to start with. Why 2-3? Because darn it, you will probably not be as on top of the laundry as you would like to be.
*reusable hot/cold packs: heat to help encourage your let down when you first start nursing(don’t worry, this will happen on its own once you become established. You will become so good at this that your boobs may respond to any crying baby, which is why you want the next item on my list) and for the cool relief on your tender nipples who are wondering what the heck is going on.
*soft, absorbent, reusable nursing pads-the key here is SOFT and ABSORBENT! The last thing you are going to want to place on your sore nipples is a scratchy nursing pad. Super absorbency is essential to prevent bacteria from forming on your breasts from a moist environment. I was not much of a leaker, but I liked to have the pad for the softness and the barrier for the cream so my nursing bras did not get gunked up. (softest I've seen is made by Willow Sprouts).
*nipple cream-make sure it is all natural and safe because inevitably baby will be coming in contact with it. This can rapidly improve healing if you should need that. (I like Mother Love nipple cream).
*phone number of a knowledgeable support person who makes house calls- because more than likely it is a factor of when you need her, not if you need her. I thought I was prepared since I had the phone number of the hospital lactation consultant, but really, this breastfeeding thing will be a piece of cake right? Boy was I wrong! Sure it is a simple process but it can be complex and sometimes painful. Having your support person come to you can be the single reason you decide to stick it out through the discomfort (and figure out what the real problem is) or quit. My breastfeeding support angel had helped hundreds of women and she took one look at my nipple (yes, there is no more dignity at this point) and gave me a nipple shield and instructions on how to prevent my son from continuing to cause me to crack and bleed (the tip of his tongue was flicking my nipple. from the outside, he looked like he had the perfect latch).
*reusable water bottle-and keep it filled because the minute you sit down you will think, darn I am SO thirsty! And believe me, the last thing you are going to think of when your baby is screaming to be fed is, “oh, hang on honey…mommy’s going to need some water”
*perineum bottle-no explanation needed here.
*good book on tape-this worked wonders to keep me awake for those middle of the night feedings. I learned early on that turning on a light to read an actual book was confusing my son to think that it was time to wake up! Bad.

Surviving breastfeeding and colic

If you are trying to survive colic and breastfeeding, like I was, here are some tips!

I was once in the place where you are trying to manage both the colic and breastfeeding. My first tip: I completely recommend reading The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, MD. I found the 5 S's were the only long term solution. Yes, of course there were other tricks that often gave us brief relief like carseat on the dryer (yes, we held on the entire time for safety) or a car ride or running the vacuum cleaner. But when we did the 5 S's in order, no substitutions here people, it worked!

I know, some of you are saying "Ok, I can do four of the S's, but my baby loves to have his hands and legs free. I just do not feel right swaddling him". Well, I was one of you, before our colic got to the point of total frustration! Sure, my baby loved to explore with his hands but when it was time to settle down, he really needed the secure feeling that only swaddling could provide.

Now, I was given this book as a shower gift. I skimmed the important parts, dog-earring and highlighting. But when it came time to use it, I was so sleep deprived and crazed from the crying it took a while before I remembered I even had it! Then to find time to re-read to a point of retention so I could put the tools to use. Once we got the hang of it though, it was wonderful.

The most important thing for you to realize is that colic is not your fault and that breastfeeding is still the best thing that you can do for your baby. Switching to formula, as some people recommend, will only make it worse. In fact, some babies whose colic ends after three months seem to have it return when they are weaned from the breast!

What You Need to Know About Colic and Breastfeeding

First of all, we need to understand what colic is. Colic is described as uncontrollable, extended crying in a baby who is well-fed, dry and otherwise should be fine. While every baby cries, some little ones cry for more than three hours a day, three to four days a week...these babies may have colic. My son was text book colic starting at about 5 weeks. Every night for about 4-6 hours he would just scream. No sitting the baby down to get anything done for us!

It is estimated that over 20% of babies have or get colic, and it usually starts around two to four weeks of age and can last for three months, or longer in some cases.

Tips: (I wish I had known this!!) If you are feeding from both breasts and have a fussy baby, I've been told that you may want to reconsider! Here is why, according to breastfeeding magazine: Breast milk changes during each feeding. One of the ways in which it changes is that the longer your baby feeds on a breast, the higher the fat content of the breast milk. (This higher fat milk is often referred to as hind milk.)

If mommies automatically switch the baby from one breast to the other during the feeding (before the baby has "finished" the first side) the baby may get a relatively low amount of fat during the feeding. Don’t be fooled by modern thinking…that is NOT good! By doing this you are actually giving the baby less calories , and thus needing to feed more frequently.

Also, if the baby takes in a lot of milk (to make up the low concentration of fat and calories,) she may spit up or cause acid reflux.

Due to the low density fat content of the milk, the baby’s tummy will empty quickly, and a large load of milk sugar (lactose) will arrive in the baby’s intestine all at once. The stomach proteins may not be able to handle so much milk sugar at one time. This will cause your baby to have some symptoms of lactose intolerance--crying, gas, and explosive, watery, greenish bowel movements. This may occur even during the feeding.

NOTE: These babies are not lactose intolerant. They are just victims of incorrect breastfeeding coaching and lack of awareness by moms. Learn more about breastfeeding oversupply here...

Don’t Blame Yourself! Many moms who are misinformed think it must be something the mom did or could be doing to prevent or cause colic. That is just not true!

MOST cases of colic there is absolutely nothing that you can do to prevent it or stop it!

Just remember that it is not your fault and more importantly--It will PASS!

If you feel your frustration getting out of control hand that baby off to your hubby or a good friend and to take a break…a bubble bath or a walk!! Both colic and breastfeeding can be hard on moms! If, or should I say when, it gets to you then give yourself permission to take a rest. Make sure baby is feed, changed and well-rested...and then PLEASE just take a break!

HANG IN THERE!



thanks http://www.breastfeeding-magazine.com/colic-and-breastfeeding.html for the helpful tips!

Findings from Charlotte

Here is what Charlotte, Mother and writer for Baltimore’s Child, had to say when she discovered Nizo Wear Nursing Bras:

“This product could be a life saver for many women. It would have been for me as I was nursing my son for the first year of his life (he is now 3). I am due with my second child any day now and am nervous about nursing because I had so many problems with nursing the first time - constant hot/ cold compresses for sure!”

Here is what Charlotte told Nizo Wear after she had a chance to wear our Solace nursing bra:

“I think you have a wonderful, wonderful product!! I received your bra (Solace) in the mail when I had come home from the hospital. I have been wearing it every day and find it so much more comfortable than the nursing bra I purchased just a few weeks ago. The ice pack I already had fit perfectly. I can't wait to share this with our readers. By the way, the nursing of my second child is going much better. Perhaps it was the luck of your bra!

Thank you Charlotte for sharing your personal experiences and honest feedback with us!
Sincerely,
Nicole Zoellner
Nizo Wear Nursing Bras
www.nizowear.com
twitter@nizowear.com
facebook.com/nizowear

Breastfeeding Humor-Firsts

What breastfeeding firsts will you not forget? Mine was trying to put my pump together for the first time! I am not good with following instructions anyway, which is apparent in my cooking! I was crying after about a minute, thank you hormones, and cried even harder when it only took my husband 2 minutes to figure the stupid thing out! Oh, the memories :) Nicole

Here are some Breastfeeding Firsts: according to If These Boobs Could Talk. by Seip & Hedger

You'll never forget....

-The first time baby looked up sweetly at your face while you were nursing her

- The first time baby pulled away from your breast and was startled by milk spraying in her face

- The first time you saw your breast milk when you pumped it out

- The first time you accidentally spilled the breast milk you just pumped, and began to panic

- The first time you forgot to wear a breastfeeding-friendly outfit

- The first time you leaked and realized you weren't wearing breast pads

- The first time you enjoyed a nice nursing session with baby, only to have baby spit-up all over your chest

IRS Says Breastfeeding Expenses Are Tax Write-Offs. Finally

IRS Says Breastfeeding Expenses Are Tax Write-Offs. Finally



Everyone markets it as cheap and easy. As in, "You can whip it out at any time." And, "It doesn't cost anything." And, "There's nothing to warm up."To a degree, that's true. Traveling and doing it is liberating. And the middle of the night? You can do it in bed; you can do it while you watch TV. But "cheap" isn't really a good descriptor for something so time-consuming and ultimately, especially, but not only, for women who work or want to step away from their child, so many accoutrements. And cheap isn't a good way to applaud something that provides so many benefits down the road. Cheap connotes easy. Cheap connotes worthless. And maybe that's the problem.I'm talking about breastfeeding, of course. Breastfeeding itself – which, if you count the countless hours breastfeeding women put in, is – while indubitably nutritious as well as wonderful -- far from free. And forget "free" when it comes to pumping. The state-of-the-art Medela backpack pump rings up at $264.99 (the "pump-in-style" hand bag can set you back $360). And that's before you extra valves ($7), bags for freezing ($10 for 50), extra tubing ($6), the "hands free" bodice that lets you pump and use a computer ($32). Some estimates put the yearly cost between $500 to $1,000.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has spent years trying to roll back the push of formula, trumpeting the benefits of breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of life (the World Health Organization promotes breastfeeding for two years). Breastfeeding gives kids good antibodies, immunities, is said to potentially guard against asthma, allergies, diabetes and obesity -- keeping kids well, long after they give up the nipple. A Harvard Medical School study published last spring in the journal Pediatrics estimated that if 90 percent of American women breastfed, 900 premature infant deaths would be prevented and patients and hospitals would see savings of $13 billion in lost wages and saved health care costs – so you might assume that doing so would be a tax write-off.Until recently, you would have been wrong. As of this fall, the IRS position was that breastfeeding didn't have enough medical benefits to qualify as tax exempt.Last week, the Internal Revenue Service finally agreed to allow 2010 taxes to reflect the costs of pumps and milk bags, as all the myriad ways in which to maintain breastfeeding while working or on the road can make "free" suddenly cost quite a bit of cash. That means women with flexible spending accounts can use their pre-tax dollars to pay for nursing supplies. Those who itemize can add them in to their health care costs.Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., hailed the change in a statement. "This is good news for nursing moms, and a welcome recognition of scientific fact by the IRS: breastfeeding has significant health benefits -- it helps prevent disease, and is good for moms and for babies," Maloney said. "Anything we can do to encourage healthy choices is a good thing -- and this ruling definitely qualifies!"But the IRS is not alone in trying not to think about breastfeeding for as long as possible. Last week Noriko Aita, a Rockville, Md. mom visiting the Hirshhorn Museum, was asked to feed her baby in a bathroom stall. She left, went home and Googled that federal law allows breastfeeding on federal property – anywhere and at anytime.In response, a nurse-in was organized, and dozens of moms descended on the Smithsonian to breastfeed in public. "We're not protesting against [the museum]," one organizer told the Washington Post. "The nurse-in wasn't organized to elicit an apology. What happened to Nori happened because there was a lack of education and awareness. We want to ensure it doesn't happen to anybody else again."As Dr. Melissa Bartick, one of the lead doctors of the Harvard breastfeeding benefits study pointed out to a USA Today reporter, the problem is seeing breastfeeding as a "lifestyle" choice rather than a "public health" benefit. Winning over the IRS is a triumph, to be sure, but one that's come years later than it should have.

Read the full article: http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/02/14/irs-says-breastfeeding-expenses-are-tax-write-offs-finally/