DON'T STOP NOW!

Breastfeeding your baby? Congratulations! You’ve made a great choice for yourself and your baby.
But does it feel that way, today? Breastfeeding may be perfectly natural, but that doesn’t mean it’s always just naturally perfect. Many moms find that the first weeks of nursing a baby are a real challenge. After all, you’re both learning a totally new skill. The question is, how do you hang in there until the honeymoon?

THAT SWEET BABY TALK

How does your baby let you know she’s ready to eat?
Ask many people this question, and they’ll say, “That’s easy. The baby cries.” In fact, crying is a late hunger signal.
Most breastfed babies graze. (If we wrote down every time we eat or drink, we’d probably say moms graze, too!). Newborns who are getting ready to eat often begin by squirming and moving their eyelids around, then rooting – looks like she wants to eat her blanket! – and then sucking on fists, fingers, daddy’s nose, or anything that’s handy.
This is a great time to check diapers, wake baby a bit more, and do a little flirting before baby comes to the breast. Of course sometimes just your presence is enough to make baby decide it’s time for a snack.
Did she “just eat”? Well, sometimes she just wants appetizers, sometimes she’d like a full ten course dinner. Rather than counting the time between feedings, keep track of how many times your baby eats each day. Most breastfed babies eat 10-12 times per day; it’s lovely when most of those feeds happen to come during daylight hours.
Don’t be afraid to nurse, nurse, nurse these first days at home. You’ll establish a good milk supply early, avoid engorgement, and baby will naturally lengthen the time between feeds. If you are dreading feeding time, call someone who care about you and knows about breastfeeding. Don’t stop now.

PUT YOUR FEET UP, SET A SPELL

In the first days at home, it can be nice to have a nursing nook. Make yourself a comfy space where you can just settle in.
At its simplest, a nursing nook might ean a place to sit or lay down, with a fresh glass of water beside you. Maybe you’d like a corner of the couch in front of the TV, or a spot where you can easily get at your laptop or phone. Use a regular routine inthese first days at home, to help your body learn how to easily, automatically give milk to the baby. This is called the milk ejection reflex or let-down – but it’s really quite a boost when that milk squirts all over that baby’s face. As the days go by, it’ll be easier and easier to trigger this hormonal reflex. In fact, just thinking about your baby may give you milk – at the mall, the pool, or at work. And sometimes when you least expect it!
If feeds have been a struggle, don’t worry about fancy positions, switching breasts “properly”, etc. There are no breastfeeding police! Get your baby on the breast in your favorite way, sit back, and get happy. You’ll have lots of time to practice and do things “properly” – but the bottom line is, a happy mom and a fat, sassy baby means you must be doing something right.

HOW DOES IT FEEL….

Breastfeeding was a lost art for so many years in our society that we actually forgot what normal was. That’s how La Leche League started – seven moms at a picnice started talking about how great it was to have finally figured out how to breastfeed. Some of them were on their third or fourth baby!
One myth we have is that breastfeeding is supposed to hurt. This is not true. In fact, past the first bit of tenderness as the baby draws the nipple deep into his mouth, breastfeeding should feel good. Try it yourself – you can tell without looking when the baby is latched on properly at the breast.
If you are having a hard time with latch-on or your nipples are sore, call a breastfeeding expert – fast! Sometimes this means a lactation consultant, sometimes a friend or sister, a La Leche League Leader, a nurse at the hospital where you gave birth. “It looks good to me” as an answer to your questions means you need to talk to someone more skilled.

THIS IS THE RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT

Now that baby’s on, how do we know something’s going in?
As your milk ejection reflex gets established, you may feel your uterus cramping. That’s breastfeeding, getting you back in shape. You may feel suddenly thirsty, or you may be leaking milk from the opposite breast. Moms sometimes report feeling sleepy or deliciously relaxed.
You may also notice that your baby changes his sucking rhythm. He’ll change from a “call up the milk” rhythm (suck/suck/suck/swallow) to a suck/swallow rhythm. You may hear little puffs of air coming from baby’s nose, notice a pause in his jaw movements, and see his temples move as he eats slowly and steadily You might even hear gulping! A good time to try a little breast compression is when you see baby “calling for” seconds on that first breast.
Walk your fingers around your breast. Does it feel softer than when you started? It’s a great way to gauge whether your baby will wake up in ten minutes for more! You can also change your baby’s diaper at this point, if you want. It’s a great way to wake him up a bit for the second side.

OOH BABY I LOVE YOUR WAYS
When is a feed over? Your baby will tell you. Little by little, her clenched fists will relax and open. Here eyes will gradually drift closed, and she’ll be flating away to dreamland.
If you notice that your baby does not seem sleepy and sated after these early feeds, get an expert to watch. An expert eye can help with positioning, better let-downs, breast compressions, and give you a hug when you need it. We want you and your baby to fall in love, and for breastfeeding to be a happy part of your new life together.
Don’t stop now!

Cowboy Cookies for Breastfeeding Week!

Here's the recipe for those great Cowboy Cookies. Kudos to Delores Anderson of Wausau, Wisconsin who raised a quartet of hungry children on these delicious treats!

4 c flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp
Sift together (or mix with a whisk) and set aside.

Cream
2 c butter
Add and cream
1-3/4 c brown sugar and 1-3/4 c white sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Then add 4 eggs; blend well.
Add 4 cups oatmeal and 1 - 12 oz pkg chocolate chips

Drop by tablespoons on greased cookie sheet - bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes. The cowboys at our house preferred cookies made with a small scoop, which bakes for about 15-16 minutes.

This makes a HUGE batch of cookies - you can easily halve the recipe.

Nursing is Normal in Brattleboro

Thanks to Michelle and Zach Stephens of

www.studiotenthirteen.com/

for this fantastic video!

Nurturing Your Pregnant Self

There’s lots of info out there about taking good care of yourself and your unborn baby during pregnancy. Most of that info focuses on physical things. But one of the secrets of pregnancy is,

YOU ARE BEING TRANSFORMED INTO A MOTHER.
People don’t like to talk about that. Don’t get so focused on labor and birth that you forget this incredibly important fact. Pregnancy is a time of opportunity: Give yourself permission to be good to yourself and be amazed at the growth that will come. Find a pregnancy mentor – an experienced mother whom you respect, that will answer questions and encourage you to grow.


Learn to say NO.

If you don’t do it and it doesn’t get done, does it matter?
“I’m giving all my energy to this little being inside of me and I just don’t have any energy left over right now. I have to say no.”

Make a list of everything you have to do, then cross off everything you can possibly put off or avoid until tomorrow. Do only what is absolutely necessary
Investigate the shoulds in your life. Look at them hard.
Nurture yourself now - you’re growing into a mother. You may not have time later!

Learn to say YES.

To really truly enjoy your pregnancy, what would you like to do?
Are you doing it or will you do it? For even five minutes?
When you contemplate the phrase “being good to myself during pregnancy” what occurs to you? (Exercise. Sleep. Turning off TV. Sleep. Eat veggies and whole grains. Eat ice cream. Sleep.)

Listen to your body. Look for bodily reactions to clue you in. Do you feel sick when you think about going to your cousin’s house for Sunday dinner? Do you feel energized even before your prenatal exercise class? Is time on your feet at work making everything ache and swell? Listen to what your body is telling you.

AFFIRM YOUR LIFE CHANGES

When you take your prenatal vitamin, tell yourself,
It is an honor for me to be a mother. Or, I am a mother in my own unique way. Or, My body knows how to birth this baby, just like it knows how to grow this baby.

When your baby kicks take a moment to think of something you have done recently you are proud of and heartily congratulate yourself.
When you exercise – take a moment to praise your body, especially if you’re feeling uncoordinated or fat. Visualize increased oxygen flowing to the placenta and the baby.

Before or after prenatal appointments do something special for you. Sit in the shade and eat frozen yogurt. Go to the Coop and get a cup of hot chocolate. Buy a new maternity outfit. Browse in the bookstore. Get a pedicure or a massage.

When you are struck by a minor discomfort (like a burp of indigestion or a baby kick in the ribs) – ask, When is the last time I did something nourishing for myself?

Take a mini-relaxation break when you pee – consciously relax your shoulder and jaw, close your eyes. Inhale deeply (unless you are in a stinky bathroom!), and say silently to yourself a centering word - peace, chocolate, whatever. Exhale through your mouth. Repeat until you are ready to vacate your throne! Do your kegels as your wash your hands. Then return to your world strong and focused.


Transformation. Strength. Focus.

That’s how you prepare for motherhood.

Half-baked?

There's an epidemic these days of of babies born just a bit too soon. No big deal. you say? Well - I'm here to tell you, it can be a big deal. I just had my birthday, and so you know I was born in a snowstorm. I am actually quite a way down in the family tree - my mom had a set of triplets born before me, way back in 1949. They were born at 28 weeks - back in the days when my mom was told not to name them when they died. She of course knew what their names were.
When I came along a couple years later, I came early too - at 36 weeks, in the middle of a snowstorm.
She was told that I would die if she didn't breastfeed me. So she did - for three whole weeks, God bless her! (Knowing what I know now about tongue-tied babies and breastfeeding, and what a lousy palate I have, it's a miracle she could breastfeed me at all!)
These days I would've sent her to this site:
http://www.keepemcookin.com/
It's a great way to learn more about ways to stay pregnant. Late pretermers (born at 34 - 37 weeks, basically) have trouble staying warm, trouble eating, trouble adjusting to life outside the womb. Keep them in there if you can!!