Don't be a Boob!

We've all heard the admonitions - Breast is best - for babies AND mommies. And then of course, every lactation consultant worth her weight in gold will tell you how both breasts are equally important. The Mommish knows firsthand about this second piece of advice, as I had to endure not one, but two painful bouts of mastitis in my "milk dud" (you know you have one too) within the first month of the Babish's precious life (at least I finally got to use that Lamaze breathing that never came into play during my labor...). And the Grammish, who is a nurse, mother of six and la leche peer counselor, loves to recant the anecdotal evidence of Hong Kong fishing women who only nurse on one side as custom. Among such women, there was found to be an increase in breast cancer on the side that was never used...Actually - just googled it - there was an actual study (And - the study indicates "that in postmenopausal women who have breast-fed unilaterally, the risk of cancer is significantly higher in the unsuckled breast, and that breast-feeding may help to protect the suckled breast against cancer.").

As if a new insecure mommy didn't have enough to worry about (and c'mon - at least it's more fun to talk about poop color)! So how, pray tell, you ask, are the sleep deprived mommies supposed to keep track of which side was fed off of last? [believe me, those first few weeks, I had enough trouble trying to remember if it had been 3 or 4 days since I had last showered and brushed my teeth...] Well, aside from relying solely on your NSP (nursing sensory perception, n., when a mommy has the innate knowledge of how much or how little her baby has nursed, which side was nursed off of last, or whether or not she really needs to pump and dump after half a glass of chardonnay. Note, NSP doesn't usually kick in until at least the 6th week post-partum), there are several gadgets on the market to help you keep track. I kept diligent notes the first few days - but this went by the wayside as soon as my son had surpassed his birthweight at his one week check-up. And I never really got into the pins or bracelets, as they were too bulky, bulging and just not my style.

Finally, (figures - just as I am about to begin planning my exit strategy - just don't mention it to the Babish yet) a new solution has hit the market. Enter the Booby Button - the cute, discreet and comfortable way to take the guess work out of keeping track of where your babe got their last meal. The diminutive clip can attach to a bra strap, tank top or sports bra - and you won't see or feel a thing. Insta-reminder for the sleep-deprived mommy in a fun and cheeky package. It makes a great gift for the nursing-mom-to-be. It comes in several adorable designs, including a personalized version. My personal fave design is the gas-pump... so fill'erup!


Check out http://www.boobybutton.com/


Note - to my wonderful mommy readers/friends who couldn't breastfeed or who chose not to breastfeed - don't beat yourself up. The most important part is doing what's right for your family, your sanity and your stress level... i.e. going with your gut and focusing on learning about and knowing your baby.

Jewel of the Momma

What girl doesn't love her jewelry? Unfortunately, as soon as you become a mommy, you realize that your precious one's little digits will be all over your jewelry. I quickly realized that unless I wanted my son to yank off my antique diamond necklace from my grandmother, it better go back in the jewelry box for the next year.

So what's a fashionable mom to do? Well I saw some nursing necklaces in stores. Loved the idea - a chain long enough to give the baby something to hold onto and play with while nursing [and if there are others out there who have babies who love to put their fingers up their mommy's nose, that makes the idea all the more appealing] - yet every style I came across screamed "I made this myself with some beads." Not for the girl who likes to try to feel urban and chic.

And then I came across Momma's Jewels at a maternity boutique on Michigan Avenue. Beautifully crafted sterling silver teething rings hanging from a long sturdy sterling chain. Not only is it something for my son to play with while nursing, but the sterling silver stays cool and is the perfect teething ring. And the bonus, because the rings are on a chain, if you have a child who loves to test the laws of gravity - they can't with this "toy."

The line contains one ring, two ring and three ring designs. You can also pick your chain. I chose the two ring style with the sterling chain (mucho thanks to the hubbish for the great gift!) and I can't tell you how many complements I have gotten on it (especially from non-preggos and non-moms), and how much the little guy loves teething, banging and clanging with it. I ordered mine directly from their website. When I myself yanked and broke the first chain I was promptly sent a replacement - no questions asked. Great customer service! The replacement has held up beautifully. I have been trying to get a coupon code, but being new to the world of blogging... keep checking back for that.

http://www.mommasjewels.com/

[Ed. note: The company does not give coupon codes, but, if you mention my name when ordering by phone or in the comments, they are kind enough to offer free shipping!!]

It's all Greek to me.

It's been a stressful 3 weeks (between the fever, the cold, being dumped by our nanny and now it looks like the little guy is working through his top two teeth... all the while 3 of the 5 attorneys in my department have been at conferences and on vacation and my mother and her friends came to stay with us - mid-week - ... so needless to say, the stress has been ramped up). And as any mother knows, a stressed out mommy can make a stressed out baby. And as any nursing mother knows, a stressed out mommy can lead to a dip in the precious milk supply.

So what's a mom to do? There is always the pain of trying to pick up an extra pumping session (on top of the usual feedings). Mornings are usually best, because that's when most women's milk supply is highest. But if your mornings are anything like ours (on weekdays there is no way and on weekends we fight over who sleeps-in and who gets the little charge for an hour) it can be tough.

Scene: Master bedroom, big four-poster bed. 7:15 a.m (yes, we got past that early morning wake-up - the fever led to a nice new wake-up time of 6:45-7:30, even after day-light savings. Now we just need to kick the new midnight snack - but I'm convinced that's just the teething/cold right now). Saturday morning. Mommy, daddy and baby all lay peacefully, smiling and playing after baby just nursed for 20 minutes.

Daddy: If you change his diaper, I'll take the first hour shift.
Mommy: I hate to remind you, but we have a low milk stock in the freezer, so I need to go pump. You have no choice but to take the first shift and change his diaper.
Daddy: That's not fair. Pumping is like a break for you.
Mommy: Pumping is only a break when it happens at work and I don't have to take a conference call on mute.
Baby: dadadadadadada [Smart kid.]

End scene. Mommy dutifully takes baby down the hall to change his diaper [Martyr.]

So I figured there had to be something else I can try! And what does the Momish love to do? Research, research, research. Everything I consulted (pediatrician, my mom (she is mother to 6 AND a nurse) and the internet (great sites: http://www.kellymom.com/ and http://www.askdrsears.com/) kept coming back to a single galactagogue that women the world over swear by: Fenugreek. The herb is reported to increase a woman's milk supply within 3 days. You can go straight to the herb, take it in capsule form or you can buy it in tea form.

My Whole Foods had 3 varieties. I went with the Traditional Medicine's Organic Mother's Milk. It was the cheapest, organic and came in tea bag form and so I didn't need an infuser (key when I want to keep some in my office). The instructions say that you should drink 3 cups a day and you may see results in 3-5 days. I'm always a little weary of herbs because they are not FDA regulated, so I tried to find the negatives. One side effect that have I read about is that mother and baby's excretions (including sweat) can smell like maple syrup (fortunately we haven't had that -unless you factor in that baby smells like pancakes from his HealthyTimes Maple teething biscuits). Also, because of Daddy's nut allergy, I'm always super-sensitive to allergens and try to do anything to minimize my son's exposure. So I note that fenugreek is a legume. Anyone with a family history of peanut allergies may want to not try this at home. Since our allergy is not a legume allergy and baby has successful eaten peas and soybeans (tofu), I figured we might as well give it a try.

Let's cut to the chase. What happened with my research trial? Well, we have had great success. Maybe it's psychosomatic - but I definitely notice a difference. At peak nursing, during my 3 pumping sessions, I would pump 20-24 ounces. A couple times I even needed to cram a fifth bottle into my small pack. And I have had those days when not paying attention where I'll feel something wet and realize I've busted through the bottle (no pun intended). [I know... my cups overfloweth... my whole life I've cursed/hated/hided/been ashamed by my ample chest - but I now realize their true calling... just a few months ago I was researching a milk bank to donate to... but I digress]. Well... on peak stress day I pumped only 8 - yes 8 - ounces total during my work-day. After one day of the tea (only one cup) I was up to 12 ounces. After 2 days (again, only one cup) I was at 14 ounces. And on day 3, 16 ounces. The baby only takes about 15 - 16 ounces now that he's on 3 meals of solids, so this is fine by me. But then on Thursday, day 4, - I pumped 19 ounces. Bonus. I still have my freezer supply to build back up.... but at least I know that pretty soon I can go back to sleeping in at least one weekend day! (assuming I can trick/barter/beg the hubby to go along with it :)

Pumpawumba

Last week I took my first business trip (and first overnight trip) without the little man :(. As worried as I was about Z being without his mommy overnight (he was fine), I was probably even more worried about the pumping situation - where would I pump, would I find time to pump enough, would I be able to store my milk, etc.?? So I took great precautions. I scheduled my flights so that I would not have to pump in a yucky airport restroom, I made sure my hotel had a microwave (for sanitizing parts) and a refrigerator for storing milk, I packed my hands-free nursing bra (hands-down the greatest pumping invention) and I even packed extra bags and bottles in case my cups decided to overfloweth on the days away (schyeah right...). I just tried to convince myself that at least I could maybe get a really good night sleep and I'd barely be gone a day and a half...

Of course, I forgot the #1 lesson I learned while we were trying to get pregnant -- you can't plan ANYTHING. So, as my [bad] luck would have it, a) both of my flights were delayed, necessitating airport pumping, b) the refrigerator in my hotel room was not working (and did I really want someone to come fix it at 1:00 am when I got to my room - alone - and having to wake up only 6 hours later - so much for that good night's sleep), and c) I forgot the battery adaptor to my pump - so now I would be limited to only pumping in places with a power outlet.

But in the words of one of my favorite movie heroines, "I once had to judge a tighty-whitey contest for Lambda Kappa Pi. Trust me, I can handle anything." If Elle Woods can get into Harvard Law, then I can salvage my pumping situation. And sometimes, because of our forgetfulness, it forces us to be more resourceful. Had I packed my battery pack, I probably would have relented to just pumping in an anonymous stall in the ladies room. However, sans battery pack, I needed to find a private place with an outlet at O'Hare. I tried sweet talking my way into the airline's club room but a) didn't feel like forking over $75 bucks and b) it was so late, the conference room floor was closed anyway. Wandering aimlessly around the airport I happened upon a family restroom... I took a peak inside and low and behold - there was a power outlet - Score! Ew. Gross. But, score! The good news was that the sink had a long counter, so I could sit on the counter (as opposed to a toilet without a lid) while pumping. And the other good news - Reagan Airport in DC also had a family restroom with a long counter top and a power outlet (and theirs was fancy schmancy with marble - dirty and unsanitary marble - but marble). Sure, I felt bad that I was preventing some family from using the special restroom for 20 minutes - but hey - desperate times call for desperate measures (at it was almost 10pm on a weeknight both nights - so how many families really travel at that time?). The other creative solution - I was so grossed out by pumping in an unsanitary place that on both trips I chucked my milk. Which was fine, b/c my refrigerator wasn't working anyway - and now I had just enough room in my cooler to bring back the other milk I pumped.

It makes me think of the words of that song by Chumbawumba. Yeah, that one that always gets stuck in your head (sorry)... "I get knocked down, but I get up again"... So the next time that you are alone with your pump in an airport restroom, know that you really aren't alone... you have sisters in solidarity (and being part of a familial group should qualify us for those family restrooms :).

Public Displays of Lactation

While I am all for nursing in public, some of us are a little less comfortable than others with being fully exposed in public. [Did you catch the tabloid shots of Maggie Gyllenhaal just whipping it out at brunch? While I'll give her a hearty, You Go Girl!, I'm just not that comfortable in public.](See: http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2007/05/maggie_gyllenha.html)

Fortunately, there are some wonderful inventions that can help modest mommies. And for the record, I've never gotten dirty looks, comments or negative feedback from nursing in public, and I've fed my son everywhere from Starbucks to an upscale mall on Michigan Avenue, many a restaurant and the airport (and take-off and landing for that matter)...

My solution - a nursing cover. My mother recommended blankets, but I found they just did not do the job. And I've bought nursing clothes, but I still feel a little awkward giving a 15 year old Starbucks clerk a peek at an intimate moment with my son. So what do I use: the bebe au lait nursing cover. What I like about it: I love the ingenious top wire device that allows eye contact with the baby (or giggle fits when your little pea is old enough to play peek-a-boo, only at that point he'll also be old enough to play "get this darn nursing cover off of me"...) and I dig that the inside corner has burp cloth material to catch any small bits of spit up. File this one in the I wish I'd thought of that drawer...