Friday, December 31, 2010

"12 Days of Solids: Day 11"


“12 Days of Solids” by Chichi Power

Day 11:
On the eleventh day of solids my baby sent to me,
Butternut squash for freezing,
Fresh peas for first food,
Sippy cup for training,
A veggie steamer,
Magic Bullet for mashing,
Homemade purees recipe book,
Fiiiiiiive feeding spoooons.
Booster seat with feeding tray,

Organic peas recipe,
A beer to increase my milk supply,
And drank all the milk
in the freezer and fridge.

"12 Days of Solids: Day 10"


“12 Days of Solids” by Chichi Power

Day 10:
On the tenth day of solids my baby sent to me,
Fresh peas for first food,
Sippy cup for training,
A veggie steamer,
Magic Bullet for mashing,
Homemade purees recipe book,
Fiiiiiiive feeding spoooons.
Booster seat with feeding tray,

Organic peas recipe,
A beer to increase my milk supply,
And drank all the milk
in the freezer and fridge.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

"12 Days of Solids: Day 9"


“12 Days of Solids” by Chichi Power

Day 9:
On the ninth day of solids my baby sent to me,
Sippy cup for training,
A veggie steamer,
Magic Bullet for mashing,
Homemade purees recipe book,
Fiiiiiiive feeding spoooons.
Booster seat with feeding tray,

Organic peas recipe,
A beer to increase my milk supply,
And drank all the milk
in the freezer and fridge.

"12 Days of Solids: Day 8"

 

“12 Days of Solids” by Chichi Power

Day 8:
On the eighth day of solids my baby sent to me,
A veggie steamer,
Magic Bullet for mashing,
Homemade purees recipe book,
Fiiiiiiive feeding spoooons.
Booster seat with feeding tray,

Organic peas recipe,
A beer to increase my milk supply,
And drank all the milk
in the freezer and fridge.

Monday, December 27, 2010

"12 Days of Solids: Day 7"


“12 Days of Solids” by Chichi Power

Day 7:
On the seventh day of solids my baby sent to me,
Magic Bullet for mashing,
Homemade purees recipe book,
Fiiiiiiive feeding spoooons.
Booster seat with feeding tray,

Organic peas recipe,
A beer to increase my milk supply,
And drank all the milk
in the freezer and fridge.

"12 Days of Solids: Day 6"


“12 Days of Solids” by Chichi Power

Day 6:
On the sixth day of solids my baby sent to me,
Homemade purees recipe book,
Fiiiiiiive feeding spoooons.
Booster seat with feeding tray,

Organic peas recipe,
A beer to increase my milk supply,
And drank all the milk
in the freezer and fridge.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

"12 Days of Solids: Day 5"

 

“12 Days of Solids” by Chichi Power

Day 5:
On the fifth day of solids my baby sent to me,
Fiiiiiiive feeding spoooons.
Booster seat with feeding tray,

Organic peas recipe,
A beer to increase my milk supply,
And drank all the milk
in the freezer and fridge.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

“12 Days of Solids: Day 4"


“12 Days of Solids” by Chichi Power

Day 4:
On the fourth day of solids my baby sent to me,

A booster seat with feeding tray,
Organic peas recipe,
A beer to increase my milk supply,
And drank all the milk
in the freezer and fridge.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

"12 Days of Solids: Day 3"



“12 Days of Solids” by Chichi Power

Day 3:
On the third day of solids my baby sent to me,

Organic peas recipe,
A beer to increase my milk supply,
And drank all the milk
in the freezer and fridge.

It is time, it is time, it is almost time, for my bambina to be introduced to solids! Yeay, something other than my breastmilk for my hungry hungry baby girl. I realized today that we have 12 days left until that fine day. No no, really, I'm not counting :-P  Since we are in the middle of the holidays, I couldn't help but think of the famous "12 Days of Christmas." So, here goes, for the next 12 days as we "not" countdown, I'm gonna write my own little song on my "12 Days of Solids." I hope you like it :-)

"12 Days of Solids" by Chichi Power

Day 1:
On the first day of solids my baby drank all the milk,

Stored in the freezer and fridge :-(

"12 Days of Solids: Day 2"


"12 Days of Solids" by Chichi Power
Day 2:
On the second day of solids my baby sent to me,

A beer to increase my milk supply,
And drank all the milk
in the freezer and fridge.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Chichi Power for your brain!

 
(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

My husband sent me a link to yet another L.A. Times article on the benefits of breastfeeding. Woo hoo! Go the Times! And okay okay, as much as I vent during my "terrifying lows" about men and babies and not knowing diddly squat about how tough breastfeeding is, my husband is actually very great and supportive in this. And he does a lot of research on all things baby. I can see the desperation in his eyes sometimes, of how much he wishes he could help me in that department, when I'm at my wit's end with this. And he says, "if I could, I would breastfeed Zoë too." And I really believe he is sincere.
Anyway, so this article is talking about how breastfed babies, in a new study from Australia, have higher academic performance than non-breastfed babies. And, in particular, boys. Australia is actually the leading country in breastfeeding awareness and education. 90% of women there breastfeed. America needs to get on that shit for reeeeals.

So, there you go, yet another thing to add to my Benefits of Breastfeeding section. Check out the L.A. Times article.

The L.A. Times is listening...

 
(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

...and publishing more and more articles on the benefits of breastfeeding. Me and my bambina likes! Saw this article today on this new Affordable Care Act of 2010, which is a new law where "employers must provide nursing breaks and a private, sanitary place where mothers of children younger than 1 who work as nonexempt employees can express breast milk." I never knew that breastfeeding was a social status issue. I would think all women would want to breastfeed, especially low-income women, since you save so much money on food for your baby. But for some reason, formula I guess is pushed to low-income families more than wealthy women. And wealthy women of higher social status, are the ones that are mostly breastfeeding in America? WTF is that about? In third world countries, all women breastfeed there out of necessity. Maybe America sees that as a bad thing. Like, oh, poor them, they can't afford formula so they breastfeed. U.S. women, according to this article, rank well below even other developed nations. But breastfeeding is the BEST thing you can do for your baby! How weird is that?? I will never understand some of the mentality in this country. This article is talking about this new law providing "breastfeeding opportunities" in the work place. That should've already been the norm from the get-go. It's like telling me I now have the "opportunity" to pee and shit in private in the work place. As in a bathroom, for that normal, natural, human thing. Gee wiz. But, I digress. Here is the link to the article in today's L.A. Times. Very refreshing and I hope, the beginning of a new movement of more powerful breastfeeding awareness :-)

Sunday, December 12, 2010

So far so good...


Only 21 more days until I get to introduce solids...but who's counting? Although it sounds nice to be able to give my baby something other than breastmilk to eat, somehow I think that's going to be another challenge/bump in the road in itself. But, I'm up for it. I have been exclusively breastfeeding successfully for the past five plus months. I think I can handle a mashed carrots mess, c'mon son!

This week has been good though, I have enough milk in the fridge for bambina, and have also been breastfeeding her successfully. And that's even though she's already moved up to 6 ounces! Yikes! For a while now she was eating 4 ounces of bottled breastmilk, maaaaaybe 4.5. But now, she's doing about 5 to 6 ounces during the day, and for sure 6 ounces at night when I put her down to bed. Wow, I'm so glad solids are just around the corner because I know for sure I wouldn't be able to keep up with feeding her 6 ounces every 3 or so hours with my milk supply. Like I said before, I can baaarely get 3 ounces out when I pump. Sigh. I guess it's just the way thing happen right? The perfect science that is creation, babies, breastfeeding. Works for me. So now, I've had to move up from the 5 ounce Medela "starter bottles", as I like to call them, to these Playtex VentAire bottles. The ones I have hold 6 and 8 ounces. They are a lot thicker than the Medela ones, and the nipple is a little larger as well. And they're supposed to keep the air out of the bottles better. Although I never really had any problems with that, with the Medela ones. But I do hear a difference when I feed her with both bottles. With the Medela one, I can hear the air bubbles a lot when she's eating, but with the VentAire one, it's very quiet, I can't hear any of the air bubbles sound. So I know it's doing something. But overall, my baby hasn't ever had lot of gas or was uneasiness after eating like I hear, with either of these two bottles.

We'll see how it goes in these next several days. Last weekend I was supposed to go out to volunteer at an event and I couldn't go because I just could not save up enough milk for baby girl to eat, so I had to stay home :-( Such is the life of a breastfeeding mama. But, tonight was much better. And, there is enough milk in the fridge that I get to freeze the milk I'm currently pumping as we speak! It's days like today that make breastfeeding so darn easy. Ooh, and there goes my 20 minutes, time's up! Bye for now :-)

Friday, December 10, 2010

Oh, men...


"Every baby that is born is proof that God has not yet given up on humans."

Awww, I read that on Twitter a couple weeks ago. How nice. And hurray! A new baby has been born into the world! A dear friend of mine recently gave birth to her baby girl. And she has told me she plans to breastfeed and use her Chichi Power! Double hurray!! Her husband though, oh what a funny guy. He told us that on one of the baby's first nights at the hospital, she was a little feisty and they only got one hour of sleep. That's funny, you see, because he actually thought he would be able to sleep at all with a newborn LOL! AND, while still in the hospital! Hahahahaha (breathe) hahahaha! :-) Men, you gotta love 'em though (but only when they stick around to be a father for the baby right??). Breastfeeding moms know first-hand that sometimes it's not about getting sleep, it's about making sure your baby is fed. Or is that sometimes, or ALL of the time? And I know those first few days, the baby is very very hungry, since all you have is colostrum in your breasts. So yeah, I would consider yourselves lucky if you were able to sleep an hour at the hospital. And the baby wasn't "feisty", the baby was very hungry! I remember those days, oooh wheee I was so tired I wanted to cry! I did cry actually, a lot. But you know my story...

Anyway, bless his heart that new daddy who has no idea what's in store. But a big congratulations and kudos for taking on that venture of being a wonderful father to this baby girl! We need more of those que no? Pero you know what, I think that most husbands that get asked if "the baby is letting you sleep at night," and especially if their wife is a breastfeeding mom, they will say "Yes?", question mark, and then look at their wife. Because clearly they have no idea. Husbands usually sleep at night just fine and I mean, what can they do really, if you're the one who has to breastfeed the baby. They can bring the baby to you in the bed. Okay cool, that's nice. They can change the baby's diaper. Oh yeah, another good one. Fine. But have you noticed that for some strange cosmic mystical reason, men can't hear when the baby is crying? It's so weird because I hear it. I hear it just fine, it's pretty loud. The neighbors probably hear it. But husbands, I don't know, their ears just don't hear the sound of babies for soooome reason...insert a bit of sarcasm here. Smile.

Let's hang in there my breastfeeding mamas. It'll all be worth it to commit to this exclusive breastfeeding for your baby. And soon enough, baby will be done with having to be breastfeed, healthy, vibrant, solids, smart, running around, solid foods, off with daddy to the park, solid foods, or the zoo, solid foods, aaaah *sigh*, and you can kick back, relax, and have yourself a mimosa (or three). Can I get an amen!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

5 months deep in this...


"Breast-feeding is sometimes considered a lifestyle choice, but Bartick calls it a public health issue."

This is from an article that my sister-in-law forwarded my husband who then forwarded it to me (isn't technology great?), that says that "breastfeeding could save lives and money." I like those odds. Because today my daughter turned 5 months old, which means, drum roll please...I have been enduring breastfeeding exclusively for 5 months now! Woo hoo!! Five, as in, The Jackson 5, Hawaii Five-O, high five, five members in your average boy band, the five sense, the five elements in nature, five fingers and toes, Five Guys Burgers and Fries...  Yeay for me, and yeay for my baby who is super charged healthy from her Chichi Powers. If I think of all the stress and tears and pain and sleepless nights I have been through by committing to breastfeed, 5 months is a long time yo. But guess what?? I am almost halfway there, 50% done! Aaaand, in exactly one more month, 31 more days, we get to introduce the magic word: SOLIDS! Hurray! I am so so happy that I have stuck to my breastfeeding goals for my baby girl, and that I will make it through the first 6 months with only feeding her breastmilk. Remember my post "Oh the highs and lows of breastfeeding"? And how I talked about Homer Simpson's “the terrifying lows, the dizzying highs, the creamy middles!"? Well, today I am going through a dizzying high with this breastfeeding b***h thank you very much, woooh! So please please, hang in there with me if you're breastfeeding too. WE CAN DO THIS! I wish I had some champagne to celebrate. No no, I will do that when she turns 6 months. I see a Sofia Coppola Champagne in my future (around my breastfeeding schedule of course) :-)

Now, I will still continue to breastfeed her pues claro, but I hear that when you begin to introduce solids, it takes the stress off of breastfeeding a little, because now the baby will get full on the solids which they eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Note to self: research introducing solids and making homemade baby food. And you know what else, deep down inside, I really believe that I will go past my one year mark. That I will actually continue to breastfeed my little bambina a lil' longer than one year. Call me sadomasochist, but all the torture I have endured is well worth the health benefits my daughter has gained from me choosing this route. We shall see. For now, I am so thankfully enjoying this milestone while my little chica is doing her tummy time and trying so hard to crawl. Love. Hearts. Joy.

Oh, by the way, here is the link to that article I mentioned which was published by USA Today "Breast-feeding would save lives, money." Now go on wich yo' bad self and yo' Chichi Power! I LOVE all my breastfeeding, Chichi Power using mamas out there!!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Adoptive mothers can breastfeed too?

 
 From The Hangover

"It would be so cool if I could breastfeed." I watched that movie The Hangover this weekend for what, the third or fourth time now. Still funny! And how Zach Galifianakis' character Alan, takes care of the baby they find in their hotel room. And when they're riding in the cop car they stole (but the baby's not in a car seat eeeeek!), he says, as part of all his random dialogue which I loved, "It would be so cool if I could breastfeed." Ha ha! Yes, yes it would, but you can't boo hoo! 'Cause you're a man—insert Nelson from The Simposon's "ha ha!". What's my point? Men may not be able to breastfeed, only women. But not only that, it turns out that women who've never even had a baby can breastfeed too! Who knew. In the end, we are all born with milk ducts. Whether we have a baby or not, our breasts were made to produce milk and breastfeed. And according to this story I read on La Leche League, adoptive mothers can breastfeed too. Hurray! I always wondered about that and I wish there was more information about this out there to mothers who adopt. I would think it does take a lot of commitment and hard work on your body to make it happen. But according to this article, it can be done. You just have to pump every 2-3 hours like any other breastfeeding mom. But instead of the milk already being there from being pregnant, you would just have to train your body to start producing the milk. Supply and demand, if you will. And you will be demanding milk for your new adopted baby, so that you don't have to be forced to only give your baby formula, just because you decided to adopt. You can give that new baby your healthy healthy breastmilk.

The article says to begin the pumping before the baby even comes, if the mother has already started the adoption process (which can take up to a year), or after the little one arrives. The key is to stimulate the breasts to produce the milk. They also suggest using the Medela Supplemental Nursing System or the Lact-Aid Nurser Training System. I wonder if this is what wet nurses do, hmmm. Note to self: research wet nurse. The amount of milk a mom who adopts would produce this way may not be enough, so they might need to supplement with formula. But they will be able to produce some milk for their baby which is still great. Better than nothing right?

Fascinating. I just continue to be so amazed at our bodies as women and the miracle that is breastfeeding. You go girls with your Chichi Power—adoptive mamas and all!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Go hands free!

I have to admit, pumping has been very tiring lately. I sooo don't want to do it and have found myself skipping too many sessions. It's a major sacrifice that I just have to do, there's no way out of this one. But you know that feeling sometimes when you have to do something but you just don't wanna??? Yeahhhh...that's been me these days. Luckily, I pump hands free, so it makes it a lot easier. I'm just tired of my breasts being messed with all the time. I cannot wait until my boobs are left alone and aaaall to myself. About eight months to go, okay, I can do this!

One of my biggest advice to you, once you graduate into pumping your milk and feeding your baby bottles, is to go hands free! Oh but first, I would strongly suggest you don't give your baby a pacifier or bottle until she/he is at least one month old. See my post "Help, my baby won't take the bottle!" I waited until she was a month and a half old, and she does very well with all three. I haven't had any problems with feeding her at all. She goes back and forth from breast to bottle like nothing, and she's not attached to her binky at all. I feel like she thinks, "I don't care how you feed me, just FEED ME!" Ha ha!

Anyway, I highly recommend you invest in a pumping bra. Best purchase ever! I got the Easy Expressions Bustier, which has recently been acquired by Medela. Medela is THE breastfeeding system. I use all their products and it's great because they all work together—pump, bottles, nipples, freezer bags, and now, breastfeeding bra! I purchased mine at A Pea In the Pod for about $30. It sure makes those 20 minutes go by faster, because I can be on my laptop blogging as I am now while I pump! Hurray! It helps if you have a busy schedule because you can use those 20 minutes to, let's seeee, catch up on emails, put on your make-up, write, blog, Facebook, Twitter, read a book, eat, catch up on texts...it's awesome. I don't use the phone though while I'm pumping because the pump is a bit loud, but I'm sure some moms out there do. So that's your assignment for today, go buy yourself (or make) a pumping bra. Must. Have. Period. Happy pumping!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

What am I, a cow?


No, I'm bad ass. And yes, you'll probably see me making a lot of references to cows. I've always loved cows, (which is why I don't eat them) and now, I have so much more respect for them and their chichis. And this past Saturday night, I totally felt like a cow! Because...drum roll please...I expressed milk from my breasts with my hands! Yup. Sans-pump. I didn't think I would be able to do that. I've heard some women who are all crazy natural and shit, talkin' 'bout how easy it is to just express with your hands and not use a pump. I'm not really into it, to be honest, but my husband and I were at church, and had an impromptu invitation to dinner so we decided to go. See, it's just not the same anymore to get up and go on last-minute outings, because we either need to find a babysitter, bring the baby with us, and/or I also have to be mindful of how long I'll be staying out, because I need to pump every 2 to 3 hours. Otherwise my chichis will start to hurt. And that's exactly what happened on Saturday. When I got in the car on our way to the restaurant, I realized that I should carry my small, travel size pump with me in our diaper bag, just in case there are days when we need to stay out longer than I anticipate. I really needed to get some milk out because it was getting painfully uncomfortable. And Zoë had already eaten and was asleep, so I couldn't really breastfeed her right then. So I decided, while my husband was driving and I was in the back seat with baby--oh yeah, we also had to take her to the restaurant with us ha ha! We've become "those people", and this was her first restaurant outing. She did pretty good until the end but it was time to go anyway because it was her bed time. I'm sure some of the patrons were side-eyeing us. Where was I?

Oh yeah, so I decided to try this whole expressing with your hand business, and it worked! I was able to pump some milk out myself into a bottle from both breasts. I thought it was gonna be all lame trickles but no, it actually dripped out fast the way it does with the pump. I only got about 1 1/2 to 2 ounces, but hey, I did it! I was proud of myself. Although I probably won't be doing that much unless I reeeeeally need to. I didn't enjoy it (although I don't particularly enjoy pumping either, but, you get it), it was harder to do that than with the pump. And it seemed to take longer. And it started to hurt after a while. I'll stick to my handy (and quick) double-breast pump thank you :-)

Monday, November 22, 2010

Formula Fed America


Dear Michael Moore,
Have you heard about this new independent documentary in the works titled Formula Fed America? Are you interested in partnering with these folks and taking on this documentary to bring mainstream awareness to the benefits and health of breastfeeding as our babies' first food? I sure hope so. And let me know how I can be of help.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Chichi Power

So yeah, I came across this documentary that's been in the works since February of 2009 I believe. I sure hope it gets released to a larger mainstream audience. Because currently there doesn't seem to be any buzz about Formula Fed America and I would love to see it bring awareness on the power of breastfeeding. You can check out their site with more information on the project at www.formulafedamerica.com.

Sleep schedules? I learned to let go...

 

As a breastfeeding mama, I learned to let go of this false notion of sleep schedules early on. As in, 2 or 3 weeks into this. And you know why? Well, for starters, breast milk is all natural and highly digestible--and this is the choice I've made. So the baby could really be hungry after just an hour after a full feeding, or 3 or 4 hours. That's just how it is. So when I decided to let go of this "sleep or feeding schedule," and be at peace with "whatever may be" and "whatever it wanted to be," my life was so much more peaceful and stress free. Because I thought, seriously, why would I want to let my baby go hungry because "it's the schedule and that's how it's supposed to be 'cause I said so!" Or the "cry it out method" which has been soooo badly misused and don't even get me started on that! But I've never once implemented a "sleep schedule," and yet, the sleep schedule just happened on its own, organically. Nice! Bambina usually eats and goes down at around the same time each night now. She then "sleeps through the night", which in babyland means 6 hours. Once in a while now it varies between every 2-5 hours. Although last night she slept a whopping 7 hours. (She ate a lot yesterday though which is probably why.) But when she gets up at night, I breast feed her on the bed in the lying down position, and when she's done eating, she goes right back to sleep. Then I put her back in her crib. Simple. Done.

I know that some moms (or dads) are really strict with this notion of schedules. Baby needs to eat a certain time, and nap or sleep at a certain time. And it has to be the same way everyday. But I know that as a grown ass adult myself, sure I have a certain time everyday that I wake up, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, and hit the hay. But that doesn't mean that on some days I'm hungrier for some reason so I have a snack. Or I'm particularly tired so I have to take a nap. We are natural beings, that's just how it is. I would imagine that formula fed babies (or FF) would be easier to set on a rigid schedule, since "babies don't know when to stop" when they eat formula. So you can feed them tons and have them knock out. It's similar to when we eat junk food or fast food. We get really full and sleepy, and may sleep hard and for a long time. But the food we ate wasn't necessarily the healthiest or will take a while to digest. It's empty carbs and fat. Know what I mean?

My point is, that I let go of trying to establish a rigid schedule, and now I am working towards establishing a loose schedule, based on the patterns that I see my baby taking on. Like, when she wakes up, when she's hungry, when she wants to play or take a nap or when she's ready to go down for the night. She's happy with it, I'm happy with it. Cool. And this is just what worked for me, personally. I believe that having an infant has to be a self-less act. It's all about this baby now. I've been gifted this challenge, so I want to be there for her and her needs 100%. Because, so I hear, before I know it, she will be off to college and I will be wishing I had her right next to me in her little bassinet wanting to be held by mommy. In the end, I've been sleeping good at night and so has she. So there you go. The sleep schedule is a success in my book. Well, at least for now. Teething is in the works, so we'll see how well she sleeps through that. I'll keep you posted :-)

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

"Help, my baby won't take the bottle!"


I was talking to a new mom this weekend who is also using her Chichi Power and breastfeeding her 3 month old baby girl exclusively. But her problem right now, is that her baby won't take the bottle—bottled breast milk that is. As in pumping, storing and then feeding your baby (or having someone else feed them) your breast milk with a baby bottle. I know of one other mama who was also having that problem recently. It does happen, there are some babies who are just really finicky and love your chichis too much to settle for that plastic bottle. If you try everything and she/he will still not take the bottle, I'm thinking maybe that's just how the baby is, and it will have to be like this for a while. I know it's tough when you have to work, if you're going to have to breastfeed your baby all day and night, and may even be impossible for you. I know one mama out there who's daughter never took the bottle and yet, she breastfed her exclusively for 22 months! Wow...she is my hero right now. Next to her is another mama I know, who has been breastfeeding her baby (bottle and breast) for 16 months. You go ladies!!

But don't fret, I believe that it is possible to get past the bottle hump. I know I did, so I can at least give you some pointers on how I managed to get my bambina to take the bottle. Although I did feel that my baby was like, "I don't care how you feed me, just feed me!" :-D But basically, I just followed all the things they say to do, by the book, and it worked. She goes back and forth between bottle and breast like nothing. Here are some tips:

I waited until my baby was at least four weeks old before introducing the bottle. She was actually a month and a half old, and I began pumping and storing when she was two weeks old.

• I waited until the breastfeeding was well established. This is why I gave her the bottle until she was a month and a half old, because I was struggling so much in the beginning with proper latching. But once it felt good and smooth, and I didn't have any problems breastfeeding her, then I felt comfortable giving her a bottle.

I had someone else feed her that first bottle. My husband actually gave her her first bottle, and I left the room while he was feeding her. I was soooo curious and wanted to see her eating from the bottle hee hee! I actually took a little peek once I heard that she had stopped crying and was probably eating. Now, from what I've researched, babies can smell the mom's milk within a 20 feet radius. So if you have a finicky baby, it may help for you to make sure your baby is really hungry, then prepare her bottled breast milk, give it to your husband or partner or who ever can help you give your baby that first bottle, and then leave the house for thirty minutes to an hour, depending on how long it will take the baby to finally take the bottle and finish eating. It also helps to have someone feed her/him, particularly when they are really hungry, because if you're trying to feed them with a bottle, with your breasts so close to them, they'll be like, uummm I don't want this. Why can't I feed off your chichis?? :-(

If at first you don't succeed, try try again. And if it's still not working, I would recommend you try one of those nipples and bottles out there, that resemble an actual breast. They are super wide and flat like mommie's chichis. I was talking to another breastfeeding mom a few weeks ago, and she swore by this Mimijumi nipple and bottle. It's a wide nipple that's a soft brown color and is made from only the safest medical and food grade silicone. She had the "Very Hungry" bottle and said it cost her about $18 bucks...and that it was well worth it. Mimijumi's website says that "With natural colors, textures and forms, the mimijumi baby bottle closely mimics the breastfeeding experience, providing the perfect complement to breastfeeding and the best possible transition to bottle feeding." Based out of Nashville, TN, this innovative company has been around since 2008.

There are other bottles you can look into to, like the Adiri one, or the Tommee Tippee one. I can only say that the Mimijumi one worked for one mother I know first-hand. So I can't vouch for the other two bottles. But please, share with me your experience you've had with any of these, so we can pass the info along to other struggling mamas out there. I hope this is of help and I wish you all the best of luck with introducing the bottle. It can be done, and with a little patience, you'll be pumping and bottle feeding in no time. And you'll be able to, like Mimijumi says, let bottles "help you give baby more of the good stuff longer."

Monday, November 15, 2010

Oh the highs and lows of breastfeeding


I always remember this funny scene when Homer Simpson exclaims "the terrifying lows, the dizzying highs, the creamy middles!" I wish I could remember what episode that's from. But today I was thinking of how breastfeeding is sort of like that. Even to this day, 4 1/2 months deep into breastfeeding, I have extreme highs and lows with this. (I mean, I already do have issues with crazy mood swings, but that's been the case since back in college days.) But with breastfeeding, there are some days when I feel like I have mastered this. I got this. Conquered. Done. I'm on top of the world. But then, come morning, and it's a new day, and I am to tears with this sh**t! Wondering how the heck I'm gonna make it through another day of exhausting pumping or feedings at night. Creamy middles? Yeah, I guess there's some of those somedays. Maybe most days. But I sure enjoy those dizzying highs. I had one of those yesterday, when I felt really good about my breastfeeding. Milk was coming in nice and flowey, I had enough milk in the fridge for baby, and my breasts felt full. Today, well I think I'm actually in a creamy middle. And to be honest, it's not a bad place to be. Creamy middles go easy on the emotions...I like that. And now my breastfeeding mamas out there, this is where I leave you. I hear bambina crying...it's breastfeeding to the rescue!

Friday, November 12, 2010

¿Puro pecho?

A woman said this to me this morning:
"¿Puro pecho? Que bien. Te felicito."
I really needed that today. Thankful.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

There, I said it...

Men will NEVER understand the passion, commitment and hard work that it takes to breastfeed a baby. And incidentally, if it were up to men to HAVE babies, this world would be filled with tumbleweeds. Tumble. Roll. Barren. That's all I have to say for today. Exclamation point.

Leches and chichis and pumps, oh my!


Come on milk, where are you?! Argggh! Been feeling frustrated again lately at my low milk supply. My baby is 4+ months now and I think she's going through her 4 month growth spurt, maybe, I don't know. My husband and I joke at how her whole existence has been one big growth spurt ha ha! And my chichis can't keep up. Last night I was feeding her and had tears in my eyes again. That hasn't happened in a while. It's been challenging lately to produce or pump enough milk because I'm so tired of doing this, my body is exhausted. And sometimes, it does get challenging to fit in the pumping when you're working, or need to run errands, or need to meet deadlines. From what I've researched, fatigue affects your milk supply as well. You need to be relaxed and calm...breathe in, breathe out...yeah...pffff! Haven't felt relaxed like that in eons. Unfortunately, my body is very tense all the time these days, too much going on. I need that good relaxation, you know. That deep tissue, Swedish massage, sauna, steam room, quiet, Burke Williams, make you go to sleep type of relaxation! That's what I'm talkin' 'bout. But alas, no room in the schedule for now.

A few weeks ago, bambina was eating every three hours, almost on the dot at times. And she was only getting up twice at night. But, such is having a breastfeed baby, that just when you think you've got their schedule down, it changes just like that. And all of a sudden, she wants to eat every hour at night...almost on the dot. And during the day, every oh, one and a half to two hours, and oi vei. I was thinking about cats yesterday, when I was washing baby bottles for like the millionth time, and how they have litters of cats. So they have to breastfeed what, six to eight babies! And they have more than one nipple, ouch. We only have two, and one baby. Unless you have twins, or triplets, or quadruplets and OMG, how do women with more than one baby do it?? I bow down to mamas out there who are conquering that, I bow down. God doesn't give us anything we can't handle and very sadly, I think one baby is probably all He knew I could handle. 'Cause this shit is hard! Or like cows, and how all people want them for is their milk. I saw this picture of the cow being strapped to the pump and first: I felt like this cow myself and got sad. And second, I thought of the toll this must have on their bodies every single day all day consumers demanding gimme gimme milk milk now now! As a vegetarian, I already feel for animals and get tears in my eyes thinking of the pain we humans put them through simply to eat them and then shit them out. And now, as a breastfeeding mom, I feel for cows and the pain they have to go though to feed not only babies who aren't their own, but, (gasp!) humans. But boy do I digress. Hormones. Emotions. Whatever, you get it.

I will say this though: that huge smile and thankfulness and glow in her eyes, and cooing I get from my baby girl as soon as she chugs her bottle of delicious white gold down, is worth every grueling pump or feed. Those tears instantly become tears of joy. Love. Hearts. Peace.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Well-baby visits

I took my baby girl to her 4 month well-baby visit. Yup, she's 4 months already! Everything was fine and she's progressing well. These well-baby visits is the schedule your little one will have to get her doctor check-ups. So far I took her at a week old, 2 months, and now 4 months. Her next visit is at 6 months, and then after that, most doctors will see the baby at one year old. She weighed in at 15 pounds and is 25" tall. Apparently that's normal because by 4 months, on average, the babies are a little less than double their birth weight. My daughter is healthy, big and sturdy and has a nice, healthy glow to her chubby cheeks. So don't let anyone tell you that breast milk isn't enough! Breast milk is ALL my bambina has been eating since she was born, and I've never had a problem with her gaining weight. And I've never had to supplement with formula. It can be done, and your baby will grow and be healthy with breast milk alone. Just like our bodies were made to have babies, our breasts were made with milk ducts because they were made to feed your baby, and that's all they need...well, at least for the first 6 months. After that, we get the magic word: solids (along with the breast milk). Hurray! But we'll get into that later. I will wait patiently for that time and continue to enjoy breastfeeding my baby girl and knowing that I'm doing the best for her body and her health. Like Medela says, "Breastfeeding. Best feeding."

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Burping video

I came across this sweet and short, yet helpful video today on how to burp your baby. Generally, when you breastfeed a baby, they don't really need burping because they don't take in much air. Bottle feeding is a different story though. No matter how "air proof" your bottles are, they are bound to take in some air, so it's always a good idea to burp them in between them finishing the bottle, or after they finish the bottle if they "chug it down" like my baby does sometimes lol! Here is the link to the "How to Burp Your Baby" video.

Monday, October 18, 2010

What about CEO moms that breastfeed?

I came across this article today about most women CEOs being moms. One reader's comment pointed out something I thought too, that a lot of the women noted here have kids in their 20s and 30s already. So if they're CEO moms with kids in college, that doesn't really count, now does it. I wonder about women CEOs out there who are trying to run a company and raise a baby AND are breastfeeding exclusively. Which would mean pumping at work during breaks from their corner office. If that's you, honestly, I commend you! That takes mad dedication and commitment. Here's the link to that article:
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/111055/the-corner-office-and-a-family?mod=career-leadership

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Chichi Tea

One of the biggest problems with my breastfeeding so far, (it has now been 3 1/2 months) has been my low milk supply. Now, I say it's a low milk supply, but I think I've just been really hard on myself. Because my baby is just about 13 pounds or so now, and the doctor said she has gained more than enough weight. She's a tough and sturdy, well-fed baby. And I know that when I breastfeed her, she takes in up to 4 ounces from one breast. But I feel that when I pump, it's just not enough. I can barely get 3 ounces from both breasts all together. 2 ounces on my right, 1 ounce on my left. And that's pretty much how it's always been. I think I do have enough milk if I was constantly breastfeeding her, but I work full-time. So I need to pump and store milk everyday (refrigerated and frozen) so that when I can't feed her, she has plenty of milk to be fed from her bottles. But it's a constant struggle to have enough milk for her, 'cause she's one hungry baby. So far I've managed pretty good, but it gets so incredibly tiring. Pumping is so exhausting, it really takes a toll on your body and your emotions. I have to pump every two hours for 20 minutes, all day and night, everyday. That's the best way I researched to keep your milk supply up. That, in addition to actually breastfeeding my baby about once or twice during the day, and then through the night whenever she wakes up to eat. And also, having extra milk stored helps during those times when she's especially hungry and I have to give her a bottle even after I've breastfeed her because it wasn't enough. That's been the case during those dreaded growth spurts. I tell ya' man, I don't think I've ever been as passionate about anything in my life as I am with breastfeeding!

Anyway, so I've been on this quest to increase my milk supply. A few weeks ago, I decided to try all the things they tell you to do. I got the beer, the old-fashioned oatmeal (not the instant one), and this Mother's Milk tea here. I feel like I get the best result from this tea and from beer. The oatmeal, not so much. Sometimes when I drink this chichi tea, I do feel let down in my breasts, which tells me that it must be doing something. (I also feel let down whenever I drink beer as well.) This tea hasn't increased the amount of milk I pump at each session, but the amount is pretty consistent. I haven't run out of milk, so that's a good sign. And I'm wondering if it's not so much that I don't have a lot of milk in there, but that my body is not responding so well to the pumping, which is why only a little bit comes out that way.

This tea doesn't taste bad at all for being an herbal tea. It's a traditional combination of anise, fennel and coriander which has been used for centuries by European women to promote healthy lactation. I usually go for black teas myself, like Chai or Earl Gray. And I like drinking tea with milk and sugar, so I add that to this Mother's Milk and it's pretty good. The box says you're supposed to drink it 3-5 times a day. With my schedule, I'm lucky if I remember to drink it once a day. I'm getting better though, and I do two bags at a time to get more out of one tea time. I found this at Rite-Aid in the vitamins section for about $6. So far I like it and I will continue to drink it to fuel my Chichi Power.