Enjoying a day with my son at the Rose Parade

Hello, readers! I do realize it has been 20 days since my last post. There’s more coming, I promise. But first, I want to give you a personal update.

When I started this blog, I was working part-time while mothering my 8-month-old baby, but now I work full-time.  I’m not complaining: although it’s financially necessary, (my husband is a full-time graduate student) I truly enjoy the work I do. But the work schedule leaves me with an hour and a half every weekday evening with my son before his bedtime. It’s not enough. As soon as he’s in bed, I’m preparing lunches, laundering or packing cloth diapers, washing breast pump pieces, and packing everything up for the next day.

One post per week is challenging for me. I wish I could write faster, spend more time blogging, and post more. I’d love to interact more with the blogs I enjoy and admire. To answer the great questions some friends and readers have emailed me (sorry guys, I haven’t forgotten, especially about those milk-supply and pumping questions). I just haven’t found a way to do it all without cutting into my sleep or family time.

I’ve just had a burst of encouragement from three sources: a friend/fellow blogger who I admire recently told me she wished I posted more often; a company contacted me to do a review/giveaway of their product, and I just discovered links to some posts I have written on message boards and discussions. So I’m inspired to spend a little more time here and to let you know that The Milk is still flowing. . .

My son’s first birthday is right around the corner, and a few people have asked me The Question.

“So, how long are you going to breastfeed?”

My response changes every time, because the truth is, I have no idea.

One year old is the age at which babies can safely digest whole cow’s milk, so non-breastfed babies may transition off formula. It’s also the age when many babies are weaned from the breast. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends at least 1 year of breastfeeding.  But there is a wealth of evidence that toddlers continue to benefit from breastfeeding beyond one year.

Here’s why I’m not weaning at one year:

• Breast milk continues to give my baby protection against illness. The American Academy of Family Physicians position paper on breastfeeding states “If the child is younger than two years, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned”.
• I’m not ready for another baby yet. The hormones of breastfeeding supress fertility, and so far, I have no signs of ovulation. At some point, it’ll come back whether I wean or not, but I’ll take as long as I can get.
• The longer I breastfeed, the more I’ll lower my future risk for breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer.
• I’m thinner now than I was before pregnancy, despite eating more and exercising less, because of breastfeeding.
• My son loves nursing and he is comforted by it. He now asks to nurse in the morning and when I get home from work. He looks sweetly at me and holds up his hand, making the “milk” sign that I taught him. I love cuddling with him and how he melts in my arms when the milk starts flowing.
• Twice now, he’s been sick and refused to eat or drink anything. But he still wanted to nurse. A LOT. I’m sure it was because he felt miserable and wanted comfort, not because he was hungry. It was such a relief to have a way of keeping him hydrated and nourished. I like having this emergency food supply for him.

For more on these reasons (and more) for breastfeeding beyond a year, check out Kellymom.com’s resources about breastfeeding after the first year, with several articles and fact sheets; and Dr. Jack Newman’s article Breastfeed a Toddler – Why on Earth? addressing the normalcy and benefits of extended breastfeeding.

So how long will I breastfeed? All I know for sure is that neither of us are ready to wean yet. I hope to breastfeed at least another year. Ask me again when he turns two!

How long did you (or will you) breastfeed? How did you decide when to wean?

Some milk in my freezer

As my son approaches his first birthday, I sat down with a calculator and figured out how much breast milk I have produced. You guessed it: I came up with 76 gallons.

There’s no way to be exact about it, but with various calculations, I’m fairly sure it’s between 74 and 78 gallons, so I’m settling on the middle. This is based on a combination of how much I pump when I’m working, and how much he ate during the times when we took his pre-and post-nursing weights on the special scale.

But this little exercise was just to satisfy my curiosity and to celebrate. You really don’t need to know how much milk you make. For the most part, if the baby is peeing and growing normally, then whatever amount the baby takes from the breast is enough. If you are used to seeing babies bottle-fed, this can be unsettling. You want to measure the ounces with the marks on the bottle and feel satisfied that the baby has taken enough at every feeding. I understand. I’m a numbers-oriented person who likes to measure things. I crave visual, numeric proof of progress toward my goals.  I’m a dietitian who knows how many calories my baby is “supposed to” eat. And, as a new mother, our bad start at breastfeeding shattered my confidence. I learned to trust my body slowly, with the help of a lactation consultant who repeatedly assured me that even though some of his feedings were very small, I was making the right amount of milk for him.

So I’m celebrating the first year’s worth of milk given with love to my baby. The accomplishment of weaning him off the formula we had to use in the first few weeks. Overcoming my worries about milk supply. Seventy-six gallons is a lot of milk!

Welcome, Readers of November’s Carnival of Breastfeeding! After you read this, check out the other great posts on the theme of “Breastfeeding Experiences in the Hospital” linked at the bottom of this post.

It is a beautiful gesture when friends and family come to the hospital to be among the first to see and hold the new baby and congratulate the parents. But the best way to support the new family may be to stay away, at least for the first few days.

I don’t want to be antisocial. The birth of a baby is a huge cause for celebration, and it’s important for the new parents to feel support from friends and family. But the reality is, mothers and their newborns need some space for a while, especially while in the hospital. Here’s what new moms and babies need to be doing in the first few days, and how visitors (birth partner not included) can interfere.

Skin-to-skin contact

A baby needs to be with its mother. Not down the hall in the newborn nursery, not in a bassinet across the room from its mother, but snuggled up to the warmth of her bosom. There is rapidly growing evidence supporting the importance of skin-to-skin contact (cuddling the naked baby on mother’s bare chest), especially in the first several hours after birth. This close contact obviously increases access to breastfeeding, but it also reduces crying, helps regulate the baby’s temperature, aids in bonding, and improves success at breastfeeding. Babies held skin-to-skin for the first 3 hours are much more likely to leave the hospital fully breastfeeding. (For more on skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding, I highly recommend reading this handout by Dr. Jack Newman.)

Most moms will cover up when visitors arrive, keeping a barrier between herself and the baby. Visitors can also interfere with skin-to-skin contact simply by holding the new baby. There’s nothing like holding a newborn, but a visiting Auntie’s or great-grandfather’s arms just can’t compete with Mama’s breast for the warmth, comfort, and nourishment that are so vital in the first few days of the baby’s life.

Rest

Whether she had a vaginal delivery or a c-section, the mother’s body needs to heal and recover. She needs every moment of sleep possible. Newborns don’t make this easy, nor do they sleep on a predictable schedule. When baby sleeps, mom had better close her eyes and follow suit. Recovering from childbirth in a hospital is challenging enough with interruptions for medications, the infant hearing screen, paperwork, bloodwork, food service workers taking your meal order, etc. Add visitors, no matter how important they are, and you are left with literally no time to rest.

Breastfeeding often and on-demand

Babies need the comfort and nutrition of the breast. Newborns can take a looong time to nurse, and they need to nurse often. Breastfeeding can take some work and practice, and in the first few days when the baby is learning, it can demand the mother’s full attention. It’s hard to breastfeed modestly when you’re both learning what to do. When my son was born and we were struggling to get started breastfeeding, I couldn’t use a nursing cover. I needed full view of my own breast, and had to repeatedly break my son’s latch and try again and again. I’ve talked to many mothers who delayed breastfeeding because they weren’t comfortable with this level of exposure.

A word of advice

If you are a mother-to-be, consider delaying visitors until after you are settled at home, or limit it to just one or two close people who are supportive of your breastfeeding plans. It might feel rude and selfish to turn away well-meaning friends and family. But they should understand. You might enlist a husband or mother to act as gatekeeper, as my friend did, thanking visitors for coming but gently sending them away to allow the new mother and baby to rest.

If you are a friend or family member, find out what the mother’s wishes are regarding visitors. Before the baby is born, if possible. If your presence is going to prevent her from keeping the baby at her breast, consider delaying your visit.

My husband and I didn’t allow any visitors other than my mother and his father. I couldn’t wait to see friends and show off my son, but I was glad we made that decision. We had a hospital birth, but I wonder if it’s different with a home birth. Without all the interruptions from hospital staff, and a bit more control over your own schedule, I imagine visitors might be easier to accommodate.

How do you feel about welcoming, or turning away, new-baby-visitors in the hospital? Did visitors hinder, or help, your early breastfeeding experience?

Other Carnival of Breastfeeding Posts:

Breastfeeding 1-2-3: Breastfeeding experiences in the hospital

Momma’s Angel: My hospital experience in Norway

Hobo Mama: Breastfeeding support: A tale of two hospitals

Whozat: The nipple intervention

The Beautiful Letdown: Breastfeeding in the hospital

Motherwear’s Breastfeeding Blog: Had a good or bad experience in the hospital? Tell them!

Breastfeeding Mums Blog: Breastfeeding experiences in the hospital

In one week, I’m flying across the country to attend the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA) in Philadelphia.  I love attending conferences and learning about new research and current topics in my field. But I’ve never been to one like this. It is massive. Five days, over 1,000 scientific sessions to choose from, over 13,000 public health professionals. It took me hours to put together a schedule for myself.

Breastfeeding sessions get top priority. But I wanted to branch out of maternal-child health and explore other interests including poverty, health disparity, politics of public health, and malnutrition. Here are a few of the highlights I’m looking forward to attending:

Evaluating Breastfeeding Programs
Nutrition and Malnutrition
Breastfeeding: Developing Community Support
Vitamin D and Health: Meeting Adequate Intake

If I make it there in one piece, that is. Along with me, the sole adult traveler on a day-long journey, will be my 10-month-old son. His Grandma will be meeting us at the hotel and babysitting while I’m in the meetings, but for the travel, I’m on my own. It will be an adventure.

Any advice for making the most of the meeting? How about flying with a nursing 10-month old? I’m open any suggestions and survival tips!