My Top Ten Perks of Breastfeeding

1. Bonding. You can bond in other ways, but bonding with breastfeeding is amazing. 
2. When you breastfeed, you have no bottles to clean up! I know there are when you pump. I worked full time, so I still had bottles to clean. In the middle of the night I am happy to say that I had no bottles to clean!
3. Most babies that are breastfed have less sickness.
4. This kind of goes with number 3: Less ear infections. 
5. This kind of goes with number 3: They get better faster. Your antibodies help them to get better faster.
6. Helps with childhood obesity. 
7. Comforts mom and baby.
8. The baby helps consume your calories.
9. Most mom's that breastfeed miss a period for awhile.
10. I've heard mom's that breastfeed say this, so I'm going to come right out and say it to: Your breasts feel firm, and like they have more life to them. When I stopped breastfeeding, my breasts were floppy and empty feeling.

My Nephew Turned 5 Weeks Yesterday

My nephew Emerson turned 5 week this week. This is truly a milestone with babies that have Triomy 18. I'm not sure how much we'll be able to keep up the weekly parties once school starts.


Here I am with my nephew Emerson.

My son Isaak loves baby's! He calls Emerson "Baby Ermasen."
 

Emerson is a snorer! My sister thinks he caught his brother's cold. She's been getting a lot of mucus sucked out since his feeding tube was changed. Then they found out that there was something wrong with the O2 tank. They changed something and it wasn't working right. Now it's fixed. He wasn't getting any extra O2. He was snotty and struggling to breathe. They didn't realize. They thought it was just the changing of the feeding tube and maybe his big brother Elijah's cold. It's ok now.

Buy a Nasal Aspirator That Works!

I did a little research on nasal aspirators today. It's hard to find a good one, one that does it's job!

My nephew Emerson has been having breathing problems because his feeding tube was changed the other day. Usually when this happens a lot of mucus comes up.

My sister bought the Nosefredia. It has 4.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon. The product is around $15. My sister loves it. She says it totally does a great job! The only sucky thing is that you have to buy filters every so often. Maybe having filters is a good thing. 24 filters off Amazon run about $18. Sounds like you get a lot that will last awhile!

Another one that I ran across is the BabyComfyNose Nasal Aspirator. This one has 5 stars on Amazon. It's around $17. You do not have to buy extra filters. Again I don't know if having the filters is or isn't a good thing. It is because it's more clean; it isn't because you have to fork over the extra money.

*This is strictly my opinion only: If I had a baby that was susceptible to getting cold easily, I'd opt to buy the Nosefredia because it has the filters. If I had a baby with no problems and I just wanted one for the common cold, I'd opt to buy the BabyComfyNose Nasal Aspirator. Then you don't have to keep buying filters. They both do a better job then the traditional nasal aspirator you get from the hospital.

Have you used a nasal aspirator that you loved. Please comment to tell me so!

MealBaby

Since my sister's had my nephew, one of her friends set up an account for her family on MealBaby for free.

With my first baby, I really thought baby gifts were fun. With my second, meals were awesome!

You can put in your food likes and dislikes when you register. My sister had on her's, "No seafood please." and "We love fruits and veggies!" Then you can pick places you like in case people do not like to cook.

They have a built in calender to sign up for the date and time you are bringing food. Then you can post what you plan on bringing. I love the calender they have set up! I could see what and when people were bringing my sister something.

They send you a reminder email after you've signed up to bring something.

This is is a great thing to sign up for new moms!

Do You Ever Feel Like Yelling?

I do. I have to say that I don't as much as my mom did. Maybe as generation go by, we'll work our way down to minimal yelling! I'm a minimal yeller. Meaning, I don't do it that often.

Yelling in a fit of rage is not good for anyone. Especially for a baby to hear! How do you, or I overcome the urge to yell?

  

Here are 10 tips that have helped with our family (not that we're perfect): 

1. When you want your older kids to get something done, whisper. Whispering is sacred to kids, they love a secret, so they are more apt to do what you want them to do.
2. Play music when it's time to get household tasks accomplished. Kid's get really into listening to music. When it's playing, it lifts the spirit a little more. It makes the dreaded task much more fun. Try and see how much a kid can do before a song finishes up.
3. Set the timer. This works for kids older then age 5. They may not know how to tell time yet; they do know when something starts it has to finish. If you show them a timer, and explain how it works they will be more motivated to get the job done in a timely fashion.
4. Clean with your kids. Sometimes tasks are HUGE in a child's eyes. They need a little help.
5. Break up. Have one parent do one task, while the other does something else with the kids. Then you feel like you get something done.
6. Take a timeout yourself. Sometimes even parents need one!
7. Praise your kids for doing things right. Then they won't feed off of negative behavior.
8. I know some people are very anti counting, but if it works for you do it! We do.
9. Give one instruction at a time. My oldest really needs this break down! He is single task minded.
10. If you feel like yelling, you still can. It's not that you yell, it's that you are directing your anger out on your children. Have a yelling match just for fun. The kids will think this is fun. They won't think you are yelling at them. **Don't do this one around a baby. They won't enjoy it. Go outside and yell!

According to Adults and Children Together Against Violence:

Too much yelling can be counter productive. Over yelling can be just as harmful as physical abuse. “Children can become immune to being yelled at and start to tune it out,” according to psychologist Myrna B. Shure, Ph.D., of Drexel University.

My Sweet Nephew Emerson

My sister sent this to me. It's a photo of Emerson. I got him this gown before he was born. INKtastic gave it to me to review. Thank you INKtastic for such a wonderful, meaningful gift! Please stop by to visit their store! They have so many cute things to pick from that you can customize.

"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

When I opened it up I started to cry. Isn't it crazy how emotions work? I'm at work around a bunch of guys; I start crying. I'm not a real cry baby girl, but this one made me cry.

Do you see Emerson's double chin? He's gaining weight and beating his odds. Tomorrow night we celebrate yet another birthday. This time he'll be 4 weeks old.

The 'Breast Milk Baby' Hits Good Morning America Once Again

I think it's been on there 3 times now. So what do you think about this doll? Would you buy it for your kid?

My Top Ten Tips for New Mom's and Dad's

1. Sleep when your baby is napping. You may feel like you get enough sleep/or not. The truth is, is that you get a lot of interrupted sleep at night. The deep sleep that you used to getting is not there. You need extra sleep at your baby's nap time.
2. Don't push solid foods too fast. Wait until your baby shows signs like smacking their lips and following your food with their eyes. Food allergies are on a high more then ever, so it's important to hold off. I know it's tempting to see their reaction to new foods, but you will get to see that soon enough. Follow food timelines for when to feed what to your baby. There are websites and books that strictly abide by food timelines.
3. Try to use organic, or make your own lotions, shampoos, wipes, cloth diapers, laundry detergent and so on for your baby. Just like food allergies are high, so are skin ones. Why? Because of the chemicals in them. Your baby's skin is sensitive, treat it as such. 
4. Use a binki to soothe them to sleep. When babies are young, binki's are known to help reduce SIDS. Wash it often.
5. Throw the binki away! I know it's the opposite of number 4. When your older baby is throwing their binki out of the crib on purpose because it's fun; it's time to dispose of it. If you wait to break the binki habit, it will harder to deal with.
6. Put your baby Back to Sleep! Back to Sleep again reduces the risk of SIDS. I know experts have changed their mind about this time and time again. Think of it this way, if your baby spits up in their sleep while on their tummy they can drown in their own spit up. They can also suffocate with bumper pads and thick blankets. When they are old enough to roll over, let them.
7. Give your baby tummy time. Again the opposite of number 6. If you are around your child, tummy time is important. They develop muscles that they wouldn't develop otherwise to hold their head up, roll over and crawl. You don't want them to hate being on their tummy. A great way to give your child tummy time is to prop them up on a Boppy.
8. Hold your baby. Babies need love. You can't spoil a baby. They long for that affection. A baby would never be able to survive on their own in nature. They need their mom and dad.
9. If you want to breastfeed invest is a good pump and stick with it. Buying a cheep pump will discourage extended breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is one thing that gets easier with time. Babies later on nurse for longer periods of time and are more skilled at it. With that in mind, breastfeeding is not for everyone. I do not have this blog to bash anyone who chooses to formula feed. There are many benefits to breastfeeding that outweigh formula feeding. That doesn't mean that if you formula feed, your child is going to get tons of ear infections, be overweight and stupid when they grow up! That's just silly thinking! Everyone has a right to do what's best for them. Breast was best for me. It may or may not be for you.
10. Read and sing to your baby. They just love the sound of your voice. They appreciate books more if you start out early. Begin with cloth books, books that they can chew on.

Breastfeeding a Sick Baby

My nephew Emerson is being fed in two ways:

1. Through an NG Tube. My sister pumps and the breastmilk is given to Emerson through the NG Tube. His feeding tube did fall out once. That wasn't good. Before it fell out Emerson was able to breastfeed a little. After it fell out, it caused Emerson some stress and he didn't latch well at all.

2, Emerson is back to breastfeeding. He still gets breastmilk via NG Tube as well. My sister uses shields, which uses less muscles then a full latch. Little Emerson is beating his odds. He's doing pretty good. He gained back his birth weight and actually gained an aditional pound. All off of Mamma's Milk! YAY Emerson!

Will Drinking Beer Increase Your Milk Supply?

Doctors actually used to encourage mom's to drink a beer soon after she had a baby. This is not the case today.

You may feel like you have more milk at first after drinking a beer. In the long run alcohol dries you out.

Alcohol disrupts the hormones that are involved in milk production.

Julie Mennella, a researcher at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia who studies alcohol's affect on lactation, explains that while prolactin (a hormone that aids milk production) increases with alcohol consumption, oxytocin (a hormone that's responsible for milk letdown) decreases. Researchers think this may explain why babies have a harder time breastfeeding when their mothers drink alcohol.

Is Breastmilk Alcohol-Free?

In light of the last season, 4th of July, I started thinking about this topic of alcohol and breastmilk. Up until recently there was never a test for mother's to figure out if their milk was alcohol-free after drinking themselves.

I found a product here that allows a breastfeeding mom to test her breastmilk in just two minutes.

I can't not stress enough that when you are a parent you need to be responsible. Just because your child doesn't know or understand what a drink is, you shouldn't be watching them while intoxicated. In my opinion I need to be safe to drive at any time just in case something were to happen with my children. Even when a babysitter is present in my house.

A couple drinks can effect someone that has been pregnant for 9 months and not touched alcohol period.

This newish product on the market is geared towards testing if your breastmilk is safe for intake:

In just two minutes, Milkscreen quickly and accurately analyzes breast milk for alcohol. Every mother is unique so, naturally, the way our bodies metabolize alcohol is unique, too. Metabolizing alcohol depends on several factors including body weight, type of alcohol consumed, and food intake so milkscreen was created to eliminate those variables. Milkscreen also helps ensure that the alcohol concentrated in Mom's breastmilk is not at a level that may have negative impacts on Baby. Studies have shown infants consuming breastmilk with alcohol concentrations at approximately 30mg/dl, or 0.03%, and higher have exhibited distinctive changes in feeding behavior and sleep. Babies consume less if the milk contains alcohol and they also sleep less and wake more frequently. We've set the milkscreen test to show a color change at 0.02% to help Mom stay within recommended feeding guidelines.

Alcohol could effect your breastmilk if you don't take precautions. The same amount of alcohol that makes it into your bloodstream makes it into your breastmilk. While the amount that's transferred if you drink a glass of wine is relatively small, your baby is tiny and has an immature liver, which means he or she can't process the alcohol as well as you can.

If you do not have a testing kit, I suggest you pump and dump. You should not be nursing if you've drank alcohol.

To read more about this topic go here.

Baby Update

My sweet little nephew Emerson turned a week old last Thursday. That was a huge milestone considering that he has Trisomy 18.  We had a 1 week birthday party with cupcakes, juice and noiseless party favors.

"It is not length of life, but depth of life." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everything seemed to be a challenge, but he was hanging in there.

Then on Friday or Saturday night (my days are so mixed up) his feeding tube fell out. It took a nurse 6 tires to get it back in. He had two apnea spells. Now his color comes and goes. He's been cluster feeding and growing more, but his strength is depleting.

We knew this could happen, but nothing can prepare someone for it. We just take things day by day.

I'm trying to take my sister's older boy's out when I can. Emerson does best skin to skin on my sister.

Good Baby Reads

Here are some great reads for pregnancy, breastfeeding and child development:

When you are pregnant:

What to Expect When You're Expecting

A Child is Born

Breastfeeding:

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding



Breastfeeding 101

Baby Devlopment:

Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five

Your Baby's First Year - Third Edition

Solids:

Super Baby Food

Baby-Led Weaning