Breastfeeding Awareness Week- Day 2- Challenges

I am a fan of breastfeeding and I am an avid supporter of women who choose to do so. While I understand that not all women will try or continue after trying, I am the go-to girl if you want that emotional support! I read somewhere that the primary reason that women stop breastfeeding is due to lack of support at home (any of you men reading, that means YOU). I have been amazingly blessed with a man who after reading and doing his own research, was going to move mountains to make sure that I nursed our children.

I had the privilege earlier this year to host a friend having nursing issues in my home, as Jennifer from the La Leche League came to figure out the problem(s). (Quick side note: Jennifer is not paid by LLL, and therefore had no obligation to sacrifice her lovely Sunday afternoon to come by. But she did. Because she LOVES to support nursing mamas. We are so thankful to this precious woman.) This sweet new mama had had a c-section after many hours of labor and reverse dilation and was simply having issues, but she was determined that she was going to nurse this baby. I had called her on the phone several times, each time ending in tears (from both of us) and went to drop off a meal to her house. After stepping into the living room and getting her usual bright and sunny "Hi, Mary!!" I felt free to ask how things were going. Her bottom lip trembled as she revealed a little baby at her breast and a feeding syringe draped over her shoulder gently placed into the baby's mouth. "She just...won't latch...on..." and a volley of tears ensued. I couldn't believe that within a week her entire tube of Lansinoh was gone- how much pain had she already experienced and worked through to nurse this baby?! I had brought her a book (The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding) but was immediately struck with my lack of working knowledge, feeling completely helpless to assist my struggling friend. She had called several resources and was always given some website or book... and I was doing the same. Sam needed someone to physically be there to see what was going on. I left extremely sad feeling useless and inadequate and as soon as I got in the car, melted down and called my husband asking for help. He recommended that we call Jennifer, and that is how both my friend and Jennifer meeting at my house (somewhere in the middle of their 45 mile separation) occurred.My friend Sam showed up and was renewed in her determination. The men left, taking Piggy, my elder daughter with them on a walk. And Sam carefully disrobed from the waist up and showed Jennifer what she was doing and how she had been doing it. The baby just didn't want to latch on to the nipple. Maybe she was too little, maybe she just didn't understand how. But Jennifer was oh so gentle in her assessment and encouragement and I just sat back and watched the interaction and exchange of ideas and information. Someone in the prior days had recommended a nipple shield for Sam and that was working better, though the baby initially refused to latch on to that either. Jennifer discussed weaning the baby off the syringe and helped to show Sam that her milk was plentiful and that the baby was getting it even if the syringe was empty, which was a huge relief. She told Sam to dribble a little milk on her nipple and asked her to encourage the baby to nurse straight from the breast each time, before she tried the syringe or shield. After several grueling weeks, the baby finally caught on. What has initially been a tremendous struggle has blossomed into a beautiful nursing relationship made even sweeter because of how hard it was worked for.

I don't get to hang out with Sam much, but I was so happy that she felt comfortable enough to come over that day. She is still nursing that sweet baby and after six months, has decided to introduce her first solids in a few days... so exciting!

I learned a lot from that day. Sam's husband was a bulwark. He knew how much she wanted to nurse this baby and he made it a point to diligently protect her from all the naysayers. I'm sure that he spent hundreds of hours praying over Sam and their baby, and never once did he even suggest that they just stop... he was present emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually... Plenty of folks would have had the chance to tell her it was okay to give up, but they never got that opportunity. And because of this man's tenacity and encouragement, Sam had all the support she needed to succeed in this endeavor. It was truly a beautiful testament to the strength and dedication of marriage.

Breastfeeding Awareness Week- Day 1

In honor of Breastfeeding Awareness Week, I want to share some of experiences with nursing two little ones over the last two years.

I always knew I wanted to breastfeed my babies. I was nursed, as were all of my sisters when breastfeeding wasn't the cool thing to do. In fact, there were very few women who were there to support my mom in her decision. But, she's a tough chick and did it anyway.

With Piggy, my first, I thought that the labor and birth were going to be the hard part. Everything I had read said that nursing should be painless and easy. Boy was I misinformed- labor and delivery (we had a home birth) were a cinch compared to breastfeeding. I guess I didn't realize that since my breasts had never been used that way before, it was going to hurt for a while even if she was nursing correctly, even though the books said otherwise. It took 5 weeks before I got the hang of nursing Piggy, and she received the moniker "Piggy" during that time because of her constant eating and rapid weight gain. In fact, she never lost weight during that first 24 hour period. I made a little mistake and woke her up her first night, latched her on to my breast and she didn't let go for over 7 hours! My nipples got extremely tender and Piggy ate every hour and a half to two hours and for over 45 minutes at a time, so I got all of an hour break for those first few weeks. It was torture for me. Right before she latched on each time I'd check her mouth one more time to make certain that she didn't have teeth, because I would have bet my left leg that she did. Then, I'd hold my breath and scrunch my eyes tightly shut as she latched on. It was agony for those first few seconds... and then the pain was gone. I remember thinking how nice it would be when it didn't hurt to nurse any more, and then being convinced that it was never going to get any better. But it did and by week 6 we were getting into the groove. I thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent together each day as our nursing relationship bloomed, and I completely and utterly fell in love with my child. It was a beautiful experience.

When Piggy was 8 months old, we found out we were expecting a second time. I had no idea until I began having that tender, somewhat excruciating pain while nursing again. Then I had one day that I needed to eat a container of peanut butter, and then felt nauseated afterward. Of course, I chalked it up to the container of peanut butter, but common sense would have made me question my desire to consume that much peanut butter. The next day I took a pregnancy test and confirmed my suspicion. I immediately began taking precautions to keep my supply up because I had heard that pregnancy can sometimes dry up the milk completely. I ate lots of steel cut oats, lactation tea, and various other things, but by month 4 it was totally gone.

I was disappointed and felt tremendously guilty that I could no longer exclusively breastfeed my child. I cried at the thought of giving formula to my baby and cried at the shopping center as I picked out the can of soy. My starving baby- I only realized that I had a supply issue when Piggy went a full day without a wet diaper- greedily gobbled up an entire bottle full of that milk. It was only then that I was no longer upset. In fact, I was thankful that there was an option... I didn't have any lactating friends that I would feel comfortable asking for milk, so soy was the only other option. We had made it to 11 months exclusively breastfeeding.

I plan on making it much longer with Petunia. More on that tomorrow!

Breastfeeding Challenges

I am a fan of breastfeeding and I am an avid supporter of women who choose to do so. While I understand that not all women will try or continue after trying, I am the go-to girl if you want that emotional support! I read somewhere that the primary reason that women stop breastfeeding is due to lack of support at home (any of you men reading, that means YOU). I have been amazingly blessed with a man who after reading and doing his own research, was going to move mountains to make sure that I nursed our children.

I had the privilege earlier this year to host a friend having nursing issues in my home, as Jennifer from the La Leche League came to figure out the problem(s). (Quick side note: Jennifer is not paid by LLL, and therefore had no obligation to sacrifice her lovely Sunday afternoon to come by. But she did. Because she LOVES to support nursing mamas. We are so thankful to this precious woman.) This sweet new mama had had a c-section after many hours of labor and reverse dilation and was simply having issues, but she was determined that she was going to nurse this baby. I had called her on the phone several times, each time ending in tears (from both of us) and went to drop off a meal to her house. After stepping into the living room and getting her usual bright and sunny "Hi, Mary!!" I felt free to ask how things were going. Her bottom lip trembled as she revealed a little baby at her breast and a feeding syringe draped over her shoulder gently placed into the baby's mouth. "She just...won't latch...on..." and a volley of tears ensued. I couldn't believe that within a week her entire tube of Lansinoh was gone- how much pain had she already experienced and worked through to nurse this baby?! I had brought her a book (The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding) but was immediately struck with my lack of working knowledge, feeling completely helpless to assist my struggling friend. She had called several resources and was always given some website or book... and I was doing the same. Sam needed someone to physically be there to see what was going on. I left extremely sad feeling useless and inadequate and as soon as I got in the car, melted down and called my husband asking for help. He recommended that we call Jennifer, and that is how both my friend and Jennifer meeting at my house (somewhere in the middle of their 45 mile separation) occurred.My friend Sam showed up and was renewed in her determination. The men left, taking Piggy, my elder daughter with them on a walk. And Sam carefully disrobed from the waist up and showed Jennifer what she was doing and how she had been doing it. The baby just didn't want to latch on to the nipple. Maybe she was too little, maybe she just didn't understand how. But Jennifer was oh so gentle in her assessment and encouragement and I just sat back and watched the interaction and exchange of ideas and information. Someone in the prior days had recommended a nipple shield for Sam and that was working better, though the baby initially refused to latch on to that either. Jennifer discussed weaning the baby off the syringe and helped to show Sam that her milk was plentiful and that the baby was getting it even if the syringe was empty, which was a huge relief. She told Sam to dribble a little milk on her nipple and asked her to encourage the baby to nurse straight from the breast each time, before she tried the syringe or shield. After several grueling weeks, the baby finally caught on. What has initially been a tremendous struggle has blossomed into a beautiful nursing relationship made even sweeter because of how hard it was worked for.

I don't get to hang out with Sam much, but I was so happy that she felt comfortable enough to come over that day. She is still nursing that sweet baby and after six months, has decided to introduce her first solids in a few days... so exciting!

I learned a lot from that day. Sam's husband was a bulwark. He knew how much she wanted to nurse this baby and he made it a point to diligently protect her from all the naysayers. I'm sure that he spent hundreds of hours praying over Sam and their baby, and never once did he even suggest that they just stop... he was present emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually... Plenty of folks would have had the chance to tell her it was okay to give up, but they never got that opportunity. And because of this man's tenacity and encouragement, Sam had all the support she needed to succeed in this endeavor. It was truly a beautiful testament to the strength and dedication of marriage.

Worth Repeating- The Birth Survey

I have another blog that is becoming defunct, but this post from a month ago is worth repeating, especially since I have a mostly new audience:

I think we all know that the intervention rate in the US for hospital births is through the roof. My OB with my first pregnancy told me why. My translation of what he said: "First we are typically recommended to administer an IV bag of fluids- it is just hospital protocol. That dilutes the oxytocin in the body, which is controlling the contractions. The contractions slow, become ineffective, or cease completely. Then you are labeled 'failure to progress.' As active managers of labor, we as OBs are required to do something to actively manage and we administer pitocin. The pitocin makes the contractions unbearable, and an epidural is called for. The epidural numbs everything and can slow, stop, or make the contractions ineffective. You are again labeled 'failure to progress' and the pitocin is upped. The baby doesn't always handle the combo of the pitocin and epidural well, and an emergent c-section is performed. It's not a domino effect, it's a bundled effect. An IV and bag of fluid greatly increases the likelihood that you will have a c-section." I asked him what we could do to change this and he said that he didn't know.

We now know how to make these changes. It's called The Birth Survey. The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services has spent years developing a way to create transparency among facilities and providers of maternity care. As of now, in the state of SC, you can call any doctors office or hospital and ask for their c-section and intervention rates and you will be told that that information is a) something that they do not retain, b) something that they do not give out, or c) is too controversial and will not be released. As a consumer of goods and services I have the right to know what those providers' and facilities' intervention rates are because research shows that 'place of birth and provider are the most important variable in predicting patient outcome and morbidity.'

Yes, morbidity. Women are still dying in childbirth in the US. Our c-section rates are over 3 times higher that the World Health Organization's recommendations of 10%, yet our mothers and babies are dying. We have the worst infant mortality rate in the developed nations. One would assume that with greater technology and higher intervention rates, the ratio of death and negative outcomes should be inversely proportionate to the interventions used. So, if the interventions go up, the negative outcomes decline. But it's not. What we are seeing is that as the interventions increase, the negative outcomes either stay the same or increase.

And let's not forget about the physical and emotional effect that cesareans are having on these new mothers (and their babies!), especially when they anticipated vaginal deliveries. Midwifery Today had a compelling article about it not too long ago.

Transparency is an issue whose time has come. 25% of all hospital discharges are maternity related, so it is obvious that this transparency must include maternity care. And just like the Hawthorne Effect shows us in industrial engineering- people who are watched while doing their work do a much better job (you can see it everywhere- at your home, at work, as a laboring woman, as a doctor)- Transparency translates to better care.

The Birth Survey is a comprehensive questionnaire about your prenatal care and birth experience. It is a chance to sing the praises of your healthcare practioners and facilities, or share unpleasant experiences. Then, women who are searching for high quality care can look up each hospital and each individual doctor and practice and make an informed decision based on other women's experiences. I would personally not choose a doctor who had a 60% c-section rate, or a hospital that required an IV 100% of the time. And this is where YOU come in.

If you have had a baby in the last 3 years in the United States and have access to an internet connection, you can help make changes in the maternity care system. All you need is about 30 minutes to fill the survey out. Go to The Birth Survey and click on "Share"... We can change the way maternity care is done in the US, but it will be done one woman, one answer, one click at a time.

A New Resolution- Vegetarian August

Todd and I have dabbled in vegetarianism many times in the past. He has a mild meat allergy and during my second pregnancy, I was horrendously nauseated at the thought of eating any meat product. I have a great friend who prepares solely vegetarian meals and often passes those recipes to me. I have made a new resolution for the month of August. I will not eat any takeout or meat this month. And I will engage in some form of physical exercise each day.

What has prompted me to go to such "extremes", you ask? Well, I have had some form of fast food every week for the last few months and not only do I feel fat and sluggish, but I just don't feel great. I've been having trouble sleeping and my self esteem is in the tubes. So, today, Todd and I took Piggy and Petunia to the local farmer's market where we loaded up on all sorts of fresh fruits and veggies. We found a delightful local farmer named Daniel, who couldn't be much older than us, and he has been farming for 11 years!! We loaded up on peppers, Japanese eggplants, okra, fresh basil, and rainbow chard. Then we meandered around and picked up some potatoes and fresh peaches. We will add those to our own homegrown squash, corn, green beans, blueberries, and tomatoes plus dried beans and rice to create healthy vegetarian meals each day.

I will share great recipes with you and chart my progress. If you want to get involved in a fun weight loss challenge (it may be too late to participate officially, but you can see), you can check out Samantha's Body After Baby Challenge over at Mama Notes. I anticipate losing weight, though it is not my primary goal. I would love to feel better, sleep better, have more energy, and take care of this vessel that God has given to me!!

So, as the saying goes, Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Here goes nothing!!!

A few starting stats:

weight-142 lbs
body fat- 26.2
hips- 41 inches
waist- 31 inches
thighs- 24 inches (each!! for those of you who are mathematically challenged, that is 4 feet of thigh!)
arms- 12 inches

Each Saturday, I'll be logging the progress. If I'm not too chicken, I'll post a before and after picture. But that is a huge IF!!

Fun Fact Friday

This week's Fun Fact Friday is a mind blower. With the help of my father, I am going to attempt to explain something known as Avogadro's Number or 6.022x 1023 (and that is 10 to the 23rd power). If you write it out, it is 602,200,000,000,000,000,000,000 which is a really big number! But, what is it? Avogadro's Number is the number of molecules in a mole of any particular substance.

If you want to know exactly how huge this number is, consider a few examples:

The State of Texas is approximately 250,000 sq. miles in area. This is approximately 6.47 x 1017 sq. millimeters (pretty close to our example of Avagadro's Number). If it is given that each grain of salt is an exact cube and that each side of the cube is exactly 1/3 mm in length, then 1 cubic mm would be occupied by exactly 27 grains of salt.

Therefore, to cover the State of Texas with salt to a depth of 1mm would require 6.47 x1017X27 or 1.75x1019 grains of salt. One mole of salt grains equals 6.02 x 1023 grains of salt. Therefore, one mole of salt grains would cover the State of Texas to a depth of 3.44x104 mm [6.02x1023/1.75x1019] or approximately 110 ft, which is about the height of a 12 story building.

To get an idea of just how small atoms and molecules really are, this same number of water molecules (6.02 x 1023) is contained in just 18 ml of water, which is just over a tablespoon (15 ml). So, the same number of salt grains that it takes to cover the State of Texas 110 feet deep is the same number of molecules contained in 18 ml of water, meaning that a molecule of water is millions of times smaller than a grain of salt.

Second Example:

The distance to the star nearest to our sun, Alpha Centauri C, is 4.22 light years away. The distance to Alpha Centauri C is the number of miles light would travel in 4.22 years. Since light travels at about 186,000 miles per second, this distance is approximately 2.48E13 miles [24,800,000,000,000 miles or 24.8 trillion miles]

Consider John, who graduates from college at age 22 and immediately begins working with a company that requires him to fly to Thailand every Monday and back to Charlotte every Friday, giving him two weeks off each year. John is a loyal employee and does this for the next 50 years, retiring at age 72. Since the distance to Thailand is approximately 12,000 miles one way, John has accumulated approximately 60 million frequent flyer miles (60,000,000 miles) by the time he retires. (24,000 miles per week X 50 weeks per year X 50 years).

Also consider that this same company employs a total of 413,000 people who do exactly the same thing as John. This is approximately the number of people it would take to fill Williams-Brice Stadium (USC Gamecocks) plus Death Valley (Clemson Tigers) plus Bryant Denny Stadium (Alabama Crimson Tide) plus Sanford Stadium (Georgia Bulldogs) plus Bank of America Stadium (Carolina Panthers).

If all of these people add their total miles together after 50 years of flying to and from Thailand each week for 50 weeks each year, that total will be enough miles to get one person to Alpha Centauri C. [Each of them would have to do it for another 50 years to get the person back!]

And that is approximately the same number of miles that is in Avogadro's number. WHEW!!! Is that enough to blow your mind this Friday? No? Well, then you may continue reading:

The most distant object so far identified in the universe is calculated to be 13 billion light years away or over 3 billion times as far away as Alpha Centauri.

What does all this really mean? In my opinion, it means that the same God who can create something as tiny as a molecule or atom is the same God who can create something as vast as the whole entire universe- and yet, He chooses to love me!!! Unbelieveable!


Happy Friday!!!

Tasty Treats Thursday

This week's Tasty Treats Thursday is an easy recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Now, I had an option to go for more of a traditional chocolate chip cookie, but I opted for the cake-like cookies. And let me tell you, they turned out spectacular!! Since Betty Crocker generally has a coupon during the month for a box of her cake mix, and one of the grocery stores usually have a sale on Betty's mix, I pair the two together and stock up. We've got birthdays, anniversaries, and parties through the year so those boxes of cake mix will NOT go to waste. I found out that cake mix could be used for cookies a year or so ago, found this particular recipe and LOVE it. It meets my criteria (easy and delicious) and I hope you enjoy as well! I guess the only thing that makes it "Mexican" is that there is cinnamon in the recipe. Leave it out if you like, or add a little bit more for some real spice. And remember that you can use ANY type of cake mix- so if you have white or yellow, game on!! German Chocolate? No problem (you'd simply have to rename it... ;) All's fair!

Mexican Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 package cake mix (chocolate for this specific recipe, but any will do)
2 large eggs (I only had small/medium from my aunt's farm, so I used 3)
3/4 cup butter, softened (margarine is fine)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I like the minis)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (totally optional... my husband hates nuts in sweets- weird, I know)

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. You can use ungreased cookie sheets or parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl beat half of the dry cake mix, butter, vanilla, and eggs with an electric mixer on medium speed until well-blended and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the remaining dry cake mix, chocolate chips, and nuts (if using) with a spoon, just until combined.
4. Drop dough by rounded spoonfuls approximately 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.5. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes (mine took 12), or just until the edges are set but the centers are still soft.

6. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for about 1 minute and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

This is a fun and easy recipe with very little cleanup... and what needed to be cleaned, the girls were happy to help with!!




**Before you get too upset, the eggs were gathered this week by yours truly, so there is just virtually no chance that she could get sick from them. :) Oh, and the baby doesn't eat solids yet, so I just gave her the cleaned one. :)