Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week

This week is World Breastfeeding Week! It is a the time to raise awareness and celebrate all you haute moms that are or have breastfed your little ones. There are some great companies out there that are helping the celebreation so be sure to take advantage of these World Breastfeeding Week promotions.

Mothers Lounge LLC a huge supporter of breastfeeding. They are giving away FREE carseat canopies and nursing covers this week! They are a must have for you little ones and always make great gifts.

Here is how to take advantage:
1.Go to www.carseatcanopy.com.
2.Click on "Shop Now" and select any carseat canopy you like.
3. Once you have made your selection, you'll automatically be directed to the shopping bag. Enter the promo code "BREASTFEEDING2012" and we will deduct 100% off the cost of the canopy - all you pay is the shipping fees!

For a free nursing cover follow these steps:
1.Go to www.uddercovers.com.
2.Click on "Shop Now" and select any nursing cover you like.
3. Once you have made your selection, you'll automatically be directed to the shopping bag. Enter the promo code "BREASTFEEDING2012" and we will deduct 100% off the cost of the cover - all you pay is the shipping fees!

  Remember: the promo code is "BREASTFEEDING2012" and you can use it more than once - just open a new browser window each time you do.

Haute Mom Dilemma #41 - Self Weaning?

This weaning thing has gotten me into a slight frenzy. Not only from the unanswered question of what will fill the void (now I know whole milk and other foods) but also from the excitement of ditching my old ball and chain...the pump!

I attempted to switch Stella's afternoon nursing session with some breastmilk in a sippy cup and that didn't work out so well. Instead of nursing her before dinner she now takes a bottle of breastmilk without batting an eye. The small taste of freedom has my mouth watering for more!

Last week I noticed that Stella was turning her little nose up at her mid-morning bottle so I began giving her whole yogurt instead. She loves it. I think she has chosen to switch out her bottle for some yogurt on her own, making for one successful elimination of a feeding! Yay for Stella!

I have been doing a lot of inquiring about how to wean and what foods should take its place. As I continue to search the answers out, my daughter may decide to help her old mom out on her own.

Next stop - milk in a sippy cup for all feedings except morning and night! I think I can...I think I can...

Stella's excited too!

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Haute Mom Dilemma #40 ~ Time to Wean

My goal for breastfeeding Stella was always to make it to one year.  I had read that this was the best thing for your baby and one year was the recommended time period.  I also had some personal issues with giving Stella formula and so my goal for a year was powered by that as well.  I must say, two weeks into BFing and I didn't think I would even make it to one month.  Yet, here I am, still a nursing mom just a few weeks shy of Stella's 1st birthday.

I have started reading about the weaning process here and there.  I started with my What to Expect the First Year trusty book and then started combing through other sources.  As always, there is a wealth of information out there with plenty of props for making it to one year (yay for me!).  It looks like a gradual process will be the least traumatizing for Stella as well as for my milk supply so that is the route I plan on taking. 


Weaning?  I don't think so!



I have to admit, eliminating one feeding at a time has me a little nervous.  There is something inside of me that is slightly worried that Stella is going to starve if she doesn't nurse before dinner, or before bed, etc.  Can I really just not give her any milk and just feed her solids for dinner?  I usually nurse her, then plop her in her chair for her jar food and whatever finger foods may come her way.  Isn't she going to get less calories without the milk?  Do I just feed her more of something else? Is this where the role of whole milk is going to come in?  Yikes!  This has me so nervous!  So I will go on with my neurotic self and blast her pediatrician with all of these questions (and I am sure there will be more by then) or her next doctor's visit. 

I did some experimenting today since I am home for spring break this week.  I pumped and then put her milk in a sippy cup in place of her mid afternoon BFing session.  At first she sipped it right up and even followed it with a little, "Mmmmm."  I was so excited.  This was going to be easier than I thought! The little rascal must have been doing it for show because she then threw her cup, turned and went for my shirt.  So much for that idea.  I guess it will just take some time but I would love some advice on how everyone else went about it.  Between the pulling of the shirt and the four LARGE and SHARP teeth, I know it is time to get this weaning party started.

Haute Mom Dilemma #39 - The Nursing Mom

I have been posting about all the issues surrounding breastfeeding for so long that I can't believe that I have almost made it to my goal of 1 year!  The posts about the BFing in public and the pumping...remember the one when I had to travel to Boston and tried to bring pumped milk back in my suitcase (and succeeded, thank you very much!)  Now BFing seems like second nature and at times, almost easier.  Not to mention all the money that I have saved from not buying formula!

I realize that there are many needs and various views out there about nursing.  For some it is very important, and for others formula is just as good.  Some moms make the choice to nurse or not and others do not have a choice.  Some moms find that 4 or 5 months is as long as they can go, while other maybe go on longer than most...like 4 or 5 years.  Either way, to each her own and from the bonded groups of mommies out there, I think we all respect each other's opinions in this area.

I just got back from the doctor again (yes, still sick..."worse" according to the doc) and she wants to change my medicine to an aggressive 10 day course.  AGGRESSIVE!  Yes!  I like it!  Let's kill those little throat germs!  The only problem is that the antibiotic recommends "using caution" if breastfeeding and my doctor translated this as "you cannot nurse".  For 10 days!   She gave me some helpful suggestions but I'm thinking, "Look lady, I didn't come this far, 3 weeks away from my goal, for you to tell me I should just give her formula for 10 days."  I do have some frozen milk but I am not sure if I have enough.

It is funny that just yesterday, while I was resting in bed, I was reading my trusty What to Expect the First Year to see what it suggested about weening. I know it is time to be thinkging about this; my mother told me yesterday that this might be a perfect time to start since I am ill.  I do NOT like the fact that Stella would have to go cold turkey for 10 days.  I am just not sure what to do.  Honestly, I am wondering (since I have a virus) how much this antibiotic is really going to help and if it is going to be worth putting Stella on formula, even part of the time for the next week and a half.

Darn it.  Being sick is ten times more complicated when you are a mommy!