Breastfeeding » Four Against Two

I Have The Best Job In The World

A Mom's Job, Breastfeeding 2 Responses »

Nov 072011

I just got back from working an eight-hour shift today. I normally work four hours, so it felt great to get an entire shift in! We were busy, as busy as I have been since coming back from my two-year break. I loved every minute of it.

It felt great to be useful, to be able to answer questions, relieve anxiety and help new families plan for the first few weeks with a newborn. I get instant gratification at my work and I crave that. I like watching an infant and mom improve their latch and technique in a matter of a few hours.

It also felt great to be challenged. There were two infants who had some major tight jaw action and one little girl who sucked on her tongue. I knew what to do. I knew what to say, suggest. That feeling is golden for me as normally I don’t know what to do or say. I don’t have answers for the world’s problems, I don’t have answers for all my family’s woes: But I can help you breastfeed. That might not seem like much to some, but it is my skill and for a mom needing help I can seem like a chariot of golden help! If only I had a magic wand to make everything easy.

To me nothing is more intimate or amazing than a mom nursing her baby and daddy looking on at them and it is a privilege to be able to help them.

It took me 29 years to find my niche. I pray it doesn’t take my girls that long, but as long as they find it I will be pleased.

What is your best job in the world. Was it easy to discover or did it take a while to figure it out?

Grief Has No Check List

A Mom's Job, Adoption, Breastfeeding, Grief 1 Response »

Jun 022011

I recently participated in an online breastfeeding conference. It is a great way to get my educational hours I need for nursing and Lactation without having to travel. One of the things I really like about it is that while I am learning about breastfeeding, I am also learning about other health dynamics, techniques and concepts that challenge me to think in different ways.

It may sound surprising, but my work as a Lactation Consultant has helped me become a better adoptive parent. I have learned more about attachment and bonding through breastfeeding my own kids and helping other parents than I have from adoption books or seminars. Breastfeeding brings out the basic needs that humans desire: Connection (love, commitment, relationship) and nurturing (food, shelter, protection). The adoption triad (birth parents, child, adoptive parents) revolve around these needs as well.

At my conference this year, I listened to a lecture entitled Grief and the Lactating Mother. I admit that this was one of the last sessions I listened to as I knew the content would be heavy. It was of course, but it was so poignant and so deep and she touched on so many aspects of grief that I realized I wasn’t listening as a lactation consultant anymore. I was listening as a mom of traumatized kids.

Two things stood out to me:

1) Grief doesn’t end or come to a resolution. We have to stop going through the Kubler-Ross five steps of grieving as a checklist and more as a guide. There is Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance but they may present at different times, go in a different order or you may skip one. For example you may reach the acceptance stage of your grief and a new experience or trigger will send you back to Anger or Denial.

2) We (as LCs or as adoptive parents) cannot make the grief better or make it go away. We have to acknowledge it and validate the person grieving, and let them grieve as they need to.

Both of those stopped me in my tracks. I cannot stand the thought that Mita and Enu will never heal from their trauma. I want it to get better. Of course, we go through counseling and work on coping techniques and I talk the therapeutic talk but deep down, I still want to fix it and I cannot.

The thought of every birthday, graduation, wedding, a child’s birth, etc will possibly bring a wave of fresh grief to them is very difficult me me to accept. I see the progress they are making though and I have hope that while the grief will always be there, they will be able to handle it and that it will change to a dull ache and not searing pain.

Heavy subject matter for the first week of summer, I know, but there are so many people grieving right now that I know I just thought I would share the rumbling thoughts in my head.

Clip Art Credit

Humor In Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding 1 Response »

Aug 012010

I have to admit that when I first starting writing this post it was a rather typical read about World Breastfeeding Week. Then I quickly realized that there are plenty of other sites that are covering World Breastfeeding Week wonderfully and that I can keep my subject manner light, fluffy, fun and hopefully encouraging!

Several weeks ago I was shopping with FireMom and MomOutnumbered. They were trying to get me to buy some clothes for BlogHer10. They ended up buying dresses for themselves, but I bought this:

An awesome card from Halmark for breastfeeding moms. The outside of the card reads:

Whoever said “there’s no use crying over spilled milk” Obviously never pumped six ounces, then accidentally dumped it.

Inside:

Hang in there. You are doing fine.

As soon as my amigas showed me this card I got happy. FireMom said I was flushed and I have to admit that I was overjoyed to see this card. Why? Because someone else got it. They not only got it , they massed produced it. Thank you Hallmark!

I loved breastfeeding my children, I love helping moms and babies with breastfeeding. I understand the feeling of loosing milk by accident. I once threw away 4 oz in the trash when I meant to be tossing out some yogurt and thought about it for days. I still think of it with disgust, how could I have been so careless? I cried when my sister in law called me and told me that some workmen unplugged her deep freeze and she lost a freezer full of milk. During a black out (three days without electricity) my brother gave his generator to a friend with a freezer full of frozen breastmilk. Those of us who have been there know how important our liquid gold is. We work for it and it is important to us.

Breastfeeding is a hot topic right now. I want to stay away from the contraversy and just talk support here. If you know a breastfeeding mom who is just getting started and needs an uplifting moment. Give her a card like the one above. Do her dishes for her. Bring her a new CD to listen to while she is spending a lot of time in her easy chair! You don’t have to have breastfeed your children to be able to be supportive. Just be there. And you will be yet another person who gets it.

(Disclosure: I didn’t get compensated for talking about this card from Hallmark or anyone else. I bought it on my own dime!)

Help Protect And Promote Breast-feeding

Breastfeeding, Earth Friendly Ideas, My Soap Box No Responses »

Jun 302009

Elle raises her arms for Breast-feeding!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am passionate about babies and the feeding of babies. Both Meg and Elle were breastfeed into toddlerhood and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It is so empowering to grow a baby! Professionally, I have chosen to pursue my certification in Lactation to help other moms and babies during this time of their lives.

I have recently learned of a piece of legislation in congress that has been written to help protect breast-feeding moms and babies when moms return to the work force. I encourage all of you to read up on it and write your congressional leaders to support this bill.

The American Academy of Pediatrics wants babies to have breast-milk exclusively for six months and with complementary foods until twelve months of age a AT THE VERY LEAST! This is not happening and one of the major reasons why is that the workforce is not supportive of nursing moms in general. Companies are always looking for ways to cut costs, if they supported breast-feeding moms, their medical costs would be lower, workers would take less sick days and everyone wins!

One of these days people in power will realize that prevention is cheaper than treatment. Breast-feeding prevents many illnesses and promotes good health both physically and mentally.

Here is the link for more information: