Breastfeeding in Public

Tags

baby, pregnancy, nursing, mom, parenting, parent, new mom, breastfeeding, fatherhood, mommy, motherhood, parenthood, family, photo, breastfeeding in public

Being much more mobile post-pregnancy #2 and keeping up with an on-the-go toddler has made breastfeeding in public more of a concern. Where I currently live, nursing in public seems to have much more of stigma than in the LA area. I’ve gotten dirty looks (most often from moms with older children, WTF didn’t you have to feed your children too at some point? What’s with the hate?) and have had a group or two of little junior high boys trying to photograph me breastfeeding with their cell phones. I’ve had gardeners hang around my car trying to see. All in all very uncomfortable. Having to attach a nipple shield pre-nursing must make me much less inconspicuous than I’d like to be.

When I am starting to feel pressured into bottle feeding (a battle with baby #2),  returning home to feed my baby, or buying one of those aprons (I have never wanted one. It’s one more thing to carry around and to remember. What happens if you forget it at home?) I turn to Jo for encouragement and power on.

Despite all of the discomfort, I’ve kept it up and have even found a few guardian angels. There is a wonderful woman at Starbucks who has chased off the junior high boys on more than one occasion. The grandma at ALDIs who hit the gardener over the head with her purse and informed him that staring is rude. A few fellow mothers have held normal conversations with me rather than shying away or acting like I’m going to lure away their eight-year-old with the promise of fresh breast milk. Thanks for the encouragement and support! It helps me survive the pressure and raise healthy children.

What encourages you to keep breastfeeding in public?

Joanna Goddard of Cup of Jo offers great encouragement in both text and photographic form. Click the link to check out her post on breastfeeding in public.

I wonder if I look as carefree as Jo when I’m nursing in public. I think I’ll ask my honey to snap a few photos.

 

 

 

Related articles

• Nothing is rude about feeding your child (whatthebeepamidoing.com)
• Breastfeeding in public, for the first time (babydblog.wordpress.com)
• OMG That Lady is Breastfeeding……. (ashleebaughman.wordpress.com)
• Breastfeeding Mom: “I Was Asked To Go To A Back Room Or Outside” (khq.com)

 

Ask The Mommy Stylist: Mixing Color and Pattern

Reblogged from The Mommy Stylist:

By Lisa Miller

Since joining The Mommy Stylist team, I have received several inquiries about how to mix colors and patterns. Often viewed as  daunting and tricky, most women tend to shy away from bold outfits while admiring them on others. Climbing out of the safe-zone and into the realm of color and pattern, even texture, is an achievable goal. All it takes is a little inspiration.

Read more… 410 more words

Mom-to-Mom: What's in My Diaper Bag

Reblogged from The Mommy Stylist:

By Lisa Miller

A bag may well be one of the most important accessories in every mom’s wardrobe. Whether it's for lugging around diapers, sports equipment, work documents, school supplies, or just the essentials, we all need something fabulous and functional. In this mom-to-mom series, I'll show you what's in my bag and hopefully, inspire you to do the same. What better way to help each other out than by sharing our secrets? 

Read more… 554 more words

The Evil Boob and Rebuilding the Trust

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baby, Baby bottle, breastfeeding, Diana West, drowning baby, family, Infant, Lactation, mom, motherhood, new baby, new mom, newborn, Nipple, Nipple shield (breastfeeding), nursing, parent, parenthood, parenting, pregnancy, rebuilding the trust, the evil boob, too little milk, too much milk

Lactation and breastfeeding is confusing and stressful. In fact, if you read any books to prepare for parenthood, read something on breastfeeding.

Many women face the problem of their milk not coming in fast enough. There are many trial and error possibilities out there to assist with this hardship. I tend to have the opposite problem: my milk comes in too quickly for my children to keep up, which comes with its own set of troubles but not so much research and help.

Newborns are just learning to suck and swallow, latch and eat. Whether the milk comes in too slowly or too quickly, babies can lose trust in the boob- trust is very fragile in newborns. You are supposed to respond to baby’s cries as soon as possible and hold baby whenever possible to build a bond of trust, it is similar with nursing. When milk comes in too quickly baby ends up spluttering and drowning. They get angry at the boob, yelling at it and hitting it. Who can blame them? The evil boob is attacking them and trying to kill them. If it carries on for long enough, they eventually lose interest in nursing at all, especially if you have needed to bottle-feed in addition to nursing your baby. Then, baby will simply refuse to eat until you give up and offer a bottle. At least, such has been my experience.

If your baby refuses to nurse, even if you are pumping in nursing’s stead, your milk may soon begin to diminish. This may leave you with the daunting task of rebuilding your milk supply, as was my experience with my first daughter who couldn’t nurse due to tongue-tie, also see this post for tips on identifying tongue-tie.

It has almost been a week since baby Lula was born. She came out nursing so well, but due to jaundice and a lack of sunlight I had to pump what milk she couldn’t drink during her nursing and offer her whatever she would take from the bottle (bottle-feeding is faster and easier so babies often take more from a bottle immediately following nursing. Babies can also sometimes prefer the bottle for this reason). Last night, she said good riddance to this drowning business and refused to nurse until we offered her a bottle. All day today, again, she wouldn’t nurse. She would simply refuse to eat until I got really worried and finally, after an hour each time of trying everything to get her to latch and eat, I gave up and bottle-fed her.

This evening, my husband and I came up with a possible solution: the nipple shield. While nursing my eldest daughter, Lettybug, I had to use the nipple-shield to protect sore nipples and elongate my nipples due to a raised mouth roof and the flattening of the nipples that can occur when boobs are overfull (often found in babies born with tongue-tie). Nipple shields have a similar texture to bottle nipples and force babies to draw milk slower because it takes extra effort (one lactation consultant that I spoke to about using the nipple shield for Bug likened it to training for a marathon because it built up the muscles needed to suck so that babies have an easier time nursing later even if milk flows fast). This time, we thought the combination of texture and slower milk flow might fend off the drowning aspect and help build trust back because she obviously trusts the bottle more than The Evil Boob right now.

I slipped on the nipple shield. Slid it into her mouth. And, just like that, she accepted it and nursed like a champ. I’ll probably keep the nipple shield around for a little bit and then slowly try to take it away again after she’s learned to nurse well enough and build up those muscles enough to keep up with the milk flow without drowning. I will probably have to consult a lactation specialist for ideas on how and when best to proceed with this part of the plan. For now, however, crisis averted. I don’t have to stay glued to a pump forever and my baby girl is nursing.

*If you are having trouble with a low/slow milk supply, I recommend seeking help from a lactation specialist (make sure to find a nice one, not the popular evil-football-coach version so skilled at making you feel stupid and horrible) and trying to read this book: The Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk by Diana West and Lisa Marasco.

 

The New Baby!

Tags

baby, pregnancy, mom, parenting, parent, new mom, ikea, mommy, motherhood, lifestyle, parenthood, family, mom style, mommy stylist, The Mommy Stylist, Children, today's craving, Tahini, Flatbread, More to Love, new baby, c-section, Expedit, tahini recipe

Dear Readers,

It feels like so long since I’ve had the chance to sit down and dedicate time solely to you all and to Lettybug and Salem Moon. Between exhaustion, chasing Bug around, preparing for the new baby, my part-time job, and working on The Mommy Stylist I have had no spare time.

In addition to washing all of the baby clothes and preparing the house for a new baby, I also was able to check a few other things off of my to-do list. About a week before Amelie, henceforth called Lula, was born my husband and I finally unpacked the boxes in our bedroom and got a bed (thank you tax refund!) which sure beats sleeping on the floor. There have just been so many things to do and furniture to buy since moving to our new place it just never happened until now. I must say, sleeping on a bed is way nicer than sleeping on the floor while pregnant. I should know, I’ve done it twice. Why do we always move while I’m pregnant. Oh yeah, because babies take a lot of space. I got a comfortable arm-chair for my bedroom as well and I finally purchased and put together that Ikea Expedit bookshelf to turn into toy storage/window seat in my daughter’s (someday to be daughters’) room.

Towards the end I was always craving tahini- on cucumbers and carrots, tofu and chicken, flat bread and pretzels. You name it, tahini was probably on it. Here is my favorite recipe.

Anyways, baby #2 is finally here: a beautiful baby girl, 19-1/4″ long, weighing 6 lbs 13 ozs. Welcome to the family, Lula!

In recovery after the C-section.

The next day. Showing off for the camera.

The newly expanded family.

Here we are again. Such telling photos!

The stars of Lettybug and Salem Moon! Mama, Lula, Salem Moon (aka jealous cat), and Lettybug herself. Home from the hospital at last!

 

What to Wear: Rainy Day

Tags

affordable fashion, budget fashion, budget style, cheap fashion, cheap shopping, chic moms, clothing, fashion advice, fashion for moms, fashion help, hot moms, Lisa Miller, mixing color and pattern, mom advice, mom fashion, mom magazine, mom shopping, mom style, mom stylist, mom's stylist, mommy stylist, skinny jeans, style, The Mommy Stylist

Reblogged from The Mommy Stylist:

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By Lisa Miller

Don’t let April showers put a damper on your wardrobe. Instead, embrace the weather by donning fashionable rain gear and hitting the pavement in style. We've put together a couple of on-trend outfits perfect for the upcoming deluge. Enjoy keeping dry while looking fabulous!

Outfit 1:

1. Metallic Fringe Scarf ($8.80/Forever 21 - free shipping on orders over $50!)

Read more… 221 more words

Spring Trends Moms Can Get on Board With: Ruffles

Tags

affordable fashion, budget fashion, budget shopping, budget style, cheap clothes, cheap fashion, cheap shopping, cheap style, chic moms, fashion advice, fashion for moms, fashion help, hot moms, mom advice, mom fashion, mom magazine, mom's stylist, mommy stylist, style, The Mommy Stylist

Reblogged from The Mommy Stylist:

 By Lisa Miller

A longtime staple on little girls’ clothes, ruffles often get the bad rap of being too young, cutesy, and frilly to be taken seriously. These grown-up sexy ruffles, however, are nothing of the sort. They'll add a flirty, feminine touch to your spring closet. From summery organza dresses to fun accessories, keeping up with this trend couldn't be easier.

Read more… 352 more words

Spring Trends Moms Can Get on Board With: Stripes

Tags

affordable fashion, Body shape, budget fashion, budget shopping, budget style, cheap clothes, cheap fashion, cheap shopping, cheap style, chic moms, dress, fashion advice, fashion for moms, fashion help, hot moms, mom advice, mom fashion, mom magazine, mom shopping, mom style, mom stylist, mom's stylist, mommy stylist, shopping, style, sweater, The Mommy Stylist

Reblogged from The Mommy Stylist:

By Lisa Miller

Love stripes? Then, lucky for you because all types, widths, and colors are on trend this spring. Stock up, but save big with these Mommy Stylist-approved (see the TMS Mission Statement) pieces. Wearing stripes can be tricky; thick horizontal stripes can make you look wider while thin ones won't. Multi-directional stripes can be too flashy for some so tone them down by layering with a solid colored cardigan or blazer.

Read more… 446 more words

DIY Tinted Lip Balm

Reblogged from le zoe musings:

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Let's be honest. We all own more beauty products than our lips, cheeks, or eyes can handle. A few weeks ago, I did a massive clean out of my makeup drawer and realized that I have far too many unwanted beauty products taking up precious space. These include lipcolors that I know I would NEVER EVER wear or products that I loathe such as loose mineral eyeshadow or blush 

Read more… 251 more words

Made this yesterday. It is So easy to make. The unfortunate placement of a candle next to my favorite lipstick and chap stick left both melted beyond application from the tube. I mixed them up using this recipe for tinted lip balm and problem solved. PROS: easy, great for extending the life of a lip color, makes your lips feel nourished rather than dried out from lip stick. CONS: Hard to wash off your finger if you apply it that way, smeary like lip gloss.

Today’s Craving- Kale Chips Recipe

Tags

3 ingredients, Cook, cooking, easy, food, healthy, homemade, kale, kale chips, mom, pregnancy, recipe, recipes, simple, vegan, vegetarian, yum

Ingredients:

-Bunch of kale

-Olive Oil (enough to coat kale, but not make too oily)

-Salt (to taste, a little salt goes a long way on kale)

 

Directions

1. Put a very small amount of olive oil and salt in a bowl.

2. Remove stems from kale. Tear kale leaves like you are making a salad and toss in bowl.

3. Toss the kale with the olive oil and salt.

4. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees. Place kale on baking sheet. (Don’t need to spray sheet, because the leaves are already coated in olive oil). Bake for approx. 20 minutes, or until most of the kale is crunchy.

5. EAT, yum!