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I’ve often heard moms say that they don’t have time to breastfeed because they have older children to take care of. They don’t have time to “sit around nursing all day”. So what if you do stop breastfeeding so that you can have more time to spend with your older children? What does that teach the older children? That baby’s needs don’t matter? That if something is inconvenient then you just switch to something easier, even if the inconvenient thing was better? The truth is kids are really inconvenient (not to mention loud, messy, and demanding). Why is breastfeeding so often at the top of the list of things to be tossed? I love how this mom points out, “Some portion of ‘The Family Schedule’ belongs to you (the nursing baby).” I was there once. I was surprised when I heard myself think it. I considered not breastfeeding because it would take too much of my time and energy to do it. How could I, of all people, consider that as an option? My situation was a little different than most beca...

Before working to increase milk supply, make sure there is a true supply issue first! Take a look at these articles to first see if you have low milk production: Help, my milk supply is low! Or is it? I’m Worried My Milk Supply is Drying Up, What Can I do!? The golden rule of milk production: The more frequently and completely the breasts are drained, the more milk will be produced: How Mother’s Milk  is Made Increasing milk production: offer both breasts two times at every feeding use breast compressions nurse frequently (at least 12-14 times in 24 hours) increase skin to skin contact rest, and stay hydrated What this process looks like: Offer baby the first breast and allow him to nurse as long as he likes. When he starts to slow down on his sucking/swallowing start doing some breast compressions .  When you squeeze your breast you should see baby respond with an increased sucking/swallowing. Baby has “finished” the first breast when breast compressions no longer get baby nu...

It was two years ago that I first began nursing my daughter . Last month my little sweetie turned two years old. Yes, she is now two years old and we are still breastfeeding. A lot. She really likes to nurse. Now, to many of the people I hang out with, this is totally normal. However, I realize that for most of the people in the US this may seem weird. My minimum breastfeeding goal has always been two years, though I fell a few months short with both of my boys. Why at least two years? Why would you still be breastfeeding a toddler? Can’t she have “regular” milk now? Doesn’t she have a full set of teeth and eat solid food? Most people are simply unaware of the huge list of benefits of continuing to breastfeed full term. One of my favorite collection of research based information on this is at Breastfeeding Past Infancy: Fact Sheet While it may seem “weird” to many in our culture, scientific research by Katherine A. Dettwyler, PhD shows that 2.5 to 7.0 years of nursing is what our ch...

How important is adoptive breastfeeding? Does it really make a big difference? From personal experience I can tell you that adoptive breastfeeding is HARD! It is probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. The steps and the physical action of doing it isn't difficult. It is hard in a different way. It is hard to see the results early on. It is time consuming and tedious. It is double the time and effort of breastfeeding and formula/bottle feeding combined. It is so much effort and you are constantly wondering, "Is it really 'worth' it?" or "Is this really going to matter in the long run?" Knowing the positive impacts at the "end of the tunnel" can make all of the extra effort in the beginning worth it. When I first held my new baby, who had spent her first 17 days as "Baby Girl Doe" in the NICU, I knew that I needed to breastfeed her . That is over 17 days of being swaddled in a bassinet. Cozy, fed, and taken care of. She w...

There are situations when a mother has an older baby, a baby beyond the newborn stage, who is not breastfeeding. It may be an adopted baby. It may be the case of a child who has weaned and the mother wants to get the baby breastfeeding again. Whatever the reason, there are ways to help transition an older baby, or even toddler, to the breast. Kellymom.com has some good information on getting baby to the breast. She suggests that, especially with an older baby, you think about coaxing baby to the breast . These are just a few of her suggestions: Your goal is to coax baby to the breast . Do not attempt to force your baby to breastfeed. Forcing baby to the breast does not work, stresses baby, and can result in baby forming an aversion to the breast. As baby gets better at nursing and is able to get more milk via nursing, he will grow to trust that breastfeeding works and will have more patience when ...

What gifts has breastfeeding given you or your family? This is the topic for the December Carnival of Breastfeeding . I’ve really had to think about this one a lot before writing about it. I think it has been a little bit different with each child I have breastfed. Breastfeeding my first child gave me the gift of teaching me how to be a mother. I quickly developed a close relationship with my baby by figuring out his subtle cues that he was ready to nurse. Through this process I learned how to mother. I learned that nursing is not just about feeding. I think this is the biggest difference between breastfeeding and bottle feeding. I’ve heard it said before that “Bottle feeding is a feeding method, but breastfeeding is a relationship”. I don’t think that is always true for every mother who breastfeeds, for some it is just a feeding method. They develop a relationship in other ways, just like mothers who bottle feed also develop a relationship with their baby. I’ve heard it described as t...

I always knew I wanted to breastfeed my children. I couldn ’t imagine doing it any differently. I was lucky enough to give birth to two beautiful boys and I enjoyed breastfeeding them both. Not that it was easy or without struggle, but it was what I wanted to do and loved doing it. In fact, I liked it so much, and felt so passionate about breastfeeding that I became a La Leche League Leader, so that I could help other breastfeeding moms. I really took to the idea of “Mothering through breastfeeding”. It wasn ’t just a feeding method for me, but a relationship with my child. My husband and I always talked about adopting a child who needed a family. We thought, if we can’t have kids of our own then we will adopt. Even if we can have kids of our own, maybe we will still adopt. After the birth of our second son it became clear that going through another pregnancy was not going to be good for me or our family. My doctor told me not to risk it, that my health was at stake. But we wanted ano...