Spring Is In The Air

Lift And Support And Fit…Oh My!

I just received a brand-new nursing bra in my store (making it 50 different types of nursing bras that I carry – HOLY COW!). It is called the Smoothing Underwire Nursing Bra and it is made by Elomi (part of the Eveden family of bras designed specifically for women with larger busts). I ordered this bra because I am always on the look out for good nursing bras – especially ones that come in large cup sizes. And one combination that seems to be especially difficult to find is a bra that comes in large cup sizes AND has an underwire. I don’t know why – but this is almost impossible to find! Well – it’s impossible to find one that is comfortable anyway….

Well, I’ve found it! And when I tried this bra on, I found myself singing “Lift and Support and Fit … Oh MY! Lift and Support and Fit …. OH MY!” (to the tune of Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My!) This bra is fantastic! It gives great lift (important when your breasts are the size of small or in some cases large melons!). It gives great support - again very important when you have large breasts and it fits FANTASTIC!! The underwire is comfortable, the cups are flattering to your figure and it places your girls – right where they belong – IN THE CENTER OF YOUR CHEST - not down in your belly!

This bra comes in sizes 34-48, DD-K. The sizing is a “funky” in that they use some European sizing standards which we North American’s are not accustomed to – but I have put “equivalent” sizing on my site so that you can get a better idea of which size to order.

If you have large breasts – then this is the bra for you! Try one out today! “Lift and Support and Fit … Oh MY! Lift and Support and Fit …. OH MY!”

Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this bra in order to decide if I wanted to order it for my store or not. I was not expected nor asked to write a review of it. I did that purly of my own volition because I was so super impressed with how truely wonderful this bra is!

Breastfeeding And The Medical Profession, Part Two

By Tiffany Holley

Let me start by briefly reiterating what I explained in my previous post of medical escapades:

I appreciate my doctors. I appreciate the medical system that got me through a variety of health issues. They know a lot about what they were trained in…

…But they do not necessarily know anything about breastfeeding.

It makes me so sad to think of all the babies that lose out on this amazing food (and relationship!) because their mother took the inappropriate advice of an ignorant (on this subject) medical practitioner.

Let me tell you some more of what I went through to learn this lesson…

Sadly, the Emergency Room visit and hospital stay I talked about last time was not the end of my troubles.

Over the next few months I underwent two outpatient procedures to treat my (newly discovered) kidney stones. The machine uses sonic waves to break up the stones from outside the body, so there is no “surgery” involved.

The first time, the doctors fought me tooth and nail about my choice for anesthesia, or lack thereof. Since I am unable to pump (physiologically), their advice to pump and discard my milk for 24 hours after the procedure was simply not an option.

I talked to my La Leche League leader, and consulted my copy of Dr. Hale’s book, but all they could do was confirm that the medications in question were not recommended. Nobody was able to offer an alternative.

So I opted to have a spinal block, but no intravenous sedation.

Although I was warned that it would be painful, their primary concern seemed to be that the thumping noise of the machine was rather loud, and the experience might be traumatic. This seemed really strange, since obviously the medical personnel involved are all in the room with this noise – presumably several times a day!

Over the week between talking to the anesthesiologist and having the procedure, several people from the hospital called me, trying again to talk me into breastfeeding-incompatible sedation. It was exhausting!

In all those conversations, no alternatives were offered – and believe me, I asked everyone!

My choice was either to suffer and be traumatized, or give my baby formula for 24 hours, with the possible consequences to our nursing relationship. I would also risk engorgement and other consequences due to my inability to pump out the accumulated milk. And how would the medicine even get out in 24 hours, since I couldn’t pump enough to “flush it through”? Nobody had an answer.

As a concession to their concern about traumatic noise, I brought earplugs… And the staff in the treatment room all laughed that such a big issue had been made about it.

There were some challenges with the spinal that had me bleeding and in tears before the procedure even started, and it seemed clear would lead to a post-op “spinal headache” as well.

The noise was just annoying. I lay on the table and cried during the entire procedure, however, as the spinal immobilized my legs but “did not come up high enough” to numb the pain in my kidney area.

I managed to hold my torso still, but the doctor and technician still felt they could not work as aggressively as they would have if I was unconscious. There was already a plan for a second procedure, but this cast the unpleasant possibility of a third session being needed.

Later I learned that my husband had spent the whole time walking the halls with an inconsolable screaming baby. (The wild advice he got from passers-by, nurses and patients alike, is probably worthy of a post in itself!)

Having had only the spinal, I was able to nurse Mr. Big Baby in recovery, but it was quite a while before we were able to leave.

Needless to say, we were dreading a repeat. Medically, things made it necessary to go ahead, and we hoped that the two months in between would put the baby in a better place to cope with it.

We were much better cared for the second time, however. The anesthesiologist who happened to be there that day was actually the chief of pediatric anesthesiology for the hospital, and he was shocked when I told him what I wanted to do (and had done the previous time).

He explained that there were plenty of breastfeeding-compatible ways to sedate me! For starters, he would use the medications that they would give my child if he were the one going under anesthesia – that way if things did pass through to the milk, it would still be safe.

I was medicated, and the next thing I knew I was sitting in the recovery room with my husband and children coming around the corner.

It had gone much faster, and the baby was less upset. It had also been much more effective, as the doctor felt free to “pummel me” harder. I even got to go home sooner.

This procedure was the best of everything, for everyone. And, according to the anesthesiologist, the procedures he used were common knowledge.

So why did nobody offer those options to me the first time around? Even if they didn’t know what to do, why didn’t they ask someone when I pressed the issue?

I thought I had been diligent… I asked the doctors, nurses, and anesthesiologists for breastfeeding friendly options. I refused to take no for an answer. I stood up for my baby and our breastfeeding relationship.

But I still missed it.

I hope other moms can learn the “take away” lesson that I stumbled upon by chance. If I had it to do over again I would call an obstetric anesthesiologist and a pediatric anesthesiologist right off the bat!

If your health care provider says there is no safe option, it doesn’t mean there isn’t one – it only means they don’t know.

Have you had similar experiences with the healthcare profession not knowing about safe, breastfeeding-friendly alternatives? Please leave a comment on this post to share your experiences!

Tiffany Holley has nursed three children (currently 18 mos. – 15 years old) for a total of 8 years – and counting. She and her family live, breastfeed, urban homestead, cloth diaper, homeschool, and write in Southern Florida (but hope to remedy their location situation soon). You can read about their adventures on their blog, As For My House.

Out With The Mini – In With the Maxi!

Ask Judy: How Should I Balance Breastfeeding And Starting Solids?

Dear Judy, How would you suggest balancing breastfeeding and solids once my daughter is ready to start on them? I assume because the solids would be so small at first that she’ll be breastfeeding probably just as much as she does now, but once she starts really eating a lot, how do I determine how much solids and how much breastfeeding, and how do I make sure to keep my supply going once that happens? Also, is sitting up on her own a definite MUST before I think about solids? She’s been watching me eat and reaching toward my food a little bit, but she does not sit alone unsupported and doesn’t do the pincer thing with her fingers.

In the past the American Academy of Pediatrics used to recommend starting solids between 4 and 6 months of age. They have since changed their recommendation and now recommend waiting until your baby is at least 6 months of age to start solids. Some studies have shown that starting solids earlier isn’t advised because an increased risk of developing allergies and because the baby’s digetive track isn’t developmentally ready for them until about 6 months. Once your baby reaches age 6 months, there are several factors that will enable you to determine if you baby is ready to start solids and they include the ability to sit-up unassisted, the ability to use the “pincer” grasp to pick up small items and the absence of the “thrust” reflex which automatically pushes the foods out of their mouth with their tongue. In addition, your baby will do things like mimic chewing when you are chewing, reach out for your food and watch you intently as you eat.

Nutritionally, your baby doesn’t actually “need” to start eating solids until at least 12 months. Your breastmilk provides all of the nutrients your baby will need. Starting solids earlier is really for the experience of different tastes and textures.

When you first start solids, your baby will be getting a very tiny amount – 1 or 2 teaspoons 1 or 2 times per day. The amount that they are nursing should not decrease at all and you should always nurse first, and feed solids after to be sure your child is getting enough breastmilk. As your baby starts to eat more and more solids, this will be in addition the amount of breastmilk that they are drinking. Solids should not replace breastmilk until after 12 months of age.

My advice, wait a little longer until your baby reaches 6 months of age and then look for cues that your baby is ready to start experimenting with different solids. You will have a blast doing it once the time is right.

KellyMom has a great article on when to start solids which I highly recommend reading.

Ask Judy: Why Does My Baby Prefer To Nurse On One Side?

After writing about breast milk production yesterday and the differences in production that some women experience, I realized that there is a whole other subject directly related to this which I wanted to address separately. Some women produce different amounts of milk from each breast - and you can read about this in yesterday’s post. But some babies develop a preference for nursing on one side vs the other and it may or may not have anything to do with how much milk each breast produces.

If you think your milk production is pretty even in each breast, and yet your baby still seems to show a preference for one side or another – there could be other factors involved.

1) Your nipples may be different. If one nipple is inverted more than the other or one protrudes more than the other, your baby may find it easier to latch onto one breast vs the other and may develop a preference for that side. This problem can often be averted by using a hand pump or even hand-expression to make the affected side easier to latch onto.

2) Your breasts may have a different feeling when they are full. Often, when your breasts are very full, it can be difficult for a baby to latch on. If your baby tends to prefer one side over the other, especially when you are engorged, you can try pumping or hand-expressing the less-preferred side to make it easier for your baby to latch on. My son actually always preferred my more-engorged side – even though it produced less milk. I have a feeling it was just his ability to get a good latch and wasn’t related to how much milk he got.

3) You baby may have a positional preference. Some babies like to nurse when lying on one side more than when lying on the other side. When you switch breasts, you typically turn your baby around so that they are now lying on their other side. If you find that your baby has a side preference, but it doesn’t seem to be related to your milk production, level of engorgement or size of your nipples – then perhaps your baby just has a preference for which side he/she nurses on. If this is the case, try holding your baby so that they are lying in the same position, no matter which side they are nursing from. You can do this by using the football hold for one side, and a cradle hold for the other. You can also use a pillow or nursing pillow to help prop your baby up next to you so that they can have a “cradle hold” next to you when nursing from the less-preferred side.

NOTE: Any type of side-preference may lead to reduced milk production in the less-preferred side. This is an effect of supply/demand and may not be due to an inherent lower production in that side. To increase your production in the less preferred side, try having your baby nurse from that side first or add in additional pumping sessions on that side to stimulate more milk production.

Did your baby have a preference for which side they nursed from? Do you know why? What did you do to compensate? Please share your stories by leaving a comment on this post.

Ask Judy: Should Breastmilk Production Be Equal?

Dear Judy, Is it possible for one breast to product more more milk than the other?

Not only is it possible, it’s very common! Many women experience a difference in the amount of milk produced from one breast vs the other. Let me tell you a few stories to illustrate the possibilities.

My sister had three children. With all three of them, her breastmilk production in one breast was much greater than the production in her other breast. Where her children were infants, they preferred the “slow” side as the other side had a much stronger let down and would cause them to “gag.” As they got older, they started to prefer the “fast” side as they wanted to drink more and more quickly – so they didn’t have the patience to wait for the “slow” side and preferred the “fast” side.

My cousin had two children. With both of her children, one breast hardly produced any milk (just dribbles) and the other was a great producer. Both of her children preferred the side that was the great producer and although she tried to nurse from both sides, she ended up exclusively feeding from only one side and letting the other side dry up.

I also have friends who would pump and get 3-4 ounces from one side and only a 1/2-1 oz from the other. It is normal and it happens quite frequently!

If you want to try to even out your production, you can do so by always starting your nursing sessions on the side that is the lower producer. Your baby drinks with the most “effort” when he/she first begins to nurse, so always starting on the lower producing side, will stimulate that side to make more milk. You can also try pumping that side while nursing from the other to give it added stimulation. These tricks may work for some moms and they may not. Everyone’s body is different. Find a happy medium that works for you and your babies. And don’t worry - you are completely normal!!

Did you have varying production with your milk supply? Do you have a story to share? Please leave a comment sharing your experiences!!

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