December 26, 2010 (6:38 pm)
by Kristen Suzanne
As a Mama Earth Warrior, I find myself constantly asking the question before I make a purchase, “Can I get an eco-friendly version of this? Is there something healthier for both earth and body?” I do this for everything, including dog toys.
Unfortunately, in our house, we go through dog toys rather quickly because Zeus typically rips them apart, pulls out the guts (stuffing), and then carries them around like a trophy carcass.
Zeus is taking a break from tearing up his toy - lol.
This all happens, in most cases, within minutes. He has so much fun with them though that I can’t bear to not get them for him. The minute I pull it out of the bag and show him the tantalizing stuffed animal, he goes bananas. The problem with this (other than always having to buy him new toys) is that sometimes he ends up eating part of the toy. When this happens, it gives him an upset tummy and he usually throws up later. Ugh. Read More »
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December 15, 2010 (3:02 pm)
by Kristen Suzanne
Breastfeeding is such a magical experience. Truly one of the best I’ll ever have in my life. I cherish each and every time Kamea wants to feed. But. It wasn’t always easy. Those first few weeks were a learning curve compounded by postpartum fatigue, painful nipples at times, anxiety over whether Kamea was feeding enough, and trying to get a great latch. I’m so glad (seriously… soooo glad!) that I kept at it and stuck it out. The reward has been enormous. I remember one time during the beginning where I had nipple pain and was thinking of ways on how to endure another nursing session. Then, a friend of mine via Twitter wrote to me about how there were times she cried while nursing and she squeezed her husband’s hand to get through it, but that it was temporary and would get better – she promised. Now, I don’t want to scare any mamas away with the thought of crying while breastfeeding. I doubt this happens often. I had tenderness in the beginning weeks, but it seemed to go away as quickly as it came. But, you know me… I keep it real on this blog. Breastfeeding had its challenges for me in the beginning. On top of the tenderness, Kamea liked to feed every couple of hours much of the time. This meant very little sleep for me and very little anything else. Who cares I thought? I had a baby! My happiness trumped any breastfeeding discomfort I had. (Besides, side-lying breastfeeding while co-sleeping is a dream come true – in more ways than one.)
Kamea nursing in the side-lying position. Pure joy.
And, as I wrote, it got better. And better. And better. Now, I can’t wait for those moments to connect with my daughter.
Averie with her daughter, Skylar
So. I wanted to share some helpful information for all of the breastfeeding mamas out there. I asked one of my dear friends, Averie*, if she would mind answering a few questions for us. Oops… those “few” questions quickly turned into 9 questions, of which some had multiple questions. Sorry, Averie, my bad. Thank you so much for being a trooper though and answering them all. You rock the lactation house!
Here we go!
1) Everywhere I turn, when looking for details on what I “should and should not eat” while breastfeeding, it seems there is contradictory information (wheat, soy, citrus, garlic, broccoli, kale, beans, avocado, pineapple, etc – to name a few that I found mixed reviews about.). At the end of the day, it looks like the only things that are safe to eat are cucumbers, apples, and bananas. I’m exaggerating, but you get my point. When I was first starting out, I would google a food to see if it was safe for breastfeeding and I could usually find a site saying it was not a good idea or it could cause problems with baby’s digestion. (Let’s ignore caffeine, alcohol, etc – I know those are bad.) So, in your opinion, is there a list of true no-no’s that a mama should avoid eating while breastfeeding? And, does this change over time? For example, if I avoided chocolate or beans in the first few months, could I eat them in later months?
There are no foods a mother should absolutely avoid just because she is nursing. Some foods a mother may find may bother her baby such as cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cabbage, kale, etc), but until a mom notices that yes, this food is definitely not agreeing with my baby, eat it and enjoy! So-called “gassy” foods have no more potential to cause gas in a baby, i.e. beans, broccoli, cabbage, because milk is made from what passes through mother’s blood, not from what passes through her stomach or digestive tract. Again, if you notice an issue with certain foods and your baby, do what you see fit but don’t swear off certain foods just because of what you’re “heard.”
2) Talk to me about colostrum and those first days of breastfeeding before a mama’s milk comes in. Can you allay any fears about baby getting enough when they consume so little in the way of quantity?
See this chart … And realize that most women produce enough milk. Make sure the diaper counts are there, that you are nursing frequently which means at least 8 to 12 times in a 24 hour period (not 6 to 8 times in a 24 hour period) in those early days. Make sure the baby is gaining weight (note a slight weight loss of 5-7% is normal), but trust in the biology of our bodies to support our babies from our milk.
3) Do you have some recommended galactagogues for mamas not producing enough milk?
Fenugreek, fenugreek seed, anise/fennel, fennel seed, alfalfa, ginger, oats/oatmeal – common and easy to find almost anywhere. Also effective and most any health food store or Whole Foods will have these: astragalus, blessed thistle, chasteberry, flaxseed oil, Goat’s Rue, hops, nettles, red raspberry leaf tea. More Milk Plus Tinctures and Capsules by Motherlove are excellent and contain a balanced blend of herbs.
Note that some of the “nursing teas” on the market contain peppermint or mint which can reduce supply in some women (the opposite effect of what they intended).
4) What do you think about pumping? Should a mama stick to breastfeeding on demand, only from the breast? Or, should a mama pump and freeze some in case of emergency? Is there any truth to nipple confusion if a baby has a bottle and breastmilk from the breast? Read More »
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December 10, 2010 (1:08 pm)
by Kristen Suzanne
When I was pregnant my husband and I had many chats about how we envisioned various things would be with the baby. One topic in particular was who would carry the baby / stroll the baby more and who would carry the diaper bag more. This might not seem like a big deal, but it was for Greg because he was adamant about having a cool diaper bag to carry if he was going to be the primary carrier of it. I figured he would be, seeing as I thought I’d do more of the baby wearing. So. I went off in search of an eco-friendly diaper bag that was masculine (but that I would also like, of course!).
Twas not as easy as I thought. A good many diaper bags are on the feminine side. And, with the limited selection of eco friendly materials, it was even harder to find something. Therefore, I started looking for bags that weren’t actually diaper bags and instead were bags with extra compartments. However, that required shopping online for it because I couldn’t find any stores with a good selection of eco friendly bags. But, the problem with shopping online for a bag that was not known to be a diaper bag, but that I would use as a diaper bag, wasn’t real easy. It was hard to tell from the descriptions as to whether it’d make a great diaper bag. At least when you buy an actual diaper bag there are standards that you can expect… lots of different pockets, the size of the bag and pockets, etc. (I don’t think my pictures do the cool bag justice… Check out their site for more details.)
Enter: Diaper Dude.
Wow, what a perfect solution. Masculine. Eco friendly. Diaper Bag. A friend turned me on to this bag and I couldn’t believe it. It was perfect. (I don’t think they’re all eco friendly on the website, but they have a section specific to eco friendly). It’s made from recycled plastic water bottles, loaded with pockets (on the front, back, side, and inside), and masculine. The funny thing is that I love it, too! It’s an awesome bag and will definitely be used even after it’s not being used as a diaper bag. (I don’t think my pictures really do this cool bag justice…)
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