Tongue Tie: a serious breastfeeding issue

I don’t often share things like this but this petition popped up on my Facebook today and I felt compelled to share.

Tongue Tie Division Petition

Without a tongue tie division procedure, I doubt that Master Clothbum and I would have succeeded in cracking breastfeeding.

Without it I would have had to resort to using prescription formula full time, which I really didn’t want.

Without it I wouldn’t be still breastfeeding a very happy little toddler.

Now, I know that babies do absolutely fine without being breastfed but I feel that all babies/mums should have tongue tie identified and have the option of getting it dealt with asap so that they can breastfeed without pain/latching issues if they so wish.

I’m so grateful to my local breastfeeding support team for the help they gave me at the start and, hopefully, this petition will help others have the same level of help and support.

Best for Breast! Bamboobies

If you’re a breastfeeding mum, there’s certain things that you probably can’t be without. Breastpads are one of them. I only know of a couple of mums who’ve pretty much managed most of their breastfeeding time without using pads but most ladies I know have found them essential, especially in the early days when you can soak through a bra in a heartbeat if you forget them.

Now, packets of good quality disposable breastpads are NOT cheap and you can get through quite a lot. I remember having to wear two pads in each bra cup at the beginning to ensure that I wasn’t soaking through. It wasn’t fun and, with being on maternity pay, every penny counted.

So I invested in some washable, cloth breastpads from a high street shop. The only problem with the ones that I bought was that they were, to be frank, rubbish. They didn’t really hold much liquid and the milk wicked through quite quickly. I resigned myself to paying for disposables for the rest of my breastfeeding journey.

Then as I discovered more and more brands of cloth nappies, I also discovered better made, better quality cloth breastpads that actually work! Recently, I was sent some Bamboobies from the lovely Ailsa at Bambooty nappies, and I just wish that I’d had them earlier on.

Bamboobies are gorgeous, soft and ultra-thirsty breastpads that come in two different thicknesses. They are the kind of soft that make you want to rub them against your cheek (yes, I’ve been guilty of doing that with a lovely, squishy new nappy – which cloth bum mum hasn’t done it…) and that softness is perfect. When a breastfeeding mum has got painful nipples through early latching on issues through to biting from an overzealous toddler, it really does help that the pad isn’t going to cause any other problems.

Not only are Bamboobies really nice to wear, they really do work. Brilliantly. I’ve not had a single leak from them, they wash really well and dry quite quickly, which is so important when you need to get on with using them again. I’ve worn them at work (which means that I was away from Monkey all day and not feeding him between 7am – 7pm) and they didn’t leak once. I’ve also worn them overnight, a time that is usually very leaky for me – but, again, no leaks. I really love these pads and they’re working very well for me!

At the moment, Bamboobies aren’t on general release, but if you’re interested in them – drop Ailsa at Bambooty a line at ailsa@bambootyrealnappies.co.uk

daisytheclothbummum was sent two pairs of Bamboobies for the purpose of this review. I received no payment and all words, thoughts and opinions are my own.

Breastfeeding a Toddler

As those of you who read my blog a bit might know, I’ve mentioned our breastfeeding journey quite a bit. Actually – I just put ‘breastfeeding’ into the search function on my blog and found more posts than I realised I’d done! It made me smile to re-read them as the fact that we’re still going is something that still astounds me, considering what a tough start we had.

Well over 17 months on, and we don’t have any plans of giving up quite yet. Little Monkey is a very happy, confident and independent little chappy who is now down to just his morning and evening feeds (plus a little snack overnight, if he feels like it!). It’s working really well for us and there’s absolutely no faff at all with bottles (the idea of all that washing, etc, makes me shudder!)

I recently came across this fantastic picture in www.alphaparent.com which I found both informative and fascinating. There’s also a similar picture relating to a breastfed baby. Although my little Monkey has had a few small coughs/sneezes, he’s a pretty robust little chap. When he does get a cough/cold it disappears pretty quickly, which is brilliant and the only infection he’s had so far in his little life has been from a cut on his finger. No ear infections, no nasty chest infections – none of those nasties yet! It’s great and hopefully this trend will continue! Now, this could be just the way that he’s made. He could just be one of those babies who is naturally quite robust, but from what I’ve read it does seem as if the breastmilk is really benefitting him by adapting to his needs and giving him immunity when and where it’s needed. Bonus!

I’ve discovered that people have their own, very varied, opinions on the subject of how my little man is fed (which always amuses me when it’s not so positive as I’m sure they’d have nothing to say if he had a bottle of formula or cow’s milk in his mouth…) It ranges from some wonderfully supportive people down to people who are adamant (and sometimes fairly rude) that I should have stopped and that it’s just plain strange.

Hmmm…. Strange that a 17 month old is being breastfed? Really? I would argue that it’s most natural thing in the world and why would I move my baby onto milk that isn’t specifically tailored for him? Milk that doesn’t adapt to what his immune system needs. Milk that (for him) doesn’t give him the fat content necessary (his oat milk just isn’t calorific enough, according to his nutritionist, and he refuses to drink the prescription formula).

Breastfeeding a toddler is a very different experience from a teeny little one, but…and it’s a big BUT… for the Mummy who chooses to do it, it’s a very natural progression that isn’t really a big deal at all.

However, it’s one hell of a lot more athletic and I have to say it does try my patience at times when I’m being climbed all over and when he thinks that breastfeeding upside down or sideways is a good idea. That can hurt! But, it’s usually very comfortable and I know that when he does self-wean that I’ll miss those cuddles – but there will be so many others that it’ll only be a fleeting loss.

World Breastfeeding Week

This week, August 1-7 2012, is World Breastfeeding Week and I thought that I really shouldn’t let it go by without putting up a blogpost. Raising awareness of the benefits and ease of breastfeeding is something that I believe in very strongly nowadays and if I can do my little bit, then I’ll do my best!

Although I knew I always wanted to breastfeed, I wasn’t really that clued up on it. I know that sounds silly – you just pop the baby on and it feeds, right? I found, initially, feeding rather tough as we had an undiagnosed tongue tie which really affected my Monkey’s latch and, therefore, my supply – as he wasn’t stimulating it enough.

But I was lucky – really lucky. My local breastfeeding supporters (plus some very good friends, including one who is training up in bf peer support) really helped me, got me the information and support that I needed and my son got his frenulum divided (the bit under the tongue that can be too tight). It made a whole world of difference. We could feed properly and he is now, after a rocky start, an exclusively breastfed baby.

Now that we’re about to reach his first birthday, I’ve had a few comments made about ‘well, he’ll be moving onto normal milk soon’. Now. Um…. normal milk? I don’t want to get into any arguments here, but surely ‘normal’ milk for babies is breastmilk and not milk from a cow? The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend breastfeeding to two years and beyond, which is something that (I have to be honest) I didn’t know when I first became a Mum and I’m sure that many other Mums don’t know that either.

So, why is choosing to breastfeed your crawler/toddler one of those things that courts potential controversy? In our society it’s becoming far more acceptable to breastfeed a teeny little baby in public, which is something that has to be applauded – but if someone is to do the same with an older baby, it’s not as socially acceptable as it should be. The fantastic thing about something like World Breastfeeding Week is that it raises awareness of breastfeeding in general and will, hopefully, get people more aware of just how wonderful feeding your baby/toddler is.

I would never dream of walking over to a formula-feeding mother and give her my point of view on her giving her toddler/young child a drink in that manner as it really isn’t my place to do so. How you choose to feed your baby is up to you but I’m obviously rather biased when I say that being able to have your baby snuggle into you and have a feed from you is a wonderful feeling. It really is! I find it a remarkably relaxing, calm moment in our otherwise busy day and I can feel him utterly relax against me. It’s lovely.

It’s also an amazing soothing aid and seems to really calm little ones down if they’ve hurt themselves or aren’t feeling well. Doctors thoroughly recommend breastfeeding babies straight after they’ve have any injections as it really helps to soothe them. I’m not going to talk too much about the obvious biological benefits to breastfeeding in this post, but what I find amazing is that breastmilk cannot be replicated synthetically in any way. Formulas just don’t come close (which they do state on their packaging). Scientists are discovering more and more about this wonderful liquid gold and I love the fact that if I’m ill, my milk helps to provide my little one with immunity against the bugs I have. Clever stuff!

If someone had told me before I had my little boy that I’d still be breastfeeding a year later, with no plans of stopping in the near future – I don’t think I would have believed them. But, with breastfeeding I’ve found the key to it all is to just relax. Don’t set yourself a goal past the next day! When your baby is small, I’m not going to lie – they will pretty much feed most of the time. You’ll feel, somedays, like the little sweetie has never actually unlatched itself from you and I know that many women find that rather hard. But, those days pass (I promise) and it does get easier. There will also be nights where your baby will feed, feed, FEED. Growth spurts are normal and babies just want to suckle a lot. This will help your milk to come in more and the baby is trying to up your supply. I wish I’d known that at first! It made a lot of sense to me when I found out about it from a friend.

But, now – my little nearly toddler is an absolute pro. He’s actually amazing to watch! I know a few mums who have found it hard when their babies started to slap/hit their breasts and twiddle their nipples. The thing that I’ve found is that the baby knows what they want (milk) and how to get it working for them. Slapping/hitting is obviously to be discouraged but in the context of breastfeeding, the baby is often trying to get the flow of the milk altered in some way (often to quicken the flow) and my little man will use his hands to get the flow that he requires. Babies are generally not being naughty when doing this, but a gentle hand to move them away when they get overenthusiastic is sometimes a good (and necessary) thing!

Apart from his morning and evening feeds, my little man is quite happy to go off to nursery and not have a feed from me during the day. I send in expressed milk, which he has in his meals and as a drink, but he often prefers water and waits until he gets home to Mummy and his boobs! So, stopping breastfeeding before you go back to work after maternity leave is something that I’ve found isn’t necessary. A good breast pump and somewhere at work to pump/store milk (your employer should help you with this) is all that’s needed.

When I’m with Monkey during the day he’ll often come over and have a feed. This could be before he has a nap or just because he wants one during the middle of a play session. He’s now remarkably efficient and a feed generally will take less than ten minutes, unless he’s using me to soothe himself and/or is nodding off in my arms. It’s so much less of a faff than messing around with bottles, boiling up a kettle, etc, etc (we can’t use cartons as our little one is lactose intolerant, so each feed has to be made on demand if we were to use formula). I love how easy and mess free it is!

So – hurrah for breastfeeding and hurrah for World Breastfeeding Week. At the end of the day, we all have a choice of how we feed our babies but at least with weeks like this, awareness can be raised that it’s a brilliant way to feed your baby, a fantastic lifestyle choice (you can do it anywhere and it requires no extra bits and bobs) and a brilliant financial decision (it’s FREEEEEEE!). So – go on. Spread the word!

How to make life easier for a breastfeeding, working mum!

For the past nine months, me and my little Monkey have gone everywhere together. Done everything together. Not been apart for more than a few hours.

But now I’m back at work, albeit part-time, I have a new baby.

This new baby is going to be taking his place. Going everywhere with me. I can’t bear the idea of being apart from it and it’s very expensive, just like Monkey. I’m taking such great care of it, treating it with TLC and staring at it in amazement…

Can you guess what my new baby is yet?

It’s my new breast pump!

Yup! I’m actually passionate about a thing that turns me into a human milking machine, with a lovely sound that is reminiscent of cows linked up to a pumping station. Hmmmm!

I’ve had great fun with breastpumps during the past nine months. I initially bought a Tommy Tippee Closer to Nature one, but I just couldn’t get anything out with it at all. I put that down to my rubbish milk supply, but I decided that I had to try another one. So I got their manual pump – which was actually a bit better, but utterly killed my hand.

That wasn’t going to cut it and hand expressing wasn’t really an option either. I’ve, in the past, broken my wrists several times and they’re rather weak now, so hand expressing would have been quite painful for me after a while.

After doing quite a lot of research I invested in a Medela Swing pump. This also coincided with my milk supply increasing, due to wonderful lactation specialists. I was getting far more and I felt much more confident with using this pump. It’s not too loud (most of them make a fair amount of noise) and I like the fact that it packs down small so I can put it out of the way. So, that one was working brilliantly.

At the same time, I also got lent an Ameda hospital grade pump by the local breastfeeding support ladies, which was great. It was a double pump and I got a lot out with it, but I just preferred the Medela. Not quite sure why, as actually the Ameda is a closed system, which means that there’s no risk of milk going up the air tubes at all whilst you’re pumping. The Medela just seemed to suit my breast shape better and felt more comfy for me.

As I was going back to work, I realised that my single pump just wasn’t going to be enough for me to be able to pump efficiently during my breaks. I have a short morning break of about twenty minutes and a longer lunch break. So, if I was pumping both breasts using a single pump, I just wouldn’t get a pumping session in during the morning break.

So, I looked into the options that I had for buying a double pump. My goodness, they’re an expensive lot! The ones that I could see that I liked the look of were:

Medela Freestyle,
Medela Pump in Style,
Ameda Lactaline,
Ardo Calypso

I discounted the Ameda as I hadn’t really got on with the one that I’d been lent and really liked the look of the Ardo. It’s a great, fairly inexpensive single pump (about the same price as a Medela Swing) but it has the fantastic option of adding on a double pumpset for only about £20 more. But I couldn’t find one anywhere, and then I realised that I had an awful lot of Medela stuff already (bottles, etc) from having a Swing.

So, my decision was between the Freestyle or the Pump In Style. To be honest, I was going to go for the Pump In Style, as size isn’t really an issue for me (the Freestyle is much smaller), but I found a fab bargain online that brought the Freestyle down to almost the same price as the other one, so my decision was made.

I’ve been treating the pump a little reverently as it really isn’t a cheap buy. Bless my mum for helping me out (she gave me money towards it as my birthday pressie – yes, an odd but necessary choice of gift, I know!) I have to say that it’s absolutely brilliant.

It has a belt that you can clip the pump onto and a (slightly fiddly) hands-free system that you clip to your bra, so that you can do other things (like, ahem, blog!) whilst you’re pumping away. I’ve invested in a PumpEase handsfree pumping support, which is fantastic and makes me feel much more secure than using the Medela clips. I just can’t quite get the hang of them yet. It’s like a stretchy bandeau that you fasten up at the front like a bra. It has slits where you put the funnels in and it helps to hold it all in place. Very simple, yet very effective. The only thing about it that I don’t like is that it doesn’t have the option of adding bra straps, just to make it feel even more secure. I may adapt mine at some point and use some straps from my multiway bras. There are other pumping support bras that you can get but I liked the look of this one.

So, yes, I can walk around the house or sit at work, looking VERY strange, but it’s a great feeling to know that on the days where I’m not with Monkey, that I can pump and store milk quickly and effectively for him. The Freestyle even comes with a milk storage bag that has a moulded icepack inside it to keep the milk cool, as well as a quite stylish black bag that it all goes into. You wouldn’t know what was in it at all – which is great!

I’m glad that I’ve ticked this potential problem off my list. My work has organised somewhere quiet, private and lockable where I can go and pump, which is great. I know of some people who have been asked to go and pump in the toilet – how horrible is that? I can’t imagine of anything less hygenic – how could I possibly give my baby milk after I’d pumped it in there. Yuck!

By the way – this post isn’t a review where I’ve been sent anything. I bought the pump and all the bits and bobs out of mine (and my mum’s) money. I just wanted to share what I’ve found out, hopefully to help anyone else who’s stuck with this dilemma. I can honestly say that I’m totally happy with my decision and I love the fact that the pump can be charged up and then used as a cordless one. That makes everything just that much simpler.

I’ve been back at work a couple of weeks, now, and I have to say that the pump is brilliant and really efficient. I’ve been able to get both boobs done very quickly (whilst doing other jobs!!!) and the little bottle storage system is really good and very discreet for putting into the fridge. The only problem I’ve encountered is forgetting the icepack section once in the morning, but I may invest in a second that I can leave at work as a spare.

So far…so good!

Apologies for the photo – all my pump parts are currently in the steriliser!

My, how things change! My altered parenting views

As a first time Mum, I had all these grand ideas in my head of what kind of Mum I’d be. What I’d do and what I wouldn’t. I had a very specific birth plan that I really hoped would work out (waterbirth, TENS, Gas & Air and, god forbid, no other drugs). My baby was going to wear cloth nappies, I was going to just breastfeed, I would only feed him/her homemade organic food, I’d never allow him to get into a routine of falling asleep on me and of course he’d sleep in his lovely moses basket/ crib/ cotbed. I’d try to use a sling but I’d have a pram as well, I’d never even vaguely consider elimination communication and I did think that attachment parents were making rods for their own backs. Whilst I wanted to be close to my baby and nuture him/her as much as possible, I wanted him to ‘learn to self settle’.

Oh god. Things have changed. My perspective on many things, including the above has altered HUGELY. It’s amazing how utterly unprepared you can be for such a little, teeny person invading your life, albeit in an amazing way that you wouldn’t change for the world.

Luckily, for me, a lot of things I wanted to do have worked out. I got the birth I wanted, even though (apparently) I did yell that I wanted a ******* epidural at the time when my son’s head was crowning. Yup…that was obviously not going to happen! I was very lucky – there’s only one waterbirthing pool in our local hospital, and I got it. Lots of other ladies aren’t so lucky. I was also incredibly fortunate that there were no other complications at birth for me, or Monkey and that I have a happy, healthy little boy. I count my blessings for that every single day.

Yes, I got to (so far) use cloth nappies on my little one, although I have had to use some disposables at night due to the thicker night nappies making his reflux much worse. I wasn’t a happy bunny when that happened, but it wasn’t the end of the world. I absolutely (obviously!) LOVE using my cloth nappies and get a real kick out of seeing his cute, fluffy bum. There’s something so nice about seeing a baby with a padded cloth bum and I thoroughly enjoy my ‘nappy stuffing’ time in front of the TV. I find it very relaxing (aren’t repetitive things like that quite soothing!) and I get a sense of satisfaction when I see the nappies all looking rather funky and ready to be used. Yes, I know that they’re poo-catchers – but at least they’re nice, soft, breathable and well, ok – pretty – ones!

Breastfeeding has been a huge struggle for me and I’m now in the amazing position where not only is Monkey pretty much exclusively breastfed, I’m actually managing to pump and freeze a good amount for sending to nursery with him. I still have some prescription lactose free formula just in case, but thanks to the amazing support that I’ve had from my local breastfeeding specialists, I’ve managed to achieve that goal. The nursery I’m sending Monkey to have been very supportive in my decision to send in frozen breast milk for them to defrost and use as required and the whole system that I’ve put in place is working really well so far, along with pumping at work (which is something that initially concerned me).

As far as food is concerned, yes I do actually mainly manage to give Monkey homemade stuff. But a few (organic) pouches of food have crept into his diet and I’m fine with that. I was originally going to do just Baby Led Weaning, and I was very passionate about it – but after the specialists told us that he needed some purees/ porridge to help with his reflux, I did relent and there was a massive improvement. He loves his food and is really starting to enjoy playing with finger foods now, which is great. Seeing him shove a stem of broccoli into his face is hilarious and he adores sucking on French toast! Sometimes being a bit more relaxed about things is better and I’m happy with the balance that I now have. I did beat myself up about not doing pure BLW, but he’s happy – so I am!

Attachment parenting is a whole other issue! After Monkey was born, Mr Clothbum and I went with what felt right after struggling with a baby that just would not settle, no matter what we did. We soon discovered that he had very bad colic and reflux and that cosleeping, with him in a more upright position, was the way forward. And we haven’t really looked back. Monkey does go into his cot at night but in the early hours of the morning he’s usually in with us, cluster feeding on Mummy. It works – brilliantly – and we both love having our baby so close. He’s gradually learning to settle himself but it’s a slow process and we’re fine with that too. He’ll get there – when he’s ready. The only downside is that I’d love to be able to sleep in a position that’s actually (properly) more comfortable for me, but when Monkey is with us, that’s not something that is achievable. Mummy just sleeps in which ever position she’s allowed to lie in!

I know that it means that he won’t go easily to others overnight at the moment, but that’s really not an issue for us. We have no family that live near us, so there’s no one that Monkey will be going to stay with on his own, really. Also, as a breastfed baby – its easier to keep him near me anyway. Then I don’t have the hassle of expressing more than I need to.

Since having him I’ve started to read more on the subject and found that a lot of the things that we’re doing (that I had no name for) are linked to the work of Dr Sears (and attachment parenting – yes, I really had no concept of it before!) His way of thinking, in my book, is well worth a read and I also absolutely love Mayim Bialik (she used to play Blossom). Her approach to parenting is a very refreshing one and one that sits very well with me. There’s a bit of a debate about her decision to circumcise her sons, but in my opinion, that’s her choice as a Jewish person. I personally wouldn’t circumcise unless there were medical grounds, but I’m not religious and I don’t want to judge others and their beliefs.

Elimination communication is another area that I’ve been reading into with a degree of fascination. I’m nowhere brave enough to attempt this, but I am going to start putting Monkey on a potty after his meals once he is stronger and more secure at sitting up. That’s the method that my mother-in-law, and other people of her generation, used with their children and lots of us potty trained much earlier than children do nowadays. But if Monkey does PT early – I’ll have to stop using my lovely nappies!

Food for thought! Right now, there’s probably someone reading this who’s making umming and ahhing noises about me making virtual rods for my own back. Yes, I probably am! But I’m going to have amazing posture as a result!

Clever Kit! The Yoomi Bottle and Warmer Review

As I’m now working part time, which is involving a lot of weekday mornings, we have been looking around for solutions for feeding Monkey in the night, so that I can get a little bit more sleep in preparation for the working day.

As he’s a mainly breastfed baby (we have some prescription, lactose-free formula but that tends to be used in emergencies and in cooking), having Monkey feeding the countless times throughout the night that he sometimes still does is not really practical, so we started to look at bottles.

The only problem is that they take just so long to heat up, if you have to muck around with the kettle. By that stage, what might have been a bit of a whimper or a half cry, where he would usually pull himself across and land back on a boob, or be picked up from his cot and settled down to a feed, has often escalated into a full-on war cry of high pitched proportions that really isn’t good for creating a calm, sleepy environment for anyone and makes settling him back down a much more tricky operation.

So, when I came across the yoomi bottle, I was intrigued. http://www.yoomi.com I really wanted to have a play with one and the nice folk who make them sent me one over so I could do just that! The bottle is a rechargeable, self warming and BPA free bottle – it has a special warmer that slots in under the teat and heats the milk up within 60 seconds.

To use the heating element, you have to either put it in an electric steam steriliser for 25 continuous minutes (with four times the amount of water that the steriliser normally needs) or put it on it’s side in a pan of continuously boiling water for 25 mins. It’s got the same stuff in it that hand gel warmers have, so it needs to be recharged between uses. Once it’s charged up, you have to leave it for 75 minutes to rest and cool down, but it remains charged until you need to use it. If you use it before it is fully rested, you can permanently damage it. Each warmer is good for 100 feeds.

Ok – so I have to be honest – when I first read all that, it seemed like a little bit of a faff but I wanted to keep an open mind and went for it. We boiled up the water and charged up the heater. Whilst it’s a little time-consuming, it’s not really a hassle if you’re doing other things in the kitchen. I charged mine up one lunchtime when I was batch-cooking and feeding Monkey. Didn’t really take any extra time out of my day and I left it cooling whilst we went off to play and then have a little nap!

We got the bottle ready for a feed in the afternoon, thinking that this would be a good introduction to it as it’s quite a different shape from the ones that he’s been used recently (Dr Brown ones – the teat isn’t as wide). The bottle itself is nice and wide, with a breast-type anti-colic teat (which I really like as Monkey had dreadful colic when he was little). Without the warmer, it’s a very light bottle but I have to be honest and say that the warmer does add a significant amount of weight to it.

However, this weight is actually completely well worth it when you get to use the bottle and warmer together. I put breast milk from the fridge in the bottle and then went to use it. I pressed the orange button on the bottle warmer and followed the instructions carefully. The warmer rattles when it’s not ready to use and stops rattling when its ready and you give it a little shake. This takes about 30 seconds. You hold the bottle so that the teat is full of milk and you’re ready to go!

It worked remarkably well and I was very impressed. Monkey is really fussy about new bottles and cups but didn’t seem at all phased by this new one and the milk was at the right temperature for him. What a fab invention!

The only downside to the yoomi bottle is that once you’ve used the warmer once, then it has to be recharged (which involves a bit of time again). However, the bottle can be used without the warmer and you can buy warmers individually which would make the system work well as you could then always have a charged one at the ready.

As a bottle that we can use at night to give him a quickly warmed feed, it’s brilliant and does the job really well! The prices of a yoomi do look a little steep when you first see them, but they’re actually not bad once you take into account what you get with the feeding systems that they have on offer. For the ease and portability that you get with them, I think they’re a good item to have at home.

As I don’t really use bottles much, the yoomi does provide me with a useful bit of kit that will hopefully help Mr Clothbum to quickly give Monkey a calm and correctly-heated feed at night and allow me to get a little bit more sleep before I have to do the next feed. We will probably invest in a second heater and bottle just in case we need two but it will fill in that gap nicely before Monkey joins us in bed for a bit of co-sleeping and open-bar snacking in the early hours of the morning!

Daisytheclothbummum was not paid for this review and gave my time freely to do so. A yoomi bottle http://www.yoomi.com was sent to me for review but all thoughts and opinions stated here are my own.

Twists and turns.

As a first time Mum, I had all these grand ideas in my head of what kind of Mum I’d be. What I’d do and what I wouldn’t. I had a very specific birth plan that I really hoped would work out (waterbirth, TENS, Gas & Air and, god forbid, no other drugs). My baby was going to wear cloth nappies, I was going to just breastfeed, I would only feed him/her homemade organic food, I’d never allow him to get into a routine of falling asleep on me and of course he’d sleep in his lovely moses basket/ crib/ cotbed. I’d try to use a sling but I’d have a pram as well, I’d never even vaguely consider elimination communication and I did think that attachment parents were making rods for their own backs. Whilst I wanted to be close to my baby and nuture him/her as much as possible, I wanted him to ‘learn to self settle’.

Oh god. Things have changed. My perspective on many things, including the above has altered HUGELY. It’s amazing how utterly unprepared you are for such a little, teeny person invading your life, albeit in an amazing way that you wouldn’t change for the world.

Luckily, for me, a lot of things I wanted to do have worked out. I got the birth I wanted, even though (apparently) I did yell that I wanted a ******* epidural at the time when my son’s head was crowning. Yup…that was obviously not going to happen! I was very lucky – there’s only one waterbirthing pool in our local hospital, and I got it. Lots of other ladies aren’t so lucky. I was also incredibly fortunate that there were no other complications at birth, although Monkey will have to have a little operation when he’s older.

Yes, I got to (so far) use cloth nappies on my little one, although I have had to use some disposables at night due to the thicker night nappies making his reflux much worse. I wasn’t a happy bunny when that happened, but it wasn’t the end of the world.

Breastfeeding has been a huge struggle for me and I’m now in the amazing position where not only is Monkey pretty much exclusively breastfed, I’m actually managing to pump and freeze a good amount for sending to nursery with him. I still have some prescription lactose free formula just in case, but thanks to the amazing support that I’ve had from my local breastfeeding specialists, I’ve managed to achieve that goal.

As far as food is concerned, yes I do actually mainly manage to give Monkey homemade stuff. But a few (organic) pouches of food have crept into his diet and I’m fine with that. I was originally going to do just Baby Led Weaning, and I was very passionate about it – but after the specialists told us that he needed some purees/ porridge to help with his reflux, I did relent and there was a massive improvement. He loves his food and is really starting to enjoy playing with finger foods now, which is great. Seeing him shove a stem of broccoli into his face is hilarious and he adores sucking on French toast! Sometimes being a bit more relaxed about things is better and I’m happy with the balance that I now have. I did beat myself up about not doing pure BLW, but he’s happy – so I am!

Attachment parenting is a whole other issue! After Monkey was born, Mr Clothbum and I went with what felt right after struggling with a baby that just would not settle, no matter what we did. We soon discovered that he had very bad colic and reflux and that cosleeping, with him in a more upright position, was the way forward. And we haven’t really looked back. Monkey does go into his cot at night but in the early hours of the morning he’s usually in with us, cluster feeding on Mummy. It works – brilliantly – and we both love having our baby so close. He’s gradually learning to settle himself but it’s a slow process and we’re fine with that too. He’ll get there – when he’s ready.

I know that it means that he won’t go easily to others overnight at the moment, but that’s really not an issue for us. We have no family that live near us, so there’s no one that Monkey will be going to stay with on his own, really. Also, as a breastfed baby – its easier to keep him near me anyway. Then I don’t have the hassle of expressing more than I need to.

Since having him I’ve started to read more on the subject and found that a lot of the things that we’re doing (that I had no name for) are linked to the work of Dr Sears (and attachment parenting – yes, I really had no concept of it before!) His way of thinking, in my book, is well worth a read and I also absolutely love Mayim Bialik (she used to play Blossom). Her approach to parenting is a very refreshing one and one that sits very well with me. There’s a bit of a debate about her decision to circumcise her sons, but in my opinion, that’s her choice as a Jew. I personally wouldn’t circumcise unless there were medical grounds, but I’m not a religious person so I don’t want to judge others and their beliefs.

Elimination communication is another area that I’ve been reading into with a degree of fascination. I’m nowhere brave enough to attempt this, but I am going to start putting Monkey on a potty after his meals once he is stronger and more secure at sitting up. That’s the method that my mother-in-law, and other people of her generation, used with their children and lots of us potty trained much earlier than children do nowadays. But if Monkey does PT early – I’ll have to stop using my lovely nappies!

Food for thought!

Sharing time: Timeline of a breastfed baby

http://www.thealphaparent.com/2011/12/timeline-of-breastfed-baby.html?m=1

I just found this online and it’s brilliant! Thought I should share.

Breastfeeding: My journey so far and looking to the future…

Breast is Best, so the saying goes. And as a mummy who now is almost exclusively breastfeeding my baby, I definitely agree. There’s no doubting that breastmilk is better for your own baby, considering that it tailors itself to suit your baby’s needs – adapting to aid the immune system and adjusting as the baby grows. I’m no expert in this matter, and I’m not claiming to be, so here’s a link to the wonderful Dr Sears to explain what I’m talking about in more detail

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/breastfeeding/why-breast-best/nutrient-nutrient-why-breast-best

However, breastfeeding (although obviously the most natural way of feeding your baby), is not always easy at first. I’d love to blog here that it is – that it’s just so simple, but that’s not always the case. Some mummies and babies just need a bit more help at the start, and that’s also totally normal. I think that if more mummies got proper, educated support from the start then the rates of continued breastfeeding (rather than what people do in the first couple of weeks) would rise.

I thought I’d share with you my experiences, as my breastfeeding journey really hasn’t been an easy one at all. But nearly seven months later, I’m still feeding Monkey myself and it’s just wonderful! I’m very proud of myself for persevering and I hope that by writing down what I’ve been through, it may be of use to others.

When Monkey was born, I had a waterbirth – so we had immediate skin-to-skin contact and he latched on straight away, which was fantastic. So when we left the hospital we were exclusively breastfeeding and I was one very happy mummy.

But, within about three weeks it started to become obvious that Monkey just wasn’t getting enough at each feed. Add to that the fact that breastfeeding was exceedingly painful (but his latch, according to the midwives, was fine) and he was screaming uncontrollably at every feed – I was getting very upset. I did everything that I could think of, read information on many websites (including the brilliant Kelly Mom website) and called my midwife and local breastfeeding support workers (a.k.a. The Pink Ladies). The midwife came around and, to be very honest with you, wasn’t very helpful at all. She suggested that I might need to top up with a formula and didn’t give me much more help than that. So we did…

Topping up with normal formula was an unmitigated disaster as it turned out that Monkey is lactose intolerant and instantly developed a horrendous rash all over him, was projectile vomiting and firing out the other end. He had ulcerated sores on his bottom and it was just miserable. A quick emergency dash to the doctors, plus a stool sample test confirmed the intolerance and he was put on a prescription hypoallergenic formula that I could use to top him up to aid my pitiful supply.

Then a lovely Pink Lady came along (breastfeeding support worker). She instantly diagnosed tongue tie (which I had suspected and had asked her about). This was confirmed by the doctor and we were referred to a local NHS specialist to have it divided, as it can really affect a baby’s ability to breastfeed properly and correctly stimulate the production of milk. This entails a really quick snip of the tightened skin under the tongue, which doesn’t hurt a younger baby much at all. It was done incredibly quickly and he was put on the breast immediately afterwards. The difference was astounding. There was no pain, at all, and he was suckling away very happily. However, my supply was still very low and the doctors (after much persuasion from the Pink Ladies) prescribed me Domperidone tablets to increase my supply. You can get these over the counter (they’re called Motillium), but they cost an absolute fortune and you should always go and see your doctor if you want to use them, rather than self prescribe.

I decided that there must be things that I could do to help me increase my milk supply further, so I started to read more and more via the net. Various groups online gave me ideas and I added in some pumping sessions in between feeds to trick my body into creating more milk. If I was feeding Monkey on one side, I’d pump on the other, which really did make a difference. I also made sure that I kept up my fluid levels, avoided too much caffeine, started to drink fennel tea and take fenugreek supplements (all of which are meant to help increase production).

Then I started to think more about my diet. Someone suggested that I eat oats as they help to increase milk supply, so I looked that up online. Then a whole new area opened up to me that I’d previously known nothing about. There are certain foods that can help a mum to increase her supply and are not difficult to get hold of, or cook with. The more I looked into it, the more I found out about lactogenic diets. Diets where you purposefully eat foods that help to promote prolactin and avoid foods that can restrict the amount of oxytocin (the two hormones that are key to creating milk).

There are some fantastic recipes online for lactation cookies, and that’s the first thing that I started to make and eat. My favourite recipe is this one

http://www.diaryofafirstchild.com/2010/06/20/just-have-to-share-lactation-cookies-breastmilk-smoothie/

but there are many others that you can get hold of online when you go searching.

However, the main problem with finding things for a lactogenic diet, I’ve found, is that most of the recipes are American (with ingredients weighed in cups) and being utterly exhausted with a colicky, refluxy baby that hardly sleeps, I just kind of gave up on finding other recipes that I could easily use, as they flummoxed me a bit!

Monkey has been obviously doing well on mainly my milk (with some occasional top-ups if needed) but I started to realise that if I wanted to keep him mainly on breastmilk when I go back to work then I needed to think about upping my supply a bit more, as I just don’t get much out when I pump. That’s apparently really common, but with a low milk supply anyway, trying to get a decent amount of frozen breastmilk is proving to be a bit of a challenge.

After a long search, I’ve finally found something that I think might prove to be very helpful for me. ‘The Contented Calf’ www.contentedcalf.com is a cookery book by two UK ladies, called Elena and Jassy, that has lots and lots of recipes that help to promote milk production. I’ve literally just got it yesterday morning and am going to have a good flick through it over the next few weeks to get some ideas. I plan to blog about them and let you know which ones work the best for me. There are some gorgeous-sounding ones, such as Fig and Fennel Scones (yum!) and Coconut Fairy Cakes, so I think I’ll be having a lot of fun making them.

I’ve recently talked to some paediatric nurses who were fascinated by the idea of a lactogenic diet and I also discussed with them the use of galactogogues (substances, usually herbal) that can increase milk production. Both these nurses hadn’t heard much about this approach to increasing supply and they have both since looked into it more detail (and are very impressed!) If there’s a more natural way of helping mummies to feed their babies themselves, then surely it should be something that more people should be trained in. I would have loved to be given some advice about how to alter my diet to help me when Monkey was tiny – it would have save an awful lot of heartache and problems. Hopefully this new approach to my diet will help me achieve my goal of feeding Monkey myself for longer.