breastfeeding friendly nausea remedy

Have you ever breastfed a baby while throwing up? I have now.

Last week I was sick with the nastiest stomach flu bug that I have seen since I was 17 and made the mistake of delivering food to the garbage incinerator operators. I woke up at 7:30 am and thought, wow, something's wrong with my stomach. It was all downhill from there. This was one of those bugs that makes you vomit until you have not a drop of moisture or food in your body to expel, and still your body tries to vomit. I was on the floor, crying, pressing my face to the cold floor one minute, and shivering under covers the next.

Of course, babies don't understand when mama is sick. All they understand is there need to eat. And this is how I found myself nursing a baby while heaving into a toilet. Eventually, Baby S got curious and decided to stand up at the toilet next to me. And of course, my spit trails looked good enough to eat. Is it any wonder that she got the flu as well?

But I digress. At some point during the day, my mother (who totally saved my life by coming over to take care of all of us as I moaned and cried) called the nurse line to figure out how to save me from having to go to the hospital for dehydration. One of the things that I asked about was an anti-nausea medication. Of course! She started naming things off- and then remembered that I had said I was breastfeeding. Did I want to go out and buy some formula? None of the medications could be used while breastfeeding.

nipple biting

Baby S has two teeth. You might not think it, but those bottom two teeth are sharp. Imagine little puppy canines, and you're not too far off.

I'm conflicted about these teeth. Yes, they're cute, but I've always loved gummy little baby smiles (unlike my younger sister, who acts like babies with no teeth are akin to the clown from IT). Teeth only mean one thing- she's growing older every day, soon to be a teenager graduating from high school and asking to borrow the car. Okay, maybe that's a little extreme, but really- where does the time go?!?

Teeth also mean another thing- biting. As in biting my nipples. I knew this day would come. Especially since many grandmas around me have felt the need to say to me Oh, teeth- that's when I gave up breastfeeding! Wow, uh, okay... thanks for the unsolicited advice.

I have a theory- babies aren't born with teeth because if they were, they would start biting us and we would: 1) Give up on breastfeeding immediately, and 2) See them for the wolf babies that they really are and send them to live with their real furry families. This is why it takes about six months for teeth to start coming in- by that time, we are fully attached to the little buggers, and we deal with the biting.

surviving cold season while breastfeeding

There's no denying it anymore- winter is upon us. Here in Minnesota, they are forecasting our first snow to come tonight. Along with the snow comes frigid temperatures and dry air- perfect conditions for those nasty little cold, flu and crud bugs that thrive on our sun-deprived little bodies.

On top of all the regular hazards, I work in an elementary school. Little kindergarteners seem to find pleasure in sneezing in my face and running their little mucus-y hands all over my body. Stop! I can't get sick- 2 babies and work depend on me.

To make matters worse, I found out the hard way a while ago that decongestants and antihistamines can reduce milk supply and should be avoided while breastfeeding. So what to do when you get sick? First- deflect sick bugs as if your life depends on it. Second- if you do get sick, find other ways to deal with your symptoms. Don't worry, it can be done! Read on for my advice to you:

looking back

This post is part of the Breastfeeding Blog Hop hosted by Life With Levi, The Slacker Mom and Diary of a Devil Dog Wife.


Hindsight bias is a bitch. Why is it so painfully easy to look back and see all the things that you could have done.. or should have done.. or might have done differently? Why do we tend to beat ourselves up inside while repeating these mantras? I should have... I could have.. I might have.. What if.. Guilt, hate, and depression like to ride along.


What we need to remember is that the reason that we are able to have these thoughts is because as humans we grow. We have new experiences as time passes. We learn new things that make us able to see what we should have done and could have done. It's so painful, though, when we see the easy answers that are so visible to us now and were so invisible to us then.


When Toddler B was born I was pretty ignorant about breastfeeding, although I didn't know it then. I had thumbed through a couple of books, met with a lactation consultant, and considered myself ready. What mom wastes her time reading up on what to expect when breastfeeding a special needs child? Who thinks that they will be exclusively pumping for months and months? 

supply issues- again!

Ugh. Here we are again. 

Those of you that follow Breastfed on Facebook already know this- I've been having some supply issues. Issues so bad that on Monday I had to drive home in the middle of work to drop milk off at home (I only work 6 hours a day!!!) and on Tuesday I had to skip my after work yoga class to go straight home. I was not happy about this- my yoga class is my one "me-time" activity of the week!

What happened? My theories:

• I had stopped eating breakfast, and was maybe eating a little less all the way around.
• Stress- my life has felt a little out of control with so many things to do lately, and these supply issues just created even more stress.
• Vacation- Last week I had three days off of work. Yay, I thought, no need to pump! That might have been a huge mistake.
• Pump problems- One of my flanges seems to have a little crack in it. Is the motor in my pump going as well?
• Baby S seems to be having a growth spurt and eating even more over the past couple of weeks. Maybe there is less pumped milk because she is eating it all before I can pump it?

you are not alone

This post is part of the Breastfeeding Blog Hop hosted by Life With Levi, The Slacker Mom and Diary of a Devil Dog Wife.

Before Toddler B was born, I didn't think too much about breastfeeding. I knew I was going to do it, and what else did I really need to know beyond that? I put The Nursing Mother's Companion on hold at the library, and read a little of it when I got it. I met with the lactation consultant when I was in my last trimester because I was a little concerned that I would have some problems due to an inverted nipple. But did I think that I would not be able to breastfeed, or that I would have problems with it? No.

But does anyone ever think that they are going to have a child with special needs? Of course not. Toddler B's birth and the aftermath was a roller coaster ride down to hell and back. Born not breathing. No desire to suckle. The move to the NICU, and the fight with the nurses who wanted to gavage feed her with formula. The continuing struggle and failure to get her to even show interest in latching. The start of my love-hate relationship with the pump and struggles with supply.

relieving the pressure

Almost every breastfeeding mama out there has had to deal with severely engorged breasts at one point or another, usually within the first couple of months after the birth of baby. If left untreated, this can lead to blocked milk ducts and mastitis, a potentially serious infection of the breast.

Engorged breasts usually result from a problem with supply and demand- your body is supplying more than your baby is demanding. The first line of defense is to encourage baby to nurse as much as possible when you feel your breasts start to get engorged.

Sometimes that doesn't always work. Baby is sleeping, or not as hungry that day, or you are out and don't realize that you haven't fed in a while. Next thing you know, your boobs look like something out of Victoria Secrets, but lumpy and painful.

With both of my newborns, I always turned to aromatherapy to solve this issue. There are two ways to cure engorgement with essential oils:

advice needed for first time breastfeeder!

Question from a Breastfed reader:

Hi! I'm Sara. I'm a first time breast feeder.. I was so excited to breast feed my baby when he was born, but he was born a month early due to some breathing complications i couldn't breast feed right away like a wanted. I didn't even get to see him till 35 hours after he was born. So naturally they told me to pump till he was strong enough  to suck on my breast. Now he is 3 weeks 3 days old and strong. 

I am slowly starting to get him on breast but it seems now that he only eats for a while then screams and cries till i give in and give him the bottle but cause i don't have the pump any more he is now getting half BM and half formula. I feel so awful giving in and giving him formula but i don't know if i'm going about this right. My mom doesn't help much cause she was grossed out by breast feeding and didn't do so with me I am happy however cause of his 8 feedings a day 4 of them are on breast and the rest unfortunately are either half or full bottle... help please!! Also my nips are sore is this due to un proper latch?? Or is it normal for them to be sore the more u breast feed?? 

Hi Sara! Congratulations on your healthy baby! I'm glad you found us. Hopefully I (and other readers out there) can be of some help.

My thoughts and advice to you:

tips: prenatal vitamins

Mamas- have you been taking your prenatal vitamins? Just because pregnancy is over doesn't mean you should stop, especially if you are breastfeeding. You are providing nutrition for two! Continuing to take prenatal vitamins ensures that you are getting all the nutrition you need for both you and baby.

I stopped taking mine for a while after Baby S was born. Why? Because I kept forgetting to take them. Bad idea- I started feeling really rundown, losing hair in clumps, and just generally feeling drained. As soon as I started taking my vitamins again I felt much better (sure, the tired and drained feeling is something that never leaves a new mom, but it was much less than before, for sure!).

As a new mom, I know that it is difficult to remember to do anything. How to remember this one little thing?

magic boobs

My partner thinks I have magic boobs.

Ok, I agree with him most of the time. I have these two things on my body that manufacture milk that is the sole nourishment of my baby. How cool is that?

What annoys me is when my magic boobs are supposed to cure everything. I can't tell you how many times I've heard this: Just put her on your boob and then she'll feel better/ fall asleep/ stop being crabby/ etc.


Frustrating. Why? Because it doesn't always work. Just because I "put her on my boob" doesn't mean she'll fall asleep. Just because I "put her on my boob" doesn't mean that she'll instantly be happy. Sometimes she just doesn't want to eat! What do I do then? Wave my magic boob in her face and mutter abracadabra?!?

I've realized this is his way to get out of all sorts of undesirable baby situations. Baby crying? Well, I can't fix it because I don't have boobs. Here- you take her. You have the magic boobs. Frustrating, annoying, and sometimes fight-worthy. How I wish that he could breastfeed, so I could do the same thing to him. He doesn't understand how I feel, or at least, he claims not to (when convenient).

If only I did have magic boobs. I'd wave them around, shooting glitter out of them a la Sleeping Beauty. Granting wishes for babies far and wide. Spreading calm and happiness across the land.

No, I just have regular boobs. Not magic, but pretty special and amazing anyways.

co-sleeping tips

A common complaint of new mothers (well, all mothers!) is the lack of sleep. Babies wake up constantly throughout the night wanting to be fed. In my experience, the practice of co-sleeping is a way for breastfeeding mothers to gain those extra hours of sleep that we so desperately need.

There is much controversy over the practice of co-sleeping. In the United States, most medical professionals warn against it. However, some do advocate the practice, and it is widely practiced in the non-Western world.

When done correctly, it is yet another reason to be happy that you are breastfeeding- no getting out of bed in the middle of the night to mix formula, warm bottles, and feed baby!

Below are some of my tips for successful co-sleeping with a newborn:

i can breastfeed!

I'll never forget the moment that Baby S latched on and started to feed. 

I think it's a moment that every mother remembers, but it was especially poignant for me. My first baby, Toddler B, had a mountain of feeding problems due to her special needs. Breastfeeding her was a frustrating struggle that was never completely resolved, and led to me having to exclusively pump to get her the breast milk she needed.

When I was pregnant with Baby S, I had the same worry off and on for the full nine months: Would I be able to breastfeed this baby? I wanted it so much. All of my mama girlfriends had had few problems breastfeeding their children, and I wanted to be like them. Have some degree of normalcy. I envied the easy way that they fed their children, the intimacy that they had. In some ways, I needed this validation for myself- I am normal. I can feed my child in the way that I was built to.

suck and repeat

Annoying! Or cute, depending on how you look at it, or how much time you have on your hands.

Baby S is firmly in the Mrs. Suck-a-Little, Mrs. Look-a-Little stage. 

Rather than power through a good feeding, she is obviously thinking in that little head of hers, Why rush? I have all the time in the world. Ooo! Look at the curtains! Okay, wait, let me have a little milk... Ooo! Look at Mami smiling at me! Alright, no wait, let me have a little milk... Oooo!

in-flight feeding anxieties

Baby S will be taking her first plane ride this Friday.

Am I nervous? Just a little bit... Will she cry? Will we be that pair on the plane that everyone wants to kill? Will the stewardesses try to stuff a gag down her screaming throat?

That's the nightmare. 

Everyone has told me to feed her as we are taking off, and I am prepared for that... my worry is that we won't be able to get into a comfortable position in those tiny little airplane seats. I can just see it: head smacking into the hard little elbow rests, legs pushing up against the side of the plane. Frustration and screaming (her screaming, and perhaps me too?).

breastfeeding a special needs baby

Breastfeeding can be difficult at first for any new mother. Add the challenge of trying to feed a special needs baby, and it can be overwhelming.

My first child has special needs. I can't tell you the name of a specific syndrome, because her condition is unique and is still being evaluated. What I can tell you is that our attempts to breastfeed her were challenging, difficult, frustrating, overwhelming, sad and tiring.

From the second I attempted to put Toddler B to breast- when they finally got her to breathe after being born blue- we knew something was not right. She did not have the immediate sucking reflex that most newborns have. Within hours, the nurses were demanding that she should be given a gavage feeding, which means that formula would be pumped into her stomach.

my lactation consultant is an amazonian goddess

Our lactation consultant is an Amazonian goddess.

We met Joanne in the eighth month of my first pregnancy. I insisted on making an appointment with her because I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to breastfeed because of an inverted left nipple. We were told that we were lucky, because she had just been hired and the hospital had not had a proper consultant for over a year.

We went to her office, located in some obscure corner of the hospital. We knocked on her door and opened it. There she stood, some 6 feet plus tall (was it any surprise when she told us that all of her children had played NCAA basketball?), grandma-aged, flaming red hair, no-nonsense appearance and tone.

up north

We're back from up north! It was a great week- for the most part. Beautiful weather most of the time (this is Minnesota, after all- never are we able to have perfect weather all the time!), beautiful lake, not too many mosquitoes, delicious food (fresh walleye!), good company.

Breastfeeding, however, was not as easy or as comfortable as it I would have liked it to have been. It might be that we are too used to the comfort of our home- even though there were plenty of seating opportunities, none were as comfortable as our favorite spot on our big brown couch.

A big part of it was me, and my relationship to my family. We might talk a lot, but we are not close in that way that some families are- we don't share every detail of our lives. My mother and sister were not in the room when I gave birth to either of my babies. So of course, I was a little uncomfortable pulling my boobs out in front of them- especially my father.

The first night was horrible. I was so tense about it that my milk wouldn't let down- which Baby S was not too thrilled about. Finally when we laid down in bed we were able to relax enough to get a good feed.

Over the rest of the week I started to either lay down in bed to feed her with the doors closed so no one would walk through, or tried to move away from people while breastfeeding. Or just not think about it- like when I whipped my boob out of my tank top while sitting across from my father in the tight little gazebo playing a game.

In the end, we got through it in one piece. Now we're back home, back to our comfy couch and reliable bed- but missing the great up north.

pumping

Article: Some great advice on pumping from Jennifer Thorson- Doula. Did you know how the speed and suction strength knobs on your pump worked? Apparently, neither did I. According to Thorson, do this to get three let-downs per pumping session in less time:

"Get comfortable. Attach the pump and turn it on, making sure that the suction is not too strong for comfort. Set the speed relatively high. Try to relax. 


Once your milk has let-down, meaning you can see milk squirting into the pump, reduce the suction speed. Continue pumping at low speed until the amount of milk flowing into the pump decreases. This is one let-down. 

which way to the breastfeeding room?

Photo courtesy of Acme

The public feeding. Always a source of tension for me, especially lately- Baby S has decided that she will not feed if she has something over her. No matter how hungry she is.

I've tried all kinds of lightweight scarves and blankets, and nothing goes. She needs to see my face. At best, she will eat a little bit and then start playing with the scarf and smiling. At worst, she will refuse to latch and start screaming.

I've wondered, is it me? Is she catching my nervousness and anxiety at whipping my boobs out in public?

I know better, I should know better. I know that breastfeeding is a natural, normal act. All mammals do it. Most of the women around me do it, or have done it, or will do it. It is my legal right to do it, whenever, where ever I want. So why do I still get anxious about it?

I try to find a good spot to do it. Today, we were at a huge, crowded street fair. I was able to find a small side street with an unoccupied bench in the shade- score! We were able to feed relatively alone and stress-free.

Fast forward to later, when we couldn't even find a restaurant with an empty table. Baby S was inconsolable. My breasts were leaking and my stress levels were rising with each shriek. Oh, how I wish I could have just sat down on the curb and whipped one out in front of all those people! Or that there were a breastfeeding-dedicated tent, like the ones provided by Mom's Breastaurant!

But I couldn't, and there wasn't, so we finally made it back to the car, where I felt comfortable, and she was able to feed in peace.

Now I am stuck with the feeling that I never want to leave the house. Why can't everywhere have a breastfeeding room?!?

ouch! nipple pain

A friend of mine asked me today if, with your second baby, your nipples hurt less during the initial month or two of breastfeeding.

Sorry ladies- no luck. They hurt just as bad as the first time around.

For those of you that have not breastfed yet, or are doing it for the first time- don't worry. The pain doesn't last forever. But you will go through some initial "adjustment" periods, when your nipples can hurt so bad that you cringe in anticipation every time your baby is about to latch on. The pain can get so intense at times that you might think about robbing your dentist for a shot of novocaine.

Some options to try:

1) Pumping: If your baby can take the bottle, try replacing a couple of feedings with a pump session. It still will hurt your nipples a bit, but not quite as bad as that tight baby latch. Remember, though, if you are pumping, you need to do it at least nine times a day to keep your supply up.

2) Nipple shields: Silicone covers for your nipples. Commonly used to help babies latch on women that have short, flat, or inverted nipples, these are great for those painful periods. Keep a couple around- they'll save you a lot of pain! They generally come in 3 sizes- the bigger ones work great for any nipple size. I like both the ameda nipple shields and the medela nipple shields.

3) Nipple balm: Choose one that is, without a doubt, safe and non-toxic for your baby. Just to be safe, always wash it off before feeding. I like the Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter.

4) Painkillers: A recent study showed that small amounts of vicodin are okay for lactating mothers. If this seems a little extreme to you, knock back a couple of tylenols.

Keep your head up and don't give up! The pain will go away as you, your breasts, and your baby settle into the act of breastfeeding.

Any other things that mamas have tried?