Fast food

My friend Renee took this picture while I was nursing Jonah and walking at the same time. It's a skill I've mastered over the years, as an avid Mei-tai user. Not too shabby, eh?
So I guess this is what I look like while walking, chatting with friends, watching my two older boys pet bunny rabbits, enjoying a sunny day at the farm, all while giving my baby the healthiest nourishment! It really works for us, and I love it!
For more pictures of our farm day field-trip visit Renee's blog here.

musical beds

So what is musical beds? It's when no one ever sleeps where they're supposed to sleep, because everyone else's bed seems more comfortable, more toasty, and more fun. Oh wait, it really means that all the kids end up in the big bed by the end of the night, and we are all somehow squished into this giant, cozy sleepwhich. (that's a sleep sandwich.) And then Micah or I will end up in one of the little beds because we can't sleep with feet in our face.
It's pretty comical, really. We tuck our kids into their beds at night, and then, just like magnets, they are sticking to us by morning. We usually all wake up together in one room, and everyone's smiling. And well, the baby, he's always stuck to me. I couldn't sleep away from him for a million dollars. He is tucked right up by my chest, snuggly and warm. Waking up in the middle of the night to a chubby, yummy smelling baby has been one of the greatest joys of mommyhood. All 3 times.
Here's a photo of a few of us enjoying a morning cuddle (and snack):

the Breastfeeding Friendly Initiative

This is the International Breastfeeding Symbol. You may see it around town more, as I've been making a bigger effort as of lately to raise awareness about mothers' rights to feed their babies when, how, and where they need to. The local newspaper ran an article about this tiny campaign 8 months ago, and since then, I have been making my way around town to talk with local businesses about it.
So basically, to be considered a Breastfeeding Friendly Establishment, a restaurant or business needs to hang these guidelines (look below) in a place where their employees can see them, and also hang an International sticker in their window. By having a sticker up they are showing patrons that they not only understand the Utah State laws protecting a breastfeeding mother, but that they sustain and support it in their establishment. The purpose of the symbol is not to segregate breastfeeding, but to help integrate it into society by better accommodating it in public.I feel that the more awareness that is raised, and the more stickers put up around town, the more normalized breastfeeding will become.

I have to tell ya, though, some of the reactions I've received have been outright funny/disturbing, while approaching the various business folks of Cedar City about this issue. For the most part people have been open about doing it, some saying,"Oh yes, we would never ask a mother to leave or cover up during a feeding." This is really nice and reassuring, until I talk to a store manager who says,"Yah I'll hang up the sign and follow the law, but I still think it's indecent to breastfeed without a cover." Or, "Yah we'll hang a sign in the back, but the sticker is unnecessary." or, "Well the law might support breastfeeding in public, but you know most moms feel more comfortable in the car." or, "We don't have that problem in our store so we don't need a paper or sticker."
Of course these responses further validate why I am trying to raise awareness in the first place. These are the people that need to hear first hand that breastfeeding is normal, and a breastfeeding mother needs to feel validated and accommodated in public.
So finally, I get this huge smile from one store owner who sits me down to tell me that she breastfed all 8 of her kids, and thinks it's wonderful what I am doing. She wants two stickers; one for her front window, and one for her back window.

The Breastfeeding Friendly Initiative:

To be designated a Breastfeeding Friendly Establishment, a business must meet the following criteria:

•Understand that Utah State laws protect a Mother’s rights to breastfeed in public.
•Honor these laws and uphold them in your establishment.
•Inform employees of the importance of these laws, and hang this paper in an open area for employees to refer to.
•Have an “International Breastfeeding Symbol,” hanging in an entryway, which lets patrons know you are a Breastfeeding Friendly Establishment.
•Offer a comfortable, non-discriminatory atmosphere for Mothers to breastfeed.
•Support a Mothers’ choice to feed her baby how, when, and where she may, no matter what method of feeding she chooses.

Utah State Law includes:
Utah Code Ann. § 10-8-41

(2) (a) A woman's breast feeding, including breast feeding in any place where the woman otherwise may rightfully be, does not under any circumstance constitute an obscene or lewd act, irrespective of whether or not the breast is covered during or incidental to feeding.

(b) Boards of Commissioners and City Councils of Cities may not prohibit a woman's breast feeding in any location where she otherwise may rightfully be, irrespective of whether the breast is uncovered during or incidental to the breastfeeding.

Happily weaned

We haven't nursed in over a week now. It's been pretty sporadic for the past couple months, and now I think it might be over. I decided that throughout this pregnancy I would practice the "don't offer, don't refuse" principle of gently weaning, which would allow my toddler to decide when he was ready, emotionally. However, I think it turned into more of a "don't offer, lets find something funner to do, keep him extremely busy, please take this cookie instead" principle of distraction. I admit nursing during pregnancy isn't ideal for me. Painful breasts, barely any milk, that feeling of extreme irritation when someone is in your bubble--I've experienced all that and more these past months, and have actually been eagerly anticipating this moment. This is our conversation this week:

Mom: Odin, would you like some "milkies?"
Odin: No.
Mom: Why not?
Odin: All gone.
Mom: So there's no milkies in there?
Odin: No milkies.
Mom: What about when the baby comes? Then will you have more milkies?
Odin: No! Odin big!

And that was that. There was a time last week when we we were nursing one of our last nursings (i didn't know would be), and I felt that hormonal rush of oxytocin, once again. It was that strong nurturing hormone you feel when your baby is at the breast. I hadn't felt that for a long time, especially as I've been pregnant. It came so suddenly, and so powerfully, that tears filled my eyes. I looked down at my big boy and just adored his little face all over again, trying to imagine what it was like when he was just a baby, nursing quietly at my breast.
That time goes by too fast, as everyone says. It really has.



One of my favorite paragraphs from the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, about a weaning toddler, is this:
"While many people see weaning as the end of something--a taking away or deprivation-it's really a positive thing, a beginning, a wider experience. It's the broadening of the child's horizons, an expansion of his universe. It's moving slowly ahead one careful step at a time. It's full of exciting but sometimes frightening new experiences. It's another step in growing up."

So run my little boy--go explore the world, and Mom will still be right there with you, just like from the very beginning.

Local Inspiration

We have quite the amazing group of mothers who come to our local chapter of La Leche League. I am proud to be a part of their experiences, as we meet each month to discuss breastfeeding, mothering, and life in general! The meetings are only an hour 1/2 long, but they leave me with a high for the rest of the week!

This past year we've had quite the eclectic group of breastfeeding mothers, each with her own story of inspiration to share. A variety of women show up each month, and sometimes we never know what little pieces of their lives we can bring home with us!

In general, we have moms nursing newborns, moms nursing twins, moms nursing toddlers, moms tandem nursing, moms pregnant and nursing, moms who need help nursing, moms who give help with nursing, moms who are working and nursing, moms who struggle through nursing, moms re lactating after a nursing hiatus, moms who come to learn about nursing their future babies........and on and on.


We had a Mom this past year have a baby born with cleft lip palate. He really struggled with latching on, and went through a battle of surgeries, bottles, and discouraging relatives, before he finally got it! They are now nursing great..after 5 months of practice! Talk about perseverance and dedication!

Only a small percentage (about 3%) of women can't make milk, due to hormonal deficiencies. However, we know at LLL, that with a little information, education, support, and determination, the other 97% can.

It's great to be around women who won't take no for an answer.
Find a group near you!! Click here.

Night Weaning Adventures!

The time to wean a child from the breast is an intimate and personal decision between Mother and baby. Especially after the baby is a year old, a Mother will discover that her baby will continue nursing, not just for the nutritional need, but for the emotional comfort, security, and love that he feels. For me, nursing my children is such a special part of being their Mother, that I am not ready to give it up, either, and allow them to nurse as long as they need to. Odin is 21 months old, and eating a variety of healthy solids and liquids. Yet, he comes to me to nurse everyday when he needs to snuggle, is sleepy, gets an owie, or just in need of a super Milkie boost! It sure makes parenting easier sometimes! The look in his eyes while he is nursing is pure bliss; like the world is a peaceful haven, and he is the center of it all. I love it!

This past week, however, we decided it was time to wean Odin from nursing during sleeping hours. Usually I can sleep right through his night time nursings, but being pregnant, I am especially tender, and the night nursings were starting to disturb my sleep. And p.s., disturbing my sleep whilst pregnant equals non-functional daytime mother.
Since Odin sleeps with Micah and I, I feel like he often nurses through the night purely out of habit. Well, I concluded, he is a happy, well-adjusted toddler, and it's not going to hurt him to stop the night nursings!


Now everyone probably weans their babies differently, because each child is different in temperament, maturity, and ability to understand the world around him. Zadok, at 23 months, just lost interest a month before Odin was born. I hear stories of Mamas who introduce bottles, and slowly the baby makes the transition from breast to bottle. I also hear stories of Mothers who cut off the nursing, cold-turkey, leaving the baby alone and confused.. I hear stories of babies who wean because the milk tastes different during pregnancy. Etc...

Well, this is how we do it over here. For us weaning toddlers, we choose to wean by substituting nursing with other measures of comfort--a favorite story, a special game, a yummy snack, a cuddle and a song. I feel it is very important to make sure the weaning process is slow, gradual, and filled with lots of comfort and love. After all, you are subtracting something of much value; it should be replaced with distractions or substitutes that feel good, too.

So, this past week, has been a nighttime weaning adventure for Odin and I! The first night was the hardest. Before bed we talked about how "Milkies" needs to sleep, how when the sun goes down and we go to bed, that Milkies goes to bed, too.
The first time he woke up to nurse he was very upset. I went over it again. "The sun has gone down, Milkies are sleeping. Mama can cuddle you , but Milkies are asleep." He didn't like this at all. He cried and cried, and my little heart almost gave in--but my instincts told me not to give up--that this was going to be good for all of us. So, I started singing all his favorite songs, and making up stories about things he loved...balloons, ducks, frogs, glittery bouncy balls, the pet store...anything I could think of. It was starting to work.
He slowly went back to sleep. But, woke up 5 more times.....crying for Milkies. And again..I cuddled him, and I went over all the favorite songs, made up stories about balloons and ducks, etc...til he slowly drifted to sleep.

When we woke up in the morning, I made sure he knew that the sun was up and it was Milkie time! Boy did he love this! He smiled so big and went straight to it! I let him know throughout the day that he can nurse as much as he likes.

The next 4 nights were very similar, but waking up less and less times. One night he was really, really upset, crying for his beloved Milkies. So me, half asleep, I started naming all the things that were asleep, too, such as Milkies, the sun, the trees, the cows, the mailman, the dogs, the fish, Grandma and Grandpa, the animals in the zoo, and on and on. I think by the time I got to President Obama and the custodian at church, he was totally asleep. What a relief! Another night I had to get up and dance him to sleep, at 3am. Another night I found myself singing the entire tune of Sinead O'Conner's "Nothing Compares to You." When I finally got to the end there was silence.....then "MILKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIES." So I started all over with another song. It's been a long, exhausting week, but now he is only waking up once or twice. Pretty soon he will sleep peacefully through the night.

This morning we woke up, with the sun drifting through the windows. He turned to me and said, "Sun. Awake! Milkies!" With a big smile on both our faces, I knew we had reached an understanding.



I am so proud of my big boy for taking this big step in his life. He is growing up so fast, and it's often hard to let go of my baby. He is learning and growing every day. I am proud of him for learning to do something hard, so his Mama could enjoy more comfort and peace through the night.

Thank you sweet Odin for doing this for your Mama. :) I hope he knows how loved he truly is.

Attached to my toddler

I'm officially nursing a toddler, and enjoying it. We have our trying moments, but for the most part, neither of us is ready to give it up, so here we are.

It's nice to have the World Health Organization make supportive statements such as, "Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age, with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to two years of age or beyond."

It helps to validate what I already feel instinctively. I know nursing a toddler is good for me and the babe. I've read many times that as babies get older, the composition of the milk changes to meet their growing needs. A nursing toddler still receives all the antibodies and disease-fighting immunities, along with whatever vitamins his growing body needs. Human milk is so amazing!

And for me, burning lots of calories, and delaying my menses, is nothing to complain about.



Nutritional benefits aside, when I look down at my nursing 17 mos old, I see this look of pure contentment in his eyes. It's a look I can't really describe, but I feel in my heart that he is so at peace with life when he is nursing.

This past week Odin has been sick, plus teething on top of that. His one, single source of comfort has been nursing. I love it when he comes running to me, worried and sad, arms open wide, knowing exactly what will make him feel all better.


Nursing a toddler is humorous. I should think you need a sense of humour to handle the startling changes of nursing a walking, talking, thinking child. No more are they the small, still, iconic baby, staring lovingly into your eyes. Odin twists, twirls, kicks, squeezes, stands up on my lap, and makes the silliest of noises, while he....eats.
I can't walk around the house shirtless, without his eyes getting real big, and immediately wanting to nurse. I feel like the giant, walking steak, in those old cartoons. It makes me laugh.


be still child!

Nursing a toddler isn't just a lifestyle choice, it's an emotional and physical need. We need each other, and we're not ready to wean. I'd say, we're pretty attached.

Happy World Breastfeeding Week

Happy World Breastfeeding Week everybody!

WBW is August 1-7, every year. Ironically, I was all ready to type something really long and cool about it, when my 17 mos old woke up to nurse. So, here I am, typing with one finger, with a baby on my breast, keeping this short.

To sum it all up, the theme for this year is "Breastfeeding: Prepared for life." To me, that means being ready at all times to give my baby what he needs, in any situation. Weather a natural disaster strikes and we are left destitute, or my baby wakes up in the night needing emotional comfort, I am here. I am always prepared to feed him, comfort him, nourish him, and love him, with our breastfeeding he so loves and needs.

I was able to raise $360 dollars at a yard sale fundraiser on Saturday, to benefit La Leche League!! I couldn't have done it without all the donations, and physical labors, of other breastfeeding advocates in my community. It was a lot of hard work, but well worth it! Thank you to everyone who helped make this a success!



Off to cuddle and nurse my sweet Odin......



Mama and Odin workin' the yard sale.

A coincidence that helped

Funny coincidence, a friend had just emailed me this article a week ago. It is about a baby who was able to depend on donations of breastmilk, from a community of caring mothers, in a time of dire need.
I was deeply touched by this article, and thought, "How sad for this family, and how neat for this community of caring women to be able to help."

Then several days ago I received a phone call about a newborn, abandoned baby, in need of mothers milk. Although this baby would be going to her new, adoptive parents in a weeks time, I was fortunate to be able to round up a small community of women who could donate a weeks worth of breastmilk. I had instantly thought of this article, and it helped me to organize a group.
(I was surprised to see that I could even pump 4 ounces, with my 15 month old super-nursling.)

It was touching for me to see mothers so eager to share what they know is a priceless gift for any baby.

I hope these women know how happy I am to call them friends.

Philosophy that makes a difference

"Mothering through breastfeeding is the most natural and effective way of understanding and satisfying the needs of the baby.

Mother and baby need to be together early and often to establish a satisfying relationship and an adequate milk supply.

In the early years the baby has an intense need to be with his mother which is as basic as his need for food.

Breast milk is the superior infant food.

For the healthy, full-term baby, breast milk is the only food necessary until the baby shows signs of needing solids, about the middle of the first year after birth.

Ideally the breastfeeding relationship will continue until the baby outgrows the need.

Alert and active participation by the mother in childbirth is a help in getting breastfeeding off to a good start.

Breastfeeding is enhanced and the nursing couple sustained by the loving support, help, and companionship of the baby's father. A father's unique relationship with his baby is an important element in the child's development from early infancy.

Good nutrition means eating a well-balanced and varied diet of foods in as close to their natural state as possible.

From infancy on, children need loving guidance which reflects acceptance of their capabilities and sensitivity to their feelings."


These are La Leche League's statements of philosophy on breastfeeding and parenting. When I first read these statements back in 2006, pregnant with my first son, I knew they were the truth. I knew I wanted to be that mom. I knew that I wanted to be a part of LLL. You might be thinking, Well, duh--these are simple and basic parenting principles!" You'd be surprised how much new moms come and learn, and leave changed forever. I did.

LLL's philosophy statements are further developed in THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, the most comprehensive handbook on breastfeeding and parenting ever published. It has provided needed answers to three generations of nursing mothers on every aspect of breastfeeding.

Yours in Happy Mothering,

Sally

sweet suckling babe

My sweet suckling baby. You need me as much as I need you. I hear you squirm and yell out in the night and I am right next to you. I scootch over to you and hold you tight, and help you find your way to comfort. You relax immediately in my arms and melt into my breast. I get to hold you all night like that If I want to because you are always there. And I am always here for you.

I have been memorizing the lines of your face and how they have changed. From my viewpoint you have molded into me, yet grown away into yourself at the same time. You started out small, smelling of my milk and sweetness all the time. Now you are big and bulky, with great chubby cheeks and teeth! But that doesn't change a thing. We still need each like the first day you came to me.

You are turning one this month and that means we have known each other a long time. I haven't missed a day away from you. Some days I"ve felt overwhelmed or burned out, and blamed you. Yet you are also the only cure. When I lie down next to my suckling babe, everything else goes away. I am flooded with nurturing hormones, designed to love and enjoy you. It's the way God planned it.

I need you just like you need me, my sweet suckling baby.
Let's go to bed, it's getting late.

(baby) Food for thought

Stories about breastfeeding bring tears to my eyes. My "New Beginnings" magazine came in the mail this past week and I just read the whole thing today. It is a publication by La Leche League International.
It is filled with warm and happy stories about families who choose to breastfeed, sometimes with difficult challenges. Every story, weather it be a message of hope and encouragement to those who are having a hard time, or just sweet memories of mothers who love their breastfeeding experience, I cry tears of happiness for this wonderful art of caring for our babies.

At an LLL meeting up in Idaho I met a courageous woman who told me the following story:

Several months after she had her baby she got really sick. She became so ill she had to be hospitalized. She was still able to hold and breastfeed her baby until she got so sick she entered into a delirious coma-like condition.
When she woke up 3 days later her mother-in-law was right there to tell her the most amazing thing (I've ever heard.)
For the past 3 days this kindhearted mother-in-law would come into the hospital with the baby and hold her gently up to the woman's breasts to nurse.She would do this every time the baby needed to eat, which was very frequently.
The sick mom wasn't aware of anything going on, but the baby was just so happy to be up close to her mother, drinking her mommies milk.
This mom was really grateful for her family, who supported her in something that could have been an even more difficult experience than it already was.

This story really touched me and I think of it often. Breastfeeding is such an amazing experience. There's so much warmth involved, so much love and dedication, and to be nurturing your baby so close like that is a priceless experience.
I would encourage every mother to try. Even if things get hard, perhaps thinking about this woman's story could remind us how important it truly is.

p.s. Every once in a while I run into breastfeeding-specific blogs I really like. If anyone knows any others I would love to add them to my collection.

Breastfeeding moms unite

Historical Breastfeeding photos etc...

The Lactivist (real funny stuff)

Breastfeeding culture

A single, male friend recently asked me (quite nervously), if women "give up" their sexuality while breastfeeding. He seemed to be concerned that we mothers hand over the breasts to the children, and henceforth glory in their true function from then onward! I replied that breastfeeding is an amazing and glorious function of the breast, but to forget that it is also a sexual organ is quite foolish. And vice versa; breasts are sexy and attractive, but they were also specifically designed to nourish our babies.

It's unfortunate we live in such a culture that can't seem to distinguish between the two. My male friend who feared his future wife would leave him hanging after the kids arrived, clearly didn't realize that women do not have to choose between the two functions when they become mothers. More likely, each function can be used at different times, for different purposes. Yes, you can still be a powerful, attractive, and sexy, breastfeeding mother.

In an American culture that only sees breasts as the sexual icon of women, it's no wonder mothers struggle with feeling comfortable and normal in using their breasts to feed their babies.
We live in a society that tells us to go hide in the bathroom, or cover up while we're breastfeeding. Fear is instilled in women that our sexuality will be exposed, that we'll be immodest, that we'll be flaunting our goods inappropriately, (while simply trying to feed a baby!!) It's, to say the least, ridiculous.
When using our breasts as a function to nourish our babies, there is no reason why we can't do it openly, and uninhibited. There is nothing sexual or embarrassing about feeding a baby.

I only wish we lived in a culture that could make this distinction; that breastfeeding mothers everywhere could stand tall, and breastfeed when, where, and how they need. I feel so frustrated and sometimes angered when I see a mother cautiously, and nervously get out the giant blanket. It's especially insane when mother and baby engage in a sort of crying, screaming tug-o-war, to keep the blanket in place. It isn't anger for the mother, but angry for a culture that doesn't support mothers the way we need. Our society forces women into stinky bathrooms, hot cars, closed offices, and sometimes behind bushes, all because we might be seen exposing some breast. (Breast that has kept the human population alive.) I also add that there is more breast exposed on the cover of Cosmo, and no one is complaining about that.

As a breastfeeding mother I urge people to embrace the function of breastfeeding as a non-sexual act, to provide health and nourishment for our babies. I urge breastfeeding mothers to breastfeed freely and openly. I urge everyone to see breastfeeding as normal part of our culture. I urge myself to never let anyone decide when or how I feed my babies.