World Breastfeeding Week: We Made It!!

I've been meaning to post this post for the last few days, but with World Breastfeeding Week happenings happening, I have been preoccupied! It's been an incredible week of boobie time around our area with the Big Latch On (we had over 50 latches!!), Lydia's FIRST birthday and party (post coming soon!), La Leche League blow out (just a normal meeting but complete with lactation cookies and boobie cupcakes and A MILLION people crammed into a tiny room, great time!), and a peaceful nurse in at our local mall tonight. Again, I say, "INCREDIBLE WEEK!" Plus, I've gotten to see some of my favoritest people in the world several times, always awesome.

More to the point: WE MADE IT!! Lydia reached her first birthday!! For this post, the more important part is that we nursed for an entire year!!! To recap, my first two little nurslings each nursed for six months (with supplementation) and two weeks, respectively. Even before Lydia was born, I became anxious that I would

have another 'unsuccessful' breastfeeding relationship (although, I believe ANY amount of breastmilk is beneficial and always correct mamas when they say they were unsuccessful.) I shared my feelings in an awesome group on Facebook and got a few mamas who immediately offered donor milk, which is something I don't think ever dawned on me! These mamas hadn't given birth yet either!

So it happened. I birthed my beautiful baby at home, surrounded by my amazing family and support system. She latched like a pro and I was filled with joy. And then she didn't gain and that's when I knew: if we were going to do this, we were going to need some help. You can read more about our supplementation journey here. We've been so blessed to have not one, but FIVE amazing mamas who donated to our sweet Lydia (you'll meet them here during World Milksharing Week!) and even had a large (over five gallons!) donation from a friend of a friend towards the end of our first year. All of this sacrifice and support was worth it! We made it to her first birthday!!

I'm so grateful!! Not only for our amazing milk family, but also for our wonderful lactation consultant, Natalie. She provided a wealth of knowledge and support, coming to our house a few times and inviting us into her's, fielding an amazing amount of calls (mostly while I was crying), diagnosing my insufficient glandular tissue and Lydia's tongue tie, and ultimately supporting us in our journey of milksharing and helping us figure out our nursing trainer. She still checks in with us from time to time. I'm telling you, this woman is amazing. (and now I'm also wondering if I get annoying singing her praises all over town all the time! It can't get old telling someone how awesome they are all the time, can it?!) I'm also grateful for my best friend, Adrienne. Although she was newly pregnant and chasing her own toddler around, she was at our house almost every day and available by phone constantly as well. Even dropping everything and coming to our house when the husband called out of desperation. She sat and found Bible verses to encourage me too. I was a hot mess, hormonal, cried a lot, and irrational. These two women (among others) loved me as unconditionally as another human can and for that, I'm grateful.

Some have asked me what's next. And to that, I say, "Ask Lydia!" At one, she's still a frequent nurser with no plans on weaning. Not that she's said anyway! I've had two goals in nursing: to make it six weeks and, then, to make it a year. We've accomplished both!! Now, we'll see where the next milestone leads us! 

So happy World Breastfeeding Week, everyone! And cheers to my first Nursiversary!!

Is That an SNS in Your Shirt, or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

My SNS components

After ten months of using a supplemental nursing system (SNS) to supplement my daughter with donated breast milk, I've definitely had my share of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good.
I've been able to nurse my daughter for 11 months!!!! I'm still a little in shock even though I'm living it. With our first two, I didn't have the proper support (even being told I'd fail by the lactation consultant at the hospital with #2), I didn't have the knowledge, and the thought of asking for breast milk never crossed my mind. My first babe did fine on formula, thankfully. My second babe, not so much. She had terrible issues with ALL formula until we finally switched her to raw goat's milk when she was about 7 months old (if my memory serves me). Still not human milk, but what a relief. So, with Lydia, it has been an absolute joy to keep her at breast for this long. I had an amazing support system and moms who stepped up and provided us with milk before I even asked. I know that there are days in this journey that if I didn't have women (and my amazing husband) 'fighting' for me, I would have given up. I plan to nurse for as long as she would like, our SNS has made that possible.

The Bad.

(source unknown)

I sort of thought that when we got our SNS, things would be peachy keen. For the most part they have, but we haven't been without our hang ups. I think the biggest nightmare is running out of milk. We've been very blessed to have a 'main' donor, Sarah. Her son, Case, is 5 days younger than Lydia and she is one of the mothers who offered before being asked. Really, before Lydia or Case were even born, she offered to pump for us. But when she got the dreaded 'Six Month Drop' that some mamas experience, things got a little more...challenging. Although Sarah still does all she can, we have a few other mamas who've pitched in now, too: another Sarah, Adrienne, and not one, but two Jessicas! How awesome is that?! (We're getting back into 'The Good' now, aren't we?) It's been a little more difficult to drive around our cities to collect milk, but not too much that I would ever want to stop! We take a few more short little road trips (and sometimes include play dates!) and that's just part of life now.

The Ugly.

And now, we come to the point of this post. The ugly parts of the SNS. I'm going to try to condense this, because I could write a book! The worst part has got to be that, sometimes, it leaks. Sometimes it leaks a lot. And in weird places on your body. Like, when a mother leaks from her breast, it shows through in the appropriate spot on her shirt, right? But when a mother leaks from her SNS, it can show up in any number of places! I've looked like I'm lactating from the middle of my chest, my belly button and even my shoulder. I generally catch it quick enough to not be detrimental. Occasionally, when I've been wearing her or even just holding her close, the warm, flowing liquid goes undetected. 2+ ounces of breast milk goes a long way on a shirt, let me tell ya. This has been especially bothersome when the weather outside is frightful; having to put a soaked Lydia in her car seat and a soaked me in the driver seat while temps are below freezing is less than desirable. It also leaked one time while I was laying on my back getting adjusted. My chiropractor (a dude!) laughed it off, thank goodness, but for some reason I was mortified!

There's no way to get around saying this: I've got small breasts. So putting a bag between them with about 3-4 oz of milk in it tends to get noticed. Probably not too often, but enough. I think the most obvious part is when I don't have a high collar shirt on, the top of my apparatus shows. I always wonder if people think it's a pacemaker or something and that's why they don't ask about it. So there's a fun bulge between my breasts and a plastic piece sticking out of the top of my shirt. Maybe I'm turning into some sort of new age bionic woman? Maybe I'm growing a third, more giant boob? We'll never know.

My sweet little Lydia

And one time, the unthinkable happened, my tubing got a hole in it! This is why the company recommends you buy their package with two tubing sets in it (oh, my bad). So while we waited for our new tubing to come, we had to use bottles (well, not HAD, but it was the easiest option and worked out fine). When the tubing came, I had ordered the wrong part! I called the company, crying, and he expedited the right part. We were without our SNS for a little over a week. In that time, I realized how happy I was that we had an SNS in the first place. Which definitely makes all of this bad and ugly stuff sort of disappear.

So no, it isn't a cake walk to use an SNS. It might not be the right option for all families, for all situations. But I'm grateful that we have it, even if I do want to set it on fire every now and again.

Interested in knowing more about supplementing and donor milk? Check out these pages:
Lact-Aid Nursing Trainer System (this is where I got my SNS, I haven't tried another system, but heard good things about this one before ordering.I didn't have a ton of time to research. I'm very happy with my choice and this company!)
Human Milk 4 Human Babies I just recently became an admin for our state's HM4HB page. Amazing network. I'm grateful I've never had to ask for milk on this page and that my community just stepped up to the need. Lots of good information on informal milk sharing.
Eats on Feets Another informal milk sharing group.

Sleep Sweet Baby: Our Journey to Sharing Our Bed

When Esther was born, it was common knowledge (among the people I knew) that bedsharing was dangerous. I wasn't much into research at that point in my life and went with the flow. If you're a mom (or a human for that matter), you know that with each person comes a story, a bit of knowledge on what worked for them in different situations. And that they willingly (and without invitation!) hand over said information at any given point in time. So I was encouraged to let my baby cry it out. One friend guaranteed I'd thank her for it. When Esther was six months old, we'd feed her her bottle before bed time, kiss her good night and lay

Lydia and I

her in her crib. She cried. My heart broke and so did the husband's. But we followed instructions and did was we thought was right. Eventually, Esther did just go to sleep without crying. So maybe it did work. But at what cost, I wonder to this day. A friend told me that she had read that babies eventually stop crying when they lose all hope. I think of that often, unfortunately. But it is what fueled sleeping goals with our next child.

When Abigail was born, I was determined that things would be different. She spent about four months in her bassinet (until she could no longer fit into it) and we co-slept. For us, this meant that Abigail moved into her crib, which was in our room. She was not a real great sleeper, getting up several times a night, but I was so against letting her cry that it didn't matter to me. This option worked well for us for sure. I was so happy that our Abigail was still close to us when she needed something and rarely to never cried when she needed us. So she stayed in our room until she was about 15 months. We only moved her into her sister's room because she was having a real issue sleeping through the husband's alarm clock every morning. And it fixed the problem.

When I was pregnant with Lydia, I read more about bedsharing. I wasn't really looking for a change from Abigail's babyhood, but more education can never hurt. I also had quite a few friends who had successful and wonderful bed-sharing stories to share. I learned how many benefits there were for baby and mom. Almost too many to count, but I'll share a few that persuaded me.

Our crib is side car-ed, so we have some separate space

Bedsharing is great for mom's breast milk supply, since she produces the hormone prolactin which aids in milk production at night. Milk production has always been a huge concern for me, so this fact was pretty instrumental in persuading me. While I'm still supplementing this time around, my production for Lydia is definitely more than it was for Esther and Abigail.

Families who bedshare sleep better. I still remember the days of getting up out of bed several times a night with Abigail. The beauty of bedsharing is that you don't have to get up out of bed to sooth babe. She's right there! Abigail would have to actually start crying for me to wake up, Lydia stirs a little and I notice. She has probably cried in the middle of the night a total of three times in her short eight months being Earthside. I hear her stir, pull her close to nurse, and we all blissfully sleep through it! She wakes up and latches on like a pro. I literally have no idea how many times she's awake at night.

Babies who bedshare also seem to be safer, in my research. I've read countless stories of babies who stopped breathing in the middle of the night and, because babe was in the family bed, mom woke up right away to assist. Babies are also not great at regulating their own body temperature. Enter mom again - having babe in bed with his/her family helps this system get going.

My thoughts eight months in? I wouldn't have it any other way. We are all happily sleeping at night! 

Interested in learning more? Here are some of my favorite resources on the topic:

• Sleeping with Your Baby: A Parent's Guide to Safe Cosleeping by James J. McKenna.
• Cosleeping: Our Story by Adrienne at Mommying My Way. (which is part of a Cosleeping Carnival, so there are several posts at the bottom to dig into!)
• Ensure Safe Sleep page at Natural Parents Network. So many great articles here on cosleeping, but also on why NOT to let your babe cry it out.

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Breastfeeding and Supplementation

Photo courtesy of
Sugar Snap Photography

I was bound and determined to breastfeed Lydia. After not-so-great experiences with Esther and Abigail, I armed myself with as much knowledge as I could and attended La Leche League meetings. Then Lydia came and we were, seemingly, doing great! You can read more about my plan of action and our first mishaps here. At her 10 day appointment, she had lost a pound. Her doctor was optimistic, though. She was doing everything else she should be, just lost a little weight. We'd recheck in a week. Same weight. We'd recheck in a week. Gained an ounce. So at three and a half weeks, she was still 15 ounces below her birth weight. Although her doctor remained optimistic and supportive, I felt like we needed to add a little something to her diet. I wasn't comfortable with her loss. My concerns were supported by my lactation consultant and my midwife. My midwife reminded me that my first priority needs to be feeding my baby, no matter what that looks like.

My husband and I were pretty against using formula. Esther and Abigail had both been on formula which resulted in CONSTANT spitting up, no matter what we tried. Abigail was also extremely fussy until we switched her to raw goat's milk (another post for another time!) We also have some nutritional concerns - you may have recently read an article about the flora being different between breast milk and formula, which protects infants from illness and disease. This is just one concern among many. Our big girls are totally fine and healthy after drinking formula, but why continue to do the same thing when you've found a new solution?

Abigail loving on Lydia
Photo courtesy of
Sugar Snap Photography

Which brings me to my point. We're supplementing with human milk. I'm blessed enough to have a sweet friend who is well educated in the realm of milk sharing. She started to gather donated milk when she got pregnant as her milk dried up for her current little nursling. She schooled me on the informal banks as well as proper storage and preparation. She shared her struggles with having to drive a good distance for a tiny little stash to get them through a day or two as well as the amazing donors who had provided an abundance. Then, the unthinkable happened: she offered me 200 oz of the milk she had worked so hard for! So after we found out that Lydia had only gained an ounce, we went over to her house to collect. I was overwhelmed! I just couldn't believe her kindness! The same day, I got an offer from another friend who's baby is a few days younger than Lydia offering to pump for her! Again, absolutely blown away!


While I was discouraged at first, I keep reminding myself that the most important thing is that I feed my baby - just as my midwife said. I'm blessed beyond belief that God has provided two wonderful mothers who are so willing to donate to Lydia. It is important to me to keep her at breast for as long as she wants to be, so I've ordered a Lact-Aid Nursing Trainer System that should be arriving any day now. We've been supplementing her with bottles of her donor milk in the mean time. So, we stared nursing during World Breastfeeding Week and started supplementing during World Milksharing Week!! I'm excited to see her gain some weight!

Breastfeeding: Third Time's the Charm

I'm passionate about a few things, breastfeeding being one of them. I know it's the perfect super food for babes. I know it's best for mom, best for babe, best for the family, best for the world.
Despite these knowledges, I've never been too successful with breastfeeding. The first few days of nursing Lydia started the same why it did with the first two: latched like a pro, no real issues, nursed all the time.

Nursing Lydia for the first time

And then it started. It always starts with the nipple pain for me. Luckily, this time, it only started on the one side. My right side, to be precise. I got a bleb. Oh it's a real thing, let me assure you. A bleb, or milk blister, is well, what it sounds like. "It occurs when a tiny bit of skin overgrows a milk duct opening and milk backs up behind it." Of course, when baby latches or when you pump, the blister gets a little larger. Sounds painful, right? Let me assure you, it is. I grit my teeth through nursing on that side, but we did fine.

Then it got worse. The bleb was healing just fine, but I got a crack on the underside of the same nipple. Holy crap. I'd rather lose a finger. Seriously. So my best friend/breastfeeding cheerleader brought me a nipple shield to try out. Much better. The initial latch was still painful, but no issue nursing through. I followed each feeding with a little soak in a saline solution and then coconut oil. To my surprise, the crack vanished within a few days of treatment. Of course, it seemed like WEEKS. I'd hand express on that side as well since it didn't seem to me like she was emptying the breast with the shield. With my supply issues, I didn't want to make that worse.

Which brings us to our supply issues. With Esther, I started supplementing at 5 days because she wasn't getting back up to her birth weight and her pediatrician was concerned. Obviously I didn't know any better. With Abigail, I completely switched her to formula at two weeks for two reasons: I could tell she wasn't getting enough and my nipples were SO DAMAGED that I couldn't handle it anymore. In both of these instances, I didn't have the support or resources that I do know. So with Lydia, (at the recommendation of my lactation consultant) I'm taking a tincture called 'More Milk Plus' and another called 'Goat's Rue,' both from motherlove.com.  I've also been eating tons of lactation cookies (YUM! I made some myself a few days before Lydia was born, but had two friends lovingly make me some too!). I've been getting lots of rest and eating right (both things I'm not generally great at).  The More Milk Plus has the usual supply boosters in it: fenugreek, blessed thistle, fennel, and nettle. The Goat's Rue is good for mamas who haven't experienced breast tissue change in pregnancy (I never have). They are both absolutely disgusting, but worth it. I'm hoping, we won't have the same complications we've had in the past with slow weight gain.

We've also been seriously working on the latch situation. Lydia's latch definitely has something to be desired. It's pretty shallow. My awesome Lactation Consultant found her to have a tongue tie almost right away. We got in to see an oral surgeon as soon as we could and he confirmed the tie and released it right away. So we're working on positioning and trying to get a better latch down. Even today, the day after her release, her latch is seemingly better! I think most of our issue, however, is that I'm an old dog. I nursed Esther for 6 months and Abigail for 2 weeks - holding both of them incorrectly with no one to say otherwise. So it's very hard for me to relearn my techniques, even though I KNOW it's wrong. So we're working on that. That breastfeeding cheerleader I mentioned made me an awesome pictorial reminder. Everyone needs at least one breastfeeding cheerleader.

Wrong vs Right!

All of that said, let me conclude by saying breastfeeding is worth fighting for. There is so much help and support out there! You just have to find it. Which was my issue with the first two. I had no idea, little knowledgeable support (although the people around me weren't un-supportive) and no clue where to turn.
Even before you give birth, educate yourself and your support team. Your husband can and should be your biggest lifeline. You may also find having a girlfriend that's 'been there, done that' helpful as I have.

Here are some of my favorite supports:
La Leche League - find your local chapter!
Find an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)
Kellymom.com - a great online reference
BreastFeeding Inc - a great online
Lactation Cookies!
And books!
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
The Nursing Mother's Companion
Breastfeeding Made Simple
Making More Milk
Mother Food

If you should find that you do need supplementation, even for a while, consider breast milk in lieu of formula!
Visit Human Milk 4 Human Babies to find a donor near you!