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Sweet Pea Births

Chandler, Arizona

Sweet Pea ​Births

...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth

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How to Reduce Breastfeeding Inequality

Posted on August 28, 2018 at 12:13 PM Comments comments (780)
I'd like to introduce our readers to Neve Spicer, writer and founder of We The Parents. She is sharing some very important information about breastfeeding disparity. I thought it especially important to share this information during Black Breastfeeding Week, in the hopes that a change-maker sees today's post and can help take action on the steps that Neve outlined in THIS post.  You can scroll to the end of today's post to see those steps, although I encourage you to click on the link and read the whole article.

I'm Neve, a proud mother of two, breastfeeding advocate, and part-time blogger over at WeTheParents. I'm really happy to be contributing to Sweet Pea Births during this year's Breastfeeding Awareness Month.

Now, when I say that I'm a breastfeeding advocate... I'm a pretty easy going one and not so much a die-hard lactivist. I breast fed both of my children and my experiences couldn't have been more different. My first experience was a nightmare; I don't think I did things right, and without a good support network I ended up with a very low milk supply. My daughter pretty much screamed constantly until I began to wean her early at 4-months. With my second, on the other hand, the experience was completely different. I was scared that I’d have the same problem, but actually things worked out beautifully and I breastfed until 18 months.

My breastfeeding experiences led me to want to support women and to let them know that, firstly, breastfeeding doesn’t always go according to plan, but also, secondly, it’s important to realize that our self-defeating beliefs, such as “I can’t produce enough milk” can also be wrong. I also realized that breastfeeding success depends so much on the knowledge and support we receive throughout our breastfeeding journey from pregnancy to weaning.

Now: I’m a bit of a research geek and while digging into some scientific journals on breastfeeding, I was shocked to learn just how drastically socio-economic forces affect breastfeeding rates.

Did you know that only 38% of mothers living below the poverty threshold (in the US) breastfeed at 6-months, while 68% of mothers in top-earning families do. That’s a huge difference, and it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

I learned that that in academic and social policy circles people have known about these breastfeeding disparities for a long time. But why, then, was I not reading about it on the popular blogs I followed?

Too many heated words and firey tweets are being wasted on the breast vs bottle 'mommy war'. The big problem, however, is not whether a well-educated and well-off mother chooses to breastfeed. The real issue is breastfeeding inequality; too many mothers are NOT getting equal opportunity to breastfeed, even when they want to.

After discovering all of this, I wanted to shout about it. It’s time the blogosphere reframed the debate. I think we can all agree that if a mother, from any walk of life, wants to breastfeed, then she should be given the best chance possible. I passionately believe that mothers should unite behind this common goal.

Neve


FROM WeTheParents:

HOW TO REDUCE BREASTFEEDING INEQUALITY
Too few mothers follow the AAP’s optimal breastfeeding recommendations. Were this a result of well-educated, well-informed, and well-off women choosing alternative nutrition options, that would be one thing. Unfortunately, the truth is that many babies are formula fed because their mothers are not sufficiently aware of the health risks or they simply don’t have practical support (at work or home) to make it work.This is unfair and impacts on the health of thousands of US mothers and babies each year. It has been estimated that annual excess deaths attributable to suboptimal breastfeeding total 3,340, 78% (2605) maternal and 22% (735) infant. (Source)But how can we reduce the breastfeeding inequality?While there is no easy fix, there are several strategies that have been highlighted and could use public awareness and support. These are:

  • Maternity/lactation support – Improve hospital maternity care and lactation support practices. For example, increasing the number of Baby-Friendly Designated hospitals across the US, especially in states with more poverty;
  • Educate professionals – Continued education of healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, midwives, and lactation consultants, to improve their knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors toward breastfeeding support;
  • Improve new mother access to professional lactation support – This can be done in different ways, such as in-person, online, telephone, or group. It can involve home-visits or breastfeeding clinics within the community;
  • Peer support programs – Peer support is a powerful mechanism for helping mothers reach their breastfeeding goals. Effective peer support typically requires leaders to be trained as facilitators. Mothers then share emotional support as well as guidance and problem-solving advice;
  • Boost breastfeeding support in the workplace – There are numerous ways in which employers can support mothers to continue breastfeeding. These include developing corporate policies, and providing adequate lactation spaces and equipment and giving women the flexibility to use them. Onsite child-care and allowing babies at the workplace also helps;
  • Support for breastfeeding in childcare and pre-kindergarten settings – Many mothers have older siblings attending early care education centers (eg, Head Start or pre-K). This solution involves improving the support that these centers give to breastfeeding mothers, eg, welcoming breastfeeding mothers to come into the center, or training staff to handle the storage and use of pumped breastmilk;
  • Improved access to breastfeeding education and information – While many mothers have heard the message that “breast is best”, many new mothers do not have direct experience of breastfeeding. It is vital that education and information get into all communities, especially minority groups that can be harder to reach;
  • Address the marketing of infant formula the associated conflict of interest in hospitals – There exist well-established links between commercial formula companies and hospitals. In return for free infant formula for babies that need it, many hospitals agree to give away free formula within their discharge bags. There is also a high incidence of hospital routinely supplementing breastfed infants with formula within the first 48-hours. Both of these practices lead to an increased uptake in formula use and a corresponding drop in breastfeeding rates. It is important that marketing practices that directly reduce breastfeeding rates are dismantled and replaced with others that do not involve a conflict of interest.

Thank you, Neve, for taking the time to research this topic and outlining specific action steps we can take to support our breastfeeding sisters.


Disclaimer: 
The material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation.  Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.  This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.

Bradley Method® natural childbirth classes offered in Arizona: Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale

In Their Own Words: Erica ~ Part 2

Posted on August 31, 2017 at 9:53 PM Comments comments (55)
For Part I of Erica and Scarlett's breastfeeding journey, click HERE

PART II: Making Breastfeeding Work at Work, and Beyond

I went back to work when Scarlett was 4 months old. I was a teacher, and needed to pump twice a day, every day. That meant during my prep period, I pumped, and during lunch, I pumped. It was hard, but I wasn’t about to be gone from my baby AND take away her food. She started reverse cycling to where she would barely eat at daycare, and wanted to nurse as soon as I came home, and all night long, to make up for lost time. 

We had opted to co-sleep/bed-share from the beginning for a variety of reasons (I couldn’t stand the thought of her crying and needing me, I didn’t want to- and couldn’t at the beginning- get out of bed and walk down the hall to her room, I had spent her first 5 days without her there and I would never do that again…). Co-sleeping kept us close, and gave her the freedom to nurse when she needed to. However, the regular pumping and all-night nursing were causing me to produce a ton of milk, and she wasn’t using it all at daycare. I couldn’t miss a single pumping session at school because I was so engorged. But I was also paranoid of cutting back my pumping, losing my supply and not being able to do the one thing that I ‘got’ after my birth.
 
After a couple of months of that, I was losing my mind. Not from breastfeeding; it was a compilation of everything else. I could barely function from exhaustion, postpartum depression and anxiety, birth trauma resurfacing, not having enough prep time at work (because of pumping) and feeling like I couldn’t do my job well enough. The only times I felt calm and happy were when I would pick her up from daycare and go home and sit on the couch and nurse. Nursing my baby kept my sanity, and allowed us to check-in with each other. It helped bring me the clarity to realize I needed to make a career transition so I could be the mom I wanted to be. I found a job where I could work from home, got a long-term sub, and didn’t go back to work after spring break. It was the best decision I ever made.
 
While I was dealing with the career transition, Scarlett turned 6 months old, that “magic” starting-solids age, per many different “experts”. I dipped my toes in those waters, but I didn’t want to. I was scared it would affect our breastfeeding relationship and it seemed like we’d just gotten good at it. I didn’t want it to change. So, I didn’t really take “solids” seriously until she was a little over 7 months old. By then I had an end-date with my job and I knew I would be home soon. Also, she started giving me all the signs of being ready. She could sit, she reached for my food, she didn’t do that tongue-sticking-out thing, she could grab with her fingers (including other kids’ food at daycare). By the time I was home and she was 8 months, she was eating a little food whenever we did put some in front of her. It turned out I was worried for nothing. She loved food, but still loved to nurse as well. Also, she didn’t nurse 3 times a night anymore; it was only 2—yay for more sleep!
 
Being home with her allowed me to go back to nursing on demand, which felt so much more natural! It also gave me the opportunity to donate the thousands of ounces of milk that I had stockpiled in my deep freezer. I had always wanted to donate since she had received donor milk in the NICU, but I was apprehensive about letting any go before then because of the anxiety about losing my supply and her needing it. Scarlett wasn’t using my frozen milk nearly as fast as I had been producing it, so we could help three other babies around that time, and we continue to regularly donate to her friend who is a few months younger than her.
 
Now that she’s eating more at each meal, we have started nursing a little less. We nurse when we wake up, after breakfast/before morning nap, after lunch/before afternoon nap, at bedtime, and whenever else she may need a pick-me-up. Occasionally she will still wake up once (or more) during the night if she needs me, and I’m there for her when she does. I don’t pump regularly anymore, which is a great relief! I still have quite a stockpile that we are donating and it feels nice to be able to help others.
 
A few people have asked me if I’m going to keep nursing Scarlett now that she’s 1 (that “magic” number again). I tell them that I’ll nurse her until she doesn’t need it. I also tell them that I won’t have any more kids, in large part because of how everything happened last year. So, since she is my only baby and nursing is our special thing that we got after we missed out on so much and endured so much trauma, we will ride it out until it doesn’t feel right. Maybe another year? Maybe another 2 years? I’m very okay with not knowing when the journey will end. This has been the greatest gift of our birth experience, and I’m happy seeing and feeling the continued joy it brings us. For others who want to breastfeed longer than is typical, I say to go for it! You will never regret being the one who can be your baby’s everything.

For Part I of Erica and Scarlett's breastfeeding journey, click HERE
 
Disclaimer: 
The material included in this video is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation.  Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.  This blog and related videos contain information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on our blog and videos do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.
 
Birthing From Within and Bradley Method® natural childbirth classes offered in Arizona: convenient to Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale

In Their Own Words: Erica ~ Part 1

Posted on August 25, 2017 at 11:54 AM Comments comments (57)
PART 1: My Breastfeeding Journey: The Greatest Gift of My Birth Experience

I’ve been breastfeeding my daughter, Scarlett, for a little over a year now, and it continues to be a very important part of our lives. I know many women in the United States choose to discontinue breastfeeding at a year, or sooner, for a variety of reasons. I have no judgment towards them. I can say I know that I won’t be one of them. I’m not sure how long we will continue to nurse, but I don’t see us stopping any time soon. 

I didn’t go into motherhood thinking I would be an “extended breastfeeder.” For those of you who have seen the HBO show Game of Thrones and saw the scene of Robin Arryn nursing well into childhood… that’s kind of what I thought of as “extended breastfeeding.”  I initially figured I’d give it a year and see how and where it went. Now that we’ve made it to 13 months and it’s going so well, it seems silly to even consider stopping. It is still a large part of her nourishment, an effective way to soothe and comfort her, and our special bonding time, among many other benefits. Also, there is this huge emotional component for me: I think of our breastfeeding relationship as the greatest gift of my birth experience.
 
I had a traumatic birth in July 2016. I planned a homebirth and ended up transferring to a hospital for an excruciating 52-hour induction that ended in a Cesarean birth. My daughter was 10 days past her anticipated due date and didn’t move enough on an ultrasound, which is what caused us to need the induction. After 2 more days of every horrible step of the induction process, and trying to hold out for an un-medicated birth, I became a statistic in the chain of interventions and one of the 1 in 3 American women whose babies are surgically delivered.  To make matters worse, Scarlett aspirated meconium at some point in our labor, and was whisked away to the NICU as soon as she was out. I didn’t get to hold her for 18 hours. I didn’t get to attempt to breastfeed until her third day of life.
 
After having everything on my birth plan derail to the horrific experience I endured, I was determined to feed my child the way that I had planned to; determined not to have breastfeeding taken from me as well. I couldn’t see her during those first 18 hours, but I pumped every 2 hours like a fiend. I was told not to try to get her to latch initially because of her difficulties breathing, but I brought her all of my colostrum, requested donor milk instead of formula until my milk came in, and continued to pump and pump and pump. Finally, on the third day of her life, I made milk, and her breathing improved, and I got to learn how to nurse my baby.
           
We needed help at first. We met with a lactation consultant, we used a nipple shield, and we used the football hold… I drank my weight in water and ate everything in sight for a while. On day 3 when I finally got to start nursing, the hospital had rules for me: I could only nurse her for 15 minutes, then I had to go and pump and she was given a bottle of expressed milk to finish her feed so they could determine exactly how much she ate. They had their reasons I’m sure, but the effect to me was oversupply. I was nursing a hungry baby, and then pumping directly after. When we were finally released on day 5, I was sent home with about 7 bottles of extra milk I had made. I didn’t know then that wasn’t typical.
 
When we got home, my husband soon grew tired of hearing, “Babe, I need my water bottle!” However, he and Scarlett were troopers. He kept me fed and hydrated, propped up, etc. She had a good latch and was always hungry. Within a few days we stopped using the nipple shield. Within a few weeks I could move a little better after the surgery and stopped doing the football hold. Things were going more smoothly, until I began to put together the effects my oversupply was having on Scarlett. My milk came spraying out with such force that she would sometimes gag and sputter. She would occasionally throw up all over us during or directly after eating. It was frustrating to feed her when she seemed overwhelmed by my milk. It was not fun to get vomited on. Repeatedly. And feel like I was smothering my baby with my giant, milk-tastic boobs.
 
I asked the doctor about it. He said spit up is normal. I said it’s a lot more than spit up… he said all kids throw up and not to worry about it. He was useless. I asked my Bradley teacher and La Leche League ladies and they gave me actual things to try: laid-back nursing, let gravity work for you, put baby on top of you, side-lying nursing, block nursing, burp her more frequently, stop pumping so much… all of which helped immensely. 

After a few months we finally got the hang of it. I’m glad I was able to make some adaptations to help us, and had the willpower and resources not to give up when it was hard. I honestly think my awful birth was instrumental in my steadfastness when it came to breastfeeding.
 
Click HERE for PART II of Erica and Scarlett’s story: Making It Work
 
Disclaimer: 
The material included in this video is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation.  Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.  This blog and related videos contain information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on our blog and videos do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.
 

Birthing From Within and Bradley Method® natural childbirth classes offered in Arizona: convenient to Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale

In Their Own Words: Katie

Posted on August 17, 2017 at 3:57 PM Comments comments (75)
If you haven't read my previous posts, you're missing stories of my struggles with breastfeeding, but that's okay. For purposes of this update, you only really need what I wrote last year about tandem breastfeeding. You can find that HERE (2016) and one of my newborn stories is HERE (2012).

Nothing much has changed in the last year. My nurslings are now 2 years old and 5.5 years old. The 2-year-old no longer trolls his big sister. Instead he beats on her if he's feeling feisty. It's fun.

But seriously, I still love it. Even though I tend to insist they only nurse one at a time in the evening because I'm so tired and touched out (and they fight), it's still nice to be able to easily comfort two children to sleep.

Son's arm resting on big sister's arm <3

My 5-year-old goes back and forth between being okay with waiting and very much *not* being okay with waiting. It's exhausting. The 2-year-old can be perfectly content doing anything but nursing until the 5-year-old gets anywhere near me. Then he has to nurse and tries to find out how to use both sides at the same time so he doesn't have to share the thing he was perfectly content not having a few minutes ago.

My 5-year-old has a weird sense of awareness in the middle of the night. She knows the moment I've gotten her brother to sleep and comes into our room asking to nurse. I used to direct her to my bed, but she's gotten insistent that she nurse first. Thankfully, she came up with the "just one minute" compromise, so I let her nurse for a few minutes and then tell her her minute is up, and she gets up willingly. Likewise, in bed, she wakes up in the moment he stops nursing and asks to nurse. I don't know what sorcery this is.

But there are times they nurse side-by-side and stroke each other's hair or hold each other's hands. There are times they both run up to me, excitedly divvying up right side and left. There are times they are both finished nursing and they just sleep on me or next to me, and I feel their warmth and their 
breathing.






Disclaimer: 
The material included in this video is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The viewer should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation.  Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.  This blog and video contain information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained in this video and on our blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.
 
Birthing From Within and Bradley Method® natural childbirth classes offered in Arizona: convenient to Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale

Monday Mantra: Wonder Woman SuperPower

Posted on August 14, 2017 at 1:27 PM Comments comments (58)
Today's #MondayMantra is a fun affirmation that there is something quite wonderful and unique about making milk for your Sweet Pea.  

If you have chosen to breastfeed and you are making milk...own it!! You are a true Wonder Woman.

In Their Own Words: Amy

Posted on August 9, 2017 at 8:27 PM Comments comments (129)
Amy & Ollie 2016

I never thought I'd be breastfeeding my toddler. I certainly never thought I would be doing so while pregnant! Here I am, 30 weeks pregnant, writing this while my toddler who just nursed down for a nap, is sleeping.

When Ollie was a baby he nursed on demand; now he nurses before nap time, if we're together, and at bedtime, if mommy is home. Ollie's first Birthday came and went, and we were still nursing. When I got pregnant, Ollie was about 18-months, we contemplated weaning. My nipples were sensitive and, as much as I don't like to admit, I felt frustrated sometimes, when he nursed. We could tell Ollie was not ready. Deep down, I didn't really feel ready either. So we decided to try to cut back the nursing sessions. Over the course of a few weeks, I eliminated some of our typical nursing times. For example, we used to come home after work/daycare and sit together, cuddle, nurse and talk about our day. This was a difficult one for me to give up, because I LOVED this time with him. So we found something else that we both loved. We bought a porch swing and instead, we'd get a quick snack and go out front on the porch swing. The weather was just right, thank goodness, and he loved being outside. We'd listen to and talk about the sounds, play with rocks, and have our snack. This quickly became a special treasured time, as well.

It hasn't all been easy. We've had our share of challenges. Just like any family, we had to find what works for us. Right now, this works for us.

With the summer ending, I'll be going back to the classroom to teach, and Ollie will go off to our wonderful in-home-daycare provider. The days when we're not together, Ollie nurses at bedtime only. I don't know what the future holds for our breastfeeding relationship, and I'm not worried about it.  I'll forever be grateful for this special time I've had with Ollie, the support of my loving husband (despite the uncertainties and naysayers), and for the breastfeeding community.

Amy's Story about breastfeeding Ollie as a newborn HERE

Disclaimer: 
The material included in this blog post is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The viewer should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation.  Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.  This blog and related videos contain information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained in this video and on our blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.
 
Birthing From Within and Bradley Method® natural childbirth classes offered in Arizona: convenient to Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale, 

Monday Mantra: Nourish Body + Baby

Posted on May 22, 2017 at 12:48 PM Comments comments (53)
"I deserve to nourish my body and my baby with fresh, energizing food every day."

The one thing we can all do for our growing sweet peas is make an effort to eat well. As we come into the summer season, there is the opportunity to purchase from local farmers at community markets, and there are LOTS of sales at the stores.

If you need to watch the budget, check out your grocery store circulars that come in the mail. I also like the EWG Dirty Dozen list. You can see it online or download it as an "app" on the smart phone. I use it to make the most of our grocery money. Any produce that is on the "dirty dozen" list is a known high-pesticide crop.  Food on that list is produce that we will purchase in the organic section. Anything else on our list we buy from the conventional produce area in the grocery store or farmer's market.

We also offer our students the Brewer Pregnancy Plan as a guideline for daily nutrition. It is a conscientious focus on high protein and whole food so that multi-vitamins become the gap filler and not the only source of vitamins and minerals during pregnancy.  You can read more about the Brewer eating plane HERE and HERE.

What's one small thing you can do this week to make better food choices while you are pregnant and/or breastfeeding?

Feeding Sweet Peas Home-Grown Goodness

Posted on February 2, 2017 at 10:40 PM Comments comments (30)
Thank you to Jenny Silverstone, from Mama Loves Best, for writing our guest post in support of breastfeeding, one of our favorite topics here at SPB.

Feeding our Babies Home-Grown Goodness

Motherhood isn’t always easy. You often have to make choices that aren’t always simple or popular. You sometimes have to dig deep to get the information you need to make the crucial decisions that will affect your baby for the rest of his or her life.

Every choice you make for your baby counts, whether it’s the birthing method, the products you use, or the food choices you make for your child. 

When it comes to nutrition for your baby, breasts are best. It’s not just rhetoric -- science backs up what many mothers have long suspected. Our breasts are here for a reason, and that reason is to give our babies the nutrition they need to get a great, healthy start in life. As moms, we are fully equipped to give our babies everything they need, if only we learn to trust ourselves and know that we’ll find our way on this incredible journey.

At MomLovesBest, we are committed to helping moms find the information they need to make the best choices for their kids and their families. Our new infographic, The 111 Benefits of Breastfeeding, gives everyone compelling reasons to consider breastfeeding their babies. 

This infographic details the health benefits for both babies and mothers, and what breastfeeding can do for society as a whole. After all, we’re all on this crazy ride called motherhood together -- by working together to educate, grow and learn, we can help the newest generation of mothers and their babies live healthier, happier lives. 

While motherhood can be a lot of responsibility, you’ll find that it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice at all -- you’ll treasure every moment, even the difficult ones. That first smile, laugh or kiss from your baby is worth any effort you go through!


Read the full article to learn more about each benefit at


Disclaimer: 
The material included in this blog is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The viewer should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation.  Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.  This blog and video contain information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained in this video and on our blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.
 
Birthing From Within and Bradley Method® natural childbirth classes offered in Arizona: convenient to Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale



Q&A with SPB: Are there herbs that could drop my milk supply?

Posted on November 23, 2016 at 5:15 PM Comments comments (43)

This is a common question I get around the holidays... 


The big 4 herbs found in holiday recipes, over-the-counter cold formulations and cough drops:

  • Parsley
  • Sage
  • Peppermint (and other plants from the MINT {mentha} family)
  • Thyme


I also mention Oregano since oregano oil is an ingredient used by women who intentionally want to decrease their milk supply at weaning.

Other things that might be dropping your milk supply around the holidays:

  • Skipping feedings because we are too busy
  • Stress
  • Lack of sleep


So take a deep breath and see if you can figure out what is going on - it may be a combination of things that are causing your breastmilk supply to be lower than usual.

What to do if you need to increase your supply:

  • FEED THE BABY!
  • Add oatmeal to your diet - for whatever reason it's a great natural milk booster that is found in most pantries - no extra trip to the store for this one!
  • Jnantik Mayan Superfood Coffee Alternative - mix up a brew made from this amazing Mayan been, add your favorite creamer (I love it with Almond milk!) and sit back and relax
  • Mulanggay Leaf - both Motherlove and Go-Lacta make products that contain mulanggay leaf - many moms have good results with these products


Ok - have a great holiday season!! Wishing you and yours a blessed season.

Links to explore here:
SPB post on Herbs + Breastfeeding https://goo.gl/3eKlz0

Earth Mama Angel Baby Herb Guide https://goo.gl/sHnXMQ

List of herbs to avoid from KellyMom.com https://goo.gl/x72qZt

Janatik Mayan Superfood - reported to be a breastmilk booster!
https://goo.gl/DTzBab

Malunggay Leaf 
Motherlove product https://goo.gl/kemLYy
Go-Lacta product https://goo.gl/ObZnf9

Disclaimer: 
The material included in this video is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The viewer should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog and video contain information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained in this video and on our blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.

Birthing From Within and Bradley Method® natural childbirth classes offered in Arizona: convenient to Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale

Q&A with SPB: How do I know my Sweet Pea is ready for solids?

Posted on November 8, 2016 at 10:50 AM Comments comments (68)

Q: How do I know if my Sweet Pea is ready for solids?

A: There are four things to look for!!




First of all, you want to be sure that your baby is interested...they WANT to eat.  You will know by their behaviors... they are interested, tracking food with their eyes when you eat, and/or  they reaching for the food around them!! It has nothing to do with what your family or friends have to say about it or what the people in your meet-up groups are doing with their Sweet Peas who are in a similar age bracket.  You and your baby know best!!  If you are concerned about your baby's development, then please reach out to your trusted care provider and see what they have to say on the matter.

After you decide that your baby is ready, look for these next three signals of food readiness.  We learned these points over the years of attending La Leche League meetings, Our family waited for these to be true before we started offering our sweet peas "table food":

  1. Sweet Pea can get themselves into a seated position and hold themselves there without being propped up by pillows, chairs, other people, etc.
  2. Sweet Pea has developed their pincer grip...in other words my breasts and the back of my arms were black+blue from being pinched. What it also means is that our Sweet Pea was now able to hold food on their own by grasping it between their thumb and their pointer finger.
  3. Sweet Pea has lost their tongue-thrust reflex and could move food to the back of their mouth without choking on it.  The tongue-thrust reflex is great for exclusive breastfeeding.  Until the Sweet Pea can differentiate between using it to breastfeed and not using it when they are going to have solids, then all you are going to get is solid food everywhere except inside your Sweet Pea.

Personally, I am not a fan of commercial baby cereals that are full of ingredients that I cannot pronounce without breaking down every syllable.  Rest assured, choosing the alternatives are not as time-consuming as you would imagine...

Here are some sites that have helpful information about introducing solids:


  • Baby-Led Weaning website teaches parents how to feed solids without making purees or buying jar food - simply whole food from you to your baby

  • Annabel Karmel - books available at Modern Mommy Boutique in Chandler if you are local to Phoenix

I hope this helps answer the question of about knowing if your Sweet Pea is ready for solids.  

Ready to read more?
You can read our food chronicle with Otter HERE.

Q&A with SPB: What do I feed my Sweet Pea after breastfeeding? HERE

Disclaimer: 
The material included in this video is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The viewer should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation.  Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.  This blog and video contain information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained in this video and on our blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.
 
Birthing From Within and Bradley Method® natural childbirth classes offered in Arizona: convenient to Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale, 

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