and here we go again…

no I am not pregnant

but today… just a few days shy of Khéna being 17 months I got my first PPAF… (Post-partum “Aunt-Flo” for those that are not familiar with the lingo)

With the firt two boys I got my PPAF at about 9 months… when they started to walk and nurse less in the day and started eating solids… With Khéna though, he did not slow in nursing at all when he started milestones… he didn’t have those normal periods where he was more wakeful at night either…

But slowly, he has been nursing less and when I got really crampy and irritable at the begining of the week, I knew that it would not be long…

the bloating could also be a reason that the scale showed so much of a difference as today I am now 5 lbs less then I was when I weighed myself on Wednesday…

Though I do and did enjoy the time that I don’t have to go through the monthly rituals… I do have to say that being able to start charting again and knowing what my body is doing makes things a bit easier for me…

Maybe one day I would like to have another child but I don’t think it is the right time at the moment… I want the boys to grow a bit before…

you know you have been nursing for a long time when…

you can’t see the baby anymore…

you call out and he doesn’t come and then you start asking the older kids where he is and are about to get up to look for him only to realize that to get up and look for him you would have to unlatch him and put him down….

changing the language around breastfeeding…

I have talked about this a few times already here on my blog…

Why is it that the breastfeeding is always compared to Formula in a way that makes is sound like Formula is the norm and that breastfeeding just better… It makes is sound like yeah sure breastfeeding is great but Formula is good enough… and of course no one is perfect so really why breastfeed?

The problem is… Breastfeeding is the norm… Formula can be dangerous and the choice between breastfeeding and Formula is not a simple choice to make, children die because they are not breastfed, really it should not be a choice at all… we need to make the language reflect that.

Here is a Hathor comic that is a great example…

(oh… and just a disclaimer… I got a few comments and e-mails from some moms who seem to love to hate this blog…Though I do believe that it should not be a choice, I do know that Formula is sometimes that lesser of two evils and that the choice is made for moms. However, that being said, in many or most cases, that is where education of doctors and nurses need to come in because they often have no clue about breastfeeding and often the children that can be hurt by formula the most are being hurt… also milk banks should become more widely spread and availible, so that more children will not suffer the effects of a lack of breastmilk.)

Sagging…

One of the myths I hate because it is so believed….

“I don’t want to breastfeed because I don’t want my breasts to sag”

“My breasts were down to my knees because of breastfeeding”

It has always been a myth, breastfeeding does NOT cause sagging, but so many insist that it is true…

maybe now they will listen…

ScienceDaily (Nov. 5, 2007) — Nursing mothers needn’t worry. A new study shows that breastfeeding does not increase breast sagging. University of Kentucky plastic surgeon Dr. Brian Rinker and his colleagues conducted the study with patients at UK HealthCare Cosmetic Surgery Associates. The study found that breastfeeding does not adversely affect breast shape.

….

The results showed no difference in the degree of breast ptosis (TOE-sis)– the medical term for sagging of the breast–for those women who breastfed and those who didn’t. However, researchers found that several other factors did affect breast sagging, including age, the number of pregnancies, and whether the patient smoked.

Link 

anti-formula?

I just got this message in my inbox…

I know you are anti-formula. What about special circumstances?? Premmies??

Preemie Twins?? Just wondering what your thoughts on this are?

What are my thoughts? Hmmm….

First, I think that this is a good read… so that what I say does not look like it was pulled out of thin air or that I am “anti-formula”…

These are a few paragraphs in the main publication on Infant feeding put out by the World Health Organization. (WHO)

Promoting appropriate feeding for infants and
young children
10. Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants; it is also an integral part of the reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers. As a global public health recommendation, infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health.

Exercising other feeding options
18. The vast majority of mothers can and should breastfeed, just as the vast majority of infants can and should be breastfed. Only under exceptional circumstances can a mother’s milk be considered unsuitable
for her infant. For those few health situations where infants cannot, or should not, be breastfed, the choice of the best alternative - expressed breast milk from an infant’s own mother, breast milk from a healthy wet-nurse or a human-milk bank, or a breast-milk substitute fed with a cup, which is a safer method than a feeding bottle and teat - depends on individual circumstances.
19. For infants who do not receive breast milk, feeding with a suitable breast-milk substitute - for example an infant formula prepared in accordance with applicable Codex Alimentarius standards, or a home-prepared formula with micronutrient supplements - should be demonstrated only by health workers, or other community workers if necessary, and only to the mothers and other family members who need to use it; and the information given should include adequate instructions for appropriate preparation and the health hazards of inappropriate preparation and use. Infants who are not breastfed, for whatever reason, should receive special attention from the health and social welfare system since they constitute a risk group.

From another text….

Is Breastfeeding Important for My Premature Baby?
The milk produced by the mother of a pre-term infant is higher in protein and other nutrients than the milk produced by the mother of a term infant. Human milk also contains lipase, an enzyme that allows the baby to digest fat more efficiently. Your breastfed preemie is less likely to develop infections that are common to babies fed breastmilk substitutes. He will be protected by the immunities in your milk while his own immature immune system is developing.

So… My answer…

In my opinion, A baby born premature should be fed breastmilk with no exception. As the WHO explains, even for Full term children Formula is the FIFTH feeding method recommended and because Formula is being fed, those children become part of a risk group.

A premature infant needs the nutrition, fat, enzymes that breastmilk alone can provide. Premature babies that are fed breastmilk and less likely to develop infections and are protected by the immunities in human milk.

Does my opinion or that of the WHO or LLL mean that we are anti-formula?

I guess to some it does… but really, I do not think so…

Breastmilk and breastfeeding are the norm. There is nothing that equals it.

Formula is inferior. It causes illnesses, it causes children to die, but it is also there for a reason.

There are 1% of women that can not breastfeed physically. There are others that need to take medications that are not compatible with breastfeeding. (there are not many meds that are incompatible, most are OK, but there are some that are not). There are other extreme “special circumstances” also and because milk banks are not availible to all and are still quite rare, as are wet-nurses, Formula is a breastmilk substitute that may be needed.

When breastfeeding in all its forms can not happen it is preferable to give Formula over nothing. But, it doesn’t make it equal nor do not believe that it should be a choice.

Because Formula use brings risks and Infants fed Formula are part of a risk group, I think that the logical step should be that Formula should be availible by prescription. It would be there for those “special circumstances” but it would not be availible otherwise.

I think the main problem is not mom’s that choose to breastfeed, doctors that are badly informed etc…  but it is the Formula companies….  they are the ones that see money instead of lives. Formula companies should have to conform to “WHO code” and not be allowed to market to the public, nor give samples, gifts, products etc that promote breastmilk substitutes, but they don’t and they don’t care.  I am “Anti-Formula” in that sense.

So… Those are a few of my thoughts…

Here are some more good reads…

HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF DIRECT ADVERTISING OF INFANT FORMULA (WHO)
Infant Feeding in Emergencies  (WHO)
Formula for Disaster
Breastfeeding Premature Infants

Breastmilk vs Formula

“People need to understand that when they’re deciding between breastmilk and formula, they’re not deciding between Coke and Pepsi…They’re choosing between a live, pure substance and a dead substance made with the cheapest oils available.”

- lactation consultant Chele Marmet.

It still amazes me…

Just after my last blog post last night, Khéna woke up and I went and nursed him back to sleep.

I laid there in the dark and listened to him nurse and swallow the milk that comes from me.

I love that sound.

Lying close to him, nursing him, I smell his sweet scent. My sweet baby boy.

It amazes me that for 9 months now he has been nourished by me, and me alone. That nothing but my milk has made him into what he is today. I gave him those cheeks and those thighs.

He is the third child that have nourished in such a way but it still amazes me.

I think it is now safe to say…

That Xavier has weaned…

When I started nursing my newborn almost 5 years ago I would have never had guessed that I would have nursed this long, I couldn’t even imagine it… Nursing a baby was so foreign to me, I had never really seen anyone nurse… however, I knew that Formula would never touch my child’s lips…

My original goal was a year… but by the time he was 6 months old I knew that I would be letting him wean himself.. I couldn’t imagine taking something away from him that was perfect for his health, that nothing else could come close to nutritionally, that was the perfect comforting tool and that he enjoyed so much. I couldn’t imagine weaning him to the milk of another species just because our society has put a taboo on breasts.

When I got pregnant with Colin I offered often even though it was painful at times… it wasn’t martyrdom to do so, I did so out of respect for his needs. My temporary discomfort was nothing compared to taking away the benefits of nursing… the pain passed and we both continued to enjoy nursing…. Colin was born and Tandem nursing became second nature…

Near the end of my last pregnancy, Xavier went down to nursing once a day and then started to skip days… With the arrival of his newest brother he started to skip days more often and went to once or twice a week and then continued to diminish…

Though he still came to nurse at times, at one point a few weeks ago he suddenly lost the ability to suck…

The last time he tried he was a bit sad because he couldn’t get any milk, but said that though he couldn’t get milk anymore he was still nursing… and then he then gave me big hugs… I think he knows that he is done, but just wants to make sure that he can if he needs to… and though I wouldn’t be surprised if he asks again I think it is now safe to say that we are at the end of our nursing relationship…

I am proud of the fact that I practice complete Child led Weaning… I could never do it any other way.

Of course there were ups and downs in the 4 1/2 years… but what great relationship doesn’t have ups and downs?

Though I have shared it many times before… here is my favourite nursing pic of Xavier and a memory that I will cherish forever… he was 3 1/2 here…

Breastfeeding pics…

I love breastfeeding pics that show my point of view…

Khéna

Colin 

LLL meeting…

On Tuesday I went to a LLL meeting and I was so upset when I realized half way there while on the highway that I had forgotten my ER wrap… I felt so naked and panicked a bit about how I was going to wear Khéna.. I had a Maman Kangourou stretchy with me but the stretch isn't working well anymore with him and the Maman Kangourou is also too narrow for my liking… then I remembered that I had a scarf/shawl on me and I made a makeshift sling out of that, It worked out really well but I really missed my wrap the whole time…. 

The meeting was OK… a weird lady came in that had weight gain issues with her dd… at 5 1/2 months she was only about 10 lbs… she then talked about scheduled feeding and 12 hour nights and that she didn't want to change that because she had worked hard to get it that way….

I think we all heard crickets chirping and jaws hit the floor.. How can someone be so ignorant!!!!It is already bad enough to do that with a healthy child, but to schedule a babies feedings and make CIO a child that has serious weight gain concerns? That is abuse IMO…  After the meeting she then talked to someone about Babywise.. gladly we pointed out how evil BW was and how warnings about the book have been put out because of babies failing to thrive because of the devil called "Ezzo"….  I really can't understand how people can actually think that that is an acceptable way of Parenting and don't realize how cruel it is… I mean you don't have be AP… but CIO, scheduled feedings etc are an abuse of power… kids are not objects….

On lighter note… after the meeting I commented to another mom there how much I loved her Baby wearing coat…  we started talking quickly about the babywearer forums and she asked who I was there… I said Paxye and she was surprised and said "you're paxye!.. THE paxye!" I was so embarrased lol… I forget at times that people read my blog and "know"who I am…. what is fun though is that she e-mailed me later on to get together one day.. Hopefully that can be soon…