Green Mom - Happy Mom

I consider myself to be a middle of the road breastfeeding advocate. “What does that mean?” you may ask. I guess it means that I fully support moms who choose to breastfeed and all of the issues surrounding it, but I don’t agree with all of the information I have been exposed to. I remember reading in one of my numerous pregnancy/breastfeeding/ parenting books that to breastfeed is a natural thing that comes naturally to mother and child. It is statements like this that I take issue with. I attended two La Leche League meetings before Evalee was born to learn what I could from moms who have “been there and done that”. The meetings were enjoyable and I met some lovely moms with similar parenting views as myself, but there was still a lack of information about the realities of being a new mom breastfeeding her baby. They all made it seem and sound so easy.

My first few weeks of breastfeeding were rough to say the least. Not only was I exhausted from a long birth, healing from birthing an 8lb 8oz baby and dealing with a barrage of fluctuating hormones, I was trying to nurse my baby. My biggest hurdle was a slight case of mastitis/plugged duct on my right side along with some very sore and cracked nipples. (sorry if this is TMI for some, trying to share without getting too graphic). You could say Evalee had a very strong latch and in my inexperience I just let her nurse as much as she wanted, putting my own discomfort aside. I am not one to run to the doctors at the first sign of illness, so I referred to my books and found some natural cures for the mastitis. The first suggestion was to continue to nurse on the infected side with the babies chin pointing toward the affected area. The second was to soak in a hot tub while massaging the area to help the plug to release. Fortunately , after a few days, this worked and I was able to avoid taking antibiotics. Not all moms are as fortunate. Two of my good friends developed mastitis and needed to use antibiotics.

I solved my other problem with the help of a family friend who is a lactation consultant. My mom encouraged me to call her after seeing the condition I was in, I foolishly thought it was normal and that my body would eventually adjust and heal. I called Janet and she asked me a number of questions about latch and length of the nursing sessions. After 10 minutes or so of some simple Q & A I was able to get Evalee to latch with out being in serious pain. The main adjustment I made was with how I was setting Evalee up to latch on. I thought it was as simple as making sure she was getting all of “me” in her mouth, I was wrong. It is also about lining everything up properly and changing it up often so that you don’t wear yourself down too much in one area. I could get into more specific detail, but I don’t want to offend anyone so I’ll just say, call a lactation consultant if you are having any problems or doubts. They exist for a reason, I am so glad I did.

Evalee and I went on to have a wonderful breastfeeding career together for 16 months. There were moments over the latter part of those 16 months, starting when Evalee was about 10 months old, that I thought I had had enough. But it never lasted more than a day, the thought of losing that closeness and trying to give her a bottle was too much to even comprehend. Now, I would have liked it to last longer but she decided it was enough. She is an independent little tot! To think back to those first few weeks and to see how healthy and happy Evalee is now, I have no regrets about my choice to breastfeed my baby.

“Are you teaching your baby to sign?”, “Are you going to use sign language with your baby?”, “My baby knows over 50 signs already, and she’s only 10 months! Are you teaching Evalee sign language?”. These are just a few examples of what I was subjected to when I was pregnant and after I had my daughter Evalee. Honestly, I didn’t know there was such as thing as baby sign language until I got pregnant. The idea sounded intriguing… so I did some research and purchased a few books. I have “Baby Sign Language Basics, Early Communication for Hearing Babies & Toddlers” by Monta Z. Briant, “Teach Your Tot to Sign - The Parent’s Guide to American Sign Language” by Stacy A. Thompson and the children’s board book “My First Signs” by Annie Kubler. I thumbed through them a bit before she was born and started to use some basic signs like milk, more, eat & sleep when she was around 6 months or so. Evalee really took to the board book with its wonderful illustrations. If I had to recommend one book that would be it.

Evalee is now 19 months and uses only a few signs. Her catalog consists of milk, more, eat, cookie, out, mommy, dog, book, water, please & thank you. I was excited about it at first, to be able to communicate with her as early as 10 or 11 months was great. Lately I’ve been questioning my decision to teach her sign. I realize all kids develop at their own speed but she isn’t talking as much as her peers. She seems to rely on the signs a lot, so much so that I have yet to hear her say “Mommy”. Otherwise, she points and grunts. This may be a result of being home with me all the time and not in daycare or around other toddlers much. I try to set up play dates, but it doesn’t happen as often as I would like. I’m not necessarily worried or concerned, I know her hearing is perfect, it would just be nice to hear “Mommy”. Is that selfish?

I remember speaking with a friend a while back about her daughter who was a few months old at the time and asked if they were considering using sign and she said no. Her reason being that a member of her family used sign language with their child, who was over 2, and she wasn’t speaking much at all. The funny thing is, all advocates of baby sign language argue that babies are prone to talking sooner when exposed to sign language, which was one of my main reasons for teaching Evalee to sign.

On the flip side, both my brother-in-law and cousin-in-law have used sign with their children and both kids are speaking really well for their age. Sarah will be 2 in March and speaks very well and Carson is 2 & a half and you can have a full conversation with him. Who knows, right?

Overall, I’m glad I have some signs as a means of communicating with Evalee and I have to say she is developing by leaps and bounds in other areas, her physicality is amazing. I would love to hear from other parents about their experience with this…

There many benefits to wearing your baby and practicing attachment parenting. These are just some of the reasons to try baby wearing:

1. Babies cry less. Studies have shown that babies who are worn approximately 3 hours a day cry 43% less than babies who are not.
2. Mom gets more done. Most baby carriers, be it a sling, wrap, pouch or soft-structured carrier, allow mom to be hands free. This means being able to do household chores, run errands or tend to your toddler.
3. Improved mental development in your baby. Babies who are worn spend more time in a quiet-alert state, all the while at eye level with the rest of the world, allowing the mind to absorb what it sees and hears.
4. NO LUGGING AROUND A BULKY CAR SEAT
5. Baby feels more secure, resulting in a well adjusted and “calm” toddler later to become an independent child.
6. Helps moms deal with the Baby Blues. The contact with your baby fosters bonding and helps regulate hormonal peaks and valleys in the early weeks after birth.
7. Babies sleep better at night. Due to the prolonged contact during the day, baby is more willing and able to be “apart” from mom at night.
8. Babies who are worn in infancy tend to talk earlier as a toddler. By spending more time at eye level, babies observe and absorb language skills.
9. Allows mom to breastfeed hands free. This takes some practice, but once mastered can be a great tool in a pinch.
10. Helps reduce infant acid reflux. When worn tummy to tummy babies are less likely to have fluid rise into the esophagus after eating.

I enjoy the closeness and bonding that comes from wearing my daughter, even now at 20 months old. I know she enjoys it too, she brings me our Ergo Baby to go for a ride everyday!