A Breastfeeding A-Z

A is for:

Antibodies….which are passed from mum to baby through breastmilk.
Allergies, and also for asthma – their incidence is less in breastfed babies.
Alcohol – which you shouldn;t drink when pregnant, but can have (in moderation!) while breastfeeding.
“Awwww”….that lovely snuggly feeling you get…

B is for:

Beautiful smiles I get when she sees the boob coming
Big Bouncing Bazoongas that I have when Breastfeeding (I won’t say what they’re like when I’m Not lol!)

C is for:

Colostrum – babies perfect first milk
Convenience – breastmilk is ready to serve, any time, anyplace, right temperature, no preparation and no clearing up.
Closeness – that special bond between mum and baby
Counsellors – people who can help if you’re finding it hard
Calories – the extra ones you use up whilst feeding
Chocolate – you know every new mum needs it!!

D is for:

Don’t give up, during the Difficult times, which we all have in one way or another,
or
Dental Development

E is for:

Excitement from baby when they know they are about to be fed delicious mummy milk! Extra benefits that bf gives, and
Extending those benefits into toddlerhood

F is for:

Feeding frenzy – what a bf baby does when you need to increase your supply to support a growth spurt – and don’t we wish we’d been warned, rather than (F is also for) fretting that there’s something wrong with us or our supply!
Formula manufacturers – they take every chance to pretend that their product is just as good, for instance pushing (F is for) follow-on milk – implying that bf babies might be deficient in iron! www.ibfan.org/english/news/press/press13may04.html
Flora – the good kind in our babies intestines www.drjaygordon.com/bf/supplement.htm

G is for:

Goodness – all those extra special ingredients in breastmilk.
Gastroenteritis, which is less common in breastfed babies.
Groups – support groups are a great help, especially if you’re finding it hard in the early days.

H is for:

Happiness, the feelings you get when you feed your baby, mmmm, endorphins, fabulous!
High blood pressure and cholesterol, something those who are breastfed are less likely to have.
Healthy, healthy baby, healthy mummy, what more could you ask for?
Help, we all need a little, at some point, and it is always here on iVillage if nowhere else.
Health Visitors, often not experts in breastfeeding, and sadly often far to quick to suggest formula, grrrrrrr!

I is for:

ivillage Breastfeeding support board it’s fab!
Immunity, which breastfed babies get a boost to via the milk.
IQ, breastfed babies have higher IQs, and the longer they are breastfed for the greater the IQ advantage.
Illness – breastfeeding is a fantastic gift when your baby is ill, it comforts and soothes, and when they can’t digest anything else breastmilk can often keep them going.

J is for:

Just the right temperature
Joy to both mummy and baby
Boobie JUICE
Job satisfaction

K is for:

Knowledge…which along with support is the Key to success
Keeping going, through those tough early times – it does get better!
Kip – get it whenever you can!

L is for:

LOVE from mother to infant: breastfeeding increases the bonding feeling
LOVELY LEISURELY feeds
Little cute smiles, when your baby is feeding and you look at them and they have let go of your nipple and are smiling up at you (aww so cute)
Lactation obviously!
Lazy – when you can just put baby to nipple and don’t need to bother with the bottles and the mixing and the
washing and the sterilising!
Lactational Amenhorrea breastfeeding as contraception in the first 6 months

M is for:

Mammories!!
Milk: Mummy milk of course!
Medications – some of which you cannot take when pregnant but are ok when breastfeeding – see the BFN drugline site or www.motherisk.org
Mmmmm Mmmmmm Mmmmmm, the cutest sound in the whole world as your baby guzzles away!
Money: the stash of cash you save by not buying formula
Marvellous and Magical: the way a booby can instantly soothe a fractious child, not to mention the healing powers of breastmilk: put it on a small cut or sty and see how fast it heals!

N is for:

Natural thing to do
No Need to sterilise
Nipple cream, most needed at least in those first days

O is for:

Ooops my milk is squirting everywhere!!!
Other peoples problem if they dont like you feeding in public
Our boobs were made for feeding just like our feet were made for walking!!!
Open mind, Open heart

Q is for:

QUALITY milk
QUANTITY – as much as baby needs
QUICKLY available
QUIET baby who doesn’t have to wait for a bottle to be made!

P is for:

Pumps, so baby can still get your milk when you’re apart
Pads – might need lots at the beginning
Public – you CAN feed whilst out and about, even if it seems daunting
Positioning – take time to get it right, right from the start
Problems – there can be lots, but most can be overcome
Practice – it makes Perfect!

R is for:

Rest – get as much as you can
Restful – all those lovely hormones helping you to get back to sleep in the middle of the night and having a great excuse to get everyone running after you whilst you’re sitting feeding!
Rubber – you don’t need any (teats or condoms!) whilst your feeding (at least to begin with) (see ‘lactational amenhorrea’)
Rosy glow of satisfaction knowing you’re doing the best for your baby

S is for:

Snuggling up with your baby So close to you.
Saving money – it all comes for free.
Selfish because I get to have my babes all to myself.
Support, without which we might not have coped.
Size of boobs no object: breastfeeders can be AA or H cup!

T is for:

Time, none of it wasted washing, sterilising, mixing, warming……
Terrific, yet another word to describe how good breastfeeding is
Toddlers, and all of us Weirdos who still feed them! In public!!! http://community.webshots.com/photo/180981338/180982424hJkyuC
Tandem feeding, double the fun!
Truth, what the formula manufacturers try to bend
Teeth, careful now, but it doesn’t mean it has to be the end
Tasty, sweet, light, delicious, no wonder your baby can’t seem to get enough of it!
and – dare I say it? -T is for T*ts: get ‘em out for the babies!

U is for:

Unique: your breastmilk is made just for your baby

V is for:

Vitamins and minerals that breastmilk is full of, and the Vitality they give our babies

W is for:

Weight gain: it tends to be slower and steadier in bf babies leading to heathier adults with lower blood pressure, lower cholestorol (sp?) etc. (it’s just a shame not all medical professionals seem to realise this!)
W is for how wonderful bf is.
Weight loss for mum through bf: an extra 500 calories a day are consumed by BF

X is for:

Xenogeny, which means production, as in milk production!
Xerophagy, which means fasting or dieting, which most breastfeeding mums don’t have to do
Xerox, which actually means to copy or imitate, which is what formula manufacturers try to do to breastmilk, but don’t really manage!
X-ray, avoid it whilst pregnant, but it’s perfectly safe for a breastfeeding mum

Y is for:

YUMMY
Yes please Mummy, I’ll have some more breast milk
Yellow breastmilk poo – and no constipation or smell
Y not?

Z is for:

Zealous breastfeeding and breastfeeding zealots!
Zero formula needed
Z is for breastfeeding being the Zest of having a baby

This article reproduced with permission from www.breastfeedingsupport.co.uk a ‘not for profit’ website packed with articles and advice about breastfeeding, written by mums from their own experiences.

www.lactivist.co.uk is the home of the Mothers Milk Marketing Board where you can buy witty slogans that promote breastfeeding on organic t-shirts, eco friendly shopping bags, badges, keyrings and postcards.

Weaning a baby onto solid foods

Some babies go for solids in a big way right from the start, but others are more reluctant. A baby’s first taste of solid food should be exactly that, just a taste, so don’t be concerned that your little one isn’t chomping through three bowls of baby food a day at the beginning. First foods should be in addition to the milk the baby normally has, not a replacement.
The World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months to avoid potential allergies, excema and asthma. All babies are different though and there are a few signs that a baby is ready for solids.

• The tongue stops thrusting everything out of the mouth
• The baby grabs food off your plate
• The baby copies you when you eat
• The baby can sit up unaided
• The baby opens its mouth for the food

If your baby isn’t interested in solids at 6 months there is some argument for trying them with a spoonful of something each day as this is supposed to be the best time for them to learn about new tastes. Some people say that if you miss this ‘tasting window’ the baby will be a fussy eater in the future.
Starting solid foods links

www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp


www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/ready-solids-links.html

http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/eating/start-solids.html

First foods

If you are worried about allergies there is a sequence of introducing solids for the allergic child developed by Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre. It lists foods and the age at which they should be introduced. The main things to avoid at first are nuts, wheat, unpasteurised cheeses and eggs.. Organix Baby Food have removed gluten from their stage 1 and 2 baby foods and clearly label those that are gluten and lactose free.
So, how do you make baby food? Choose a nice looking vegetable, a carrot or a potato and steam it to within an inch of its life. Squish this through a sieve and add the milk the baby normally has until it looks like thin mush. You can steam, squish and sludge food to freeze for the future, ice cube trays are a good way to do this, just freeze and decant into plastic bags when they are solid. Banana is a great first food, just mush some up with a fork, place that bowl in another with some hot water and stir ’til it gets brown and mushy, no need to sieve.

www.hallpublications.com/title2_sample2.html


Organix Baby Food

Expressing milk

The most popular expressing pump is the Avent Isis. The easiest way to express is to do it first thing when you have the most milk. Start the baby off on one boob and when the baby activates the let down reflex unlatch it and put it on the other side. The milk should then pump quite easily but be careful not to overdo it at first or you risk sore nipples. The baby is used to and probably likes the taste of your milk so mixing it with steamed veg will make the solid food more palatable for them.

Second Stage Solids

When the baby is used to the slushy stuff you can start to introduce a bit more texture to the food, either by whizzing it to a less slushy consistency, mashing it roughly with a fork or adding flaked rice (from health food shops). Finger foods such as rice cakes or chips of steamed veg may go down well though you have to watch the baby in case it chokes. If it does choke, turn the baby upside down over your lap and give a sharpish tap to the centre of the back. This should dislodge the food. Never try to fish anything out of a babies mouth unless you are sure you can grab it as you may shove it further down the throat.

Bibs. Bowls and spoons

My 8 month old gets too distracted with bibs so I either feed him naked (him not me!), in already dirty clothes or I tie a dishcloth round his neck. Tommee Tippee sell a range of useful bowls. They have small containers with snap on lids that fit into a larger storage container with a small gap. I heat food by putting a defrosted ice cube of it into the smaller container and hot water in to the second. Stand the smaller in the larger and mix until the food is piping hot to kill off any lurking nasties then let it cool down again. You can get soft tipped heat sensitive spoons that show when the food is too hot for the baby, or you can test it on the inside of your wrist. It is handy to have 3 spoons when the baby starts to grab them. The baby grabs the first spoon, you use the second, the baby grabs the second, you use the third, the baby grabs the third, drops the first, you use the first…… this saves loads of arguments and tug of war games and I have been told it works with toast, rice cakes and slices of fruit.
copyright Lisa Cole www.lactivist.co.uk 2005

www.lactivist.co.uk sells t-shirts, bags, badges and postcards that promote breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding in Public

I was so nervous when I breastfed in public for the first time. I quietly asked the manager of the café if it would be ok, and settled down into a dingy corner with my tiny baby, mums milk for him and tea and cake for me. At least a month before I got this brave I was casing places for breastfeeding suitability. Looking round I started to see something I never had before, loads of women breastfeed in public and no one notices. When I started to look for them I saw women breastfeeding in cafes, on park benches, at bus stops, in the back of parked cars and even on an escalator. Feeling like I had hundreds of kindred spirits out there I was able to breastfeed when ever my baby wanted it without worrying about hiding. I must have been subtle because someone once kissed my son when he was latched on!
I have been lucky though, no one has ever commented or asked me to move but I have heard many stories of people breastfeeding in toilets which I find very sad. Why is it ok to give your baby synthetic food in a bottle wherever you like but unacceptable to do something that is naturally perfect for the baby? And who wants to eat in the loo? Unfortunately, there is no law to protect breastfeeding mothers unless you live in Scotland where the new Breastfeeding Act makes it an offence to deliberately stop or prevent a child up to the age of 2 from being breastfed in a public place or licensed premises. Embarrassment and fear of comments is said to be a common reason for choosing not to breastfeed or for giving up early.
Safe and comfortable places to breastfeed include M&S who will find you somewhere to sit and offer you a changing cubicle if you are shy. The nastiest place to breastfeed is the baby changing room in IKEA, it’s a tiny room with a large stinky nappy bin in it.
I believe that the way to make public breastfeeding acceptable is to breastfeed in public, it should be the norm, not a taboo.
Lisa Cole
www.lactivist.co.uk sells t-shirts, bags, badges and postcards with witty slogans that promote breastfeeding

Breast Club

The first rule of Breast Club is that you don’t talk about Breast Club.
Books, midwives, health visitors, friends, relatives and people you meet in the street cannot prepare you for the nightmare that can be breastfeeding. I have been lucky, no mastitis, no cracked nipples and loads of milk but it’s still been a far cry from the pictures of contented mother and baby that grace breastfeeding literature. It wasn’t the pain so much as the feeling that I was a milk machine, a slave to a small screaming thing who would be obeyed by my leaking breasts if not willingly by the rest of my body. Small thing feeds on demand, and he is very demanding.
When he was 6 weeks old he had a growth spurt that had me feeding every hour, day and night for a week. I just wanted to hide far away from him at the time. But now he is nearly 3 months old and the bleakness of it all seems very distant. Yes he still feeds when he wants, sometimes for a minute, sometimes for an hour. But now my let down reflex is in good working order. It no longer hurts and there is nothing quite like the surge of pure love I feel for him when he breaks his latch to beam a big milky dribbly grin at me. So my advice to others in the same situation is to give up on trying to do anything for yourself and just pretend that you want to be a milk slave, it is your pleasure to drop everything for a feed. This mental switch is what saved my mental health. It’s worth the effort to give your child the best start in life and the difficult bit is not for ever, although it may seem like it at the time.
Lisa Cole

www.lactivist.co.uk sells funky slogan t-shirts with  pro breastfeeding messages.

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