World Breastfeeding Week: Family and Social Network, Healthcare Systems, Response to Crisis or Emergency

As the title mentions, I'll be touching on Family and Social Networks, Healthcare Systems, and Response to Crisis or Emergency.  The reason I decided to group these together (apart from running out of time during World Breastfeeding week) is that I feel they are so closely linked together.

When one decides to breastfeed, your family really does make up a huge part of your decision.  You might not think about this, but subconsciously one does wonder about their reaction to breastfeeding, whether or not they are pro-breast milk or pro-formula OR pro-whatever-makes-your-baby-grow!  One also tends to wonder how they will react to you breastfeeding in front of them.  Be it with or without a breastfeeding cover.  From personal experience I can tell you that I am very at ease to feed without my cover, but I always ask whether the person with me is comfortable with it.  That being said, I choose to only feed without a cover in front of other women, girls or my husband.  For the rest I use a breastfeeding cover, simply because I am also private in that way.  BUT I don't exclude myself from conversations, and that's why I am at ease to breastfeed (with a cover) in mixed company.  Breastfeeding is not an illness or disease that has to be isolated.  The sooner we accept this truth, the sooner we'll be more at ease to share this time with others.  I read a very nice article by Nicki Hesken from BellaOnline regarding Family and Criticism while Breastfeeding in which she explains how you can prepare for family gatherings and also basically 'desensitize' family to you breastfeeding in their presence.  A good read, I'd say. 

Furthermore, people's reaction to learning that you're breastfeeding through social media may also either encourage or discourage you.  I have been fortunate enough to be part of an amazing group on Facebook that one of my friends started to encourage support between mothers.  We're a mixed group of new-mothers and mothers who're on their 2nd or 3rd child.  There I found a platform where I could openly ask questions about breastfeeding and get honest answers from women in the know.  My doula and friend, Melissa Jacobs, is also a great advocate for breastfeeding.  I often check out links that she posts on her Facebook profile regarding breastfeeding.  Just another way that Social Networking allows me to stay connected with current trends.  So, in this day and age, where we've got the internet and social media literally at our fingertips, shouldn't this be a place to look for support?  As well as a place to voice concerns and advocate breastfeeding in public?  An article on momzelle.com grabbed my attention, titled "My Favourite Online Breastfeeding Lifelines" - go check it out for some pointers in the right direction.

At times I feel like Healthcare Systems are to blame for poor breastfeeding performance amongst new moms.  I have a friend who is very much pro-breastfeeding and made her husband follow their baby everywhere in the hospital after her birth to make sure she was not fed a single drop of formula.  Yet, she told me that at that very same hospital her baby was born at, she did not really receive support with regards to breastfeeding, latching and all the other intricacies thereof.  I found that so, so sad!  I was very fortunate that at Genesis Clinic the staff are pro-breastfeeding and are more than willing to sit with you and help you until your baby latches well.  I found that so encouraging and motivating, just knowing that I could ask for help and they'd come running.  My husband called one of the midwives at 03h00 AM to help me with breastfeeding.  She sat with us for nearly an hour, if I recall correctly, guiding me and encouraging me, never putting me down or making me feel stupid.  I also know that at the Witbank Hospital (Public Sector), they are adamant in the Neonatal / Paediatric wards that babies that are born prematurely or cannot yet (for whatever reason) breastfeed, be fed ONLY using a cup, NOT bottles.  How wonderful!  Plus, they have a breast milk bank with donated breast milk to provide for their in-hospital babies in need. WOW for the public sector, now when will the private sector catch onto best practice?  I really feel that nursing staff and other health care providers should be careful in what they say, lest they discourage mommies from breastfeeding!  Please, provide a bridge, not a hurdle!  I read about the Cayuga County Women, Infants and Children Program, where they encourage breastfeeding as well as education to mommies-to-be and other healthcare professionals.  THIS is how you get breastfeeding rates up!  With proper support!

Finally, Response to Crisis or Emergency.  It is so important to make sure that there are support structures in place in the case of an emergency.  I remember my sister-in-law telling me about how a whole community of nursing mothers provided breast milk to a new born baby whose mother had died during / after childbirth due to complications.  They did this in an effort to ensure that this baby would get the best advantage in life, even though he no longer had his mother.  This community supported the baby, but also, by proxy, his father, who had to deal with the death of his wife, mother to his 7 children, and having to take her body to Israel for burial.  These women stood by the husband, his other children and his new born baby.  How many communities can tell these stories?  Are we supporting women / families in crisis?  We really have to think about this!  It's not a good time to set protocols in place when emergencies become reality.  We have to be proactive!

I am passionate about breastfeeding, I will always be! I didn't take to it like a duck to water, I had to learn through trial and error, enduring pain for a very long time (or so it felt at the time).  I didn't stop breastfeeding just because Linmari cut her first tooth and bit me (it was inevitable!) or because she started eating solids?  I am in emotional turmoil with regards to when she should be weaned, and as long as I am in this state, I will not stop breastfeeding.  I want to shout it from the rooftops: "Get the necessary support to see you through breastfeeding, pledge that you won't give up before at LEAST six weeks of nursing, be proud of the fact that you are breastfeeding!".  Mommies, and Daddies, it truly is VERY important to continue for as  long as possible!  Daddies, you are there to support the mother of your children in her breastfeeding ventures!  Don't give up, PLEASE!  Go read this post on the 10 things you were never told regarding breastfeeding.

To every single woman out there, breastfeeding or not, NOW is your chance to make your decision that could influence the rest of your life, but also your child's life!  Breastfeeding creates a wonderful bond and is the best source of nutrition for your child!  Believe in your body's ability to provide in your child's nutritional needs.  GOD designed a woman's body to produce this liquid gold.  Now go out and be an advocate for breastfeeding! 

Until we meet again for World Breastfeeding Week 2014!

World Breastfeeding Week 2013 (1-7 August)

This year's theme for World Breastfeeding Week is BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT: CLOSE TO MOTHERS.  You can go read more on the mission statement at this link.  

I thought I'd like to share a bit of information everyday for the duration of this World Breastfeeding Week.  I am very grateful for the GREAT theme that they chose!  I have seen first-hand what a difference it can make to have a good support-structure in place, to help you and guide you when you don't know what else to do.

NOTHING could prepare me for breastfeeding!  All I remember was making my husband promise me that he'll not allow me to stop breastfeeding before Linmari is 6 weeks old.  The reason?  Sometime, somewhere I read that it can take up to 6 weeks to establish a good breastfeeding routine.  Thinus very nearly gave up on that promise when he realised just HOW painful breastfeeding was for me...at first.  But I reminded him of his promise and he had renewed vigour to MAKE it work!  I wanted what was best for my daugther and I knew I could give it to her.  

Here are a few things that helped me to stick to my decision:

1. My midwife (Karen van der Merwe) was a staunch advocate of breastfeeding, talking over possible reasons why I was experiencing such pain when Linmari was feeding and ways to overcome the pain / treat the pain.  She also helped a lot with regards to possible positions to prevent Linmari from suffering too much at my hectically fast let-down.
2. My doula (Melissa Jacobs) told me within the first few hours "NEVER accept a bad latch, Ronél.  NEVER!"  Very wise words from a very wise woman and Mama!  Plus she followed-up on my breastfeeding 'career' to make sure I understood all the ins and outs of this game, understanding my struggles and encouraging me all the way.
3. My mother (Petra Kahl), also a midwife, helped me with latching and possible positions.  She's still such an amazing help and reminds me how wonderful it is that I could make it past six months and still breastfeed.
4. My husband.  Yes, he realised that even though this was painful, initially, and did not come so 'naturally' to me, it was what I wanted, what Linmari wanted, and what both of us needed.  He supported me wholeheartedly in this decision and for THAT I cannot thank him enough!
5. Knowing that financially it just made more sense to breastfeed - come ON!  The stuff is FREE and for the taking.  Who WOULDN'T want to take advantage of that situation?
6. Amazing websites that taught me a lot that I had to know about things like expressing at work and exactly how to make expressing work for you - www.kellymom.com - Peeps, this is an AWESOME website!  Go check it out!
7. Inner motivation to wanting to offer my child the best that I had.  Linmari did not cope well with solid food at 4 months (the new age at which solids are supposed to be introduced) and I realised it's FINE to exclusively breastfeed until 6 months.  My child's body could handle other food so much better at 6 months!
8. Friends at work!!!  I have several friends at work who are also all about breastfeeding your child and expressing milk to ensure that baby gets the best.  They really helped with the logistics of how you express at work, when you find the time and what you store the milk in.  AWESOME peeps!

I suppose what I wanted to explain to you here is that it really is important to have good support from all those around you.  And if you don't find support in your immediate surroundings, go LOOK for it on the internet.  Seek it out at your local baby wellness clinic.  Find yourself a lactation consultant!  But good breastfeeding habits start with a good support system!

Happy breastfeeding, Mommies!

Keeping my ducks in a row

I knew going back to work full-time, with Linmari in a daycare would be difficult.  Never in a million years did I realise HOW difficult it would be to juggle housework, parenthood and a full-time job! 

Even though I finish off at around 2-3 in the afternoon, I still seem to have nothing left of my day after picking up Linmari from daycare.  My entire last week we only got back home, on average, at about 9 PM after doing everything that was on my list.  I am a very social person and deem it very important to see my family at LEAST once a week.  Suddenly it has all become very difficult!

Housework has gotten completely out of control, to the point where I finally agreed with Thinus that I need someone to help me with it at least once every two weeks.  WOW, I hate the state it's in!  But when I get home with my little girl in the afternoon, I just want to play with her to make up for the time we've been apart!  Housework is the last thing on my mind!  And because of that I've started going for easy, high-carb dishes for dinner.  It's all a vicious cycle.

When I'm at work, I really miss my daughter SO much!  I try my best to do my job and I've promised myself that I will work hard.  But still, my heart yearns for my daughter.  She LOVES mornings and is at her best.  And now someone else (her darling daycare mother) gets to experience that lovely side of her, only for me to pick her up in the afternoon when she's already had lots of playtime with others.  Not only do I find that difficult, but also having to juggle my time table at work and my expressing times.  What a mission!  I don't mind expressing, not in the least, but I struggle to find time to do little else than work and express.  A woman needs to eat, you know?!  So Thinus has been sent on the mission to go and buy me a double electric breastpump to make life easier.

Linmari will also start with solids soon.  She literally STARES food out of your mouth!  She would love to get hold of anything and everything I eat and I tend to let her have taste.  She definitely prefers sour over sweet and is a real carnivore!  We might have some issues with vegetables, since she's gagging whenever I give her mashed up veggies.  Oh well, I knew there woud be a chance that she would be a fussy eater, especially since her daddy has issues with different textures in his mouth.  We'll start low and go slow!  At least she LOVES fruit!

My little girl has developed so much in the past week! (Good and bad).  She started balancing on her hands and feet (like a bear ;-P ) and got her first two teeth!  She also managed to contract bronchiolitis from somewhere and another virus causing upper respiratory infections, and started with her first antibiotics.  Somehow I thought that she was invincible since she was exclusively breastfed.  I was wrong!  She also discovered her tongue and thinks its HILARIOUS to stick it out for anyone who cares to look!  My little girl is not so little anymore!  Oh ja, and she's sitting all by herself :-D  *Proud OT mommy!* She got that right at just under 5 months! SCORE!  Okay, I'll stop gloating now...

So, this has been a hard few weeks on both my husband and I.  Our little girl made us sick and it's not fun not being able to breathe through your nose, nor taste.  We're both tired from our late nights and would really like to get into a better (earlier) routine.  Hopefully we'll get there soon!