Sunday, July 25, 2010

Nursing according to Jen..

I am doing this post to tell all you moms who MAY want to nurse or know about nursing how it is going and what has worked for me :)

I am a new nursing mom. This is the first time I've TRULY nursed a baby and it is going GREAT so far.

While Bakers was in the NICU I pumped religiously like a MAD FIEND! She was only fed through a feeding tube until she was able to nurse and she caught on quickly!

Here are some MUST HAVE products I have found for nursing.

OF COURSE THE BOPPY-Couldn't live without this bad boy! Use it EVERY TIME I nurse during the day at home.



I have wondered about MY BREST FRIEND and if I should have gotten it instead. HAVE ANY OF YOU USED IT? I've seen Mrs. Duggar using it while walking around and wondered if I could do the same?




THE Nursing SLEEP BRA. Made with light support. I wear this at night and it is a great price from Motherhood Maternity-only $14.98.
I wear them at night with these WONDERFUL NURSING Jammies and Nightgown from JCPENNEY. They are SO SOFT, comfortable and easy to nurse in and around $25 each.


I was looking for a nursing bra to fit me and it is SO HARD to order when you live in the boonies and can't really try them on in a store.  I am a size 36E right now and I could not find that size anywhere.

I found this GREAT BRA from BRAVADO DESIGNS and I LOVE IT. It is wireless, supportive, comfortable & easy to nurse in.  It was expensive but I don't regret it a bit!



MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE Purchase are these,  Gilligan & O'Malley nursing tanks from Target.

I wear them to sleep in, around the house and they are SO CONVENIENT to wear under t-shirts because then when you nurse, you can lift your shirt but your belly is still covered by the tank top. I have gray, black and white and WANT MORE! I'm sure I will wear these out!

The best thing is they are ONLY $16.99! But in my book..worth a million$$$!


What is this CRAZINESS YOU ASK?  This is my NURSING REMINDER. A simple green hair band helps me remember which side I will nurse on next. As soon as I start feeding her, I switch the hair band to the other wrist.  With The Captain back at work & the 7 littles at home, I can barely remember my own name people!! Whatever works right?


And last but not least, my ROCKIN BABY SLING.

I nurse Bakers in this during stressful situations. I have nursed her in this while cooking dinner, wiping rears, doing laundry and many other motherly duties and IT WORKS!

The sleeping arrangements go like this.. MOSTLY OUR BABY SLEEPS WITH US and we love every minute! She is on HER SCHEDULE-feeding on demand which works freat so far!

She is a GREAT sleeper. She usually goes down around 10:30 or 11:00 into her bassinet. Sleeps for 3-4 hours and then she joins us in bed to nurse and cuddle!

I SURVIVED MY FIRST WEEK ALONE with the  7 savages  7 littles WITH THE CAPTAIN at work-YIPPEE!

I am hoping my amateur nursing advice/tips help someone!

If any of you moms out there have any other nursing products or advice you can recommend PLEASE DO TELL! I am still learning!

7 comments:

Ashley said...

Thanks so much for the tips and advice! I hope to be needing them soon and I will definitely refer back to this!

Mama in Uganda said...

I love, loved breast feeding. Our first born was breast fed until she was nearly two years old, when I found out I was pregnant with our second. And our second was breast fed until he was 16 months. The on going joke was that I could have breast fed a village {and I would have if it was not such a wild idea}. I am blessed that you are enjoying it so, despite the craziness around you :-)

Hugs from the North,
Summer

P.S. I did not have any of those fancy shmansy bras/tops--how fun!

Sara said...

Jen... I am such a space case... I can't seem to find your email address...mine is gshintz@yahoo.com You could email me the best one to get you at:)

And yes it is what you think... and yes I am soooooo thrilled! I need to have a redraw on Wednesday so we will see. I am praying for this little pumpkin or pumpkins to stick around for a long time... but God's will be done... He knows my desires:) I am praising Him for this life so far... he knows the number of its days:) I so want to spill it to the world... but will wait a bit I think...

Thanks for your part in helping to make this precious little life possible in my womb:)

Love the post by the way:)

Sara

Me said...

I'll share my tips with you in exchange for yoiu telling me how your extra row of seating is working out in your suburban. :)
We're expecting our sixth (or 7th, depending on how long the judge lets our foster daughter live in a safe place) and need to order the extra row.
OK - so my tips.
You can often find hard to find nursing bra sizes on ebay. And those are new bras. I just ordered a lot of three and they look great in person.

If you start to get a sore, hard spot on your breast and are feeling a bit tired or under the weather, chances are you might be getting mastitis. Its no fun to be relegated to bed with a house full of young children while you wait for the antibiotic to be called in, your husband to pick it up and then a day or so until it kicks in so.... my midwife shared with me a trick that works. As soon as you feel the beginning signs of mastitis, soak the affected nipple in a warm saline solution. I don't measure, I just dump some salt in a mug of warm water and soak until it cools.

If your nipples are sore at all, Target and Walmart sell these great gelly like bra pads that feel great.

If your milk supply ever feels low, just relax and drink more. Its great that you're nursing her on demand, because that will keep up your supply too.

Blessings,
Hannah

Renata said...

I adored breastfeeding all of ours - it's such a precious time! I used a pillow similair to the one you said Michelle Duggar used (can't remember it's name) for my twins - except it was designed for twins. It was the absolute best & I would use it again for twins or single. Being able to feed your twins at the same time is great!
Enjoy this special time with your precious little one - it goes so fast - my current babies are now 4.
Have a lovely weekend
Renata:)

Anonymous said...

Hello! I just found your blog. My husband and I were 2009 Angels in Adoption, chosen by Jerry Moran! :) It's so neat to find another blogging Angel...and Kansans at that! :) Would LOVE to hear more about your Embryo Adoption. We have adopted 10 (waiting to finalize our latest adoption of 3 little boys), and we have 2 older "informally adopted" daughters. We love this life! We're in Hutchinson. Thanks for sharing your family with us!

Jamie said...

Hi Jen,
I used both the Boppy and the My Brest Friend Pillows with my firstborn daughter. I found that with the Boppy, she would roll into my body and pull painfully on my nipple because the pillow is not flat, it's contoured. I switched to the My Brest Friend pillow which is flat and made of high density foam allowing the baby to relax, eat and NOT roll away from the best feeding position. Also the My Brest Friend pillow has two soft bumps that are intended to help keep the child's head supported; I found that these also help with baby placement and probably comfort as well. It's hard to ask a newborn how comfortable they are though. :D
I ended up using the Boppy as a Tummy Time pillow for both my girls to help keep their faces out of the carpet when I would lay them on their tummies. Both of them loved playing on it.
I'm so glad to hear that you are doing so well with Breastfeeding. So many women struggle with it, or the Babies don't do well. It's such a wonderful way to bond with your baby, and ensure that they are getting the best nutrition available to them!