Much Ado About Public Nursing.

If you didn't already hear, ABC's series What Would You Do? is airing an episode tonight that tackles the public's reaction to breastfeeding in public. The show sets up a scenario in a Brooklyn cafe -- a Mom comes in, purchases some things, and sits down to nurse her baby. The (actor) cafe manager begins to harass her, and there are a varied stack of reactions from witnesses to the harassment.

During a discussion of the show on The View today, Elisabeth Hasselbeck mentioned how great Hooter Hiders and the like are for nursing in public.

Yes, they do make ones that cover me up (and I am well-endowed), but I get so frustrated because when my baby wants to eat, he does not want to have cloth over his head. I find I spend more time wrestling his squirmy little arms from lifting the cover and exposing me than actually concentrating on feeding him.

I only use the cover because of my own bodily insecurities-- my breasts are big so I have to lift my shirts up rather than pull them down (I'd stretch my shirts out otherwise), and the stretch marks on my stomach from pregnancy are dreadful-- like a tiger walked up to me and carved my stomach with his claws bad (not lying!). I am not comfortable without some sort of coverage.

That being said, you have already read above that using the nursing cover with Gabe is annoying-- lately I just drape it loosely over the top of me and wrap it around to cover my stomach, leaving Gabe's head totally uncovered. I've decided if someone can see my nipple with this set up they are looking too close to act offended anyway.

And on top of all of this cover-up business, I want to be clear I support all public breastfeeding ladies no matter what coverage is there. I wish I was confident enough to go totally coverless like those who do. In most states, the law is behind you, girls! If someone harasses you, you can call the police.

Check out specific breastfeeding statutes by state here.

**And don't forget, Health Care Reform now requires workplaces of 50 employees or more to allow mothers pumping breaks in rooms with outlets other than bathrooms for at least the first year of baby's life. This reform does not downgrade any state laws that offer greater protection to nursing Moms.**

Wardrobe Malfunction.

FYI- This post may be too much information.

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Have you ever pumped and dripped milk in just the wrong place?

Such as smack dab in the middle of your periwinkle blue button up shirt? as in right in the middle of your chest (i.e. the spot of your shirt that makes you think I hope this shirt is big enough to stay shut when it gets close to pumping time)? on your break? right before a huge inservice meeting?

I HAVE! Today.

At least I washed a big spoon for the meeting's fruit salad before I walked back from break. Everyone thought it was water on my shirt, right?


Anyone else have some wardrobe malfunction stories? They don't have to be breastfeeding-related!




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(In other TMI news, Gabe hasn't pooped since Sunday night, and I'm scared of the diaper that breaks the spell.)

I Can't Believe I Didn't Already Post This.

Just sit back and relax.

First, imagine a Mom... a Mom at work in the field for the day with a coworker.
Imagine that it's now lunchtime, and the said coworker needed to stop at Dunkin Donuts.
But the Mom needed to pump.
So she headed into the DD bathroom, and luckily, there was an electrical outlet.
She gets down to business, standing there in the bathroom, balancing her pump's controls on her knee as she holds the pump to her breast.
(But oh yeah, it's lunchtime, so this Mommy still needed to eat while on her lunch break.)
So she broke out her pb&j and banana and fumbles her hands so that she looks like her arms are bent in 10 directions.
And in about 20 minutes, successfully eats lunch, pumps 5.5 oz., all while in the Dunkin Donuts bathroom.

This was my Thursday lunch break.

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Any fun or crazy pumping experiences/locations you'd like to share?

The Battle of the Bottle

In middle school, it was Battle of the Books. In high school, it was Battle of the Bands. Now, in mommy-land, it is the Battle of the Bottle.

"What does that mean?" you may ask, thinking I am simply blogging dreary-eyed and delirious. "Why would there be a battle over a bottle? Baby hungry - baby eat."

Not so simple with Gabriel, my (not so) little breastfed baby. Every single evening when he gets his single bottle feeding (of pumped breast milk), he is a fussy, crying mess. He whimpers as he sucks, milk drips FLOODS all over his chin and neck, and he seems to be losing more milk than he eats.

I hate it. It breaks my heart to hear or see his feeding time as a battle of burps, air bubbles, spit up, and tears. It makes me feel like I'm evil for scampering off to another room for a shower or even *gasp* out into the world at Target while he is having a hissy fit during a meal.

I suppose it is the curse of the breastfed baby. Well-nourished, well-protected, well-almost-everything, but not well-adjusted to bottle feeding. Part of me wants to skip it altogether (Who would not like to avoid pumping one's breast as if it were a cow's utter on a dairy farm?), but it seems to be a necessary evil for the following reasons:
A. If I get sick, etc.
B. If, in some crazy world, I actually leave Gabe for longer than 4 hours, like on a date with my husband
C. If I get a job
(I am currently interviewing for a make-your-own-hours part-time position with a nonprofit-- I would love this sort of job situation, and the money would be excellent to have) i

I do think part of the issue is the nipple/bottle itself. I've tried Avent, and we regularly use Medela, but the nipples are just too easy for Gabe.I have read great things about MAM bottles, and in tandem with the fact that Gabe exclusively uses MAM pacifiers, it makes sense to purchase some of them to try. I am probably going to get them tomorrow. (will update how they work for him.)

And I hope my concerns over the battle of the bottle do not give you an all too rosy idea of nursing. Gabe and I have had many battles at the breast, too, but they do not happen often, especially these days. Some days I have to battle myself to keep breastfeeding because it is simply exhausting, and on growth spurt days, it can be beyond demanding.

Still, we're going strong- I pump in the morning after his 6-7ish feeding and get 4-5 oz. for a daily bottle, and I pump circa the time he eats his bottle to get 3-5 oz. for freezing.



I will leave you with this:

We're still staying at my parents' right now, and my sisters and Dad had thought my Mom bought a new type of lemon water ice when I started putting my stash in the garage freezer. Teehee.