Breastfeeding: The Second Time Around

So this post is really only going to appeal to a small group but those that it does reach will hopefully take away at least one tip or trick to help you through what can sometimes be a very frustrating time.

One of the most amazing and frustrating parts of raising a baby is breastfeeding.  I breastfed E for 9 months before my supply couldn't keep up with his demands and I started supplementing.  I did a lot more actual breastfeeding than pumping with E than I'm doing for MiniE and it's not secret that I'm not a fan of pumping but it's necessary.

Having a toddler and trying to breastfeed is proving to be much more challenging than I could've imagined but I'm committed to it for at least 6 months so every challenge that comes up, I'm willing to push through.  Here are a list of the challenges I've overcome or are trying to overcome. 

I'd love to have an open conversation about what's worked for you and what hasn't so that we can all learn from each other:

1. Traveling and Breastfeeding:  This is a tough. I traveled, by plane, with E when he was 3 months and I was NOT happy about it but I did keep pumping.  I'm still not sure how I banked enough to even go but somehow I did.    Here's a couple tips:

•  Make sure you have a battery pack that will power your pump ready to go.  You might need it if you're going to be on a long flight.  Tell the flight attendants what you're doing.  We don't want anyone getting suspicous when you walk into the bathroom with a black bag.
• When you're in the Airport, look for a family bathroom.  They have outlets and you can lock the door for privacy.  That's the best place I have found to pump in an airport.
• You can ship milk home or check it.  I used a cooler that I got from a mail order medication and shipped it back frozen but checking it is just as easy. 
• Make nice with the hotel staff.  They had a fridge in their breakroom where they kept my milk frozen for me.  I would drop it off every morning.  At the end of the trip, I took them Starbucks which they appreciated.

3. Pumping and Working: This is probably the easiest problem to manage since my work is so accommodating to new moms.  We have a "new moms" room which you can schedule for half hour at a time.  I schedule time on my calendar.  I pump at 9:00 or 9:30, 12:30 and 3:30.  I usually have fed MiniE by 7:00 that morning.  Few Tips:

• Make time and stick to it.  Just like a workout routine. You have to make it a priority.  No one else will.
• If you don't have a new mom's room, find an empty office.
• To sterilize pump parts, use a product like the one pictured to sterilize in the microwave.  Most workplaces have one of those.  :)

2. Low Supply: This is my current challenge.  I think there is a lot contributing to this..I'm not getting a ton of sleep, I'm exercising almost daily, I'm not getting enough water (which I just corrected today).  During the day, I was only able to pump about 12 ounces for every 8 hours but today has been a test which has been successful.

Today I challenged myself to drink 32 oz of water for every time I pumped. So far I've pumped twice, drank 64 ounces but have produced 16 ounces so far!  That's a record for me.  I guess you will know you're drinking enough water when it feels like you're pregnant again, running to the bathroom everytime you move.

So from now on I'm going to use this as my ratio:  32 ounces of water for every 4-6 ounces produced. That's like 160 ounces a day!! At this point, you can just call me camel!

3. Sensitive Baby Stomach: This was a big one for both kids not to the point where they needed prescribed medications but I've done a lot of other things to make sure that they were comfortable.  With MiniE, I started noticing that she would get really fussy in the evenings when she was about 3 weeks old.  After talking to my doctor, they recommended that I take out certain foods to see if that was the problem. 

So for a week I ate BLAND foods..lots of granola, turkey, baked chips. I took out Dairy, Caffeine, Leafy Greens, Broccoli, and Garlic which is primarily my entire diet and sure enough after about 4 days, she started showing signs of relief.  Then I started adding things back..

• Leafy Greens and Broccoli first...2 days and MiniE was still comfortable.
• Garlic...2 more days...still comfortable
• Caffeine...2 more days...some fussiness but not like it use to be.  (Item #1 that was bothering her)
• Dairy...2 more days...BINGO!  She went back to true discomfort.  You could feel her stomach was hard,etc.

So, from about 3 weeks on, I've been dairy free (or mostly dairy free).  We also started her on ProBiotics which helped.  That and some of these little exercises when I see her really struggling have done the trick.  She's a much better sleeper at night. As you can see, she didn't mind being my assistant in this video.  :)

 Again, this isn't necessarily a glamorous topic but I know there are lots of new moms or new moms to be out there and I want to share these things so you don't have to learn them yourself. 

What have you learned as a nursing mom? What advice or tips would you share with other moms?