Outings with a New Baby

If you look back at Anna Claire's baby book to read about the outings I took with her as a newborn, you won't find any. I was a scaredy-cat and a homebody. Babies were brand new to Larry and me, and we had no idea what we were doing. So the idea of trying to take our ignorance out in public, was terrifying. It was just easier to stay home. No risk of the baby crying uncontrollably in public. No risk of being judged by others.

With Madeline, we're feeling more confident. We're armed now with the knowledge of how to soothe our baby. And I know now that Madeline will inevitably cry in public at some point, and I may or may not be able to calm her. But I take comfort in knowing that every mom feels that way at some point and has been in my shoes. I know now that the reality is, if I do find myself with a crying baby during an outing, that others are more than likely sympathizing with me, rather than judging me.

Not only am I feeling more comfortable with the idea of taking the baby out, but I also find myself craving to get out of the house. I am constantly trying to think of short trips we can make to force myself out of my comfort zone, break up our day, and share the world with Baby Madeline (and the Baby M with the world).

So far our outings have been either brief, or in safe places where I can easily and privately feed her.

Publix, doctor's appointments, church, Anna Claire's soccer practice and the public library have all been successful short outings. I will definitely attempt those again. It really has helped to keep an extra Boppy in the car so I can nurse before we make the return trip home. I'm also keeping a diaper changing station in the back hatch, which I never had with Anna Claire. The diaper changing station eliminates the need to pack the diaper bag each time I get out with her. So freeing!

We've been on two longer outings.

We've been to our church small group, which is nice and manageable since our group leaders also have a baby. I'm able to use their changing table and glider if if need to feed the baby. And no one there is averse to crying babies. They've all been there.

We've also been to my Minivan Mayhem group. That one has proven to be more challenging and I doubt I'll bring Madeline with me to that group again. I really need to be giving 100% of my attention to the lesson and taking notes, but instead I'm in and out of the room constantly, nursing and changing diapers, so that the speaker is not distracted by the baby's cry. I've built up a bit of frozen freedom (frozen breastmilk), so I see Larry keeping Madeline for MM meetings in the foreseeable future.

I am looking forward to more outings in the future, especially as one of my favorite times of the year draws near. Halloween! Can't wait to pay our annual visit to the pumpkin patch, Trunk or Treat, and to go trick-or-treating...as a family of four!

Averitt Family Vocabulary

In the past four years, since having Anna Claire, Larry and I have developed our own silly language - how we talk to each other and our babies.

I thought it would be fun have a post that we could look back at ten years from now to remember our silly language, so here goes:

1. Aqua-paste: (verb) to Aquaphor and Butt Paste a baby. Ex - Come here and let me Aqua-paste you.

My adorable view while in Boppy lockdown.

2. Boppy lockdown: (noun) to be stuck on the couch under a Boppy for 15 minutes or longer to care for nursing and sleeping babies.

3. striper: (noun) a baby with a blue striped diaper. blue stripe indicates diaper needs changing.

4. motorboating: (verb) when baby moves head in side to side motion trying to root and latch.

5. has-ing a happy: (phrase) state of the baby after consuming hindmilk

6. puffer/being puffed: (noun/verb) once out of diapers with with indicator stripe, the puffiness of the diaper indicates if diaper needs changing. Ex. - Aww, do you have a puffer?

Nursing Challenges and 12 Tips to Overcome Them

As you might expect, Madeline has been the center of my world for the past week, but nursing in particular has been my main goal and focus.

I remember from nursing Anna Claire how important it was to nurse early and often those first few days and weeks.

Building up a milk supply is a challenge for any mom, and the commitment, time investment, and effort required of moms can be overwhelming in the best of circumstances.

I face challenges with nursing that most don't have to concern themselves with: I have inverted nipples. This is difficult for both mom and baby because latching on is difficult. And without the baby latching on to stimulate milk production, your supply suffers.

The good news is, I've been down this road before and have lots of tools in my toolbox to help correct for this setback. I thought it might be helpful to others who face the same challenge for me to write a blog post that sums up the top 12 tools and tips I use to combat inverted nipples. I spent most of my life embarrassed by this abnormality, but have come to realize it really is quite common and feel so blessed that I am able to care for my child in spite of it.

1.  Determination and stick-to-it-iveness. These two are paramount. Nursing has to be critically important to you, especially if you have complications producing and/or latching. My determination comes from knowing I'm providing my baby with nature's perfect food. I know I'm also passing along my immunities to her through nursing. Anna Claire never got sick once in the 14 months I nursed her. It was month 15 before she ever fell ill.

2. Skin on skin, if possible, after birth, then room with your baby. Research indicates that nursing immediately after birth helps kick start the mother's milk supply. I was able to do this with Anna Claire, but not Madeline. Madeline ended up being a c-section, which I did not want, but her heart rate kept dropping each time I had a contraction after being induced. So with her, I just requested that they bring her to me as quickly as possible so I could nurse. Afterward, I asked that the baby room with us rather than being kept in the nursery. They are reluctant to do this, but will comply if you ask them.

3.  Soft Shells for Inverted Nipples. The most important one that I can't live without are my Medela SoftShells for Inverted Nipples. These do exactly what they promise, they pull the nipple out, giving baby something to latch onto. I seriously would love to meet whoever invented these and give them a huge hug and a thank you. I have no idea what women did before these.

4.  Soft Shells for Sore Nipples. Using the Soft Shells mentioned in number 1 nonstop will likely result in sore nipples that also leak. That's why I like to alternate between the ones for inverted and the Medela Soft Shells for Sore Nipples.

 5.  Nipple shields. I giggled when the lactation nurse mentioned them, but  nipple shields are no joke. These were a huge blessing the first few days until the Shells had time to do their work. Madeline was not able to latch at all on her own, but using the shield gave her something to latch onto and she was able to nurse successfully. The lactation consultant warned not to use these continuously and that the baby isn't able to draw milk from all of the milk ducts when they use the shield. It was, like I said, a temporary solution to get us started.

6.  Drink your water. Just as it was important to drink 8 glasses a day when the baby was in utero to keep amniotic fluid at a healthy level, it's equally important to drink those 8 glasses while nursing to keep up your supply.

7. Fenugreek. I took Fenugreek as a supplement to increase my milk supply with Anna Claire, and it worked like a charm. There are many other herbs and supplements that you can take to achieve this goal, but Fenugreek tops the list. It also adds a maple syrup flavor to your milk which babies like. You  can find Fenugreek at GNC or other vitamin/supplement stores.

8. Increase milk supply through your diet. I've researched foods that increase milk supply and then we buy and eat those things! Here are a few links:
 http://www.mobimotherhood.org/mm/article-diet.aspx
 http://www.justmommies.com/babies/top-ten-lactogenic-foods-foods-that-improve-your-milk-supply

9. Pump between feeding sessions. When I feel frustrated and worry my supply is less than what I need, I follow nursing sessions up with a few minutes of pumping. This send a signal to your body to produce more. This milk can be used at room temp within 4 hours, or if frozen, it will keep for months. Simply place baggie of frozen milk in warm water to thaw.

10.  Resist the urge to supplement. Supplementing will likely result in a decrease of your milk supply, and puts your baby at risk of getting sick. Your baby is only fully protected by your immunities if you breastfeed exclusively.

11. Lanisoh Lanolin.  Lansinoh Lanolin is a must have. At some point, your bound to be sore from nursing, and this is the best thing to use to treat, or you can do what I do, and use daily to prevent soreness.

12. Nurse on all 4 sides. What in the world do I mean by "4 sides?" You only have two breasts! My lactation consultant explained that there are really two main ways to hold and latch a baby, football hold and cradle hold, and you should alternate between each of these on each breast. Hence, 4 sides. The reason this is so important is to ensure you access all the milk ducts. Accessing all of the ducts means an increase in your milk supply, and lowers the likelihood you will have blocked ducts which can be painful.

I use all 12 of these tools and tips daily. It was a bit like riding a bike with Madeline, it all came back to me, but it is all very draining, tiring, and at times frustrating.

Madeline is only one week old, and I have already endured several sleepless nights and shed many tears because she couldn't latch or because I wasn't producing.

The past two days have been perfect, with her latching and nursing like a champ and an ample supply with some milk even left over. I am hoping this is a sign I'm where I need to be and that better times are ahead.

I am no expert, but I do recommend these 12 to anyone determined to nurse their child, especially if you have endured frustration and additional challenges as I have.