Virtual Nurse-In

In the world we live in today, we see all sorts of daring behavior that once upon a time would have been frowned upon. When my grandmother was young, a boyfriend and girlfriend would have never exchanged a public kiss...now you can see two boys or two girls sharing one with complete acceptance. I have seen couples, gay or straight, practically making love in public. When my grandmother was young, modesty was a virtue...today it gets you labeled a prude. Why then, in a society like this, is the natural, simple and primal act of breastfeeding looked down upon? Breasts are considered to be sexual, yes, but first and foremost they are vital organs. Not vital to the person bearing them, but to the child she bears. Is our society saying that it is only okay to expose yourself in acts of lewd conduct? That if you have your breast exposed you better have a hand groping it? I would much rather see the loving act of breastfeeding over the offensive act of public displays of affection or rather, public displays of lust.

For those of you shaking your head, disagreeing that they are even remotely comparable, think about this:

How much breast do you see in THESE pictures?















Would you really rather shield your child's eyes away than explain the act to him? And what if he asks about those teenagers over there making out? Why that boy just squeezed that girls bottom? Why two boys are holding hands?

The thing is, there are going to be events in this world your child sees that will require an explanation...but here's the good news!! The act of a woman breastfeeding is easily explained with a simple sentence:

"Some mommies use bottles, and some mommies, like that one, feed their baby milk from their breast."

Many people who say they support a baby's right to nurse in public often say it's okay as long as we cover up. Many people don't realize that babies don't like to be covered! It gets very hot under there, causing the baby to become frustrated and upset. Eating dinner in a sauna re-breathing your own expelled carbon dioxide doesn't sound too appealing, does it?

Stop trying to hide the truth and turn it into something shameful and degrading. Whether you feed your baby through a flesh nipple or a rubber nipple, ALL BABIES deserve their food fresh and fast, anytime, anywhere.

Support Nursing In Public.

Breastfeeding mothers are not going to disappear...we were doing it then:



And we're doing it now:



For more details on your state laws see A Current Summary of Breastfeeding Legislation in the U.S. or view the 50 States Summary of Breastfeeding Laws.

Brought to you by the Proud Public Breastfeeding Group

Poem

I found this awesome breastfeeding poem online and just had to share:

"Mommy I love your milk so sweet and yummy,

It's the very best stuff for my little tummy.

Mommy when your patience is running low at best,

sit down, take a few deep breaths and bring me to your breast.

Mommy hold me close to your soft warm chest

Because being in your arms is where I like being best.

Mommy do not listen to those who say I am spoiled.

It's just that you're my favorite person in the whole wide world.

Mommy when their negative comments put you to the test.

Don't worry, trust yourself

Because mommy you know me best.

Mommy ignore them when they ask,"Isn't it time to wean?"

Because when to stop is up to only you and me.

Mommy continue rocking me, sing another song.

I am still a baby, but not for very long."

Cover that bottle! - Satire

This is a great post from a breastfeeding forum I'm a member of...

Disclaimer...
I used all the arguments against nursing in public and turned them around to bottle-feeders in an attempt to show people just how idiotic it is to ask women to hide while feeding their baby. I turned it around so people could see how ridiculus is is for ANY woman to hide to feed her child. It sounds a bit ridiculous when I say women should cover up their bottles, huh? I hope it makes you think.

The point is, breasts are not lewd or indecent. If you see a little nipple, get over it. Breasts are for feeding babies, first and foremost. The day you hide your bottles is the day I hide my breasts.

"Women should cover up their bottles when they are feeding their babies...
I wasn't exposed to bottle-feeding much growing up and seeing it makes me very uncomfortable. I mean if you think about it, a bottle is a substitute for the breast, and since breasts are sexual, doesn't that make a bottle kind of like a dildo?! Eww, gross.

When I see a mom bottle-feeding, I don't know where to look. I can't look directly at the bottle or the baby because the idea of feeding a baby formula makes me sick to my stomach. It's just gross. And the way babies sound when they eat??? They slurp and suck and dribble formula everywhere! It's just nasty and it *smells*! I shouldn't have to see that! And what about my young son? How am I supposed to explain to him why a woman is bottle-feeding? I mean, he's too young to understand how different parts of the body function. It's going to be hard to explain to him that women actually choose not to nurse, or can't for one reason or another. It'll probably upset him to know that lots of babies don't get "nurse-nurse" like he does. I don't want to have to deal with him being emotionally scarred by seeing bottles. And imagine the therapy bills I'll have to pay for when he's older!

So bottle-feeding moms should either go into a bathroom, re-lactate so they can use their breasts in public, or cover up with a blanket. Sure, I know the excuses....bathrooms are dirty and no one should have to eat in there. But women could still re-lactate. Oh, yeah I know how hard it would be, but ya know, we DO have nice pumps available nowadays. She could get a good supply going for the sole purpose of feeding in public. If she would just use her breasts, we wouldn't have to see those indecent bottles all the time. And if she has a hard time re-lactating, she could always just cover up with a blanket when she has to use a bottle. Oh I know some babies aren't comfortable under a blanket. Re-breathing their own carbon dioxide for 20+ minutes must come at a price, but who cares? At least I wouldn't have to see bottles.

And if a woman doesn't want to go through all that trouble, she could just schedule outings around the baby's feedings. A bottle-fed baby only has to eat, what? Every 3-4 hours? She can just bottle-feed at home, go out, and rush back with a screaming baby if he needs to eat sooner than the schedule allows.

I'll admit that I'm uncomfortable with bottle-feeding in public. And as an American, I have a right to not have to be exposed to that sort of thing. Women should be aware of everyone else and accomodating to all others. After all, our right not to be offended is more important than a baby's right to eat, right?"

1 month!

Wow!! Where did the time go!? My little peanut is already a month old!! A lot has changed...according to the home scale he's about 7 1/2 lbs now and he's pretty much out of preemie clothes and into the newborn size. He seems to be getting into a schedule...he sleeps a 4-5 hour stretch at night, only wakes up 1 time at night and has 2 long (2-3 hours) naps during the day (morning and afternoon). We're doing great with breastfeeding...he eats like crazy! lol He's very alert when he's awake, he's started cooing now and he seems to really pay attention to you when you talk to him. I went back to work about 2 weeks ago and everything's still going great.

2 weeks & 2 days

Sean is 2 weeks and 2 days old today. Where does the time go!? It seems like just yesterday I was still pregnant...yet it seems like I've always been a mommy. I was defiantly meant to be a mommy. It feels so natural. I'm so in love with my little boy. He means the world to me. It's amazing how much you can love someone you just met and are still getting to know. He's not sleeping through the night (I'm not expecting that yet) but he only wakes up once or twice during the night. He normally eats about 10:00-11:00, then wakes up at 2:00-3:00 and then again about 5:00-6:00. He then goes back to sleep until about 8:00. So on days I go to work I only have to get up with him once because I have to get up around 6ish. And I really don't mind the night feedings. As most everyone knows, I'm breastfeeding so at night I just bring him into the bed and feed him laying down. It's a great time to cuddle with him. I LOVE breastfeeding! I love knowing I'm doing the absolute best for him and I love the bonding. I can't even begin to describe the flood of emotions I have every time I feed him. Not to mention what he just started doing...when I have him cradled in my arms feeding him I'll notice he's gazing into my eyes, I will start talking to him and he smiles the biggest grin ever! Sometimes he doesn't swallow first and milk comes pouring out his mouth lol I know this is a real smile. My heart melts every time he does this. He's also started cooing. I love that sound!! He's already growing up so fast! When you hold him at you shoulder he can lift his head and turn it to the other side and back before putting it down. And...he's already starting to out grow some of his preemie clothes. He's in a preemie footed sleeper today and the sleeves are getting to short and there's not any more room for his legs to grow. We may have had a rough start 2 weeks ago but I couldn't be happier!! I love my son and I love being a mommy!!

He’s here!!!

Sean is here!! I went into labor at 12:00 AM on Thursday, November 1, 2007. He was born at 3:16 PM. He weighed 6 lbs 7 oz and was 18 1/2 inches long. He was born at Hospital 1. Thursday night he was transported to Hospital 2 for testing and Friday morning had minor surgery done at the Children's Hospital. He then went back to Hospital 2 to the Level Two Nursery. I was released Friday morning from Hospital 1 and got to the Children's Hospital by the time he was getting out of recovery. Peanut was released this morning from Hospital 2. We are home and we're all doing great! I LOVE being a mommy. Nothing beats the feeling of holding your child in your arms. I'm a little biased but he is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen...he's perfect!!


Edit: Sean's complete birth story can be found here.

My trip to Labor and Delivery...

This morning I woke up to bright red blood...a very scary site when you're pregnant! So I call my doctor and he says it's probably just my bloody show but to go to labor and delivery to get checked out. I went, got hooked up to all the monitors and was told that yes, it was just my bloody show and I'll probably go into labor soon. I was sent home because my contractions weren't very strong. At the hospital I was still 2 centimeters but I was 80% effaced and Peanut was in the -1 station...stations indicate how far down the baby is: -3,-2,-1,0,1,2,3...-3 being the highest and 3 being ready to come out. When I went to my doctor's appointment today at 4:00, I was still 2 centimeters, 80% effaced but this time Peanut was at the 0 station. He's making some progress!! The doctor brought up induction...he wanted to go ahead and schedule one for next Tuesday...but saying he doesn't expect me to make it that long. With that only being my due date, nothing wrong with Peanut or me, the risk of a C-section (increases when you're induced) and the fact I want a natural birth (being induced means not being able to walk around), I told him that I didn't want to be induced that early. He was completely fine with that. I have an appointment for next Wednesday (if I make it that long) and then we'll schedule an induction for a week later. ...so at the latest Peanut will be here in 2 weeks...though most likely much earlier than that.

The boy is very stubborn!!

We have a very stubborn baby on our hands. Wednesday night I started having contractions about every ten minutes. We went to bed thinking maybe something will happen but I wasn't going to get excited yet. All day yesterday I had them every 30 minutes. Then at 6:00 they started coming every 10-15 minutes. Then from about 7:30 until I went to bed they were 5 minutes apart, lasting 30-60 seconds long. I called the doctor at about 10:00 and he said to wait until they got stronger then head to the hospital. Now we're getting very excited but decide we really need to get some rest while we can. I go to bed thinking that the contractions will wake me up and I'll be seeing Peanut really soon. I set my alarm anyways so if by chance I'm able to sleep through the night I can wake up and call my boss to let her know I wouldn't be in. The alarm woke me up this morning and I was disappointed but the contractions were still coming about every 5 minutes and were a little bit stronger...so DH and I both called our work to say we wouldn't be in and decided to go back to bed. By this afternoon the contractions slowed down to every 10-15 minutes. I am not timing them any more. I'm waiting until I have contractions that cause me to stop what I'm doing. When I have them for an hour or my water breaks then I'll go to the hospital. Until then I'm just impatiently waiting.

38 week update

I went to the doctor yesterday so here's a little update...

I had an ultrasound and Peanut's about 6 lbs 13 oz...that's quite a bit of growing he did...in 3 weeks he gained about 1 lb 12 oz.

I am now 2 centimeters, 50% effaced and Peanut is half way in my pelvis (I swear it feels like he can't get any lower without coming out but I guess I'm wrong! )...the doctor says that that is a big change for just a week so he thinks that it won't be long before I go into labor! I'm hoping he's right because I am getting very anxious...I'm ready to have Peanut in my arms!!

Getting very close

Once again here's another update... I had my OB appointment yesterday and it probably won't be long before we meet Peanut. I was actually in early labor on Monday (painful contractions every 15 minutes for about 5 hours) but it stopped...I only had a handful of contractions yesterday and so far today I've only had a few. My OB did say I am now 1 1/2 centimeters dilated and thinning out...I had kinda figure that I had started to dilate since (tmi warning) I lost my plug Friday evening. He says my body is warming up. It's just a waiting game now. It may still be a while before I have Peanut or I may have a special guest at my shower.

Getting excited!!

I'm now 36 weeks and a day...if I go into labor they will not try stop it! I'm getting real excited now. Especially with what's been go on the last couple of days. I've been having a lot more contractions. Normally I only have 1 or 2 a day if any. Monday and Tuesday I had about 5 a day...Today as of now I've had 11!! They were 30 minutes apart this morning. Then I didn't have any from 9:30 until 11. Now they have been coming about every hour. They are nowhere near close together so I'm not in labor right now but something is going on. I guess my body's getting ready. I had a OB appointment this afternoon and while I'm not dilated yet I am getting closer...she could even feel his head! I will be going back for another ultrasound on the 23rd because Peanut's abdomen measurements were slightly lower than they wanted...that is of course as long as he doesn't decide to make his grand appearance before then!!

I'm off now to go finish packing my bag for the hospital!!

Ultrasound

Last week my doctor ordered an ultrasound for today. It had been the second appointment (so it had been about a month) that I had measured 2 weeks behind...I had been either measuring ahead by a week or right where I should be. He wanted me to have an ultrasound done to check how big Peanut was...make sure he was growing right. So I went in this afternoon and he's about 5 lbs 1 oz...ultrasound tech said he's in the 24th percentile. We also found out that he's head down and very low. Guess he's getting ready!!! He was, as always, stubborn but I did get a couple of pictures...remember he is cramped in there. lol

Semi-random thought: Since he weighs 5 lbs 1 oz and I've only gained about 6 lbs, all my weight gain plus some more has gone to him...him (~5 lbs), the placenta (~1.5 lbs) and amniotic fluid (~2 lbs).

The nursery is done!! (pics!)

Nesting kicked in for me BIG time last weekend. I scrubbed the house from top to bottom. This weekend was dedicated to finishing the nursery. ...atleast I'm not as sore as I was last weekend. lol

So first I finished washing all the hand-me-downs we got. Here is all of Peanut's clothes (0-6 months). We have not bought anything but a few pieces I found at a couple of yards sales and couldn't pass up. We actually ran out of room to put it all and my mom bought the dresser at the top of the pic at a yard sale this afternoon (it was only $20!). The boy has more clothes than DH and I put together!!

Here's the room...I found the wooden animals and letters at Michael's and painted them. I bought plain white drapes and sewed on the blue gingham on the bottom. Again, most of everything you see here is hand-me-downs or yard sale finds (which my mom or grandmother bought). Gosh, this really makes things so much more real...there's really going to be a baby in this house soon!!

31 weeks ramblings

Wow, where did the time go!? I'm in the single digits for weeks…9 weeks till my due date…but I really don't think I'll make it that long. I seem to be following right along with my mom's pregnancy…the morning sickness (felt sick but never got sick), my weight lost followed by a very slow gain (I'm currently at a 5 pound gain), etc. I was born at 37 weeks, my brother at 38...I think Peanut will be here sometime in the last half of October (between the 16^th and 23^rd most likely). That means I don't have much more time left!!! I'm ready but I'm not. I so badly want to see and hold Sean. I just can't wait for him to get here. But on the other hand, I don't want this pregnancy to be over. I LOVE being pregnant. I love the feeling of my son moving inside of me. I love how bonded I already feel to him. I love my body for what it's doing. It's truly a miracle. It's amazing what the female body can do…create a new being and completely nurture it…and it doesn't stop there. I'm also completely amazed about how the female body goes on to continue nurturing that new being(breastfeeding). Female's are just amazing!! Anyways, back to what I was talking about. I will really miss being pregnant. My granny said it best when she said she's never seen someone so excited about being pregnant. It's the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm not afraid of giving birth…again the female body is amazing! Actually (I know this sounds strange) but I'm looking forward to Peanut's birth. I can't wait. So, I'm ready in that aspect but I swear there's a million things I still need to do before he gets here…atleast that's how it seems…could just be nesting.

Stubborn boy!!

I had my 3D/4D ultrasound this afternoon and Peanut once again proved to be stubborn!! He kept his hands near his face and faced the placenta the whole time. We got to see him open and shut his mouth, suck on his fingers and play with his feet. We did get a good profile shot but that was about it. I'll be going back on August 10th for a second one at no additional charge!! We thought this would be the last ultrasound so atleast I'll be able to see him again before he's born!!!