I have mentioned my Facebook Birth Month group before. One of the mothers posted a survey on our board for us to take to see if we qualified for a breastfeeding trial. I filled it out and waited, then found out I was accepted to the beta test.
Breastfeeding is important to me. This is one of the things I envision when I think about bringing my baby into this world. Just sitting there and feeding him, the way we were made to. I think most people believe that breastfeeding is very easy because it is natural, what I have learned from other mothers is the exact opposite. There are so many challenges that a mother faces when she breastfeeds. Since Nugget still isn't here, I am sure that I will come across a whole slew of them along our breastfeeding journey from social, political and natural barriers that either inhibit or shed the wrong light upon breastfeeding. With this I will take all the help that I can get to make our journey successful.
The 16-minute Club will be the start of that. We will receive periodic shipments that help us through our current phase of breastfeeding, obviously changing as we give birth and our children grow. The first box pertains to Pre-natal breastfeeding education. This includes: increasing our knowledge, eliminating potential obstacles, and setting realistic expectations. This journey will be led by Wendy, our 16-minute Club lactation consultant. All the products that are included relate to the themes that the box is built around.
The next item is visual for us to keep close by while breastfeeding. I have heard story after story how mothers were pressured into supplementing with formula because they weren't feeding their baby enough. This is a real life comparison of what your newborns stomach looks like in the first days of life. The first is your baby's stomach on day 1. This is when the mother is producing just colostrum and in the perfect quantity for the little itty bitty stomach. On day 3 a newborn stomach is about the size of a ping pong ball. Then on day 10 the stomach will be about the size of a large chicken egg. This coincides with the fact that a mother's milk doesn't fully come in until day 10 sometimes.
Successful breastfeeding starts with a healthy mama. Premama is a vitamin drink that will replace those nasty prenatal pills. Premama has DHA, Folic Acid and Iron all things that are needed.
A staple of every breastfeeding mother's wardrobe, at least I am told, are these lovely nursing pads. Breast Assured are designed by a lactation consultant with a great fabric to protect against leaks and keep the pad in place.
Next, was a nice sample of 100% paraben free baby products by Susan Brown. The blue one is actually lotion-to-powder which I thought was awesome. As you rub, the lotion slowly turns to a talc-free powder.
And finally some Motherlove Belly Salve and Rhoid Balm. Yes, that's right hemorrhoid cream. Both products have zero toxins and help with the itch and discomfort of two very common problems that mothers face.
My next shipment is set to come around my due date and I will keep you updated on my journey to breastfeed Nugs.
