This one time...I thought my nipples were going to fall OFF!

Breastfeeding, it's not supposed to be painful but is it?  Considering that most first time mom's aren't used to nursing a baby, practically around the clock, there certainly is a little room for error and some pain, although not "normal" is to be expected.

I'm an only child and my mother was a La Leche League Leader so when I got pregnant I was going to breastfeed, it just was what you do, for me at least.  My mom had some experience, some advice...She said you should sit in the bath, before you deliver, and use a wet washcloth to rough up your nipples. I laughed!

Sure, like that would really work! Ha Ha Ha!  Like I'm really going to sit in the bath and use a washcloth to do that!  An old wives tale I was sure.  Did I do it?  Absolutely not.  Who listens to their mother anyhow?

So baby came and I was nursing!  Yippee, see this was easy, piece of cake.  Until....maybe a few days or so into it.  I started to feel a burning pain when my daughter nursed, it turned into a searing pain, and then into an eye watering excruciating pain, a very bad I am now totally dreading breastfeeding my new baby pain.

I asked my mom in all seriousness "Is my nipple going to fall off?  Can it fall off?"  I was really worried.  It felt like someone was cutting it off with a razor blade every time my daughter nursed.

Turns out that having a baby gnawing and sucking at the breast takes a little getting used to, a lot of getting used to and there is a learning curve.  Sure, baby is getting milk and appears to be nursing just fine but is she latched on properly?  It's hard to know, especially since everyone's breasts and nipples are different.

We figured out that she wasn't latching on quite right, not enough of the areola was in her mouth.  Using my thumb to gently encourage her to open a little wider seemed to help.  It took a couple weeks for the latch to improve and the pain to go away.  I'll never know if I had used the washcloth method to rough up the nippples for a couple weeks before the birth if that would have helped but heck, hindsight is 20/20 and when I was in pain I seriously wished I had given it a try.

My advice is...

• Make sure you have a good nipple cream.  Lansinoh, Earth Mama Angel Baby, Coconut Oil...Something that will help relieve the pain and discomfort you might experience.
• Use cloth breast pads.
• Ask for help.  You may be modest but you just have to get over it.  If you're in pain past about day 10 you need to see a lactation consultant, doula or midwife who can take a look and make sure baby is properly latched on.
• Stay positive.  Once you've got the right latch and you've found your breastfeeding groove, it only takes a little while before you're poor nipples adjust.

Well I hope you're found my post a little helpful.  Don't forget, this too shall pass!

Here's a good couple of links if you need to check out latch-on techniques:
http://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/helpme_images_latchon.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/basics/latch-resources.html

Julie, Cloth Diaper Geek

How UnderCover Mama Saved My Baby from Chickenpox!

A few weeks ago I noticed 2 itchy spots on my belly and back. I thought it was mosquito bites but had no idea how they got to my belly! Someone suggested it was poison ivy but again, almost impossible. A couple days later it turned into a blistery rash. As we were going out of town the next day, I decided to go to Patient First being that it was quite uncomfortable and I wanted to make sure it wasn't contagious.

The Doctor at Patient First took one look at it and announced, "That is definitely Shingles."  Shingles?! I thought that's for old people! She said that she's seen a few young people with it lately. So am I contagious? Only if someone comes into direct contact with the lesions. But I am nursing a baby! She said my baby was likely already exposed so there's nothing I can do about it anyway. Someone can contract chickenpox from shingles, but they wouldn't contract shingles. But my 8 mo old nursling has not had the chickenpox or the vaccine, and he's the only one who has been in direct contact with my belly!

Her only advice was to keep it covered, wash my hands, and take an antiviral. I was taken off work for a week as I'm a midwife and don't want to expose my patients - just in case. I called my pediatrician who wasn't concerned. It's not dangerous for a baby at 8 months to get chicken pox.

So we went on our trip as planned. And my baby never got the chicken pox!

I attribute it to my Undercover Mama! I LOVE the Undercover Mama and wear one all the time! It is great because it just hooks to your regular nursing bra and is much cheaper than a nursing tank. I like that it keeps my belly covered while I'm nursing as I wear a lot of T-shirts. I also wear it to sleep because nursing in bed makes for a cold tummy! I think because my Undercover Mama kept my belly covered all the time, my baby was never exposed to the shingles lesion.

Another great benefit of the Undercover Mama!

This Just In: Simplisse Nursing Products

We've recently added Simplisse nursing products to our Cotton Babies catalog. The Simplisse line was developed through a partnership between industry-leading lactation consultants and moms. Every product in the Simplisse collection of breastfeeding products was carefully designed with the optimum health of mom and baby in mind. Simplisse has two goals, to make expressing milk a more comfortable, natural experience for moms and to collect breastmilk as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The Simplisse Manual Breast Pump is designed to accurately mimic natural breastfeeding. The super-soft BabyFace™ flexible breast-cup conforms to mom’s breast and naturally move with mom while expressing. The gentle compression technology gently elicits milk expression to help minimize tugging and pinching. Continuous Comfort™ valves regulate the pump's pressure so the suction levels are similar to baby at the breast. No high suction or painful pumping, only the utmost in comfort.

The Simplisse Manual Breast Pump is $39.99.

The Gia Nursing Pillow by Simplisse has a patented non-flat design that positions your baby at an incline, to aid in digestion and reduce reflux and other feeding problems. Its wide, flat surface prevents baby from rolling down. This nursing pillow can also be used to for tummy time. The quilted 100% cotton shell is anti-bacterial and stain resistant. Easy to care for, can be machine washed and dried. Easy on, easy off covers are available in 3 colors to protect your Gia Nursing Pillow.

The Gia Nursing Pillow is only $39.99 at Cotton Babies. Colorful covers Beco, Chase and Mia are available for $19.99 with your nursing pillow purchase or can be purchased individually.

All Simplisse products are available online at CottonBabies.com or in any of our retail stores in St. Louis, MO or Vancouver, WA. Do you own a Simplisse Manual Breastpump or Gia Nursing Pillow? Be sure to share your thoughts with other Cotton Babies customers in a review on the product page.

Breastfeeding Necessities

My son is now 8 weeks old and I am LOVING breastfeeding my second time around! Breastfeeding should be simple, right. Just you and the baby. No bits and pieces to take along or wash. You're ready to go whenever baby needs with no cleanup required (except for the milk mouth)!

That is true and makes breastfeeding so much nicer than bottle feeding with all its included preparation and clean-up. But I want to share some of the gadgets that I've been using which is turning breastfeeding into almost as much of an obsession as cloth diapering! I just love all these things that I've found to make the experience that much more exciting!

The first is the Undercover Mama. This awesome invention keeps your belly covered while you nurse. Instead of buying an expensive nursing tank or forfeiting your favorite bra, you can keep your bra and save money with this product. It attaches to your own bra and drops down when you release the clasp on your bra! I am living in it these days! I wear it to bed too because my belly always gets cold when I'm nursing in bed at night!

Next is the Milkies Milk Saver. This thing is ingenious. All you can think about when you take off your soaking breast pads is how much milk was wasted that is now going to be washed out. Especially when you need to pump and every drop counts! It is a little large and I would love one that I could wear all day long, but it's got a great design. You put it in your bra on the other side than you're nursing on. And it catches all the milk with let-down. I once collected 2 oz using this! It even comes with a heavy-duty case that acts as a stand to hold it upright.

My last ingenious invention is Milk Trays. With my first child, I couldn't believe how expensive those bags are to freeze breastmilk in. Were they really necessary? What's wrong with plain old freezer bags? Of course no one had an answer so I used them - protecting my precious breastmilk for my baby. I'd hate for it to get ruined or freezer burned. Then I saw Milk Trays. They are specially designed, made of medical grade plastic, with 1 oz compartments. You pour the milk into the compartments from the bottle that you pump into. Then you freeze it. When they're frozen, you pop out the one-ounce sticks and store them in a regular freezer bag. Date the bag by the week so you use up old milk first. To defrost just put as many sticks as needed into a bottle and defrost in warm water like you normally would. This way you save every drop and don't defrost more than you need and have to throw it away. Then just rinse out the trays and reuse!

Of course, I would be remiss if I failed to mention My Brest Friend as a true nursing necessity. It provides unbelievable support and comfort, even for the new breastfeeding mama with a tiny newborn. At that early stage you truly don't have enough hands and support to keep everything in place. This pillow wraps around your body and is very adjustable both in how high or low you set it and in how snug it fits around your belly. It has a flat surface so the baby doesn't roll in to you and supports your arms and back. The great thing I've found, even with nursing an older (relatively-speaking) baby, is that it comes in very handy when I'm nursing on one side and pumping on the other. I do that to maximize my pumping, which I need to do for work. The pillow completely supports the baby, so I don't need to use 2 hands to hold him, and I can hold the pump and usually still read a book or type on my laptop. For the modern woman!
My Brest Friend comes in super pattern choices, offers a plush deluxe cover option, has slipcovers that can be switched out, and even has a Twin Pillow!

Speaking of the modern breastfeeding mama, check out the Easy Expression by Medela. It comes as a halter or bustier and holds your pump in place so you're hands-free and can get things done! Truly vital if you're pumping at work. I have even heard first-hand of some women who pump in the car on their long commute. Have to be hands-free for that!


Happy Breastfeeding!

Real Mom Talk: Nitty Gritty on Nursing

Today in Real Mom Talk, we move north to talk about our two best girl friends. Nothing can truly prepare you for what it feels like to nurse a baby. Maybe you used that breast pump on your shelf to try to induce labor at week 40, so you think you have an idea of what it will be like, but not even that compares to a real, live, hungry baby. Sure, it's a wonderful, natural thing women have done for centuries, but that doesn't mean it is always easy or feels nice.

For some moms, breastfeeding is easy, completely pain free and they never give it a second thought. For others, it isn't quite that simple. A poll here in our office found exactly one mom who never experienced any pain during the early days of breastfeeding. If you're having trouble with breastfeeding, always seek the assistance of an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Calling your doula, midwife, obstetrician, birthing center or the post-partum department at the hospital will help you connect with the right resource.

Anecdotally speaking, these are some of the things that our staff has found helpful during the early days of nursing a baby:

• Nursing bras and cloth nursing pads are helpful in giving you the support and security you need in those early days.
• Gel breast soothers and lanolin can be very helpful to have ready to go, should you begin to get irritated as you find your nursing groove.
• Feeling like you are about to burst? Sometimes it can be helpful to relieve some of the pressure when things are feeling most uncomfortable. The most beneficial milk is the hindmilk, so expressing a bit of foremilk shouldn't adversely affect your baby. You can either manually express breastmilk or use a breastpump to relieve a bit of pressure.
• If your breast pump doesn't fit quite right, your IBCLC may recommend Medela PersonalFit Breastshields for a better fit.
• If your pediatrician recommends supplementing, ask if Medela's Supplemental Nursing System is right for you and your baby.

It's also important to remember that each mom, baby and situation are different. Sometimes despite great effort, nursing is just not an option and that's okay. Don't mentally beat yourself up over other people's experiences or judgements, they haven't walked in your shoes. Remember no matter your situation, no matter your choice, you are a good mom because you are doing the best you possibly can for your baby.
Did you breastfeed or bottle feed? Did you overcome obstacles or struggles to feed your child? Tell us about your infant feeding journey.

All moms deserve to be treated with respect.

All moms deserve to be treated with respect. I'll say it again, maybe a little louder this time. All moms deserve to be treated with respect.

We all know that there are really bad moms out there. I'm not writing about those moms.

I'm writing about the moms we are all friends with - the ones who really, truly, want to do a good job taking care of their baby. I'm writing about you. You deserve to know that you are a good mom.

Over the last seven years, I've found myself in an interesting position with the parents who shop in my store (Cotton Babies). We opened our store seven years ago as fresh parents with very, dare I say, arrogant opinions about parenting. I'd actually said, and I'm blushing as I type this:

"My child will never be allowed to behave like that child."

"My child will never be that dirty".

"What kind of a mom allows _______?"

"My child will never know what a pacifier is."

"My child will never get a bottle. What kind of mom doesn't breastfeed?"

"Look at the ugly disposable diaper on that baby."

We are seven years into parenting now and, we couldn't have been more wrong. My child has behaved like "that child". My child has been "that dirty". I have been the mom that allowed _____. I begged my babies to take pacifiers. My oldest and my youngest both had bottles at some point during their first year because of issues with breastfeeding, particularly during their first weeks of life. And, gasp, yes, I've occasionally had to use disposable diapers on my babies.

The first day that I realized that I had hurt someone with my words was when a close friend of mine broke down in tears after trying for weeks to breastfeed her baby and finally having to give up because her baby was loosing weight and getting dehydrated. She simply didn't produce enough milk to breastfeed exclusively. I was heartbroken. She was my friend. I knew her. I knew how important breastfeeding was to her. She was doing everything "right". She wasn't a failure as a mom. But the lactivist mentality that I'd adopted was making her feel like a bad mom.

Then one day, a customer was in my store with a fussy, young baby and, assuming that every mom who shops for cloth diapers would also share my passion for breastfeeding, I asked her if she would like a place to sit and nurse her baby. She broke down in tears. She couldn't nurse her baby and my offer of a place to sit and "nurse" her baby was more than she could take right then. By this point, I'd tempered my views somewhat... but her response was formative in how I now train my staff. We now ask moms if they would like a place to sit and FEED their baby.

I learned similar lessons around diapering, food, childcare, working out of the home, home schooling.... you name it, I've had my opinions gently (almost always kindly) thrown back in my face by a friend I'd unintentionally hurt with my judgmental attitude. I'm so glad that we get second chances with our friends and that God has given me an opportunity to learn these lessons with people who loved me enough to give me a chance to grow up a little bit.

Today, those hard-learned lessons are applied to the way we approach product development, customer service or any other issue with our business.

We look first to build bridges with people, not walls over differences.

Allow me to explain....

When we created bumGenius, we wanted to create a diaper that family members who might be resistant to the idea of cloth diapering (like dads or grandparents) would actually use. bumGenius has hook & loop closures - a simple thing, but a familiar thing to a parent who already knows how to use a disposable diaper. bumGenius has stretchy tabs. Again, a simple, familiar feature. bumGenius is one-size, has a great warranty, fantastic customer service and makes economical sense. Sold. bumGenius has become a literal juggernaut in the cloth diapering industry. We have a tough time keeping track of just exactly where it is mentioned online now simply because there are SO MANY online mentions of the brand every single day.

When we created the Flip Diapering System, we wanted to create a flexible diapering system that was a little less expensive than bumGenius while providing options to a parent willing to tolerate a two-piece system. Stay dry, organic & disposable inserts became part of that system to properly address the needs of the different types of families we work with. Some really want the stay-dry fabric. Others strongly prefer organics. And really, most (not all) people use disposable diapers at some point with their baby. The disposable inserts take care of those times in life when you really just need a throwaway option.

When we created the Econobum System, the goal was to take care of families who really can't afford diapers period. Buying bumGenius would be nice - but it really just isn't going to happen because, frankly, they just need to be able to feed their family. I remember all too well the days of having to choose between diapers and groceries. It's a hard place to be and it just didn't seem fair that there wasn't a good, solid, one-size option for that family. Econobum is for you, momma.

Our goal as a company is to make it easy for more people to use cloth diapers. With bumGenius, Flip and Econobum, we've given more parents options, increasing the accessibility to cloth diapers by recognizing families in different places in life. Some people can cloth diaper 100% of the time, but not everyone. Some people can afford organic diapers, but not everyone. Some people can afford cloth diapers, but.... not everyone. People are different. Different people need options.

A few weeks ago, I was interviewed by Mothering Magazine for an article that will publish soon about cloth diapers. The interviewer was curious about why we did a disposable insert for our products. She also wanted suggestions about how to best word her article to avoid offending parents who cannot use cloth diapers for one reason or another. She was also interested in knowing why we have so many users in our diapering systems who are new to cloth diapers (and switching over from disposables).

My answer to her.... and to you.... is that we believe in building bridges, not walls. We believe that every family, every parent, every baby is different. We believe that you (and all your lovely differences) deserve to be treated with respect. Therefore, our products assume nothing about you.... and in the process of providing more families with what they need, we have made the cloth diapering world a bigger, better place for more, different people. I like it that way. I hope you do too.

Happy almost earth day.

~Jenn Labit

Cotton Babies, Owner

Creator of Flip, bumGenius and Econobum

P.S. Hey dads, most of my readers are women, but I know that there are lots of dads out there too... feel free to swap out "dad" for "mom" wherever appropriate. We love you too.

A Post-partum Review - Nursing A Newborn

Elsie is now almost three months old. We're finally settling into a routine. She is adjusting well to life outside of my uterus. As we suspected, our first weeks with her home were wonderful but rough as my body went through the initial postpartum period. I'm back to work now and learning how to to do life as a company owner with a nursling.

When I posted about her birth, I promised a review of some of my favorite products for the postpartum time period. I'm finally getting a moment this afternoon to write a review of the nursing products that I used and loved.

When Elsie was four days old, she went to the pediatrician. She was born at 8lbs but had dropped 7lbs 4 ounces at that visit. The pediatrician was concerned and sent us home to come back in two days. Two days later, she had dropped to 6lbs 12 ounces. We were told to supplement... I was heartbroken. I didn't want to give her formula. I've never had a milk supply problem before. It just didn't make sense that I would have a supply problem now. A wonderful friend suggested that I start nursing Elsie on one side while I pump the other side. Then I would feed her what I pumped in a bottle. The theory was that she was getting tired trying to nurse two sides.

So, we rented a Medela Symphony breastpump from the Cotton Babies retail store and I started taking an herbal supplement from Motherlove, More Milk Plus. In less than 48 hours, I'd seen a significant increase in my milk supply. Elsie was nursing one side and happily eating what she wanted from what I was able to pump from the other breast. She started gaining weight and within a week, we were back to having her fully on the breast. The More Milk Plus worked better than the teas and faster than any other herbal galactagogue that I've ever tried.

My nipples were also bleeding due to a couple of nursing sessions where Elsie apparently had a bad latch and I didn't know until she was done doing the damage. When Elsie was a few days old, she had her first chiropractic adjustment. While we were at the chiropractor's office, my friend saw how badly my nipples were bleeding and, on the way home, she stopped at Walgreens and bought me some Soothies absorbent, cooling gel pads. This is a product that I would have laughed at before having Elsie. It's not natural. It isn't organic. It isn't even fabric. By the time we pulled into the Walgreens parking lot, I was at the end of my rope and willing to try anything. I was dissolving into tears at the *thought* of having to nurse my baby because it hurt SO bad. I started wearing them right away while also using Nipple Butter from Earth Mama Angel Baby. Literally overnight, my nipples started feeling better. The next day, the cracks were gone and the bleeding stopped. Because of my experience, we sell Soothies at Cotton Babies now. If you are reliving this experience (and I know so many of you can relate), get buy Soothies. Use them in combination with the Nipple Butter. It works.

Below are my suggestions for helpful nursing products to have on hand before your baby is born:

• Soothies
• Nipple Butter
• Medela Lanolin
• Motherlove More Milk Plus
• Nursing pads
• Phone numbers for places near you that rent Medela breastpumps.
• Phone number for a breastfeeding peer counselor or lactation consultant.
• A good, supportive, experienced friend who can encourage you and provide perspective if things get hard!