Dear Boobs.

Today, Miss Zoot wrote a love letter to her girls thanking them for all of their hard work:

......But when I’m pregnant? You grow to a size I can be proud of! You give me CLEAVAGE! Which I love sooooo much. Of course, with the cleavage come the boobsweat. But I’ve learned to live with that. Having cleavage is just that awesome. And when the babies come? You provide nourishment as well as can be expected. We’ve had our problems because you don’t like to work too hard. But that has it’s perks too as you don’t leak! Yay for non-leaking boobs!......

I definitely recommend you head over and read the entire letter.

Two for the price of one

Caro has an excellent, entertaining post about the Unforeseen benefits of nursing a toddler through and beyond pregnancy.

Although my toddler weaned about 6 months before my newest kid was born, I was still able to relate to much of this post. She is correct in that the less amount of time there is between weaning and birth of the new child, that will translate into a smaller amount of time for your milk to come in. I nursed Arun into my 2nd trimester and my lactation consultant did tell me that my milk would come in earlier with Anjali - which it did. In Caro's case, there was NO time between weaning and birthing, so her milk came in a mere 18 hours after birth! Also, I think Caro is right in that there seems to be less nipple soreness with all the nursing so close together. That and the fact that an experienced mother has the latch and positioning down pat.

Anyway, it's very encouraging to see such a smooth transition for everyone involved!

The Milky Way.

Bryan over at Sympathy Pain has linked to a great article on how we gals go about making breastmilk. Definitely go over to Bryan's site and check it out! The only comment I have about the article is that it says the following:

During the first days of nursing, you may feel some cramps in your abdomen as your baby sucks. This usually mild discomfort signals the release of oxytocin, which helps shrink your uterus back to its pre-pregnancy size.

Mild discomfort? That's putting it mildly!! For me, the initial cramping like that was VERY painful. Not quite as bad as early labor, but far worse than menstrual cramps.

Next, I want to discuss semantics - what do you call all the different kinds of milk in your house? We have soymilk, cow's milk and mama's milk. I want my son to be clear and as such, I call them all by their "proper" names. In a related note, he calls food in general by the word "bop-poo" (we think it stems from his word for "apple" which is "bappull"). Even before Anjali was born, he would point to my breasts and say "bop-poo", so we think he may remember or have an inkling that he used to eat from them, too. However, he calls ALL nipples "bop-poo", so the poor kid has A LOT to learn.

Does your milk smell like soap?

Over the weekend, a breastfeeding friend of mine expressed concern that her milk smelled "soapy" - as if she hadn't rinsed out the bottle enough. I told her that she perhaps had an issue with the enzyme lipase and would need to scald the milk before freezing it. Unfortunately, that was ALL I could tell her - I didn't know what caused it, for example. So, of course, Dr. Google came to my rescue and directed me towards Kelly Mom. Basically, all human milk has lipase, but some of us gals simply have more of it - I've always suspected I had this issue, but since my son rarely took a bottle, I never bothered to worry about it much.

Anyway, per Kelly Mom, the solution is simple:

To scald milk:

* Heat milk to about 180 F (82 C), or until you see little bubbles around the edge of the pan (not to a full, rolling boil).
* Quickly cool and store the milk.

Scalding the milk will destroy some of the antiinfective properties of the milk and may lower some nutrient levels, but this is not likely to be an issue unless all of the milk that baby is receiving has been heat-treated.

Breastfeeding During Pregnancy

I came across this article about Breastfeeding During Pregnancy and thought it might be interesting to talk about. Have I already discussed this? Am I already starting to repeat myself?

Anyway..... I found out I was pregnant a few weeks after my son's 1st birthday (long story REAL short? Literally, my husband had returned from India the day of Arun's birthday. Happy Birthday, Arun!! Mama and Daddy know how to celebrate in STYLE.".... Um, yeah. ) I did not want to wean Arun right away and my doctor was very much of the opinion that I didn't have to. I did find out from a variety of folks' reaction (some subtle, some NOT so subtle) that there seems to be some sort of taboo about breastfeeding during pregnancy. That's fine, WHATEVER. I simply didn't want to yank Arun away from breastfeeding if I didn't need to. I have to be honest, though - nursing was VERY painful with the whole "breast tenderness" thing that goes in the early months of pregnancy. And I did have to be careful to eat healthy so that all three of us weren't deprived of anything. Eating healthy was a little more difficult than you'd think because when you are in throes of morning sickness, sometimes a big honkin' glass of milk isn't what you want to see. Know what I mean? But it was worth it. Arun weaned on a time schedule that worked for him and we had no issues with it.

I had planned on weaning Arun around 18 months - in April. For a variety of reasons, I didn't want to tandem nurse - I know many gals who have nursed 2 children at once successfully, but I knew it wasn't for me. Therefore, I wanted Arun to be weaned at least a few months before the baby was born so there wouldn't be any resentments when the baby took his place at the dinner table. When Arun was around 13 months, I began mixing up the nursing sessions and I started to break routines. We no longer used breastfeeding as a way of going to sleep or waking up. We went to Boston when he was 15 months and I think the trip threw both of us out of sync. I forgot to offer breastfeeding, he forgot to ask. On the flight home, I realized that this may be a better time to wean, if he was ready for it. So I nursed him one last time on that final flight to equalize his ear pressure. When we returned from the trip, I didn't offer it and gauged his reaction. He didn't ask for it. At all. I think I would have been more sad if I hadn't already known that I would be jumping right back on the Boobie Train this July. I should note that my doctor did say that one of her children she nursed during a pregnancy flat out complained about the "salty" taste. Your milk changes during pregnancy and if you do decide to nurse while pregnant, be prepared for disappointed reactions.

Okay - now the article. I am not confident that this is the best article I've ever seen on the topic of breastfeeding during pregnancy. I really, really didn't like the author's repeated use of "resort", as if you should only do it if given no other choice. I did want to point out the article, though because breastfeeding during pregnancy IS possible. I am very much of the opinion that no mother should feel forced to wean her child solely because she is pregnant. Weaning is difficult enough for mother and child, why make it harder?

Fairness

I came across this "letter to the editor" about the WIC program. It's written by a WIC coordinator in response to an editorial piece she felt was unfair to the program. She does mention the program's efforts to support women while pregnant and while breastfeeding. I felt it only fair to include the link since I had discussed the program previously.

Also, I was emailing with a reader over the weekend, she will be having her first baby this summer and I feel a bit sheepish. Why? I realized that I often talk about how hard the first few weeks of breastfeeding were for me. I was afraid that perhaps by referring to those first few weeks of breastfeeding in such a negative light, that I am unnecessarily scaring new mothers. It's a fine line between being honest to help one emotionally steel oneself and just plain being negative. Yep, the first few weeks of breastfeeding ARE hard, but to be fair, the first few weeks of MOTHERHOOD are hard. Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to separate the two so there's no point in determining "who's zooming who??". If breastfeeding were the only thing a new mother had to worry about, maybe breastfeeding would be a piece of cake!

With the 2nd time around looming ahead for me, it's actually sorta nice. I do know without a trace of doubt that no matter how hard it might be, it is totally, completely, and utterly worth it - even if this time is more difficult. I would be heartbroken if it turned out I couldn't breastfeed my daughter. I don't think formula is poison per se, but it was a HUGE relief to me that my son never had a drop of it. It was one less thing to worry about. And all those hours of sitting with him and nursing are precious hours that I will always cherish. Also, I love to travel and as a breastfeeding mother, I appreciated not having to cart bottles and such when we went on trips (my carry-on item was usually ONE bag - that's all I ever needed!) Once he got past the newborn stage, running errands was a cinch - I just always made sure the diaper bag with diapers and a small blanket was in the trunk. The past 8 months or so, I rarely carry more than my son and my small clutch purse around. And speaking of diaper bags, since I don't have to worry about bottles and sippy cups (my son uses straws), I don't need tons of complicated pockets and compartments. It allowed me to get a nice, leather black Coach tote to use as a diaper bag, instead (Coach outlets totally rock, BTW. So do birthdays. Ahem.) It's a bag that I will be able to still use long, long after my kids are out of diapers. For someone like me who adores a nice handbag, it's a little perk that I definitely appreciate because my first diaper bag was chipping away at my soul.

So, yes. The first few weeks of breastfeeding can be rough - I think it does a huge disservice to new mothers to pretend otherwise. But, those first few weeks can also be awe-inspiring. I remember being so relieved that my body stepped up to the plate when needed. I remember being so amazed in those early weeks that my body was providing the sole sustenance for my son. It was crazy to me that when my son was 6 months old and such a little chubby, roly-poly thing that my body was totally responsible for that! And I remember those first initial latch-ons in the first few days before my nipples mounted a rising protest.

Words fail me at how natural it all felt.

Screening Sunscreens

This is a little off-topic because unless you are sunbathing in the South of France, your breasts are probably pretty safe. However, I came across this excellent article on choosing a sunscreen and I couldn't resist posting it. It is concise, informative and non-promotional. What I appreciated was a simple, clear explanation of which ingredients one should look for in a sunscreen - including the varying properties of each and which types may be skin irritants. Furthermore, the article even goes on to discuss which lifestyles may need more/less/which type of sunscreen and it does recommend some brands.

Tips for Not Tipping the Scales

Thus far, I've gained about 13 lbs and I'm 34 weeks along. At this point, I'm on track to keep my weight gain to around 20 lbs. (she says as she thoughtfully munches her cranberry nut muffin.....) I've purposely tried to keep my gain to a reasonable amount simply because I was already overweight before I began all this baby makin' business. June 21st this year, I will celebrate my 7th Smoke Free Year. Quitting the cigs was simply one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life and therefore, I don't regret the 20 lb weight gain from that. Actually, I've realized that weight has no bearing on my overall happiness because the past 2 years have been my heaviest AND my happiness. However, I would still like to lose that weight eventually and that's why I've tried not to overindulge with the food during my two pregnancies. After I had my son, I lost the 22 lbs I gained with him within 3 weeks and I do credit breastfeeding for that. I went on to lose another 8 lbs down the line - again, I credit breastfeeding and a more active lifestyle now that I stay home full-time.

This article has some useful suggestions for shedding post-pregnancy pounds. I'm not putting loads of pressure on myself to shed the weight as quickly as I did with my son - I will just try to eat responsibly and allow myself a few treats. However, I have given myself an end date for all the indulgences I've been allowing myself during this pregnancy.

September 1st - that's the end of innocence around these here parts. Whole Foods cinnamon rolls and Coca-Cola, you're on notice!

Toxic Toxins are Toxic.

This article lists 5 ways to reduce the toxins in your body (and your breast milk). I'm still more than a little fascinated that I found this in a Dental Health site. What the hell?

Anyway, the 5 ways are fairly straightforward:

1. Eat organic.

2. Drink more water.

3. Eat liver-healthy foods. (This one was really good information - I don't often think of my poor little liver except after a hard night o' boozing. They recommend eatings such foods as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, eggs, garlic, onion, peppers, citrus fruits, fish, whole grains, vegetables and green tea.)

4. Aid detoxification through the digestive tract. (They suggest lots of water and fiber. Makes me crave a bean burrito with some guacamole. Margaritas have water in them, right?)

5. Aid detoxification through the skin. (They point out that tears and sweat are great ways to get rid of toxins. AWESOME. The next time I have a good cry, I'm going to tell my husband that I am "in detox".)

Pump and Dump.

I am finally catching up on my DVR backlog and just watched a recent episode of "Notes from the Underbelly". I am not crazy about this show, but it's nice to have a light, silly sitcom on the roster. I'll admit, part of the fun is mentally poking fun at the crazy misinformation this show dispenses. The episode I watched was the one where the 3 gals are going to go out and party - it was the new mom, the pregnant mom and the single gal. The new mom is concerned about leaving her newborn and the pregnant gal says "oh, you can just pump and dump so you'll be fine." While I doubt new mothers everywhere are depending on this silly sitcom as a reliable source for breastfeeding information, the line only served to further the myth that you must pump and dump when you've been drinking. Sure, if you get so smashed that you can't breastfeed for half a day, you might want to pump and dump as not to interrupt your supply and to relieve any engorgement, but pumping and dumping doesn't rid your system of the alcohol more quickly. Of course, I think I loathe the "You can't drink AT ALL" myth even worse. I like a nice glass of wine (a light Oregon Pinot Noir, pleaseohplease) or a Boulevard Wheat Beer with a slice of lemon in it. I'll freely admit it and I think it's sad when folks are so hard lined about clamping down on it. (Don't get me started on how my doctor thinks Americans are puritanical when it comes to alcohol even during pregnancy and that realistically, a glass of wine enjoyed over dinner isn't going to harm the baby.)

Anyway, Kelly Mom, per usual, has some great information on consuming alcohol while breastfeeding. I remember just after I had given birth to my son, one of my hardcore La Leche League friends was adamant that I could enjoy my glass of wine. As she put it "breastfeeding doesn't need to be ridiculously restrictive on you." And she's right.

Deported

First, I'd like to encourage you to read the comments from yesterday's post WIC-Friend or Foe? The comments highlighted some very important points about the problems with folks abusing the WIC system. Another commenter pointed out that many of the areas within the WIC program DO provide breastpumps and do encourage breastfeeding. I grew up in two very small Kansas towns and yes, I've seen abuses of the program as well. Overall, I have very conflicted, yet cynical feelings about most such programs because often there is little incentive for someone to enable themselves once they start getting benefits. In particular it is difficult when living on government assistance becomes a multi-generational situation and the result is that the 2nd generation doesn't really know any different kind of life. I wasn't sure I wanted to bring that up in my original post, but yes, I've seen clear cases myself where the program has been abused and where clearly some women are just along for the free ride and the government cheese.

Okay - today's article --- it's stories such as this one in the Guardian that burn me. Seriously. Basically, what happened is that a breastfeeding Ugandan mother in the UK is being detained separately from her children (a 4 week old and a one year old, respectively). We've had some similar issues in our own country as well with separating deportees who are breastfeeding their children - what complicates this UK case is that there appears to have been some mental issues with the mother. While I understand that detainees and children maybe can't be kept together, I think it is unconscionable that a breastfeeding mother wouldn't be allowed access to even a breast pump in order to keep her milk supply going for when she is reunited with her child. Despicable.

WIC - Friend or Foe?

First, I'd like to point out that I loved, LOVED my hospital. I had a great experience there, the room was comfy, it had all sorts of amenities (stereo, whirlpool, etc) and the bed was a queen sized REGULAR bed. I just didn't care for the food so much. I discovered just mere hours before checking out that there was a "pantry" stocked full of yogurts, cookies, and all sorts of goodies. I had sent my husband back there for milk, but he neglected to tell me about all the goodies. Lesson learned and I will definitely be venturing there this next time around.

Second, I realize I am covering a lot of news and articles around here. When I signed up to do this, I was a bit worried that I haven't actually started breastfeeding again yet - what the heck would I talk about?? So far, I've had plenty to talk about, but I hope folks don't think that I will just be posting news and articles all the time. After Anjali is born, my goal is to do a 2-3 week Daily BoobLog to document those first few weeks and then from there, my breasts can take center stage (sorta). I've noticed even with my son, that I already have the tendency to say "oh, the first few weeks were a hard, but then it was a piece of cake!" I'd like to document exactly just how hard it can be - my hope is that if a new mom comes across this site, she can see some realistic breastfeeding experiences and not feel so alone if she doesn't have a support group, close friend or family member that she can turn to. I did have a support group, close friend and family member to turn to, so this is my small way to try and pay it forward.

Okay, moving on to today's article. I am a little shocked by audacity of this one where the author states that WIC funding for formula should be ended. I sorta see their premise on a high level. But. BUT. It could be argued that breastfeeding for working mothers is a privilege (my understanding is that a lot of WIC mothers ARE working, but are financially strapped). First, you need to have a job that is conducive to pumping - many lower paying jobs (I'm thinking retail and production line) would not be conducive to pumping. Every gal I've known who has pumped at work has had a difficult time fitting it into their schedule - professionals and non-professionals alike. I can't imagine how much harder it would be for a lower level worker to push the pumping issue, particularly if they feel their job is insecure anyway. Second, the equipment needed for pumping is often expensive. I bought a cheap electric pump myself and it did not go well with the expressing because the pump was crap. Yes, I realize that overall, formula would be more expensive than pumping, but when a gal is already strapped for cash, she may be hesitant to fork over the big bucks for a pump when she's not sure how long she will even get to breastfeed. I am not financially struggling, but was hesitant myself to pay even the $50 for an electric pump at a time when I wasn't even sure how it was going to go yet. I did buy the pump, but I had the luxury to take that gamble. So, I can't say that I would support a measure that would take formula out of the WIC program. However, I would totally support something within the WIC program that allowed coupons/stipends towards breastfeeding paraphernalia - say, towards a pump, nursing pads, etc..

Symbols are Symbolic for a Reason

Since I am a suburbanite desperately seeking Crunchity Granola’d Enlightenment, I like to read Mothering Magazine. Awhile back, I read an excellent article on how images of bottlefeeding and bottles are prevalent in our mainstream collective – media, entertainment, – hell’s bells….. even down to baby gift wrapping paper. After reading that article, I became increasingly aware of how bottles are always shown as THE method for feeding a baby, but rarely, RARELY is breastfeeding shown. I was mildly shocked and impressed a few weeks back when Notes From the Underbelly, a network show, showed a woman breastfeeding (The Sopranos has shown breastfeeding on HBO, but seriously – did anyone even notice amidst all the footage set within the Bada Bing anyway??) What saddens me is that in my son’s myriad of books, not one single image of breastfeeding is shown. I always just skip over the baby bottles because he doesn’t know what that is for – he would rarely take one and even then, only under duress of starving. Even on Sesame Street, the venerable classic of children’s television programming, I have yet to see any breastfeeding. Why?

Anyway, I can’t find that Mothering article now, but within the article there was a call to the public to come up with a logo for breastfeeding. I recently ran across the winning logo of the contest and seriously – that symbol is AWESOME.

Randomly Specific

Water
Breastfeeding 1-2-3 has an excellent post on water consumption! For example, I didn't know that if you consume too much water it can actually decrease your supply. I remember being CRAZY thirsty in the first few months and definitely believe in the "drink to thirst" methodology. My first few months found me dragging water wherever I went and part of my nighttime routine included carefully putting together a pitcher of ice water for during the night.

Testimonial
I came across this Australian site that has gathered some personal experiences surrounding breastfeeding. The site includes interviews of 49 women and 2 men. I haven't gotten to dig around it much, but can't wait to read it. I am working on a little project of my own where I want to interview a variety of women from across the decades starting with my grandma who breastfed in the mid 1940s and probably ending with my step-mom who nursed in the mid 1980s. I am compiling my interview questions now and if there is anything in particular that any of you would like me to ask, let me know!

Random Unsolicited Advice
I love, LOVE my doctor. I don't always agree with her, but I always take her opinion into serious advisement before making decisions (I'm talking general babycare/lifestyle advice here). I've been concerned about my son being jealous while I am nursing my daughter and asked her a good way to handle that. I've seen that a new mother nursing her child can create a hot spot for the older child because he/she knows that "mom is busy" and now is a good time to act up while her hands are full. My doctor's advice was to have a basket of special toys for the older child that are only brought out while nursing. What an excellent idea coming from a mother of 4, tightly spaced children! I'm due in 8 weeks, so over the next few weeks, I am going to put together a few small baskets of some new toys and will mix in some old ones so we don't break the budget. I thought I'd pass that idea along because I am not sure I would have come up with that one on my own in my current weakened mental state that I refer to as "pregnancy brain".

Crunchy

While this is not specifically related to breastfeeding, it IS related to lifestyle and nutrition. I guess it could be argued that you need a positive lifestyle with good nutrition to foster healthy breastfeeding, eh? Therefore, when I saw the site, Healthy Child, Healthy World, I got pretty excited. In addition to this article about toxins and breastfeeding by Isabel Kallman of Alphamom, there are also loads of great tips for nutrition and living green in this site. Anyway, I can't claim to be Granola, rather I probably fall in category of Wannabe. I still enjoyed this site - check it out!

Randomly Specific

1. Remedies
The main purpose of the previous post was to just point out different solutions. I know so many gals that used lanolin and it worked for them, but I also know so many gals for whom lanolin did not work. I've also heard that skin tone can made a big, big difference (i.e. fair, light-skinned gals may have a harder time initially). My primary complaint is that I wish the gel pads were offered on par with lanolin. I just came across a poll that listed "best gifts for nursing mothers" and gel pads weren't even an option. I will be curious if I get cracked nipples this time around now that I will be going with Soothies from the very beginning - I'll definitely report back!

2. Support groups
I came across this article about a group of local women in Canada who have banded together to provide even phone support for new mothers. The article brought tears to my eyes, but perhaps that was merely the pregnancy hormones kicking into high gear. When I was a new mother, I knew I was very fortunate to have such a good support group at my hospital AND my sister on speed dial (#5, Home Phone and #9, Cell Phone!). Since I was so grateful for the superb support that I received, I made an extra effort to continue attending the support group at my hospital long after I really needed it. I am hoping to be able to do so again this time around and am even trying to get a day school slot for my son on the day the group meets so that I won't be dragging a 20 month old around all those newborns (new moms are a nervous bunch and sometimes don't appreciate a toddler's "gentle" touch to their baby's oh-so-precious soft spot. I don't blame them, either!). I think it is undisputed that La Leche League is unparalleled in what they have achieved in promoting breastfeeding and supporting new mothers. However, many mothers are very intimidated by the group and are hesitant to attend meetings. Yes, this is sad and I think some of the radical reputation attributed to LLL is unfounded and undeserved. Regardless, it remains a fact that many new mothers aren't attending LLL meetings and in that vein, I get excited whenever I see alternative options for new mothers.

3. Massachusetts Gets a Clue?
I was very excited to see that Massachusetts is mulling a breastfeeding law! This is personal to me, actually. My husband started a new business a few months ago and for a variety of reasons it is currently based out of the Boston area. If this new business takes off, there is a very likely possibility that we will move to that area next year. Anyway, my breastfeeding experiences in Boston have all been positive, but it would still be nice to see a law out there.

4. Not Quite Sure I Want to Celebrate THIS Celebrity
I saw this bit from Larry the Cable Guy and he is discussing his take on his son's apparent unappreciative nature towards breastfeeding. It IS funny and I do think the Blue Collar Comedy Tour guys are pretty entertaining. Still....

Working Smarter

Yesterday, the Oregon Senate passed a law to support breastfeeding in the workplace. In short, the bill "The bill requires employers of 25 or more employees to provide a mother unpaid time and a private place to express milk every four hours during the work day." The bill does provide an exception for the business if an undue hardship would be placed upon the business. This law now brings the number of states that have laws regarding nursing mothers in the workplace to 13! Kudos to Oregon!

I cannot speak to personal experience with juggling the workplace and breastfeeding needs, other than as a sideline observer. It always horrified me when mothers had to pump in the restroom, though. That was just wrong - I knew that much. I worked for employers that seemed generally supportive of it. However, in my observations, it wasn't the employers who were the problem, but rather, the employees. Over the years, time and time again, I have seen working mothers go back to work and get sucked into a maelstrom of meetings and projects. I've seen mothers attempt to schedule consistent time frames for pumping only to have co-workers schedule a meeting knowing there was a conflict (a common practice for everyone at a particular Giant Corporate Telecom in the Kansas City area). Part of this is simply logistics - when you are trying to assemble a meeting of 6 or more folks, sometimes, the person scheduling the meeting has to go with the time slot that works for the majority of the folks.

I think the most common lack of knowledge amongst the coworkers is that they don't understand that a mother HAS to pump on a fairly consistent schedule or her milk supply may suffer (I've had this similar misunderstanding on the part of non-breastfeeding friends who didn't understand that because of engorgement it is physically painful for me to be away from my child for 4 hours - even when my son was past newborn stage.) The general rule of thumb seems to be that for every feeding your child has while away from you, there needs to be a pumping. Sure, a mother has some flexibility with this and could pump in the evening or early hours before she goes to work, but regardless, there would need to be a least a pumping or two during work hours.

Hopefully, laws such as the one Oregon just passed will continue to be the norm and there will be more education and understanding on the part of employers AND employees. Besides, in all my years of working, I never, ever knew a cigarette smoker to go without their nicotine fix. Surely, time can be carved out for nursing mothers.

The Law

While browsing about the Blue Nowhere this weekend, I found the National Conference of State Legislatures site that provides a concise summary of state laws regarding breastfeeding. Awesome.

I mentioned it before, but what is particularly disturbing about many of these recent cases where mothers are being to leave public places while breastfeeding is that they are in states that have laws to protect them! Why are mothers still being asked to leave? Is there something a mother can do? Therefore, I took it upon myself to call my local police department to discuss the best approach for dealing with a situation where a mother is illegally asked to leave a public place while nursing her child. Kansas law is pretty specific - it allows a woman to breastfeed in "any place she has a right to be." The police officer was very helpful and said the obvious - many folks are simply not aware of what the law allows. His recommendation was to carry a copy of the statute. If I were ever asked to leave a place where I "have a right to be", he recommended presenting a copy of the statute to the person. I do have a convenient card for this purpose, so it was reassuring to know that I am on the right track. It's a shame that it would come down to this, but I think his advice was correct. Furthermore, if this ever happens to me and if the person asking me to leave persists even after I show him/her the card, I guess I will then politely invite them to call the police.

Immunity: Back up for grabs

One of the things I miss most about nursing my son is the whole “immunity thing”. While I was breastfeeding, he didn’t get sick once. If my husband or I got a cold, my son would maybe get a little bit of the sniffles for a day, but he would quickly bounce back while we continued to suffer. Despite the fact that I was staying home with him, we certainly weren’t living in a bubble – besides the normal rounds of playdates and such, my son and I were traveling quite a bit via airplanes. Furthermore, my husband was traveling twice as much. So yeah, my kid may not have been in daycare, but he has been exposed to plenty of germs.

I think one of the greatest misconceptions about breastfeeding and immunity is that much of the literature surrounding breastfeeding leads new mothers to think that breastfeeding is a Get Out of Jail Free card when it comes to illness. Of course, nursing your baby goes a long way in protecting your child, but it doesn’t mean your child will never, ever get sick. Particularly, it is very possible your child will get sick if he/she is going to a place where he/she will be exposed to germs that you yourself are not exposed to. For example, I’ll be curious as to how often my daughter ends up getting sick because my son is trotting off to nursery school this fall and will surely be “contributing” lots of fun stuff to our house besides colorful artwork.

I’ve heard many working mothers bitterly complain about the fact that their child is still getting sick even though they are breastfeeding. I would caution a breastfeeding mother from giving up because while you are still nursing, your child will at least get sick less often. And that still counts for something, right?

Confession

I've been very humbled by all the nice comments this week regarding my supposed "open-mindedness" and "non-judgmental" posts. Thank you - I am really excited by the variety and diversity of the comments I've gotten so far! Unfortunately, I can't claim to not be critical, although I do try to not be critical. And it's hard. Back in my cushy days of Armchair Parenting, before I actually had a child myself, I had lots of opinions. LOADS of 'em. And as such, I merrily dispensed advice to my friends as they had children. Co-sleeping was for the devil! Children should be weaned at 12 months - sharp! Ferber ruled! Formula was poison! Love and Logic was LOGICAL! Children should always obey their parents - don't give in! Then, I had a child myself and had to totally rethink EVERYTHING. And I'm still rethinking it and am basically flying by the seat of my pants now.

Sometimes, I am downright embarrassed when I recall some of the past comments I made regarding parenting and in particular, breastfeeding. I guess the upside is that apparently, I DO have the ability to admit when I was wrong and am capable of change. And that should stand for something. Maybe. Perhaps. Hopefully.

A few weeks back, while discussing our daughter-to-be, my husband said "Well, at least this time around we'll know what to do." I just chuckled to myself and let him smoke away on his little pipe dream all the while knowing that our daughter will probably throw just as many curve balls at us as our son did.