Happy World Breastfeeding Week from Kaitlin Rose of Bring Birth Home.

I am celebrating World Breastfeeding Week by tandem-nursing my 2.5 year old and 1 month old. For more breastfeeding information and inspiration on BBH, visit our section dedicated to the subject here: Breastfeeding on BBH

How are you celebrating? Leave a comment below!

Breastfeeding two children has been pretty amazing.

Ella had been nursing strong while I was pregnant, but within the first two months, I began producing far less milk. She continued to breastfeed nonetheless, and in turn began eating more solid foods.

We discussed sharing milk with the baby. Ella understood one “mum-mum” was for her, and the other would be for her baby brother or sister. I’m pleased to share the results of this conversation held true to plan.

When Lucan was born, Ella nursed more than ever.

First tandem nurse!

She helped my milk come in so fast! Lucan gained near to a pound in a week. And he wasn’t the only one gaining weight.

Ella was never a big eater, and rather picky about the foods she chose to put down. Since drinking more of my highly nutritious back-in-supply breast milk, Ella has gained much more weight. She has cut back eating solid foods almost entirely, but is obviously thriving. The wonders of mother’s milk!

Are you a tandem nurser? How has your experience been? Please share in the comments below!

book review by Cindy Lerner

If there was one single book that I wish I had read before having my first child it would be The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.

Not only does this book cover
breastfeeding, it will guide expecting moms in how to prepare for breastfeeding, how to…

get the proper support, what role birth plays in your breastfeeding relationship, what to expect in each stage of the baby’s development, sleeping, weaning, solid foods, solutions for working moms, pumping, and special situations (multiples, preemies, etc).

Overall, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding can be described as:

a comprehensive guide to being a mother while supporting each mother’s individual choices and encouraging her to continue with breastfeeding in all circumstances.

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (La Leche League International Book) is so much more than a book about how, when or why one should breastfeed.

It holds the encouraging words that every mother needs to read over and over again.

Whether you get ideas and information from our book, from research, or from talking to other mothers, you know yourself, your baby and your family better than anyone else. Just as mothers always have.

a guest post by Sarah Mahar

I never set out to be an attachment parent.

My husband and I simply decided to follow our instincts about parenting instead of trying to be “textbook” parents.

There are many things that have surprised me about parenting. Some have been minimal surprises, while others are things I never would have predicted. One such surprise has been my journey into extended breastfeeding.

Whenever I thought about motherhood, I always knew I would breastfeed my babies.

During pregnancy I did some reading and research about breastfeeding basics, but nothing extensive. When my daughter was born, she had trouble latching because my nipples were fairly flat. After a stressful night where she wailed because she was hungry and I did everything I knew how to do (which wasn’t much) the lactation consultant at the hospital suggested I use a contact nipple shield.

Suddenly my baby loved nursing and she chubbed right up.

We used the shield for 3 months until I decided that it was time to ditch the shield and learn how to nurse together without “interference.” Ditch it we did—and never looked back.

Some moms have a date in mind for when they will wean their babies.

I never really thought about it much—mostly because the thought of weaning filled me with dread.

I loved nursing my little girl. Why would I want to give that up? I kept pushing the thought of weaning off. Eventually I learned about baby-led weaning and it resonated with me. My beloved girl could decide when she was ready to move on from nursing without the trauma that weaning might cause for either of us.

I made the decision to follow my daughter’s lead in the weaning process when she was 8 months old.

She is now a few months shy of three—and still nursing joyfully. I would not trade any of our nursing time together for all the money in the world. Besides the joy that it brings both of us, her continued breastfeeding has had its distinct moments of glory.

When she had a serious infection and refused to eat or drink anything, I’m positive that breastfeeding kept her out of the hospital. If she hadn’t been nursing, she surely would have become dehydrated. There are also the many times that she has hurt herself (being the adventurous soul that she is) and nursing has quickly soothed and calmed her. When she is tired or cranky or sad or hurt, breastfeeding makes the world right again for her.

We have also in the last year added a new element to our breastfeeding relationship.

I found out that I was pregnant (with a son!) last February.

My daughter was nowhere near ready to give up nursing, so we plunged ahead into the new uncharted world of tandem nursing. Tandeming has had its ups and downs, and every day is a new adventure. But every time I look into the eyes of one of my darling nurslings, I know that breastfeeding is one of the most precious gifts that we can give each other.

Extended (and tandem) breastfeeding may not be for everyone, but I love every minute of it and I know that my children do too.

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I am a SAHM to two amazing kids. I am passionate about education parents about their choices in pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. Both of my children were born naturally; the first in a wonderful hospital environment and the second at home in the water. I seek to learn more about my children and myself every day in order to be a better mother, wife, and human being.

Breastfeeding is amazing.

There’s nothing else quite like it in the mother-baby relationship.

It’s nutrition, protection, warmth, bonding, comfort and love all wrapped up in one simple act.

To think of all the wonderful things a mother can give her child just by feeding from the breast, it’s staggering the kinds of benefits that can be reaped from such a thing.

Breastfeeding takes on a far bigger task than just filling a baby’s belly. It contributes greatly to neurological, immunological, digestive and social development. Just by sucking on the nipple, a baby receives a major boost to her overall health, before any milk ever gets in the mouth.

Breastfeeding is a go-to for any problem a baby might have.

Nighttime fussiness, teething, illness, injury, emotional distress and a lot of other things can be soothed by simply nursing.

And while breastfeeding might come with a special set of issues, the amount of convenience it provides can make up for it. Sleeping longer, staying snuggled up warm with baby when it’s cold out, no exorbitant expenses, nothing to clean, no worrying about fetching a bottle or warming a bottle up, less air bubbles in baby’s tummy and less tummy upset overall too!

As long as baby is with mama, there’s no worrying about how to feed. Breastfeeding really is amazing.

I don’t breastfeed.

On October 4th of this year, I had a baby girl and she has never been breastfed.

The exact reasons as to why are unimportant. This isn’t about what happened or what I should have done or still be doing. For now, I have made the choice to pump my milk, though I also suffer from low milk supply. The keyword here is that I suffer from it.

I suffer from not breastfeeding.

At the start of my pregnancy, I set my goal for a year.

At 6 months though, I would wean to a bottle and pump. As time went on and I learned more about breastfeeding, I ended my pregnancy with visions of breastfeeding a toddler, her happily nursing away for two, maybe three years, maybe even more.

I was in love with the idea of nursing.

By the time my baby girl reached a week old, she still hadn’t latched.

We both spent hours upon hours crying.

It took me a while to admit, but I finally came to terms with the fact that I had postpartum depression and it was almost entirely related to my failure to breastfeed.

While no one was telling me I had failed, I believed it was my failure. And every time she drank from a bottle, it tore me up inside. It killed me that I wanted so badly to breastfeed and couldn’t, but there are so many women out there who think nothing of breastfeeding and could do it with little effort.

Everything about it was heartbreaking and I became embarrassed by it, ashamed that I couldn’t feed her from the breast.

I was afraid to be seen in public using a bottle, couldn’t bear the idea of being seen as one of those mothers.

But that was a horrible attitude to have. What if one of those mothers were just like me? What if they were just as distraught about bottle feeding as I was? Why did it even matter?

After realizing I was in a very deep pit that only I could haul myself out of, I sought out help from the internet and was blessed to find MOBI, an online support group for women with breastfeeding problems, many of whom don’t breastfeed at all.

It was then that I knew
for certain that not breastfeeding my baby wasn’t the end of the world.

It was also then that I found out just how common it is for women to not be able to breastfeed. It was then that I knew I was very far from being alone and there were women out there taking it even harder than me.

A few things became abundantly clear: sometimes, no matter how hard you try, how long you try for, how much help and support you get, how many tools and tricks you utilize, it just doesn’t work out.

It is not the end of the world.

Motherhood is not defined by any one act and the more important thing every mother can give her baby is love.

For me and my baby girl, the mantra is “Mother is best,” not the breast.

Every time I pump my milk, I’m pouring my heart out for her, giving every bit of my love not because it’s my milk, but because it is all the effort, time and pain I go through for her. The simple fact that I want to give her the best is enough to declare that I am not a failure as a mother.

Giving your all to your baby is all it takes to be a good mother, regardless of whether or not your parenting plans work out.

Maybe you have severe back problems and can’t wear your baby in a sling. Maybe you have a sleep disorder and can’t snuggle with her at night. Maybe you just don’t have the time and patience to dedicate to elimination communication. Or the one many women can relate to: despite all of the work and research you put into having a natural birth, you ended up with a c-section or heavily intervened birth. Sometimes, things just don’t work out and it really is ok.

There are so many other things you can give your baby every day that more than make up for any perceived shortcoming by not having those things work out as planned.

Giving her love, affection and attention, cuddling and rocking her to sleep, singing and dancing with her when she fusses, playing silly games with your fingers and face to make her smile; these are all things that comprise a wonderful mother.

If you’re pregnant now, just had a baby or trying for one, always remember to give yourself a break. It’s great to plan for things, but reality doesn’t always work out how you want it to.

In the end giving your baby the best in life is all about loving her. Nothing can beat that.

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My name is Cassandra. I’m a SAHM with an October baby. My husband and I were both raised in traditional American environments, but after a lot of research during pregnancy, found ourselves drawn to the attachment parenting and holistic lifestyle. We love learning and growing as first time parents right along with our wonderful baby girl.

Whenever I have a question or need advice, I go straight to the Bring Birth Home community.

On the BBH Facebook page, there are over 4,500 experienced friends and fans, ready and willing to share their experiences.

The only problem with all this great advice being on Facebook is it can easily get lost in the feed, never to be found again!

Which is why I took the time to track down a few of those precious questions so you can read the tremendous advice these women (and men) had to give.

Aren’t a fan of Bring Birth Home on Facebook yet? Become a fan!

(Click on the titles below to be taken to the answers)

Did you get enough help after giving birth?

Did you have older children at your home birth? What did you do to prepare them for the birth? How did that work out?

How did you *know* you wanted to hire your midwife?

What do you wish you would have known or could have been more prepared for before giving birth at home for the first time?

Bring Birth Home on Facebook is a great way to find like-minded mamas to talk to, connect with and gain insights from.

Feel free to ask them your questions. It can be hard to find support for your “off the wall” choices – that is what the BBH community is for!