We Can Do It

By: Christina Rushing

Our version of, "We Can Do It!" This is for all of you past and present breastfeeding mothers out there who have been shamed by others, looked down upon, or have fed your baby in the bathroom or car because feeding your baby naturally was frowned upon. Never be ashamed of giving your baby the best nutrients possible!! Cover up if that's your preference, but for those who degrade or are rude. I have a newsflash for ignorant people!

Breastfeeding has been invented since the beginning of time. Breasts were created specifically to produce milk for your child(ren). It is society who have sexualized them. It's the most natural and best thing you can do for your baby. The nutrients, antibodies, live cells, comfort, bonding, etc. The benefits go on and on. 

And the awesome facts are out of this world unreal! You're sustaining another being's life after creating and growing that life inside of you for 9 months! (More or less depending on the case.) Did you know that while breastfeeding, a little bit of saliva from baby's mouth enters through the nipple and sends a message to produce more colostrum (which carries more antibodies) if your baby is sick! How cool is that? Your milk is constantly just being produced! It's just all around awesome. One of the many wonderful miracles of life. Breastfeeding may not work for every mother, but I'm so glad and thankful that I am able to give my daughter the best nutrients I possibly can. 

I'm also blessed to have a husband, John, who supports me 100%, and an amazing family who understands and supports us. 
With Raydyn, my now 5 year old, I was only able to pump due to his size (1 lb 6oz) being in the NICU and I only lasted 3 months. As much as it helped him, I really wish I could've continued to produce milk until he was at least one. But I dried up due to the wrong birth control pill being prescribed to me. I took prolactin, made lactation cookies, pumped every two hours through the night to get my milk production back, and every wives tale I could find... But nothing worked after 3 months. 

Anyway, all in all, we do what we can for our children whether we formula feed, breastfeed, bottlefeed, co-sleep, use disposable or cloth diapers, etc. smile emoticon If your child is surviving and thriving, good deal! That's all that matters!!

But I will say this fellow BFMs. If we don't stand up and advocate for ourselves, who will? 

Also, DON'T GIVE UP! There have been so many times I felt ready to throw in the towel. Whether it was because it was hard to take that much time away from my other child, but we got around that. We become Multitasking Queens! Or if it was because she was snacking every hour on the hour, but still colicy and fussy. We got through it. And I know there will be more hard times. When she starts solid foods, when her teeth come in, when I have to go back to work, etc. There will be times in the middle of the sleepless night you will just wonder what the heck you're doing and question everything. And then, saving your mind, you look down at your baby and realize that smile, that precious look of happiness and calmness that spreads across their face and radiates like the sun, is worth every single second of chaos.

-A few of my favorite breastfeeding quotes:

“This baby needs my milk; Not your approval.” 

“It’s not about my right to breastfeed, it’s about my child’s right to eat.”

"I'll feed my baby her meal in the bathroom, as soon as you go to the bathroom to eat your meal as well."

“If my breastfeeding offends you, feel free to put a blanket over YOUR head!”

“Breastfeeding is the best diet. I want to eat healthy for her, so it’s easy to say no to pizza.” Nancy O’Dell

“A newborn baby has only three demands. They are warmth in the arms of its mother, food from her breasts, and security in the knowledge of her presence. Breastfeeding satisfies all three.” Grantly Dick-Read

“When an actress takes off her clothes onscreen but a nursing mother is told to leave, what message do we send about the roles of women? In some ways we’re as committed to the old madonna-whore dichotomy as ever. And the madonna stays home, feeding the baby behind the blinds, a vestige of those days when for a lady to venture out was a flagrant act of public exposure.” Anna Quindlen

“Normalize breastfeeding. Nurse in public.”

“Breastfeeding is a mother’s gift to herself, her baby and the earth.”

Breastfeeding Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts

By: Kristy Kemp 

There seems to be a lot of confusion on what breastfeeding mamas need to hear and see more of and what they need to hear and see less of.

So I asked my community of 670,000 mamas what they would like for family & friends not to do and what they would like for them to do to be more supportive about breastfeeding...

Do's

1.) Please just believe me when I tell you my baby is hungry. I know her best, and crying is a late hunger sign.. not the only one..

2.) Bring me water and talk to me about adult things! Not about my boobs! And remember that I am listening, even if I am staring at the baby struggling to latch on.

3.) If you see a mom breastfeeding in public, tell her she rocks. Chances are she needs to hear it, and it will make her day.

4.) My mom always told me "Just keep going. The pain will go away!" I'm so thankful for my mom encouraging me through the horrible pain in the beginning. We did it together. The pain left and breastfeeding lasted for over a year.

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5.) My husband will burp the baby and hold him and comfort him when I need a break. My baby is a month old and will nurse all day long so it's nice to be able to walk around the house and do things for myself.

6.) I loved it when my breastfeeding was a non-issue. Like everyone went about our conversation like nothing was different. Normalizing breastfeeding at its finest.

7.) Feed me!! Rub my feet. Rub my shoulders, take care of me so I can take care our little one, make me feel like I am not doing this alone!

Don'ts

1.) Don't suggest I go to another room to breastfeed in my own home. If you don't like it, don't come over.

2.) Don't suggest I supplement at night because I look exhausted. I haven't slept through the night in 13+ years, that's why I look exhausted. Supplementing won't help ME sleep.

3.) Don't ask me when I plan on weaning.

4.) When someone is feeding their child, try not to make lots of abrupt or loud sounds that distract the baby because Niplash does not feel good!

5.) Stop questioning if she's eaten enough when she is just cluster feeding before she sleeps for the night.

6.) Leave my baby alone while breastfeeding, it is our moment, our bond.

The Milky Way Movie

By: Kristy Kemp 

I just had the wonderful opportunity of viewing The Milky Way movie. As described directly from their website- The Milky Way is a documentary exposé about breastfeeding in the United States. We show how women can reclaim their birthright and restore the nursing mother archetype. More than a breastfeeding promotion film, this is a film by, for, and about women. It is about the knowledge that inherently resides in every woman, how to access that knowledge and how to trust what we already know. It is a film that inspires women to say, “I can do that!” “I want to do that!”

*SPOILER ALERT*

Let me start off by saying that I started the documentary in tears and I ended it in tears. The documentary really gets to the root of where we as a society went wrong with breastfeeding and why breastfeeding became so taboo. It shows how much pull formula companies have over hospitals and just how negatively manipulative formula marketing effects breastfeeding. People like to argue that one has absolutely nothing to do with the other, but that couldn't be further away from the truth. The truth is that formula is a business and breastfeeding is not. There is money to be made with marketing formula. 

They stress how beneficial breastfeeding is. I learned only 15% of babies in the USA are exclusively breastfed at the age of 6 months. One of the lowest rates in the world. They explain how natural breastfeeding is and how babies are born and when placed on mom can root their way to breast to nurse. Yet nowadays we have seemed to complicate what should be such a natural thing. 

They go through the beginning of when formula was first manufactured and they also dabble into how breasts became viewed more as sexual objects. 

Above is an example of one of the first formula ads they put out. By the late 1950's prodominant attitudes was that breastfeeding was disgusting and for the uneducated and lower classes. Doctors openly discouraged it & so the stigma began! 

The Milky Way Movie is a must watch for sure! It opened my eyes to where the root of society's mindset changed and how we can fix it! 

If you have Amazon Prime you can watch it FREE here- http://amzn.to/1EOZQja

Watch The Milky Way on Itunes here - http://apple.co/1DootAl

8 Reasons Why Breastfeeding A Toddler Is Hilarious

By: Christine Leeb

Let's be REAL--breastfeeding is hard. I would say it "sucks" but I just learned from google that apparently that's not as original as I thought it was. Regardless, it's hard, and it took three kids and three different breastfeeding experiences to finally figure out how to do it.

Kid #1: I had no idea what I was doing. It was awful. Painful. I thought "Why the heck do moms do this to themselves?" Sore nipples. Cracked nipples. Bleeding nipples. Horrible let-down pain, and don't even get me started on how violating the breast pump is! Holy suction. Nothing would satisfy my son at all. He would nurse on one side for 15 minutes. Then the other for 15 minutes. Then he would scream his head off until I gave him a bottle to chug down. Nurse...nurse...bottle. Nurse...nurse...bottle. I was done. Just six weeks later...formula it is!

Kid #2: I had a better idea what I was doing. I had encouragement from lactation specialists and a dear friend. It was still awful. Painful. I thought "I can do this. I can do this. I can do this." I was determined to make it through the sore nipples. Cracked nipples. Bleeding nipples. And even the horrible let-down pain. I endured mastitis infection after mastitis infection and even a milk bleb---seriously, no one had ever even heard of a milk bleb. The breast-pump became my best friend...though still incredibly violating. And formula was needed to hold her over until my infections were gone. I endured for 11 months and then she quit...cold turkey. I was grief-stricken. I didn't get to prepare for the end. There was no "last one". I wasn't ready. Though it was not the best breastfeeding experience, I felt so blessed to have made it so far. But deep down, I knew I would get to try again. And I did...

Kid #3: I knew exactly what I was doing. I was ready. The pain? Not so terrible. Sore nipples? Cracked nipples? No problem. Went away quickly. Horrible let down pain but was able to manage. The breast-pump was rarely, if ever, used. This kid never saw a bottle. He breastfed like a champ!

My husband captured the beauty of finally having a positive breastfeeding experience!

It was amazing. Finally, a great breastfeeding experience! Because it was so great and because he was my last, I told my husband that I was going to let him breastfeed as long as he wanted--to my husband's horror. I assured everyone who was apparently horrified by my ambitiousness that I would definitely cut him off before he went to school. I think they were all picturing him going through the lunch line and when the lunch lady asked if he wanted milk, he would say "No, thank you. I get my milk from my mommy" and then run home for his lunch-time feeding or something.

At one year...still going strong. At 18 months...no slowing down here. Every morning. Every afternoon before nap. And every night at bedtime, he would nurse. I was starting to wonder if he would have to run home from school to nurse.

Finally, on his second birthday, we snuggled in my bed after he woke up for our morning nursing ritual. He nursed from side to side to side to side to side to side for over an hour. It was as if he knew it was his last time, and so did I.

We were both ready. And then weeks later, he caught a little cold and asked to nurse, but by this time it had been so long, my milk was gone. And so I had to deliver the bad news. His reply? With a sad, weepy, voice..."Can I try?"

Oh man, buddy. You're killing me. But I had to tell him the truth and the truth was that it was gone. It was a sad moment for both of us, but I'm so grateful for the experience I had with him. And because he was the only child I was able to nurse until he was a toddler, I was able to create this list...

1. They can talk to you while nursing.

Seriously, a mouth full of boob and he would still try to carry on a conversation with me.

2. They giggle.

I'm not sure what was always so funny, but he would just giggle and giggle...again with the boob in his mouth.

3. They tickle you on purpose.

He would tickle my sides and even try to tickle my other nipple.

4. They can tell you what your milk tastes like.

When I asked him what my milk tasted like, he said, "Mmmmm...good!" Another time, he said, "Like soup."

5. They can change sides on their own.

While lying on the bed, he would just roll back and forth across my belly and switch sides whenever he was ready...sometimes over and over and over...while I was still sleeping.

6. When they see your breasts during a non-breast-feeding time, they recognize them and their purpose.

My son never named my breasts like some kids do, but he would point at them and say, "Mmmm...momma's milk." or "Mmmm...soup.

7. Switching them to the other side takes the "Umph" sound.

When nursing him in his rocker at night, trying to switch him to the other side was like a swing-dancing move from Dancing with the Stars. Seriously, he was huge! Switching his giant body over to the other side took a lot of effort. His long legs...his huge feet...UMPH! Ta da!

8.They don't just lie there and nurse peacefully, they use you like a jungle gym.

I would be exhausted at the end of a nursing session. Seriously exhausted. He would move around. Change positions. Climb on me. Twist. Turn. Rotate. All while giggling, tickling me, and talking to me.

Breastfeeding my little guy for so long was a gift...an honor...a privilege...and hilarious. And even when he sucks the life out of me with his tantrums and strong-willed heart, I still reflect on our time together breastfeeding and the special bond we will always share. And even though I'm sad it's over, I'm relieved that he will get to buy his milk in the lunch line now. Whew!

Christine Leeb is known as the Real Mom and is the Founder of 4Real Moms. She encourages moms to be real and through speaking, writing, and coaching, she helps them be the best moms God created them to be. She is the author of In His Light: Facing Fear with Faith and her newest ebook Meal-Planning for the Mom Who Hates Meal-Planning. Along with loving her three kids, she enjoys garage sale-ing, chocolate eating, friendship keeping, book reading, family tickling, and husband dating. www.4realmoms.com

5 Ways Speaking Out Against Breastfeeding Discrimination Causes Change ...

By: Kristy Kemp 

Anytime breastfeeding discrimination makes it in the headlines I always seem to hear the same few arguments.

"It's not that hard to cover up. Had she just covered up everything would have been fine."

"Way to overreact. I mean did she really need to make such a big deal out of it? Now that business is going to get bad publicity. Not cool."

"Attention seeker just wanting her 15 minutes of fame."

Apparently people don't quite understand why breastfeeding moms feel so strongly about fighting back in such a public way. To be honest, most of the time they don't even set out to fight back publicly. For instance , they vent inside one of their local breastfeeding groups on Facebook, from there it gets shared on a public breastfeeding page like mine for instance, then boom it's now being shared all over the place with news reporters contacting me , wanting to get in touch with the mom in the story. I have encouraged quite a few breastfeeding moms to speak out because I feel it's a great opportunity for positive change and here is why...

1.) Brings awareness to the law that protects breastfeeding moms.

Many people, including businesses are not familiar with the law. It's sad we even need a law in the first place, but it was because of these incidences there needed to be something set in stone showing society that breastfeeding is here to stay whether or not you like it. Tell a mom to stop breastfeeding, go elsewhere, or cover herself they are infringing on her rights.

2.) Informing people that breastfeeding discrimination is a serious thing and will not be tolerated.

Many people do not understand how serious of an issue it is to even simply suggest to a mom that she should cover or go to a nursing room. That is a form of discrimination and just like it's serious to discriminate based on age or race, the same applies to how a mother feeds her baby. People need to understand that it is discrimination and it goes way bigger than just their opinion.

3.) Other business owners & corporations can take notice and ensure the same thing doesn't occur at their place of business.

No business wants bad publicity so when other businesses take notice as to the bad publicity that could occur had it been one of their employees involved in breastfeeding discrimination , they can set up the training as to exactly what their employees are to do if a situation involving a breastfeeding mom were to come up. For instance, many people do not think anything is wrong for suggesting that a mom breastfeed in a bathroom and without realizing suggest that's where a mom could go and that could cause a problem. Part of speaking out is showing society what is appropriate and what the common courtesy is for how a breastfeeding mom is treated because there is no rule book or guide. Employees need to be taught that if a customer complains to them about a mom breastfeeding they are to simply respond with, "She is well within her right to do so, my best advice is to move your location." Realize they should not even involve the breastfeeding mom at all because she is not the problem and she does not need to be burdened with it.

4.) It empowers other breastfeeding moms not to put up with breastfeeding discrimination and that it is okay to fight back, if need be.

Many moms think they are the one who should conform to what other people around them want to keep the peace and if they don't they are disrespectful or the ones in the wrong. It's simply not true. All breastfeeding moms should go into breastfeeding knowing that they are allowed to breastfeeding however they want and if the people around them do not like it , they do not need to concern themselves with it.

5.) Ensures that another breastfeeding mom won't encounter the same treatment at the establishment.

Most of the time it takes speaking out to get these businesses to understand how serious it is to mistreat a breastfeeding mom. A lot of the time she will ask for the manager and they seem to have no interest in helping to resolve the matter. I have seen places make some harsh statements about how they were not at fault and then after a few days of getting some education, they come back with a much different statement and in some cases a heartfelt apology. Now whether they honestly mean it , is irrelevant the fact is, they are letting the public know that they admit fault and that breastfeeding is welcome at their establishment in accordance to the law.

When a mom speaks out about breastfeeding she is not overreacting, the people who make a big deal out of how she is breastfeeding are the ones overreacting. She is not just trying to get her "15 minutes of fame" , really ? How absurd is that? What exactly is she gaining from getting her time in the spotlight? Moms don't wake up one day and think, "Hmmm I want everyone to notice me for being discriminated against." that is absurd. I've just listed five productive reasons as to why speaking out against breastfeeding discrimination is needed, so keep them in mind the next time you see breastfeeding discrimination in the headlines and wonder what good is it accomplishing.