Introduction
What Are Your Breastfeeding Goals?
Breastfeeding Benefits
Breastmilk: The Real Deal
Breastfeeding Techniques
Getting a Good Latch
Preventing Sore Nipples
Engorgement
Is My Baby Getting Enough?
Hindmilk & Foremilk
Introducing the Bottle
Growth Spurts
Breastfeeding Essentials
Conclusion

Simply Breastfeeding is about 1.5 hours long and each purchase comes with a downloadable workbook with reminders and tips–great for your hospital bag!

Breastfeeding doesn’t just come to you, it’s a learned skill–get help, take a class, talk to a lactation consultant. Watch this DVD! Seriously… I didn’t take a breastfeeding class, I didn’t read any books… I figured it would just come to me. I was wrong. Breastfeeding really is hard work! One of the hardest things I’ve done. If done incorrectly, it can cause a LOT of pain and damage to your breasts–not to mention lack of breastmilk to your baby! This DVD is my official go-to guide now. It talks about EVERYTHING you need to know. If I come up with a question, I forward to the right chapter, and wallah- problem solved. I HIGHLY recommend this DVD to every breastfeeding mom. I even saw the lactation consultant in person at my hospital and it was absolutely useless compared to this DVD. For real. (Not at all saying all lactation consultants will be this way–they are wonderful resources–just not in my experience).

Also, if you’re on the fence about breastfeeding and can’t decide if you should do it, this DVD will help you decide. It goes through benefits to you and to baby, setting goals and reaching them, and learning step by step.

You can buy Shari’s DVD for $29.99 or.. WIN here!

Mandatory first entry: Visit My Baby Experts and leave a comment telling me something you learned!

Extra Entries: Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry.

1 entry – follow me on twitter
1 entry – follow Shari on twitter
1 entry – tweet about this giveaway: “I want to win a Simply Breastfeeding DVD from @ShariCriso and @babydickey! http://bit.ly/98EY3i”  (can tweet once a day)
1 entry – add Shari as a friend on facebook
1 entry – sign up for My Baby Experts email list (right sidebar)
2 entries (leave 2 separate comments) – follow publicly with google friend connect (left sidebar)
1 entries – subscribe to this blog by RSS or email (top right of site)
1 entry – vote for us on Top Baby Blogs just by clicking this link (no other action needed, can be done once a day)
2 entries (leave 2 separate comments) – put my blog button on your site (AND, if you already have my button, update the code so it directs to my new URL)
3 entries (leave 3 separate comments) - blog about this giveaway, leave a link to it
1 entry – enter any of my other current giveaways (one entry per giveaway)

**Giveaway ends March 23rd 2010, at 11:59 pm CST. Random.org will be used to choose the winner who will have 48 hours to respond to my email before a new winner is chosen. Good luck!**

When it arrived, it made my eyes water a little! I can’t wait to hang it in his room. It’s 13.5 x 8″ and has a “raw look” by using an aging technique. You can request it in different colors too, but I stuck with the white and black classic look. It arrived quickly and was exactly how I imagined it… it looks great! And each sign is unique, with the “aging” effect a little different.

I love this sign so much, that I had to go back to her shop and BUY another one for my parents’ birthdays… my mom’s was this past Saturday and my dad’s was on Sunday. My mom started crying a little when she opened it – she loved it! This shop has lots of cute signs and I only wish I had seen it (or even heard of Etsy!) when I was planning my wedding! Here are some other signs I love (also great for a nursery!)

She also makes these really cute Tooth Fairy Baskets that come with a little pillow and charm that says “made with love.” How cute is that?! She even personalizes them for free. Once Ryan starts getting (and losing) teeth, I may have to get one of these. Such a great idea! And lucky for all of you, she’s offering my readers a DEAL!

If you go to her shop and buy one of these tooth fairy boxes, you’ll get it for only $20 (normally $24). That comes with free personalization. Good for this week only–offer will end when this giveaway does (March 22nd). So get over there and get yours now! *To get the discount, write in the comments section of your purchase that you’re a reader from Baby Dickey!* She’ll then send you an updated paypal request for the correct amount.

Want to WIN your own “I Love You To The Moon And Back” sign?! One lucky reader will win the same sign that I reviewed. Valued at $29!

Mandatory first entry: Visit My Primitive Boutique and tell me your favorite thing from her shop!

Extra Entries: Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry.

1 entry – follow me on twitter
1 entry – tweet about this giveaway: “I love someone to the moon and back & want to win a My Primitive Boutique sign from @babydickey! http://bit.ly/bVveA0”  (can tweet once a day)
2 entries – follow publicly with google friend connect (left sidebar)
1 entry (leave 2 separate comments) – subscribe to this blog by RSS or email (top right of site)
1 entry – vote for us on Top Baby Blogs just by clicking this link (no other action needed, can be done once a day)
2 entries (leave 2 separate comments) – put my blog button on your site (AND, if you already have my button, please update the code so it directs to my new domain name!)
3 entries (leave 3 separate comments) - blog about this giveaway, leave a link to it
1 entry – enter any of my other current giveaways (one entry per giveaway)
5 entries (leave 5 separate comments) – Purchase a Tooth Fairy Box (or anything else) from this Etsy shop and let me know what you bought!

**Giveaway ends March 22nd 2010, at 11:59 pm CST. Random.org will be used to choose the winner who will have 48 hours to respond to my email before a new winner is chosen. Good luck!**

I’m getting better though… I took him to Borders yesterday because I’ve been meaning to buy The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears for 2 weeks now. I just carried his car seat in and set it down while I was looking for the book. I also ended up getting The Essential C-Section Guide. Ryan was a perfect angel the whole time… maybe because I fed him in the parking lot in the back seat of the car before we went in, haha.

Any other times I go out with him, I bring a pumped bottle.

Last night I went out to dinner with some family and I purposely left the bottle at home. I decided I was going to force myself to do this! I fed him right before we left so we were actually able to eat in peace–Ryan did awesome. Near the end of the night, he was getting fussy and I knew he had to eat.

I wore my Bravado nursing bra and my Undercover Mama tank had planned on bringing my wonderful Lady LaDuke feeding frock and just feeding Ryan at the table… but of course I forgot the frock at home So… I chickened out and I brought Ryan into the restroom to feed him. That’s still nursing in public, right?! Kind of, lol. Anyway, there was no where to sit so I just held him. Only one lady came in the whole time and she immediately said, “OH! Dinner time, huh?” and smiled. She continued to talk to me while she was going to the bathroom, haha, and told me about her daughter who had twins and was nursing them at the same time, but quit because it was too hard. When she came out, she asked me if I wanted her to go get a chair or something…. I said no, thank you, he’s almost done!

She was very nice and I’m really glad my first experience went well. I’m all for NIP and really want to “learn” how to do it and be comfortable with it… the nursing cover will help, but I eventually want to be able to do it without that too. It’s crazy to me that there are people out there offended by it. But I think if you’re not female or even not a mom, it’s a lot harder to understand.

Anyway… here are my questions for you pros:

Do you nurse in front of family? Even if I had brought my nursing cover, I’m not sure I would have been able to stay at the table. I really WANT to NIP, but it feels so much more awkward in front of family… like they’d all be looking at me, or weirded out, or really uncomfortable.

Which reminds me… my guy friends are way worse about it. I brought him to a friend’s once for a dinner party and fed him in the other (empty) room, but one of my (male) friends said, “You’re not going to feed him right now, are you?!” because he thought I was going to do it right in front of him. He didn’t say it rudely or anything…  but I understand that it makes an awkward situation….

Ryan is an excellent latcher and it takes him no time at all… but what do you do about those few seconds were you’re basically exposed? I figure it’ll be fine if I just hold his head right in front of me during that and unless someone was basically standing right next to me, staring, no one is going to see anything.

I want to hear some stories.. good and bad…about NIP. Want to share?

The author of this post suggests a potential solution: a nationally accepted consent form for VBACs and repeat cesarean delivery. It would point out the risks and benefits of both procedures so the parents can make an informed decision, it would discuss what is needed at the hospital in case of emergency and if that hospital meets those standards, and- most importantly, I think- it would say something about how you’re aware of the risks and that by signing the consent, you release the hospital/OBs from any liability.

At first I thought–awesome idea, if it helps make VBACs more available. But then I thought… what if the OB does do something wrong (beyond “normal risks”) and you signed away your life saying you wouldn’t sue? I am not the type of person that would sue–it was my choice and I know what I’m getting myself into. But to have that option completely taken away?

So here are my questions….

Is that even legally binding? Can signing something like that really stop you from suing–can it really release the hospital from litigation?

Don’t hospitals already have something like this? Do you already have to sign a consent form for a VBAC? OR for a c-section? (Which actually makes me wonder… I never signed anything before my c-section. Is that normal?)

Would you sign it? Do you think this is a good idea?

How does it work when you have a VBAC at home? Don’t midwives have the same insurance issues as OBs???

After Ryan was born and I came out of my drug-induced shakes and was allowed to hold him, I breastfed. The nurse in the room to help me was TERRIBLE. She kept grabbing the back of Ryan’s head and shoving him toward me–I was too timid to speak up, because what did I know? I had never done this before. But it seemed like she was inpatient, forceful, and not helping the situation at all. I thought… I’m his mom, I can do this! But she did finally get Ryan to latch on and he was awesome! They had me doing the football hold (which I never used again after leaving the hospital).

When Ryan lost over 10% of his body weight, a nurse came in with a look on her face like she had the worst news in the world to tell us. We were worried off the bat. Steve asked her what his weight was, exactly, and he figured out that he lost something like 10.7%… barely over 10!! Yet she made it sound so dangerous, that she convinced me I had to pump and supplement with formula. At the time I didn’t know any better. I was like- Oh yes! If he’s losing too much weight, we better fix that!- And when they had me pump and barely anything came out (my milk had not come in yet AND I had just finished feeding Ryan… so seriously, there was barely any in the bottle), they made me feel awful, like I couldn’t feed Ryan. They looked at the bottle and said “oohhhhh, that’s really not very much. That’s not enough. Hmmm….”

And so came the formula.

I’d breastfeed him and then give the formula after. We used a syringe thingy so he wouldn’t get nipple confusion. He seemed to chow down so I definitely thought (at the time) that he needed it.

And of course, his weight went back up. And we went home.

I’ve never had a problem with Ryan latching. But lots of problems with pain.

First – engorgement. Boobs hard as rocks and I felt like they were up to my chin. I did basically no research on breastfeeding while pregnant because I thought it was just one of those things you did… and knew how to do… no big deal. UH, wrong. There’s SO much to breastfeeding, I was now reading about it online every day and using the wonderful people on twitter to answer my questions.

The engorgement was… annoying. Yea it hurt, especially in the shower. They’d be so full, I’d have to empty them a bit before Ryan could even latch on. And even then, he’d cough and spit up because there was so much coming out so fast. I also didn’t know breastmilk could shoot out like a water gun and end up all over poor Ryan’s face (haha).

I slept with a towel on the bed underneath me… especially because we were co-sleeping and milk would definitely get everywhere when it was time for Ryan to eat (side-lying position).

Then came the pain. Yea, it took awhile for it to show up so I was thinking I was just rockin’ this breastfeeding thing. Nope, wrong. Holy hell. I dreaded nursing, my nipples were cracked and sometimes bleeding, I wanted to cry. I asked on twitter when this would end and the consensus was 6 weeks post-partum. 6 WEEKS?! That was a month away!!! That was an ETERNITY AWAY! Shoot me now, seriously.

Then came the growth spurt! Not only did nursing make me want to cry in pain, but Ryan started wanting to eat ALL.the.time. Not to mention the fact that he wouldn’t go to sleep unless also attached at the breast.

I did start pumping a little bit at 3-4 weeks and Steve started feeding Ryan with a bottle about once every other day. I loved it. I loved watching Steve able to feed Ryan and I loved the break it gave me. (Now? I wish I never had to pump and got to nurse Ryan for every feeding )

I don’t want to scare anyone away from breastfeeding, I just want to be honest because I had NO idea what to expect when I was going through this. So don’t worry, I’ll get to the good stuff (really good stuff) pretty soon.

One night, when I was near the end of my rope, Steve asked if I wanted to give just a little bit of formula (we had those free samples that everyone gets in the mail). We even took it out of the closet and set it on the counter. Just in case. But no matter how much I was hating it, I wasn’t going to give up. There was never a single thought in my mind that I’d quit breastfeeding. Never. And I want to say it’s because I wanted to do what’s best for Ryan, and that’s definitely true, but I think I finally realized the reason…. I thought I failed at birth (by having a c-section) and I absolutely was not going to let myself fail at nursing. Whatever the reason, I made it. I made it to 6 weeks. It wasn’t an eternity, it was actually here before I knew it.

Besides, I think the pain started to go away before that.. probably closer to 4 weeks. And then the pain was only there when he first latched on… yes, still awful (I’d kick my feet and grimace for those first few seconds), but then it was gone.

And now? Totally gone. It’s like… I don’t even know he’s there, haha. And what’s more? I absolutely love it. I think especially because I’m back at work, when I get to nurse him it’s like our bonding time. He looks up at me while he’s feeding and sometimes he smiles – cutest freakin’ thing in the whole wide world. He’s so content, his eyes roll back in his head, he looks “milk drunk,” and he drifts off to sleep with a hand resting on me. And I just get to hold him and stroke his little head and stare. I don’t even mind getting up in the middle of the night for his 4am feeding. Steve has not fed him with a bottle once in the middle of the night (by my choice- it’s not that he’s not willing!)

*Relief from pain: I used ice packs… or the Booby Tubes from Earth Mama Angel Baby. Also nipple cream – my favorite is non-lanolin (like the Simplisse cream or the Earth Mama Angel Baby stuff).

So if you think you can’t do it, if you think it hurts too much or it’s too hard… don’t give up! It truly gets better and is SO worth it (not to mention the awesome benefits to baby AND mom). Plus, there’s tons of support out there… just search twitter. Use the hashtag #bfing – and now on Thursday nights at 9pm CST there’s a breastfeeding chat with the hashtag #bfcafe

And here is a great site I used daily (and still do on occasion) – it has everything you could possibly want to know about breastfeeding – kellymom.

Any awesome breastfeeding stories out there? How long did you/are you planning to nurse? (My goal is 1 year) Any bfing questions?? Oh, also.. there’s a website with a gallery of breastfeeding images and I have a picture on there. I’m posting a link to it instead of the actual picture because I think there are some people who read this who just don’t want to see that If you do, it’s here: babydickey (and this is the hand resting on me that I love oh-so-much!)

I completely understand the reason behind this: litigation. Not only are doctors afraid of this sue-happy nation, but their insurance companies urge them not to cover VBACs and some even threaten to drop them if they do perform them. What are they to do?

This past week, a panel of specialists convened by the National Institutes of Health met to discuss this very issue. They decided that VBACs should be an option, they urge that VBAC guidelines be revisited and malpractice concerns addressed, and stated that more research is needed.

Rigorous research shows that a trial of labor is successful in nearly 75 percent of cases.

One guideline they suggest needs revisiting is the one that says if there’s going to be a VBAC, the hospital needs to have an “immediate availability” of surgical and anesthesia personnel. This is not a feasible option in 30% of hospitals (according to 2 surveys) and was the reason they stopped offering VBACs.

VBAC remains a safe alternative for the right candidates, and when those women try labor, between 60 percent and 80 percent of the time they do give birth vaginally, the NIH panel concluded.

They want more research done so that each woman can be evaluated independently. What factors make VBACs more dangerous? less dangerous? This will hopefully allow more women the option to choose their birth.

The current overall cesarean delivery rate is 31 percent and the VBAC rate is less than 10 percent compared to 28 percent in 1996.

They are urging that doctors offer mother’s an unbiased look at pros and cons and let the mother decide for herself. The mantra used to be “once a cesarean, always a cesarean,” but research in 1980 concluded that VBACs were safe, as the risk of uterine rupture was less than 1%. After this, VBACs were on the rise. However, in 1996 things shifted back the other way. That guideline mentioned above (for the immediate surgery personnel on hand) was passed in 1999. Of 19 states that record VBACs, 92% of women had a repeat c-section in 2006. And the latest reason, of course, is fear of lawsuit.

Obviously I agree that it should be decided on a case-by-case basis. Some women are at a higher risk than others. But shouldn’t all of us at least get the choice? I’m not high-risk, but I will have to leap through flaming hoops on a flying monkey to get the VBAC I want in this city.

So it would seem I’m not crazy and c-sections ARE occurring too frequently. I am absolutely overjoyed that this conference just happened… 2 months after my birth experience. I am so glad they are working to do something about it.

You can find more information including their statements and reports on the NIH Conference website.

All quotes and stats used above are found in these 2 articles:
National Institutes of Health News
Associated Press