Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Global Reading Project

We participated in a global reading challenge based on the book Give Your Child the World.   My children will help me answer some questions about us to participate in the global link up.  To learn more about other families that participated go check out the link up

This photo was taken a year ago a couple of days after my husband had his PhD thesis defense.  This was taken in Oregon.


1. Tell us about your family.
My husband and I have been married for 10 years.  We have 3 children (and 3 angel babies).  My oldest son is 8, middle son is 5, and daughter is 2 1/2. My husband received his PhD a year ago and because of his education we left our home in Utah and moved to Oregon for him to attend school.  He received a job in Oklahoma and this is where we're settling our family!

2. Tell us about where you live and how long you’ve lived there.
We have lived in Oklahoma for almost a year.  It's green and FLAT here.  We can't see any mountains or hills really-the sky looks bigger than I've ever seen it anywhere else.  There is a lot of grass and many trees.  We live in a young neighborhood (they're still building houses here) so most of the trees right around our house are less than 8 years old.  We can see the huge Devon tower when we pull out on the road near our house.  We live very near to a middle school and high school on the same grounds but the children in our neighborhood are bused quite a ways away to school (we homeschool).

3. What do you think is unique and special about living where you do?
It's very flat.  Several people I know knew someone that died in the Oklahoma City bombing or have a story related to that very horrible day.  The people here are very friendly.  We like fried food a lot and many of the people say y'all.  I was surprised that not as many people as I thought had accents though some do and some are very thick.  It's very humid here which is nice in the spring and fall.  The wind rarely stops blowing year round.  It's very hot in the summer (over 100 many days) with 60-80% humidity.  We are so blessed to have air conditioning here.  We didn't in Oregon and our house frequently was over 90 degrees inside with 65% humidity which made it very hard to cook dinner.  We have very violent storms here.  We haven't seen any tornadoes, except on TV, but we have watched several storms very close.  Tornadoes are most likely in April and May and October here but can happen any time during the year.  They also frequently happen in the afternoon but can occur at any time of the day or night.  Our National Weather Service (we did a tour of their facilities at University of Oklahoma last month) is really good about watching the storms and the weathermen watch very closely.  The storm chasers (yes they really are real!) follow the storms as safely as they can but mother nature is unpredictable and occasionally some are in grave danger or lose their lives chasing the storms.  When there's a storm all TV will be interrupted and all the major channels will have broadcasts that look like sporting events following the storms.   They go back and forth between radar and the storm chaser's images and the images after the storm hits.  Sometimes the sounds of the winds here are very scary and keep my children up at night or wake them up.  We have very violent thunder storms and sometimes the thunder shakes our house.  In the winter there are crazy ice storms that knock the power out for sometimes days or weeks at a time.  This winter we lost power for almost 2 days when we had caught a stomach illness and I had to move all of our food out of our refrigerator to try to save it and bury it in the ice as best as I could.  We now have a generator to keep our refrigerator running when we lose power.  Not too far from my house (about 15 minutes away) one suburb area lost power for a month.  Okies (as people from Oklahoma call themselves) have at least some amount of disaster preparedness down better than we've seen elsewhere. Many people (but not all) have storm shelters.  We don't have basements here.  If you don't have a storm shelter or a basement or the rain coming down would flood your storm shelter and you have tornado sirens going you take cover in a bathtub in the middle of your home (preferably holding a mattress over you) or hold on to your toilet because in a bad tornado often all that will remain is the cement pad that your house was on and your tub and toilet. 

4. What languages are spoken there? If it’s different from English, can you help us learn a few common phrases?
We speak English here but there is an accent that many people have.  People will say y'all instead of "you all."  If they have plans or are preparing to go to the store they will say "We're fixin to go to the store."

5. What are some traditional foods there?
Fried food, chicken wings, barbecue (ribs, pork, chicken, steak), and breads.  Wheat is a major crop grown here.

6. Tell us about the climate where you live.
I already talked about it a bit.  The weather changes very frequently.  We have hot summers and cold winters.  The wind is nearly always blowing which with the humidity in the winter makes it feel much colder and in the summer it brings some relief to the heat index (the temperature feels much hotter than it really is because of the humidity).  We have very violent storms here because the colder air from the North and Mountain West (in the spring) hits the warmer air from the South and Southeast and creates super storms.   

7. What does school look like for the majority of kids where you live?
Most of the kids ride a bus to school.  They start Kindergarten in August when they're 5.  They go to Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade in elementary school.  Several elementary schools gather students to go to a middle school for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.  Middle schools gather to go to a bigger high school for 9th grade (9th graders are often called freshmen), 10th grade (10th graders are often called sophomores), 11th grade (11th graders are often called juniors), and 12th grade (12th graders are often called seniors).  The arrangement was slightly different where I grew up (in Utah)-Kindergarten through 6th would go to elementary school, 7th-9th in junior high, and 10th-12th in high school.  We would have one main teacher in elementary school, have different subjects and go to 7 different teachers in junior high, and in high school we had 8 different teachers but would do 4 classes one day and 4 classes another day.  Children eat lunch in a cafeteria.  Some bring lunch from home but most eat food that is prepared for the children.   Children here go to school from mid August through the early part of May with a small break for Christmas and a few days off here and there for different holidays or breaks.  They also get a week off in March or April to celebrate spring.

8. What does school look like for your family?
We homeschool.  We start out by having breakfast about 9 AM.  We start our school day after breakfast by saying the Pledge of Allegiance and reading scripture stories.  We then start in to subjects.  My children are at different levels in math, reading, spelling, writing, and some other subjects.  They learn science together because we focus on one broad topic each year (we've done astronomy, anatomy and physiology, chemistry and physics, and flying creatures in past years)-this year we will be learning about all types of animals and ocean animals.  We take a break for lunch after we've got as much done as we can.  I alternate between my children teaching their subjects that they work on different levels and one child will be working on something while the other is learning.  My youngest colors or plays with math manipulatives through most of school.  We finish up work after lunch and then my kids finish their work and play the rest of the day.  We work hard Monday-Thursday so Fridays my oldest just has a math test and maybe a couple other things like keyboarding or something to finish up and we relax or go on field trips or go play at the zoo or science museum (we have yearly passes to the zoo and science museum which are about 20 minutes away from our house).  We go to school all year with breaks as we need and we take December off for Christmas preparations and celebrations.  We do less subjects in the summer but we do school work throughout the year.

This was taken yesterday at the zoo.  We're celebrating "Not Back to School Week" this week as a family because the other children have gone back to public school but we are taking a last week to have fun as a family before starting back to school work.


9. Are there any special festivals or traditions you’d like to tell us about related to where you live?
We're so new here I don't know about many yet!  There are county fairs and rodeos in the late summer.  We've enjoyed different traditions in Utah (there was a huge celebration like Independence Day celebrated on July 24th that we celebrated our Mormon pioneer ancestors coming to settle in the area.  We also went to visit the beautiful light displays for Christmas including in Salt Lake City at temple square) and Oregon (we loved visiting our church's creche/nativity display every year before Christmas.  They would also put on plays for the children about the Biblical account of the nativity.  We would also go to the county fair every year and I would enter something I hand knit for judging and receive a prize.  Last year my oldest entered a Lego creation at the fair and he won a ribbon and prize).  There are different little celebrations in small towns all over Oklahoma but we haven't had the opportunity to learn about them or attend any yet.  We did get to go to the next town over to watch fireworks at the park on July 4th (Independence Day).  It was a lot of fun-everyone brought their own fireworks that shot up high in the sky and set them off all over in the park (even on the grass and around trees).  It's so humid here the risk of fire is apparently very low and by opening the park up I think it keeps the fireworks pretty contained in the area.  It's the most amazing display of fireworks I've ever seen.

10. If you ever had to move away from where you live, what do you think you’d miss most?
Probably the people!  People here are friendly and many are religious or open to those that are very religious.  We are a very religious family and it's a huge part of who we are and what we do.  In other places people have discriminated against us due to our religion, not allowing us to participate in groups or being associated with us.  Here people find out that we're LDS and they're all very open to it and act more like a family toward us because they truly believe that we're all brothers and sisters in Christ.

11. Do you have a favorite book that takes place in your region/country?
My favorite growing up was Out of the Dust.   I never imagined that our family would end up in Oklahoma.  I also love the Little House on the Prairie series but it doesn't take place in Oklahoma at all.  The plains are all very similar though so I think it's a really neat read to learn more about the vast plains in the center of the United States.

With love,

The Barrett Family

This was taken a year ago outside of our front door on my children's first day of school last October (we had a late start due to moving halfway across the United States)

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Marionberry Cobbler Cast Iron Skillet Recipe

Marrionberries are a special berry that you can find in Oregon that are a cross between raspberries and blackberries.  Since we moved to the Pacific Northwest we have learned about new foods and flavors.  We tried marrionberry cobbler first at Moe's in Newport, Oregon and decided to try to make some ourselves.  It has taken some experimentation but we finally came up with the perfect recipe to use frozen marrionberries (you could try a mix of half blackberries and half raspberries if you can't find marrionberries for the same flavor).  If you are using fresh be sure to just coat the bottom of the skillet otherwise you will have overflow issues- 1- 1/2 pints of fresh berries will do the trick.



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Marionberry Cobbler

10 inch cast iron skillet (be sure to oil it first)

1 (10-ounce) package frozen marionberries
1/2 c brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cobbler: (from my sister-in-law Pam’s Peach Crisp recipe-doubled)
2 c flour
1 ½ c sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 egg
2/3 c melted butter

Put all cobbler ingredients (except melted butter) in to a food processor and pulse a few times to mix.  Mix all marionberry ingredients in a bowl.  Place berries mixture in cast iron.  Put cobbler over top and then pat down gently.  Cook in 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or even better serve with a scoop of Talenti Caramel Cookie Crunch (trust me on this one!).

Thursday, July 31, 2014

How Breastfeeding Has Changed My Life: A Breastfeeding Carnival Post Day 14

breastfeedingcafecarnival 
Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival! This post was written as part of the Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about how breastfeeding has changed your life. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th-31st!  


The secondary title of this post is

Or How I Became an Unexpected Lactivist






I never expected to be an activist for anything ever.  I am quite opinionated but usually not loud outside of talking about them with family and close friends.  Breastfeeding changed me.  It started with ugly looks from others while I was breastfeeding, conversations with people of my faith thinking that I should be in a back room AND under a cover because while breastfeeding is natural it is "comparable to public sex or urination or defecation."  I'm here to tell you this is a bunch of crap.  No woman should feel forced to stay home to feed her baby.  No woman should feel like she has to pump and give her baby bottles while out and about.  No woman should feel forced to wear a hot and sweaty cover over her and her baby no matter the outdoor or indoor temperature.  That is a recipe for postpartum depression in many women who are already struggling.  I am a survivor of postpartum depression and I still battle it.

Breastfeeding does make some uncomfortable and I fully recognize that.  When it's done in a way that isn't showing skin though, it becomes the problem of the starrer not the problem of the nursing mother.  Breastfeeding can be done modestly and typically is done modestly by most breastfeeding mothers.  The above picture is how I breastfeed in company of others besides my own family, though sometimes in the company of medical professionals or other women who are breastfeeding mothers or who are comfortable with breastfeeding I may show some skin while latching especially if my daughter is especially upset.  If you're uncomfortable, look away.  People chewing with their mouths open makes me feel really gross inside and uncomfortable so I look away.  It's that easy.

Breastfeeding has changed me though, not only do I feel like I should tell people to look away if they're uncomfortable I have participated in the Big Latch On before to make a statement that breastfeeding should be normal and mothers should feel comfortable nursing whenever and wherever.  I also approach nursing mothers even though I get the butterflies doing so and thank them for breastfeeding their baby in public.  I was approached by a mother in Corvallis 3 years ago, before we moved here, and she thanked me for breastfeeding my baby in Noah's Bagels (now Einsteins).  It brought happy tears to my eyes, I thought she was starring thinking it was disgusting I was feeding my baby but she came up with a big smile and told me that it was great I was breastfeeding in public.  The way I felt after that event I've carried with me.  I try to have the courage to do the same to other breastfeeding mamas.  We need to support each other.

I have become a lactivist as well.  I haven't had the opportunity to attend a nurse in but I would.  I help pass along nurse in information.  I do virtual nurse-ins by posting breastfeeding pictures like the one at the beginning of the post.  I also show my support by having my Facebook profile picture be a breastfeeding picture from time to time such as this one:

Photo by Alicia http://unique-u-photography.com/



This is my current Facebook profile picture (of course chopped in to a square image).  On Tuesday evening this photo was reported for nudity.



I have no idea who reported it, whether it was a "friend" or someone who saw my profile and just decided to report this "disgusting" image of me in my porno getup...you know lifting my shirt to expose a white shirt (two shirt method I mentioned a couple days ago) to feed my baby.  How dare our photographer take this "disgusting" image of my daughter and I bonding so I had something to remember something so important in my life as feeding my baby with my body.  Our society has perverted the very basic God-given reason for breasts that even feeding a baby is seen as nudity or pornography as some.  I really wish Facebook would let me know who reported this picture.  I would block them immediately for ignorance because I don't need those kind of negative people in my life right now.  At the same time it's probably a blessing and I will continue posting breastfeeding images, breastfeeding articles, and maybe someday ignorance will turn in to support.  I'm glad they didn't delete it but in my experience they review and review and review and often people will report the image again, this is horrible for a mother that isn't sure that she is doing the right thing yet but they messed with the wrong mama.

Yes I have lost some friends and I've had family members block me from Facebook but I don't care.  I want to support others mothers breastfeeding.  I don't want ANYONE to feel the shame I was forced to feel at church by being ignored or getting dirty looks for not using the bathroom to feed my baby.  The "mother's room" in my old church building was a chair in the bathroom with a curtain around it.  I never fed my baby in there.  No mother should feel forced to do that or even to HAVE to use a mother's room if they don't want to.

Breastfeeding has changed me.  I will continue fighting for breastfeeding mothers' rights and for breastfeeding to become normalized so mothers will feel supported and comfortable to nurse however and wherever they want that they're allowed to be with their baby.


Here are more posts by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Wordless Wednesday Babywearing: A Breastfeeding Carnival Post Day 13

breastfeedingcafecarnival 
Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival! This post was written as part of the Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is another Wordless Wednesday! Let's see those babywearing photos! Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th-31st! 




Photo by Alicia http://unique-u-photography.com/

Photo by Alicia http://unique-u-photography.com/

Photo by Alicia http://unique-u-photography.com/



Here are more posts by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Mothering Through Breastfeeding: A Breastfeeding Carnival Post Day 12

breastfeedingcafecarnival 
Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival! This post was written as part of the Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about how breastfeeding has changed the way you parent. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th-31st!

Breastfeeding lead me to a whole new way of parenting I didn't even know about or dream of even when I was very first pregnant.

Babywearing: When I was pregnant I learned about babywearing.



I was recommended a pouch sling like the one in the fist picture.  Monkey HATED it!!!  I also was recommended to do the cradle position which several babies ended up dying in that position due to positional asphyxiation.  I do not recommend that position as a Certified Babywearing Educator but it's funny to look back and see the pictures of Monkey and Kangaroo in there.  These are all Kangaroo because Monkey's tiny baby pictures are somewhere else.

When Monkey was 6 weeks I discovered the Sleepy Wrap (now Boba wrap).  This opened the door to my love of babywearing, it cured Monkey's colic.  Eventually I would end up with multiple stretch wraps by Boba, Boba soft structure carriers and being a Boba ambassador.





When I was pregnant with Kangaroo I started getting in to woven wraps.


 When Kangaroo was two I became a Certified Babywearing Educator.  I love wearing Roxy, it's our way of life!

Cloth Diapers: Because of all the blowouts from being breastfed I learned about cloth diapers and eventually started making and selling them.  Now cloth is our way of life.








I also am fortunate to be able to help other breastfeeding moms through LLL meaning my kids are continually exposed to breastfeeding mamas.  Hopefully they will be a difference in the movement to normalize breastfeeding!


Here are more posts by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Milky Friends and Bonds for a Lifetime: A Breastfeeding Carnival Post Day 11

breastfeedingcafecarnival 
Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival! This post was written as part of the Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about the long-term benefits of breastfeeding. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th-31st!

We all know about the health benefits for mom and baby when you breastfeed.  I love those benefits but a benefit I didn't even know about at first has become a wonderful benefit that has become my favorite--lifetime bonds.  I don't just mean the bonds with your baby (but those are super important) but the connections I have made with other mothers through breastfeeding.

When I attended my first LLL meeting I knew things were different.  I have made several friends through LLL because we're in similar situations even if it's just breastfeeding a baby and lifting each other up through that special time in our lives.  I still keep in contact with LLL friends (leaders and members) I met 5 and 6 years ago.  I have made a lot of local friends here in Oregon through LLL.

I also have had the opportunity to make friends with the ladies that I've donated my extra milk to for their babies.  We may have far different beliefs in other areas but we remain friends and come together because of the special relationship we have formed.

I look forward to the future even after I am no longer breastfeeding because I will be able to continue to create those bonds with other women through being a LLL leader and someday an IBCLC.  Breastfeeding creates bonds for a lifetime, not just with your children, but with other wonderful women.

Here are more posts by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Breastfeeding in Public: A Breastfeeding Carnival Post Day 10

breastfeedingcafecarnival 
Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival! This post was written as part of the Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about breastfeeding in public. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th-31st!

I've had many opportunities to nurse in public.  I'm a very modest person in my dress and I was worried when I first nursed Monkey how I would stay modest but also feed my baby.  I tried nursing covers but neither baby or I liked them.  I stuck with them only until baby could latch on their own and pretty well stuck home the first 4 months with Roxy for my comfort because she really needed me to be exposed to latch and I had to help her for the first few minutes.  Now she's a champ.  My favorite tip to people is to do the two shirt method.

Here is a product on Amazon (affiliate link-a small percentage of the sales through my affiliate link go to us to help buy homeschooling books without costing you extra, thanks!)



I purchased one of these very shirts with Monkey and found it very helpful.  We were on a tight budget though and I found that I needed to wash this and have an extra to wear while this was in the wash.  I decided to take a Down East tank top that fit well and cut slits off to the side like this.  By them being off to the side they don't show very well when wearing a slightly more form fitting shirt and you can pull it to the center of your breast well.  You wear one of these shirts under any of your shirts-I highly recommend maternity shirts because they have a little extra so they lift well (t-shirts not the ones that tie under your breasts :) ).  You can also use this two shirt method while babywearing.  I've used this method for over 6 years now and know that I'm not exposing myself which makes me more comfortable.  You can see it in use in this picture:

Photo by Alicia http://unique-u-photography.com/

Photo by Alicia http://unique-u-photography.com/
Another awesome product is an Undercover Mama, similar concept but instead of slits this one attaches to any nursing bra and pulls down when you pull your bra flap down.



I used one of these as well but got one a little too form fitting so it wasn't all that comfortable.  I loved it though and still should get another one.  I like that they're really long so you don't expose your tummy which makes me feel a lot more comfortable.

Breastfeeding mothers should breastfeed however and wherever they are comfortable.  Whether that's using a cover, using two shirts, using a baby carrier (I use the two shirt method while babywearing as well), or just lifting their shirt do what you need to feel comfortable!


Here are more posts by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Guest Post: Milk Sharing and Helping Another Meet Her Goal: A Breastfeeding Carnival Post Day 9

breastfeedingcafecarnival 
Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival! This post was written as part of the Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about how you have helped another mom reach her breastfeeding goals. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th-31st!

This post is on milk sharing.  I have been blessed and cursed with oversupply with each of my children.  With Monkey, I donated my excess to a Prolacta Milk Bank.  When I had Kangaroo I looked in to other options as well because we didn't have a local collection for the big milk bank and I didn't feel quite right about Prolacta that time around.  I learned about mother-to-mother milk sharing.  Because I am a LLL leader and my thoughts are a little different than LLL due to the fact that I'm on medications which aren't allowed through any milk bank I've been able to find (but are all class A or B and necessary for me to live because I have horrible asthma) I feel the need to share LLL's official policy on milk sharing.  Here are some other thoughts by LLL on milk sharing.  I am unable to find the resource right now (if you know where to find it so I can link it please comment!) but in the order of WHO's recommendations for milk for infants it is milk from baby's mother from the breast, pumped milk from baby's mother, milk from another breastfeeding mother, then formula.  I learned about this and was recommended to Human Milk for Human Babies and Eats on Feets.  I was able to find a couple moms in Utah who I donated Kangaroo's milk to and when we moved I continued donating to a mother in Portland for her little baby boy.  I was connected with Megan locally after Roxy arrived (and another mother in Utah who needed milk for her baby when we were there a couple weeks ago).  Because Megan had such a strong desire and goal to give her daughter only breastmilk I found it fitting that she share her story today.



My name is Megan and I am a 26 year old mother to an 8 year old son and 7 month old daughter. I am interested in many things, one of which is becoming a midwife.

When I was pregnant with my son, I had every intention of breastfeeding. I was eighteen years old but I knew it was the best option for him. But when he was only five days old I rushed him to the emergency room. He was unresponsive to stimulation and wouldn't latch. He spent three days in intensive care. We found that when he nursed he wasn't receiving anything from me. For the next six months I tried everything recommended to me, yet I remained completely dry. Nearly eight years later I was expecting my daughter, and again my goal was to breastfeed, however I knew I needed answers regarding my troubles with my previous breastfeeding journey. I ended up meeting with an IBCLC and learned that I have IGT.

IGT (insufficient glandular tissue) is a condition in which the breasts do not contain enough glandular tissue and therefor not enough glandular cells responsible for milk production. Based on my history regarding my son and the fact that my breasts had not changed at all at any point of my pregnancy with my daughter, I faced the reality that the chances of successfully breastfeeding my daughter were slim. I took what routes I could (Goat's Rue beginning at thirty-six weeks pregnant, Domperidone, lactation cookies and pumping after her birth) but I also acknowledged that I was not going to be able to supply enough (if anything at all).

It wasn't until after I stocked up on formula that I learned about milk-sharing. I'll admit that at first I was skeptical, and, quite frankly, a bit disgusted. But as is my nature, I didn't shun the idea immediately. Instead, I did a lot of research. My research won me over, and I was on the hunt for donor milk.

I picked up my first donation the day before I ended up delivering my daughter (perfect timing!) and received several one time donations thereafter as well as a couple of donations from a woman I befriended via the private Facebook group for the birth-center I had my daughter at.

My personal breastmilk production ceased at about eight weeks. I could no longer afford the herbs and medications and I was making a maximum of one ounce in a twenty-four hour timeframe. I feared the women who were donating to me would think I wasn't trying hard enough and would therefor not want to donate to me. Not only was I wrong, but I found two long-term donors in my quest to keep my daughter on breastmilk only. One of these donors is Ashley.

Not only is she my daughter's milk donor, but I consider her my friend. We talk about various things completely unrelated to children at all and she's helped me when I was incredibly sick and unable to pick up milk from her by bringing the milk to me and bringing me a care-box.

At the time of this writing my daughter is a little over seven months old and has still only ever touched breastmilk. She's thriving, she's happy, she's incredibly healthy. She is proof that donor milk is beneficial when a mother, for whatever reason, cannot provide breastmilk themselves. And Ashley is proof that when you have an overproduction, whether naturally or by working for it, you can help somebody else out. The gift of liquid gold is one that even when our journey ends, the gift will continue giving, and we will forever be grateful.



Here are more posts by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Friday, July 25, 2014

Non-tradition Support in a Modern World: A Breastfeeding Carnival Post Day 8

breastfeedingcafecarnival 
Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival! This post was written as part of the Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about non-traditional breastfeeding support. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th-31st! 

I'm really big on modern day support.  When Monkey was a baby I turned to an iVillage due date group which was wonderful.  I've always had a hard time making deep connections with long term friends because people that prefer those are hard to find especially when we lived in an area that everyone was among extended family and prefered those friendships.  I'm an only child so I don't have sibling friends and I'm different from my sibling-in-laws so I just haven't ever felt that I fit in.  Since becoming a stay-at-home-homeschooling-mom I'm even more strange!  I have had a hard time locally finding friends with similar moral and political values, both of which are very important to me, with a similar lifestyle or at least one who doesn't mind my values.  Thanks to the Internet and specifically Facebook groups, I have been able to "meet" some really awesome women.  I've also been able to connect and find local moms easier as well.  All are part of my support network.

I love books especially when I find great ones.  Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and other LLLI publications are my breastfeeding go-tos.  I also really enjoy Nursing Mother's Herbal and the Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk (these are all affiliate links-purchasing through these links gives my a very small percentage without increasing your price.  All funds will help buy homeschooling books for my children-thanks!).  I also have really liked more technical books such as Supporting Sucking Skills (also an affiliate link) which has given helpful ideas to help me help Roxy.  I plan to become an IBCLC someday so I love building my technical library plus it helps me share more information with the moms I get to help through LLL.


Here are more posts by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Breastfeeding Goals Then and Now: A Breastfeeding Carnival Post Day 7

breastfeedingcafecarnival 
Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival! This post was written as part of the Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about how your breastfeeding goals have changed. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th-31st!  

Today will be a more detailed version of how I got to my goals and the difficulties we went through which helped shape my goals.  At times it was just a daily thing-just get through the day and go on to tomorrow if we can get through today.

Monkey: When I had Monkey my goals was to breastfeed for 6 months.  Right around the time he was born I learned that it was beneficial to breastfeed for at least a year.  I set 6 months as a stepping stone.  When he couldn't latch at birth I was devastated!  I thought that by taking a breastfeeding class in my Maternal and Infant Nutrition course as part of my degree that I would learn everything that I needed to know to be successful but it didn't. I did everything right and he still couldn't latch.

Everyone told me to give up and just pump until I dried up but a nurse said he was tongue tied.  The Pediatrician refused to clip it.  I hated bonding with the pump.  I couldn't feed my baby be ause I had to have my nipples ripped apart by a pump.  I wasn't allowed to take one home.  I was sent home with formula and at a loss of what I should do other than contact an Ear Nose and Throat doctor the next day that one of the nurses recommended.  My parents bought me an Avent Isis hand pump because I NEEDED something and couldn't afford an electric.  That first night was miserable.  I was pumping almost constantly with absolutely NO result whatsoever.  He screamed all night because we had no idea what we were doing.  A car ride at 2 AM finally put him to sleep but I don't think any of us got more than an hour total that night.

The next day I called the ENT and they squeezed me in that afternoon.  He slept through the clipping with scissors.  He latched on to me one time.  He nursed for 30 glorious minutes.  Hope.  He never latched again though.  I cried.

My goal became to see an IBCLC the next day and figure out if I could SOMEHOW get a pump.  I still had no insurance to cover it.  That night, my milk started to come in and Monkey refused formula.  I wasn't pumping what he needed though (pumps are not nearly as effective as baby and I've never been able to get much if any colostrum out for my baby to take but fortunately I didn't HAVE to pump from the get-go after Monkey).  I pumped 2 hours straight, changing bottles and handing off the couple ounces to Spencer so he could give it to screaming starving Monkey. 

The next day I saw an IBCLC and I got a nipple shield and he latched on to the shield.  A few weeks in I heard horror stories again about how I would dry up if I didn't wean him off of it.  I tried everything.  He never was able to wean from that nipple shield.  Now I know that he had a lip tie that prevented his mouth from staying open to stay on my nipple.  I wish I would have known about them back then.  I also wish I would have known about an SNS and donor milk so that I wouldn't have had to put Monkey on formula from the beginning.  I wish I wouldn't have had such pushy nurses and a REALLY rude Pediatrician.  All I can do with these wishes is try to help new mothers learn about breastfeeding, teach them who to contact for immediate help, and hopefully someday as an IBCLC I can help educate doctors and nurses about breastfeeding (in my experience though they often don't like to listen to someone they don't consider their equal) so that moms and babies don't have to suffer.  I wouldn't be surprised if some of Monkey's allergy issues were made worse by giving him formula in the beginning.  He also was extremely colicky which I think was due to the ties and his gut health not being so great not getting the colostrum in the beginning.

With Monkey we hit 6 months breastfeeding and I used that stepping stone to get to a year.  We made it a year.  I decided I wanted to nurse him until he was 18 months.  He had other plans and weaned at 14 1/2 months.

Kangaroo: When I was pregnant with Kangaroo I set my sights on 18 months.  He had a really rough 8 weeks.  He was also tongue tied but it was clipped with scissors within 2 hours of birth.  We had a REALLY rocky 8 weeks.  At times I just hoped we'd make it through the day.  Finally we hit our groove.  When he got teeth I was in a lot of pain most of the time.  I know now that he also has a lip tie though not as bad as Monkey's.  I believe his tongue also reattached and he has had major gagging issues and vomiting because of his oral defensive sensory issues.  He's been in Occupational Therapy for it but we plan to get his tongue and lip ties revised with a laser as soon as the insurance allows.  Fortunately, I was able to breastfeed him until I got pregnant with Roxy.  I started bleeding the day I found out, Mother's Day, so I had to stop breastfeeding him but when the bleeding stopped the next day I decided that he could nurse one more time so we both had good memories of our last session.  By the time I helped him finish weaning he was only nursing to go to sleep and not every night.  He was 2 +4 months.

Roxy: I have hit the 6 month mark with the little gal.  We had a very difficult first 4 months-even more than with the boys.  Now my goal is to nurse until she is at least 2 unless she has other plans and we'll just see how it goes afterwards.  With her it was just let's make it through this nursing session for many weeks.  It took two tongue tie revisions (5 weeks and 3 1/2ish months) and the lip revision she had at 5 weeks and some time afterwards before we hit a groove.  I was screaming in pain from weeks 2-5 every time she nursed.  I cried much of the time afterwards.  I knew it wasn't normal or right but had a hard time getting some doctors to listen so fortunately I knew who to turn to and was super pushy because I refused to give up.  She is our last baby.  I am trying to savor every moment.  Once she reaches 2 I guess we'll see where breastfeeding takes us.  Right now I'm just trying to love every single moment with her.

Photo by Alicia http://unique-u-photography.com/


Here are more posts by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.