The EcoChic

It is now 382 days (and counting) into our 2nd journey with breastfeeding and things are still going strong.  I’m still excited to have this bond with Lil’ B today.  My journey the 2nd time around has been different than with my oldest.  Primarily because 98% of the time I work at home. 

For the first 8-9 months I was blessed to be able to have Lil’ B home with me at all times.  After I returned to work at 3mo Lil’ B had an amazing nanny part-time.  Whenever she was hungry the nanny would bring her to me and she would eat.  As the months went on I actually decided to start pumping because I had to travel. 

I am an experienced pumper….with my oldest I had to pump everyday since I worked out of the home.  I had a Medela hand-me-down (actually it was only used 1-2 times before I got it) from a friend.  That was one of the items that I kept to use again.  Unfortunately after just a few short months it started to have some issues.  I was frustrated beyond belief…I rarely used the breast pump but I needed to have one for when I traveled for work.  I never leave for long; usually just a day or two.  Either way, a good dependable breast pump is a necessity. 

I decided after one trip to buy a hand-pump because I just couldn’t see spending any more money on a pump that would get used once a day.  That was a disaster…it was horrible!  It took me almost an hour one trip to get both sides expressed and my arms were killing me. 

Then heaven arrived…my Hygeia EnJoye  breast pump!  The EnJoye is slightly larger than my old Medela but is very similar.  It actually looks more like the pumps that the hospital rents than the personal pumps.  It has an internal rechargeable battery which is a blessing.  My old one took 2C batteries which were always dead…and pumping was WEAK!  With the EnJoye I often forget to plug it in because the battery is so strong.  I’m on a business trip right now (just for one night) and I didn’t even bring the plug.

The pump and all of the parts that would come in contact with breast-milk are all BPA/DEHP Free and safe for your baby.  There is also a button on the front that allows you to record your baby’s voice or cry to help with letdown.  I’m not a big fan of the carrying case though…as a parent who is a frequent flier the bag is rather large and awkward.  I always try to fit the pump into my carry on luggage so I don’t have to carry their bag.

The greatest eco-features of the EnJoye are 1) it’s approved by the FDA for multi-users, and 2) it’s recyclable!  When you no longer need the pump you can sell or donate it to another mom.  All they need to do is replace the plastic tubing and accessories (Retail $35 for accessories).  I’m actually excited that I’m going to be able to pay-it-forward when I’m done with our breastfeeding journey.  The EnJoye has a 3 year 3-year limited warranty…but never fear…if it can’t be fixed you don’t have to landfill your pump!  Hygeia will recycle your used breast pump for you (only Hygeia brands are accepted for recycling).     

And face it…no one really LIKES pumping!  Hygeia has brought a little Joy back into my life with the EnJoye….Thank You!!!  My journey into breastfeeding wouldn’t have lasted this long without you. 

Are you curious about my views and the products I talk about? Be sure to read my Disclosure and Privacy policies.

Today we celebrate the day that our baby girl blessed our family!  About this time last year I was welcoming her to the world and introducing her to our family and friends.  Our lives have not been the same since!

Today we not only celebrate her first 365 days but we also celebrate our first year of cloth diapering (almost a whole year at least) and 365 days of breastfeeding! 

I thank the Lord everyday for all that you have brought into our lives!  Happy Birthday Lil’ B!

Why is it that you appreciate the comforts of home so much more when you are away?  We’ve been out of town for 5 days now and I miss my bed, my pillow, my cat! 

Luckily the family and I got to visit Disney again on Sat/Sun before I had to attend a training class in Orlando this week.  They came back home Monday and I got home tonight.  This trip was a little different than normal…

We traveled with our cloth diapers!!!  That’s right, we took our stash with us to a hotel for more than a day!  Here is what I had planned (followed by how it worked out!):  1) Friday night I washed our stash and put Lil’ B in her GroBaby diaper with BioSoaker, and 2) packed a combination of BioSoakers and Bum Genius.  I was hoping to make it easier on my husband so he wouldn’t have to do a ton of wash as soon as he got home on Monday. 

Unfortunately my plan didn’t work out as planned BUT it worked…Lil’ B pooped in her GroBaby Friday night and got some debris on the cover so I couldn’t take the only GroBaby cover I had with us!!!  But I wanted to try the BioSoakers in other diaper covers to see how well they worked so I wasn’t too scared.  I packed about 15 Bum Genius too; just in case something went wrong!  (Old faithful has never done me wrong!)  

We drove to Orlando and spent the first part of the day watching our GA Bulldawgs play football at a local sports bar then we went to check in to the hotel.  Since Lil’ B was in red I put her in her Happy Heiny which is red along with a BioSoaker and the system worked well.  Unfortunately after the second change the BioSoaker has bunched up and the HH cover was damp.  I didn’t really care too much since I had plenty of BG covers and we were headed to the Magic Kingdom anyways (change in clothes was needed to stay warm!).

I packed my diaper bag with a few of each…a few BioSoakers and a few BGs…you never know what’s going to happen, right?  At the first diaper change I noticed a slight problem…the BioSoaker sticky pad was not removing from the BG cover!  OMG…my precious BGs!!  Not only were they not removing from the BGs the fecula backing split open and the inside of the diaper was exposed…luckily it didn’t make a huge mess.  Since I already ‘messed’ with this BG cover I stuck another BioSoaker on it for the next few hours.  The damage was already done at that point.  This continued the rest of the evening until we got back to the hotel again. 

I then removed the BioSoakers from our rotation for the weekend and went back to regular BGs with the inserts (we use the 3.0 one size pockets).  The next day at Epcot I packed 4 BGs in the diaper bag and we were off.  I have to say it felt much more ‘normal’ to me to use the BGs as intended.  My bag was a little more full with the stash but so much easier.  Thankfully we didn’t have any poop-plosions while at Epcot to deal with though!!!!  That was my worst fear was having to carry that around all day with me! (UCK!!)

Hubby went home on Monday afternoon and had just enough BGs to make it home with.  Luckily I left a few behind so he has some at home to use too.  Then it happened…

My hubby had to wash his first load of cloth diapers EVER!  Now…my hubby is an awesome husband and father but I try to keep control over some aspects of cloth diapering so he won’t complain…one of those is the wash!  Not only do I not want to hear about all the water used for washing the diapers…I also don’t want anyone else to be responsible for washing our stash wrong.  Honestly you really can’t mess them up and he has heard me talk about the wash routine so much I don’t know what I was worried about.  I left him verbal directions and gave him a choice of detergents (RockinGreen Soap or EcoNuts…his choice!!).  He called me after he finished the wash to make sure he did it right…funny that he didn’t call me before though!  Everything sounded like it went well.  I got home a little while ago and the diapers are all neatly stacked in Lil’ Bs room, fully stuffed, ready to use again.  Thanks babe for all that you do…

In the morning I will inspect the BG that was potentially damaged in the BioSoaker incident and let you all know the outcome.  The worst case scenario is that the cover will have a sticky residue in two places…at least it’s only one cover and I can pass along the warning to all of you.  If you are going to be using the BioSoakers use them with the GroBaby shell only…or accept the outcome!  I love our GroBaby system and will write up my formal review tomorrow…the good and the bad! 

The other thing that was different this trip was the absence of my ancient Medela electric pump…which croaked last Thursday!  It’s seriously over 6 yrs old and I’m surprised it still works at all.  Because I didn’t want to play around with it and attempt to fix it I purchased a manual pump on Friday.  With Lil’ B being 9 months now I don’t really see the need for investing in another electric pump…this is my last baby and I don’t have much time left on our breastfeeding journey.  I only needed to use the pump Monday afternoon through this afternoon…a full 2 days…how bad could it be?

…did I really just ask that question?  It’s soooo NOT fun to use a manual pump!  I’m so spoiled with my electric pump that I was not ready to pump for 40 minutes and still not get all the milk out!  And think about it…all that pumping hurts your arms after a while…I guess that’s what it’s like to be a guy! (((LOL!)))  Anyways, today was the worst day because I didn’t want to pump at all since it was taking so long.  I got home around 7pm and I was about to explode!  Lil’ B ate a few small snacks but didn’t really empty the milk factory yet.  Is it wrong that I want to wake her up again when I’m done writing?  I guess tomorrow I will take apart Mr. Medela and see if I can’t fix the electric pump so I will stop cussing at this stupid manual pump! 

And on that note…I’m going to go check my email, Twitter, and Facebook one more time and log off for the evening.  Sleep tight!  (Of course most of you will be reading this until the morning so Good Morning!!!)

6 year old:  “Can I help you change B’s diaper?”

Me:  “Of course you can.”

6 year old:  “I’ll throw it away for you.”

Me:  “No, we don’t throw these diapers away.  We wash them.”

6 year old:  “Why?”

I then explained the mechanics behind waste (on her level) and landfills.  You know that our trash goes to a landfill which is a big hole in the ground.  That our trash will still be there in hundreds of years.  And that when her children have children that disposable diapers would still be in the landfill.  So I use cloth diapers on our baby to reduce the amount of trash in the landfill.  When we take them off the baby we wash them and use them again. 

6 yr old:  “But why don’t you throw them away?”

We have to remember that cloth diapering is not the norm.  People don’t understand why we choose to use them.  Hopefully by teaching our youth to care for the environment future generations of children will be more aware of their choices. 

My own child thinks that this is the way the world works.  It’s all he knows.  He was breastfed but not cloth diapered.  Of course they don’t really remember all that far back.  I wonder if one day he’ll ask me why I didn’t use cloth on him.  He knows that he was breastfed and he understands that babies drink from mommies boobies.  I don’t hide any of these things from him.  Afterall, I want him to be able to make good decisions when he has his own children. 

We have to take these moments to educate the youth so that they won’t have to fight so hard for Mother Earth (and their own health). 

This same wonderful young lady has learned about pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding from me this past year.  It feels pretty good to be able to share these things with her (and with my own son) because she’s curious and wants to know how things work…and why I do things ‘differently’ than what she’s learned. 

If we don’t teach our children about these issues how will we ever change the future?  Thanks M for sharing your beautiful daughter with me….otherwise how would I know what to do with a girl!  Love you!

Hello? 

Hello? 

Is anyone out there? 

Oh wait, you are probably saying…”Where is The Eco Chic?  I haven’t seen anything new from her in a while!!”  Never fear my friends…I am still here!  As usual life has gotten in the way of blogging.  When my friends tell me that the feel neglected and in second place over the Internet I start to take the hint.  (I do listen.)  My family suffers from my addiction at times too.  It’s rare to find a night at the Eco-House where my nose isn’t buried into my computer as soon as the kids are snoozing away!  My dear sweet husband is sitting on one end of the sofa playing Vampires or Mafia Wars on his iPhone and I’m on the other end blogging or tweeting!  Really, it is a sad life we live.  Add in a few visits out of town and I’m actually starting to miss my little escapes to the blogosphere! 

You know exactly what I’m talking about.  There is something much more pressing and important that you need to be doing right now than reading my thoughts…but you are still here…and I love you for it! 

So now that I’ve spent a week conserving energy (hehe!) let’s get right back into the Eco World!  I have so much information and updates to bring you that I don’t know where to start first. 

FTC and blogging!  Why not, everyone else is talking about it.  The FTC is now regulating bloggers who receive compensation (either product or $$) in exchange for writing up a review for companies.  READ the actual regualtions here.  To set the Eco-Record straight…yes I receive compensation for SOME, not ALL, of the reviews that I write.  Most of the compensation I receive is my way of free product.  But rest assured that I have always (and will continue to be) been honest with you in my reviews.  If there is a product that I really don’t like I will tell you what I don’t like about it.  I will also point out the things I do like about it.  And if the product is really that horrible I will send it back to the company that sent it to me.  (Thankfully that hasn’t happened yet!)  What are your thoughts on the FTC regulations?  Do you think it will better the blogosphere?  Do you think that companies will quit offering compensation for reviews?  Have you ever found a product that you really, really, really love because of a product review on a blog?  Tell me about it!  (Leave me a comment below!!)

Breastfeeding!  Yes, I just jumped from the FTC to the Boob!  LOL!  Lady B (she’s growing up so Lil’ B just sounds so young!) is now 9 months old and is still attached to the boob!  Even with 4 teeth and business trips that take me away from her we are still breastfeeding and I couldn’t be happier. 

Cloth Diapers!  Yes, we are still using cloth and loving it!  I have 2 new diapers that I am reviewing right now.  The first is by GroBaby and the second one just arrived yesterday from Bamboo Bums.  Can I tell you that bamboo is soooooooooo soft!  Oh la la….I need a blanket out of this stuff!  Or a sweater?  Hmmm….  Our child care provider is adjusting ok to cloth but we still have a ways to go to get her fully on board.  She’s using cloth but she has some concerns.  For instance…she was sending them home in plastic bags INSIDE the wetbag…kinda defeats the purpose of the wetbag!  And yesterday she told me she put her in a sposieat nap time because she hadn’t gone poo all day.  Sure enough she did go poo at nap time and cleanup was much easier on her…but again…defeating the purpose of cloth!  It’s going to take a little bit of educating and empathizing with her to get her fully on board.  I think I need to practice my new nonviolent communication skills that I’m learning from my new book, Nonviolent Communication, A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg.  I’m reading it as part of the training to become a Real Diaper Association (RDA) Circle Leader for the Tampa Bay area.  More on that in another post. 

Family News!  My son is the light of my life and got rave reviews from his teacher yesterday in our first conference of the year.  Besides the fact that we have a mini-genius on our hands I was moved by her words on his kindness and heart!  I guess my little boy is beginning to show compassion for others and that just moved me to tears!  He’s being a mentor to a little boy in his class who doesn’t speak English well…voluntarily!  I couldn’t be more proud of him and the wonderful little man he is becoming!  Lady B is 9 months (like I mentioned earlier) and is weighing in at a whopping 17 3/4 lbs.  I don’t think her brother was that big at a year! LOL! 

Reviews & Giveaways!  Don’t worry I have many things waiting to be written about!  I have more cleaning products to write about, baby food, baby toys, kids toys, diapers, blankets, and so much more coming your way!  Now I should go formulate my game plan on how to get caught up again!  

Thanks for visiting and caring about where I have been!  I really need to find that balance between real life and my blog that seems to get a little off balance more often than not!  Have a great weekend!

Giveaway Alert! Win a Hands-Free Pumping Bra from Easy Expression.  Details at end of post!  ECO-ngratulations!  Ruth is the winner of the Hands-Free Pumping Bra! Check your email for details!

As a working mother of two I have become very intimate with expressing milk (pumping).  With my son I worked out of the home in a traditional office setting and had to pump almost every day once I returned to work.  Each day my Medela and I would make our way to the office.  I was the first pumping momma in my office but I wasn’t the last.  I had a very great group of co-workers who quickly understood that if the door was shut that they shouldn’t open it (unless they wanted to get squirt with milk!).  I kept up with pumping for the entire first year. 

Now it’s 6 years later and I find myself in a different environment.  My full time job takes place right in the comfort of my home.  I have to travel a few times out of the year but for the most part I am a jammie worker (I work in my home office in my jammies!!).  Until about two weeks ago our second child, Lil’ B, was at home with me (and the nanny).  It was a great arrangement because when she was hungry the nanny would bring her to me and I would feed her.  It was very rare that I would pump during the day unless I was swamped with projects and/or meetings.  Now I’m back in the world of pumping during the day.  Lil’ B is now going to an in-home care with a really sweet lady a few miles away.  Her very first day there I came into the harsh realization that I needed to pump…A LOT!  My stock in the freezer had been diminished down to only one or two bags.  I’m finally caught up and have a whopping 4 bags in the freezer right now!  WOO HOO! 

Luckily Lil’ B is also eating solid food so her need for mommy milk is less but I still need to pump for her because I don’t want to quit breastfeeding.  My body is able to provide her the perfect food so I want to continue giving it to her…even if it’s not always convenient.  Pumping is not fun but it’s something you get accustomed to.  You have this wonderful device that you attach to your breasts and presto you become a human milk factory!  Some days I do feel like a cow on a dairy farm. 

Statistics:  Did you know that of the 74% of babies that have ever had breast milk (in the US) that only 21% of them will breastfeed through the age of 1 year?  Did you know that the percentage is even less for working mothers?  Only 10% of working mothers still breastfeed through the first year.  (Source:  Breastfeeding Facts & Figures)

I received a Hands-Free Pumping Bra (halter style) from Easy Expression recently and have a love-hate relationship with it.  I never had a pumping bra with my first child, only nursing bras.  I’ve seen these online but just never invested in one for myself.  The halter style bra is designed to slip on only during the pumping process.  My primary compliant with this style is that it slides on and doesn’t have a zipper, snaps, or hooks.  This is very inconvenient if you are at work or traveling since you have to first take off your shirt to put it on.  It’s not something you would want to keep on all day either since your breasts would not be covered.  It doesn’t seem like the halter style would be very practical to the average working mother so I emailed my contact and asked some questions. 

Easy Expression offers two different styles.  The halter style like I received and the bustier style that has a zipper.  If I were to order one I would definitely go with the bustier style since it would be easier to take on and off without having to undress.  

Regardless of which style you choose the Hands-Free Pumping Bra will make your pumping time more productive.  Your breast shield fits securely into the holes on the front of the bra and allows you to multi-task.  You will no longer have to hold the shields to your breast and watch the clock!  In fact, I was so caught up in an email one day that I actually allowed my bottle to overflow!  It also makes it easier to start and stop your pumping session since you aren’t trying to hold them into place or worry about dripping milk all over the front of you.  After using my Hands-Free Pumping Bra I can’t imagine life without it.  Now…I just need to take some time and order me the bustier style so that I can use it while I’m traveling next month.

Update!  After writing this post Easy Expressions sent me the busiter style Hands-Free Pumping Bra to compare.  I have to say that I am much more impressed with the bustier than the halter style.  The zipper is in the front and it fits quite snug.  I took the bustier style bra with me on my last work trip and it was easy to take on/off over my clothes and fit nicely back into my pump bag.  Well worth the extra few $$ if you ask me!   

Buy It Now!  The halter style Hands-Free Pumping Bra sells for $20 and the bustier style sells for $35.  Trust me when I tell you it’s worth the extra money to invest in the bustier style!  You won’t regret it.  You can buy them from many online retailers; for a complete list visit Easy Expression.  They may also be available at your local lactation center or hospital. 

Win It Now!  To win your very own Hands-Free Pumping Bra visit Easy Expression and leave a comment below telling me one of the 5 Tips to Get the Most From Breast Pumping.  This entry is mandatory to be entered to win. 

Extra Entries:  (Leave me an individual comment for each extra item that you completed!) 
1.  Are you on Twitter?  Follow both @TheEcoChic and @EasyExpression on Twitter.
2.  Tweet about this contest.  Include @TheEcoChic, @EasyExpression and a link to this contest in your tweet.  (Max 5 extra entries during this giveaway for Tweeting)
3.  Become a Fan of The Eco Chic on Facebook.
4.  Subscribe to The Eco Chic in Google Reader and Share this post with your friends!
5.  Add my blog button to your blog or website.  Leave a link to your site in your comment.

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY!

Contest will end on Friday, October 2nd, 2009 at midnight (EST). 

Good Luck and Happy (multi-tasking) Pumping!

ECO-ngratulations Ruth! You won! Check your emails!! 

Win your very own Mommy Necklace.  Click here for details.  To read more on my journey with breastfeeding click here.  

Be sure to become a Fan of both The Eco Chic and Mommy Necklaces on Facebook for an extra entry.  Also, if you are a mother looking for tips on breastfeeding you can go to Mommy Necklaces website for valuable resources.

Would you choose to breastfeed your baby if you knew your favorite celebrity breastfed?  I was looking up some information last night on www.breastfeeding.com and found a list of celebrities who do/did breastfeed.  Is your favorite celeb on the list?

Here are a few that caught my eye:

1. Angelina Jolie
2. Britney Spears
3. Brooke Shields
4. Christina Aguilera
5. Cindy Crawford
6. Debra Messing (and she has twins)
7. Demi Moore
8. Elizabeth Hasselbeck
9. Faith Hill
10. Gwen Stefani
11. Gwyneth Paltrow
12. Kate Hudson
13. Katie Holmes

These ladies all have fabulous bodies…I wonder if breastfeeding helped them loose the pounds?

While I was on Twitter during my lunch break I asked some intriguing questions about breastfeeding.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Do you nurse in public? Where are some of the most interesting places you’ve nursed?  @rbrinner The MTR in Hong Kong…a gondola at the venetian macau…top of the St Louis arch…likely over the North Pole in an airplane.

What is your favorite breastfeeding accessory?  @beanersmama I use nursing tanks all the time and just layer.  He just bites me when I cover him up.

Do you breastfeed and why? @nicolemarr I breastfeed for bonding, health and money reasons. @abusymommy Because I could and it was free.  Formula costs a small fortune. 

What about you?

GIVEAWAY ALERT!  Be sure to read all the way to the bottom for the second contest of The Eco-Summer Blog Party!

CONGRATULATIONS SHAYLAN! YOU ARE THE WINNER OF THE MOMMY NECKLACE GIVEAWAY!

Breastfeed: \’breast-fed\ verb, to feed a baby from a mother’s breast.

As a mother one of the first decisions you get to make at the hospital is how you are going to feed your newborn baby.  For me, I had heard all the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding and was convinced that I was going to give it a try.  I was hoping to make it three months.  Instead I made it eleven months, three weeks, and three days (but who’s counting) before I had to ween my son. 

Why did I choose to breastfeed?  I have asthma (always have) and the main reason I breastfed was because I heard that it reduces your childs chance of having asthma.  No one in my family had ever breastfed, none of my friends had breastfed, I knew no one who breastfed!  That was six years ago and today I am breastfeeding our second child (going on 6 months). 

Disclaimer:  Breastfeeding is not always easy!  With my first child he wouldn’t latch on at all so we left the hospital with this strange contraption called a pump.  As a first time mom this can be very discouraging but I really wanted to make it work.  I don’t like to fail.  So I kept it up, pumped milk every few hours, bottle fed my baby breastmilk, and kept practicing latching on.  On a trip to Target I found the Nipple Shield and thought it was worth a try.  Luckily it worked for us.  (*Note…Lactation Consultants don’t recommend using shields without supervision and proper guidance.)  After a month or so our little boy finally caught on to the latch and the rest is history…kinda!  I didn’t have any other major issues until about ten months when I was pumping at work (oh yeah…I was working a full time job and pumping during the days) and the milk looked like creamy tomato soup.  Now…like I said…I knew no one who was breastfeeding!  Who was I going to ask about this one?  After I freaked out for a few hours I called my OBGYN and made an appt to see them.  According to the mid-wife that I saw that day I needed to go in for a mammogram and quit nursing!  What?!?!  I had made it ten months, I wasn’t ready to wean yet!  Well, fortunately my stomach told me to keep looking for answers and that lead me to the local La Leche League.  I found a phone number for a local consultant and called to get her advice.  Thankfully, I did not have to wean.  It was a cracked nipple and it would heal in a few days AND I could continue to breastfeed my baby.  To my surprise it only took a day or two for things to go back to normal and I didn’t follow through with the mammogram or wean my baby.  I did end up weaning him at almost a year when my hubby and I decided to go on a trip alone for our anniversary.  It was perfect timing and I never looked back.  

Take Two:  Fast forward 6 years to January 2009 and I am once again blessed to have another beautiful baby to breastfeed.  This time the hospital was much easier and I was better prepared to feed my baby.  She latched on much better than her older brother but still didn’t latch properly.  I still had to work with her for a few weeks to get her to latch on the right way.  I am learning that each child is different.  She is much rougher on the boobies and pulls the nipple with her as she turns her head to look at the world!  Honestly I feel like Elastigirl from The Incredibles!  Yes, it does hurt sometimes and I’ve already experienced my first cracked nipple with her.  I think she’s teething so that makes things a little more challenging.  Again, it healed in a day and we’re moving on.  

Words of Wisdom: 

1. I have a theory on breastfeeding.  200 years ago what did women feed their babies?  In remote Africa what do women feed their babies?  Mother’s Milk!  There was no formula 200 years ago.  God made our bodies so that we could produce milk to feed our babies.  It’s 100% natural and costs nothing!  It’s not produced in a factory in China or shipped thousands of miles to our local store where it sits for months before we spend precious money to mix it withwater and hope that our babies don’t spit it up withtheir reflux.  It’s a wonderful way to bond with your baby.  Somedays nothing will soothe her better than cuddling up next to my breast and suckling sweet, warm mothers milk until she falls asleep.
2. Trust your instincts!  Only you will know what is right for you and your baby.  If I wouldn’t have trusted my instincts I would have had a mammogram and weaned my baby before either of us were ready.  My son was a little baby and my friends and family always asked me “How do you know he’s getting enough?”  I trusted my instincts.  As most of us know, babies don’t come with directions.  They don’t require 1 oz of milk at 1 month, 2 oz of milk at 2 months, etc.  They (like us) eat differently each day.  Some days they will eat more, other days they will eat less.  You have to have faith in yourself that your baby will know when it’s hungry.  
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  There are professional lactation consultants out there who do this everyday.  I called the local hospital’s lactation consultant yesterday actually for help with the recent cracked nipple incident.  I learned (was reminded actually) that there are support groups for breastfeeding mothers.  I’m planning on attending my first meeting next week to get some ideas on how to handle my difficult baby.  Look online, there are so many resources available FREE online to help breastfeeding mothers.  

This leads me to my next product review and giveaway!  I have recently found Mommy Necklaces.  The owner created these necklaces out of a necessity of sorts, she too struggled with a baby who was curious about the world around them.  Much like my little baby, Raelynn’s baby liked to grab at every necklace she wore.  I’m always afraid that my baby will break my favorite necklaces so I tend to go without jewelry.  Mommy Necklaces are beautifully created and stylish enough to wear any place.  The cording repels water and won’t deteriorate when wet, they are even washable.  The beads are non-toxic acrylic (lead and phthalate free) and have been tested to exceed CPSIA regulations.  Another unique feature is the break away closure.  Your baby can (and will) tug as hard as they want and won’t break your Mommy Necklace.  (*Warning: Mommy Necklace beads can still cause a choking hazard if it were to break.)  I received my own Mommy Necklace last week and I am already in love with it.  It helps to keep my baby focused on the task at hand…breastfeeding!  My only problem, I need one for every outfit so it looks like I’m going to need a few more!  Shhh…don’t tell the hubby!            

Giveaway!  Contest period ended.