The EcoChic

Today marks the 578th day of breastfeeding my little tot!  Well to be clear – I’m not actually breastfeeding her today because she is at Camp Grandma/Grandma while I am flying (yes – right now) to NYC for #BlogHer10!  But – we are still breastfeeding and my pump (Thanks Hygeia) is packed securely inside my luggage.

Many of you may remember the adventures I had while traveling to Miami for a week – without a tot – and without my handy pump!  I had a mommy moment while packing then and left the pump in my closet all alone!  Enter my introduction to hand expression and jokes from my hubby and friends!

There was a question as to whether I should continue to breastfeed when I returned or let her be weened since she had been off mommy milk for a whole week.  Two hours after our reunion she kindly asked for mommy – and I couldn’t say no.

Once again – I will continue to pump while away and I’ll let her decide if it’s time to ween or not.  It seems almost fitting that she would ween this trip because she is now 19 months AND my son weened while the hubs and I were vacationing in NYC over 6 yrs ago (he was 11 months – 3 weeks – and 3 days!).  It would be kinda neat to have NYC be both of their weening times.  But only time will tell – she is quite fond of our time together.

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week I just wanted to share my (continued) story in hopes that I can encourage you or someone you know to keep it up for as long as it is beneficial for you and your child – whatever age that might be.  While the WABA has their own 10 steps for successful breastfeeding I’m going to give you my modified list!

1.  Have faith in yourself, your body, and your baby – the rest will come naturally.

2.  Trust your instincts – and don’t ALWAYS listen to the ‘professionals’ (i.e., your doctors, nurses, friends, and family).  I remember with my son a nurse ordered me to have a mammogram for a cracked nipple and instruct me to quit nursing immediately! I’m SOOOOO glad I didn’t listen to that nurse and trusted my own instincts instead!

3.  If it hurts or doesn’t feel right ask for help – a certified lactation consultant should be available at your local hospital or birthing center.  Reach out and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

4.  The first month is the hardest!  You are emotionally and physically exhausted – don’t be discouraged in the beginning.

5.  There is nothing easier to do than breastfeed your baby!  No bottles to warm up, no formula to buy, nothing to mix, and no water needed!  Oh – and you can’t leave the milk at home if you breastfeed – one less thing to tote in your diaper bag.

6.  There is nothing more nutritious than mommy milk for your baby – it’s the perfect food for every age!

7.  It’s free!  Whether you have lots of money or no money – breastmilk is always free.  Sure you have to continue to eat a healthy diet but we should all do that anyways – regardless of our financial status.

8. It’s better for the environment – nothing is artificially manufactured, packaged, or shipped to get your baby this perfect food – and there’s no waste!

9.  Yes, even daddy and caregivers can participate.  That’s my breastpumps were invented!  And don’t be scared of those either – you’ll get the hang of it.  It’s worth it!

10.  Lastly – because your baby deserves the very best!  And the breast really is the best!

How many days have you breastfeed your baby?  What problems or misconceptions are you dealing with?  Do you know where to go for help?  Let me know – I can point you in the right direction.

PS – I’m a working mom and I have to travel from time to time without my baby.  If I can make it 19 months I have faith you can make it to your own personal goal!

Pictured above: Left – Me, Calley (AKA – The Eco Chic), Right – Danielle Wann (owner of Peace, Love, Play)

I know Wordless Wednesday should be well wordless but I had to send a special shout out to a local friend!  Danielle Wann is the owner of a fabulous indoor play area for children 0-5yrs in Plant City, FL – Peace, Love, Play!  Where else can you go for $5/day and let your child play in a climate controlled (nice in these hot and rainy Florida days), safe, and environmentally friendly indoor play area.  In addition to Monday-Friday open play sessions – Peace, Love, Play hosts Breastfeed Support Groups, monthly Cloth Diaper Demonstrations (by East Coast Cloth), and weekend birthday party space.  If you live in or around the Tampa Bay area you should really make the trip to Plant City and visit with Danielle and her family. 

You can also follow Danielle online at her blog “There’s No Snakes in New Zealand.”  Danielle also hosts a weekly breastfeeding support chat (#BFCafe) on Twitter on Thursday evenings from 10-11pm ET.  Be sure to follow @ZealandsMom and @Peace_Love_Play.

Image taken and edited from my iPhone.

Yes, we are still breastfeeding and I think it’s beautiful!

After a very LONG week away from our 17 month old I am happy (at least I am) to report that we are STILL breastfeeding.  I finally grasped the concept of manual expression of the milk since I left town without my child and my pump!  It wasn’t an easy concept to master but after a few days I became a pro! 

My worst fear was that I would be reunited with the tot and she wouldn’t ever ask for mommy milk again.  It took her 2.5 hours before she started to get cranky and tired - then she started to make her way back to her comfort spot.  Everything works the way it did before she left – like she never skipped a beat. 

It was difficult for me to decide whether this should be our weaning period or if she should continue – after all big brother weaned at almost a year.  We’ve far surpassed my expectations but I want this to be her decision - at least for now.  It’s not restricting me from doing anything and she does fine if we are apart.  I only wish that my support system understood the connection, the bond, and the desire to continue. 

On Father’s Day I’m blessed to be the wife of an awesome daddy – even if he doesn’t understand his crazy wife!  In years to come you are the one she will come running to for solving lifes little problems – the daddy daughter bond is there and will be there for life!  The ties that bond the mother and daughter aren’t always as strong – these are my years to be her special someone.  Thanks for understanding that much.  I love you!

Last time I told you I was leaving my baby for a whole week and was planning on pumping to sustain the production of milk – in the event that she still asks for it when I see her again.

After a 4 hour drive we finally arrived at our destination when it dawned on me -my breast pump was still in the closet at home!!!

After cussing and crying I decided that I was going to make this work – and I did a LOT of cussing! My tot is almost 17 mo so I refuse to spend any more money on pumps (whether that be rental or settling on another cheap manual pump) and I made myself a commitment to try manually hand expressing milk.

I had never really tried it before because I always had a pump so I didn’t really know where to begin. I still haven’t Googled any tips – I just decided to try it.

I found the best way to get things started is with a nice warm shower – but a hot washcloth works ok too. I know I’m not emptying all of the milk bit it’s certainly releasing the build up – and keeping the production up. It’s now been 3 days and I still have milk!

I have to give a huge shout out to my Twitter pals for listening to me whine this weekend as I freaked out over my dumb ass mistake! You ladies totally rock!

I am with my husband and our best friends and they don’t really understand why (or how) I want to keep this up. It would be so much easier to just let it go – and dry up. I don’t really know my why, there are a few reasons. 1) she’s my last baby ever! 2) I want her to decide when to stop – within reason (no preschool nursling here). 3) I didn’t plan on stopping yet. 4) just because I can – and it’s good for both of us!

Anyways – I will be reunited with my pump before I’m reunited with my tot and I hope that I can make it a few more days. Its gonna really bite if she doesn’t ask for the milk when I see her again. But at least it will be her decision.

More later – I’m going back to my balcony overlooking the ocean to listen to the waves crash.

*note – typed on my iPhone so please excuse any errors.

I just laid Lil’ B down to bed at her Grandma’s and in the morning I will leave her for a week. I will nurse one more time in the morning and then I will (hopefully) pump once a day until I see her again. Will she still ask for it in a week? Or will she have moved on? Is this my last evening session – or will there be more? Only time – and my 17 month old – will tell.

Lil’ B is now 17 months and 3 days old and is still proudly breastfeeding a few times a day.  While she’s with the sitter during the day she gets regular cows milk, water, or juice but when she’s home with me she usually asks for mommy!

I started offering her sippy cups when we are having meals or when we go out in public – just because it’s easier than dealing with questions over breastfeeding my toddler.  While I’m extremely proud of where I am today I’m not really in the mood to defend my right as a mother and provider. 

Next week hubby and I will be traveling without the kiddos for 4 days – and I’m wondering if I should officially wean?  This morning while she was breastfeeding she reached for her sippy cup that happened to be sitting next to the bed!  She would alternate between the two – boob and sippy – until it was time to get up and dressed for another day.  It was kinda funny actually to see her holding the sippy while nursing!  She thinks she’s a big girl when she gets her cup but I love our special time together.

I’ve tried NOT offereing mommy milk unless she asks – which by the way involves a toddler PULLING my shirt off until she finds the goods!  I know she’ll be fine without it but I wonder if I should continue to pump while we are away?  Will she still look for it when we get back?  Will she be sad or angry if her fountain is closed?  Or will she be like her brother and never look back. 

I think mommy might be the one to take weaning hardest – this is my last baby – my last nursling!

A letter to my darling tot -

Today is a day of celebration – you are 501 days old! 

For 501 days I have watched you grow from this tiny baby into this blossoming, beautiful, independent little spit fire!  Each day you wake looking up at me while you fill your belly with the milk that God gave you – I can only imagine what you are thinking about as you grab my hair and twirl it around your tiny fingers.  And each day as you go play with your friends and explore the world around you I know that you will come home to me – only to look up at me once more as you fill your belly with that same mommies milk.  You may not be able to vocalize your thoughts but your eyes tell me the stories of your adventures.  And each evening I love how you press your body against my chest and doze off to slumber - resting your tired body on mine - dreaming of another tomorrow.  I’m thankful to God everyday that he made you and provided us with this opportunity to build our bonds with one another.  I’m thankful that he provided me with the resources to nourish your tiny growing body – naturally. 

Some may not understand our bond – they call it weird and extreme – but when you look up at me with those big blue eyes of yours the rest of the world seems to vanish.  One day I know that you will wake up and forget about this special bond as you run off and play - but until that day happens I will continue to listen to the stories that your eyes are telling me. 

Always yours – Mom

While I was counting the days on the calendar today I decided to see how old other mammals were when they were weaned naturally – the Gorilla (also a primate like humans) is naturally weaned at the age of 3-4 years of age.  Much later than most Americans consider as ‘normal’ for humans.  Here is a great article that discusses the natural age for weaning in primates.       

          Photo courtesy of Steuart Dewar, Gorilla Haven

Now before you start leaving me funny comments about how Earth Day was LAST week let me begin by saying that Earth Day in our house is celebrated 365 days a year.  Since I was out of town on business last week I didn’t get a chance to write what was on my mind about Earth Day.  So today you are all going to celebrate Earth Day again…with me! 

When the very first Earth Day was celebrated I was still safely nestled inside an egg in my mothers body.  It wasn’t until a few years later that I would be welcomed onto the Earth and begin leaving my footprints on her.  I remember as a child having passion for projects – the homeless, the hungry children in Africa, the stray dogs in the neighborhood – you name it, I had to be involved.  As I got older this passion for projects turned into a career and I am now one of many who claim to be a protector of the planet.  

While I may not lead the perfect green lifestyle I do make a difference with my small changes.  I am fortunate to be able to make milke naturally for my babies and never had to feed them that fancy stuff from the cans – thus reducing their environmental footprints as well as my own.  With the birth of number two I leapt backwards into the world of cloth diapers.  What I like to look at as an archaic lifestyle has suddenly turned modern once again.  With this leap I have personally saved thousands of diapers from a lifetime sentence in the local landfill and have encouraged others to do the same.  I guess we can learn something from our parents; after all my mom used cloth on both my brother and I. 

But what more can we do today (and everyday)?  As I reflect on Earth Day 2010 and how I reached out to a few thousand employees to make small changes in the workplace; I wonder what else I can do in my own life.  So I began making a list of 40 things I can do to live a more sustainable life.  (*40 since it is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day) 

In no specific order here is my list: 

1. Reduce my paper towel dependance at home.

2. Eat more local grown foods.

3. Eat less meats and seafood.

4. Be more attentive to my families recycling.

5. Use less plastic in our lives (thanks Beth Terry for always making me cringe when I use or trash plastic!)

6. Make more homemade toys for my children.

7. Purchase less STUFF.

8. Get outside more.

9. Watch less TV (and computer, phones, etc).

10. Consider the amount of toxins that are in our families skincare products (thanks #ecowed crowd for making me cringe when I put on lotion!)

11. Attempt to garden more. (I’m a huge failure here!)

12. Compost more (again, another failure!)

13. Find a local environmental project to volunteer for. (Beach erosion or cleanup sound interesting!)

14. Reuse more of our waste products. 

15. Create a weekly trash to treasure project.

16. Blog every Thursday with a new trash to treasure project (one of my original goals of this blog).

17. Involve my family more in our green ideas around the house.

18. Take my water bottle with me more places. (Especially when I travel)

19. Use my To-Go-Ware more and carry it with me when we go out! (reusable silverware)

20. Throw away less food.  Have you ever looked at how much food we waste?

21. Recycle more paper at home. I’m bad about trashing junk mail which is probably one of our biggest wastes.

22. Spend one day a month removing myself from mailing lists; I hardly have time to read it all and never make any purchases from them.

23. Use only real and local soaps. Now more bottled bath wash.

24. Line dry more clothes.  I wonder if I could talk hubby into hanging an old fashion clothes line?

25. TRY the Diva Cup instead of tampons.

26.  Find a local farmers market and start shopping there.

27.  Pick up 40 pieces of trash each time I go to the local beach. (or anywhere really)

28.  Travel with our cloth diapers more.  I’m good on short trips but the longer trips become challenging!

29.   Watch Food, Inc (the movie) or read the book! (CHECK!)

30.  After watching Food, Inc…decide on how to change what my family eats!

31.  After watching Food, Inc…do not eat at McDonalds again!

32.  Green our bathroom renovations…if and when we get off our keesters and actually begin the projects!

33.  Buy and install a rain barrell.

34.  Replace the windows on our house to be more energy efficient.  This may be saved for next year due to the cost of the bathroom renovations.

35.  Take my son to see Disney Nature’s OCEANS! (CHECK – 5/16)

36.  Do something to help the Gulf oil spill.

37.  Get cloth diapers on The Ellen Show. #OperationFluffy!!!

38.  Convince at least one more person to use cloth diapers.

39.  Work to green my sons school and implement a recycling program on campus.

40.  Stop using dryer sheets – try wool dryer balls instead. (STARTED 5/16)

As you can see this is a work in progress.  I can’t even complete the list by thinking of 40 things.  What about you?  Could you think of 40 small things you could do to be more sustainable?  

EARTH DAY 365 PROJECT:  Create your list of 40 small changes and link to it using McLinky below.  Check back montly as I give you an update on my 40 things! 

Today I celebrate 450 days of breastfeeding Lil’ B! We have reduced our feedings to mostly morning and evening since she’s usually with the sitter during the day. On the weekends (and off days) she sneaks in a few more feedings but it’s not her primary source of nutrition any longer. Lil’ B is a pig! She has a love relationship with all types of food and rarely turns her nose at anything.

Our nursing sessions use to be 10-15 minutes at a time…or eating on the go (eat, play, eat). Now the sessions tend to last much longer and is an extreme bonding session each morning and evening. Sometimes she will snuggle up to the breast for 30-45 minutes at a time.

With my son I counted down the days until we stopped because I felt like that was the ‘right’ thing to do. The one year mark just seemed a natural place to stop and he never looked back. With Lil’ B I’m treasuring each additional day that we have this bond. Maybe it’s because I know that she is my last baby, my last nursling.

There is nothing sweeter than your baby glaring up at you, skin touching, and sharing the most intimate part of raising babies. When people ask me when I plan on weaning I continue to answer them…”I don’t know…whenever she’s ready!”

I can’t wait for the morning when she wakes and starts looking for her favorite snuggle spot. Good night!