Drea Wood

Category Archives: nursing

Very Thankful

Written on 09/29/2010 by Dreawood in motherhood, nursing

Well yesterdays post sure generated some comments :-)
Many good… some in-between…
others down right UGLY…

I think throughout all of them though.. I have realized and I hope others have too…

That nursing is a choice each mother has to make.
If you can do it however, it is a true blessing!

I really liked Alieshas comment (our youth pastors wife).

Here are a few portions of her comment…

“As a breastfeeding mother, I would like to say that I thought the tone of that article you linked to was quite harsh. While breastmilk is a wonderful thing, that article (due to the tone) probably won’t convince anyone who wasn’t already convinced.

I would also like to say that my ability to breastfeed my baby girl is by the GRACE of God. Andrea, I know you had so many difficulties, and it just as easily could have been me. I have no right to brag about something that GOD enabled me to do. I feel sorry for the mothers who are not extremely grateful for the blessing of breastfeeding, and instead say hurtful things to mothers who have struggled.

One last note… before formula was invented, babies whose mothers could not breastfeed them (or afford to hire a wet nurse) died. We should all be very thankful that we are not losing babies to starvation anymore!”

I also love KATES comment recently posted:

“Oh my WORD, I can’t believe some of the things in that article! Unbelievable. Hey, guess what…I was formula fed and turned out JUST FINE! No diabetes, no obesity, no chronic health problems. Being formula fed did not seal my fate to an unhealthy life whatsoever…by no means do I feel cursed by the decision my parents made to feed me formula! (other decisions, yes, but not the formula, haha!!) And I love Aleisha’s comment…we can breastfeed by GOD’S GRACE. Yes, he made our bodies to do it, but we live in a fallen world where things don’t always go as He originally intended it to. If it works out, it really is by HIS grace.”

It truly is a blessing if you can nurse!
I am 100% for breast feeding…

BUT I also understand and have experienced 1st hand how difficult it is… and how sometimes it just does not work out… for many many reasons.

We should never ever judge a mother on this. If a mom nurses for 5 months, then her baby gets teeth and she opts to no longer nurse due to biting, does that make her a bad mom? or her baby any less?- If a mom is terribly sick in the hospital and cant nurse, does that make her a bad mom? or her baby set for a road of low IQ scores? If a single mother or even just a working mom has to leave her baby and work full time outside the home, and has no ability to pump or chooses not too, does that make her a bad mom? or guarantee her baby will struggle with many health problems and possibly diabetes?

I don’t think so.

What we need to do as mothers is LOVE our babies…
Nurture them…
Bring them up in stable homes with lots of support and attention.
For us as believers, teaching them to Love Christ and live according to His Word.
Feed them healthy foods and teach them healthy habits.
Be involved with them in school.. may it be private, home or public.
Spend time with them, teach them, cherish them…

My children are not doomed to live unhealthy lives because I fed them formula… nor are the less intelligent because of it.
As I stated in comments on the previous post.. my brother was formula fed, I was nursed… for almost 2 years!
We both did very similar in school and honestly he was smarter!
He got better grades than I did… I had lots of struggles in high school and even went to summer school one year for math.

My brother never did.

My husband also was a A, B student and got a full ride to college! And he has Masters Degree as well.
Was he nursed? Nope…

Also my brother has spring allergies. I have fall. My mother has spring allergies… my dad has none.
Travis has no known allergies either.
I think you all get my point :)
Im rambling now.

I am so thankful for the support of so many awesome moms on here!
Thank you all for the kind words.. and thank you to those who do nurse and are respectful and kind and so understanding to how hard it is for those who cant. We as mothers should support one another… not bring one another down…

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Formula Mothers are Ignorant?

Written on 09/28/2010 by Dreawood in nursing, Owen, parenting, struggles

I wasn’t going to post about this, but I can’t seem to shake it…

I saw a link to THIS POST – that talks about the latest Similac Infant Formula recall… among other things.

It was written by “natural news”

Some of the statements made in the article were….

(by using formulas like similac) it will become “….a curse that will haunt them through the rest of their lives.”

“… ignorant moms are feeding this stuff to their babies every single day!”

“To do so is actually nutritional child abuse“

“Similac – Creating tomorrow’s diabetics, one baby at a time.”

“No society should allow this junk to be fed to their babies, especially if they’re trying to prevent obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic health problems that are already bankrupting the nation.”

“In my opinion, Similac might be the perfect product to raise a generation of Big Pharma customers who will need a whole battery of prescription drugs to “treat” all the degenerative health conditions caused by eating dead, processed, sugared-up and genetically modified foods.”

That is just some of what was written on this article.

And honestly what offends me the most is how it is written.

Insulting so many mothers…

and judging the health of so many babies… when honestly there is no truth to it! Where is their evidence?
How can they say that feeding a baby formula will cause them to be a diabetic?! How can they say that it is going to set them on a path to be obese and have health problems. Have they followed individual babies fed formula and compared them with the health of breastfed babies? I highly doubt it.

Both Caleb & Taite were on Similac for the 1st 6 months of their lives. They had a few weeks worth of breastmilk but thats it. After they started babyfood I then switched them to Parents Choice.

The ingredients in the Parents Choices Organic are almost exactly the same as higher cost ORGANIC BRANDS.

The only difference was how it was sweetened… that I could see any way.

But honestly… do nursing mothers eat all organic foods? Do they eat foods without artificial sweeteners or high quantities of sugar? That brings me to this other POST written by a mom over at blog her. It is titled “Why Breast is not Always Best.”

I honestly believe breast is best, IF you eat right… and are able to do so well.

… however In so many situations a mother cant nurse… May it be because they adopted… they had health issues and were unable to even attempt… they were on drugs?? they had to work and were unable to pump… or Just like in my case I couldn’t produce enough to sustain Owen. He was starving! I also couldn’t withstand the horrible pain caused by my flare of eczema.. and for me and my baby, it was best to switch to formula. I am 100% confident in my decision to feed Owen formula. He is not lacking anything. Our bond has done nothing but grown since I stopped nursing…

Im not really sure what my point is to this post…
I really just wish NATURAL companies would stop being so judgmental towards so many non-organic companies. Always assuming such negative… and thinking they are always “the best” – when honestly I think a lot of it is a bit much.. and while I am all for organic living… I feed Owen home made baby food, I give my kids healthy snacks and all natural juices, etc… I dont sit down with bags of junk and not stay active… I am all for living a healthy life style…

I just think it can sometimes be taken a bit to extreme… and if they are going to go into “people being money hungry”... my question is this…

Why are they charging so much for what they sell? and how do they expect the single mothers… or low income families to be able to eat organically if the prices are off the charts… We can grow our own gardens… and save that way… but for us to buy all organic would not be possible with our current budget.

So… I guess
we are all entitled to our opinions …

I think its great if you can afford all these organic formulas and products… but to do what they did in that post, was just hurtful and wrong on so many levels.

**Ugly Comments will not be tolerated. If you have something to say in disagreement go about it nicely. We can all agree to disagree… without being disrespectful towards one another.**

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Its not ending without tears

Written on 03/28/2010 by Dreawood in nursing, Owen, struggles

Since becoming a mom almost 6 years ago when Caleb was born… I always had a great desire to nurse my children. Due to complications though I was unable to nurse both Caleb and Taite… Each for different reasons… I remember feeling a great sadness each time… but also a great relief that both of them did so well on formula. They thrived… were healthy… and at ages 5 and 3 today we have no doubt that their every need was met with the formula they got… and despite my not breast feeding them they survived :)

With Owen I was determined to nurse… I learned from previous mistakes what NOT to do if I desired to nurse… and I stuck with that plan and nursed Owen. Despite the physical pain it caused.. there was something special about that closeness. As each day passed though it was getting to the point where I would dread him waking up to nurse… I felt like my boobs were on a time clock count down… and each time he would nurse id be in tears with pain… People kept telling me that it gets better around week 2 so that is what I was holding out for. The magic of “week 2.” :)

To add to the stress of nursing we have been dealing with Owen crying A LOT… im not talking 30 minutes… im talking 3 hours or more! He would cry…and cry…. and cry…. we felt horrible but did not know what to do. We figured it was just gas and his tummy adjusting to things.

I began cutting things from my diet and eating very bland… in hopes that if I ate really bland nothing in my milk could cause him discomfort.

No change…

Last night he cried from 8pm-11pm… nothing either of us did worked…

I got online last night and talked to a friend of mine in Ohio about things… and was encouraged by her. She has a little boy whos Taites age and experienced things similar to me with him.

Finally at 11pm he fell asleep in Travis’ arms… and stayed asleep until about 2:30am. Up right in a recliner with Travis.

At 2:30am I made the decision to give him a bottle… I cried…. and cried… and even writing this I cry because I really did want to nurse him.. but with the pain I felt in my chest… to the pain I saw Owen in… I had to try something else… and knew that if this continued I couldnt continue to nurse and remain sane.

The past 9 days Ive felt like Ive been locked in a room secluded from my other boys… trying to do something that ultimately to me was not worth doing if I could not enjoy this time with Owen. They dont stay newborns long… and once its gone its gone forever. I didnt want to spend the next few weeks HOPING things would get better… waiting on that “magic day” when it didnt hurt any more… and just hoping the “gas” would pass in time.

After Owen drank that bottle at 2:30am he immediately fell asleep… he seemed so much more content.

I then changed his diaper… he laid there as content as could be on my bed as I changed him… not one cry came out of him…
That has yet to happen til last night.

I then swaddled Owen … put him next to me in the bed (not in my arms like I have been doing)… and he amazingly didnt wake up. He was gas free… and happy… and asleep.

I got online at this point just to “wait it out” and see if he stayed asleep on his own… by 3am he was still out… I then laid down beside him and didnt wake up again until 7am… (had to pee)… and I actually WOKE Owen up at 7:30am to eat…

I wont lie, I cried again when I fed him this morning… but with the support of my husband… and my other sweet boys surrounding me as I fed Owen a bottle… I had a peace in my heart that this was the right thing to do for our family and Owen.

Owen got the colostrum…. he got more breast milk than either of my boys did… He was going to be just fine.

Its almost 11am… and today has been completely different than the past 9 days… Owen has slept on his own in the bassinet without one cry of gas. He has been a completely different baby! I was actually able to shower this morning without him crying or having to be held.

I was able to get my other boys dressed for the 1st time since being home … Before today I spent all my time holding Owen… he would not let us put him down. If we did, he cried.

Owen slept from that 7:30am bottle until about 9:30am, alone!! no tears… no gas…. just happy sweet baby.

At 9:30am he did wake and was hungry… so I fed him another ounce of formula… he was content after that and I enjoyed time holding him… where he looked around… made sweet baby faces and a few yawns. He then zonked out in my lap… and here I am writing this blog as he sleeps yet again on his own… with no pains.

I really do believe that I was unable to satisfy Owen with nursing… I would nurse him for an hour straight… yet still tears… we just figured it was gas pain… but are beginning to wonder if it was hunger pains.

My nursing him is not ending without tears… but I have joy in seeing my sweet baby happy and content… and not in pain.

I think nursing is beautiful… and if you can do it that is just amazing… and such a blessing.

I will cherish those memories of holding Owen in that way… but I really do believe this is best… and just pray the Lord gives me a peace… and comforts me during the emotional times I know will come… I am so thankful for the support from my husband as well… Thank you all for all the advice and prayers.

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Q&A time & the colic

Written on 03/24/2010 by Dreawood in nursing, Owen

Ive had an abundance of questions and comments lately…
(I think Ive had well over 300 messages in my email since leaving the hospital)

with so many im having trouble keeping up.. so If I do not respond to you direct please don’t take it personally. I am reading everything tho! and greatly appreciate all the comments and help. It is nice hearing from some of the “lurkers” on my blog who normally don’t comment.

To answer a few questions:

- We are still nursing.
~ Is it less painful? Not really lol.. but I think my brain and body are building a tolerance to the pain.. but I do cringe when I think about the next feedings sometimes.. because I know its going to hurt, especially the 1st few minutes.

~ Am I using a cream after nursing? Yes. I actually got one prescribed. I forget the exact name but its what the lactation ladies called “the good stuff.” Its a triple ointment cream??

- They actually told me NOT to use Lanolin because it has wool in it?? and apparently sometimes with the kind of problems im having it can end up causing yeast and more issues.. so they told me to stay away from that. I do own some tho! but the triple ointment stuff seems to be doing the trick.

~ I did go see the Lactation specialist at the hospital yesterday after Owens Check up. They were such a help. We were there over an hour… and they helped me reduce the engorgement some. They also checked to see if he was feeding and latching correctly (He was)… and gave me some tips to keep the engorgement down. I seriously was so full that I couldnt lay on my side in bed without it hurting. With them getting this full Owen had a lot of trouble latching well.

The Apt. was very encouraging and I actually plan to go to a Breast Feeding support group through the hospital on April 4th. The ladies were all super sweet. I felt bad for Travis being stuck in a room with me and 3 ladies talking about boobs LOL.. Im sure he felt a tad awkward :)

Yesterday I nursed exclusively all day. No supplementing. The fullness has gone down A LOT… but still isnt totally there. They told me though in time when Owen begins to eat MORE it will get better. So heres hoping.

~ Oh and I got a new bra WOOOOOOO. I went into the lactation place with a bra that barely covered me… they had a bunch of Medela bras you could buy there.. and I was asked if I knew what size Id be… and I said “not really.. I was a B.” She looked at me and was like “Well your not now!” HAHA.. The bra she sold me is super soft.. its actually a sleep bra.. I really like it.. but def. need more :) If you have a favorite bra list it in a comment!

- Owen we believe has colic… we aren’t sure yet… but it sure seems that way. He cried from like 5pm-10pm yesterday… nothing seemed to soothe him! I tried everything… finally around 10pm I put him in a sleepywrap and that did it… then Travis took over and held him in the recliner from like 11-2am.

I dont know whats causing the colic… but its so hard.
We’ve tried gas drops…

Hope to try the GRIPE water people have told us about… Travis is picking up some now.

Owen refuses to sleep much on his back or on his own… We go back to the Dr. tomorrow for another check on his weight.. and they want to check on his diapers … he hasnt had A LOT of wet diapers.. which im not sure is common … but the Dr. didnt seem to concerned at this point since he is having dirty diapers still.

Owen is eating though. Last night at 2:30am he nursed.
Then again at 5:30
and again at 8:30

After each feeding he seemed gassy… but that calmed as I laid him on my chest to sleep.

This morning for about 35-45 minutes I wore Owen in the Sleepy Wrap again… but right now hes just restless and you can tell working through gas pains. I will feed him in a little bit … just praying this passes… its so hard to see a baby hurt like this and not be able to fix it.

Off to nurse Owen again… please pray for him!! and Us… Ive never experienced having a baby with Colic and I must say its so hard.

Forgive typos.. I dont have a chance to re-read my post any more :)

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