it all started with a cracked nipple...

Ya! A flippin cracked nipple! How the heck does that happen after you've been breastfeeding for SEVEN months? Here's how it went down....

Last Thursday while breastfeeding: "That's weird. This hurts a little."

Friday: "Ya something's wrong. This hurts."

Saturday: "OWIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Saturday night: "Shoot me in the face. Now please." Called hospital pain was so bad. They said I needed to come to ER because I wouldn't be able to make it until Monday. I had a flippin yeast infection. Got drugs.

Tuesday: Better but drugs gone and pain coming back. Head to doctor. Mastitis. Well isn't that fan flippin tabulous?

Seriously, I would rather go through childbirth than go through that again.

I spent all day in bed yesterday with a fever, headache, sore throat, and aches so bad the tips of my fingers hurt. My poor kids watched TV for like 10 hours straight. Supermom I am not. I will be staying in bed when I feel like shit thank you very much.

I ran out of Juice Plus so didn't take it for a couple weeks and look what happens to me.

Feeling revived today. Even felt up to blogging which hasn't been a priority lately as you may have noticed. Now onto laundry. And possible a shower...

Linked at Blue Monkey Butt.

medela swing breatpump review

As many of you know, I've dealt with some breastfeeding struggles with the kids. The Baby has been my only successful breastfeeding relationship and it has been wonderful! She's almost 6 months and I'm still exclusively breastfeeding and loving every minute of it!

Since I don't work {for pay} there aren't many times I need to be away from The Baby, but I wanted a decent pump to store milk so I would have a back-up plan in case something came up. Ya know, if hubby and I wanted to go on a date night, or if I wanted some time to myself for more than a few hours. Has that ever happened you ask? Well....no. But I suppose it could now that I have a pump.


I originally wanted a double pump, but The Medela Swing single pump definitely gets the job done for me. In fact, my friend is a full-time working mom and she has a single Medela breastpump that she swears by! She said she can get more milk in the same amount of time with her single Medela pump than her co-workers can with other brand double pumps.

I'll be honest. I personally thought there really couldn't be that big of a difference between breastpumps. THERE IS!

The Medela Swing's massaging SoftFit™ breastshield is SO comfortable. Many other pumps have the hard plastic and the SoftFit was definitely a pleasant experience. The pump features 2-Phase Expression technology which allows you to switch pumping phases at let-down to get more milk in less time. And of course all parts that come into contact with breastmilk are BPA-free.

The pump has different suction settings as well. AND BOY DOES IT SUCK! With the other pumps I've used there hasn't been enough suction. With the Swing I couldn't even use it on the highest suction because it was too powerful.

The pump is small and super easy to tote around. It comes with a drawstring bag to keep everything clean and in one place between pumpings. It's been convenient to be able to pump milk for The Baby's cereal without assembling, disassembling, and cleaning 92 parts.

I definitely recommend the Medela Swing, and any product by Medela for that matter. You can buy the Medela Swing for $149.99 and it comes with the SoftFit breastshield, a bottle stand, two 5 oz breastmilk bottles, lids & travel cap, wide base slow-flow nipple, 1 valve, 3 membranes, tubing, neck/shoulder strap, AC adapter, battery power option, carry bag, instruction manual, and a Breastfeeding Information Guide.

Click here for a list of online stores where you can purchase Medela products. To find a store near you, click here. I am also a Medela Mom Maven! To see if you qualify click here.

{Medela provided me with a Medela Swing breastpump for my review. My opinions came from my own little head and I was not compensated for this post.}

the baby's inadequate weight gain

I took The Baby in for her 4-month check a couple weeks ago. She only weighed 11 pounds 2 ounces. She was 10 pounds at her 2-month check. She only gained a little over a pound in two months. She went from the 26th percentile to the 4th.

DrM was only slightly concerned because she's doing great otherwise. Developmentally on schedule, happiest baby ever, yatta yatta yatta. He told me to start some cereal and bring her back in a month so he can check her again. If she still isn't gaining well, he wants me to supplement formula.

This made my heart sink! I've written about my breastfeeding struggles with the other two and really thought The Baby and I were getting it. Then this happens, just as I was finally at the point of thinking we were successful in our breastfeeding relationship.

Ever since the beginning I've had to be very aggressive with breastfeeding The Baby. I was always forcing her to eat longer than she really wanted because I was so paranoid about her getting enough. When she hit 2 months and was gaining well, I let her take over. She would never eat for very long at all, but she was happy and content, so I left it at that! So now I'm back to pushing her and it hasn't been easy!

On top of that, she ended up getting sick and was pretty much spitting up everything that went in. Pretty sure she lost some weight, which is just fantabulous.

I tried cereal for a couple days but I read in several places that breastmilk is more fattening than cereal. So why would I replace breastmilk with cereal? She hated it anyway.

Have any suggestions for me?


Linked at Shell's.


Oh and take a look at my upcoming giveaway that will start on Saturday!

my breastfeeding struggles

Just got the word that I'm now a Medela Mom Maven! To see if you qualify, go here.

{Before I start, I want you to know that I realize all breastfeeding relationships are different. I am not saying that "my way" is the "right way." You do what works for you!}

Out of all three of my kids, The Baby is the only one I've successfully breastfed. I failed with the other two because I wasn't educated, and I listened to people who I THOUGHT were. FYI: Your doctor did not learn about breastfeeding in medical school, so it's possible he may not know what he's talking about!

With Otter, I was only 19, and I didn't try very hard. I said, "If breastfeeding works, great, if it doesn't, fine." I guarantee you if you go in with that attitude you won't be successful. Because breastfeeding takes work and dedication!

With Raven, I was determined to breastfeed. We got off to an awful start. By the time we came home from the hospital, I was bleeding. It was SO painful. I'm from a small town where there are no lactation consultants, just nurses who don't have training in breastfeeding. I started pumping since the pain of nursing was unbearable.

I had been exclusively breastfeeding and pumping for 2 weeks when my doctor said to start supplementing. This was the beginning of the end of our breastfeeding relationship. I know now that I did NOT need to supplement, because my milk production was fine.

Your baby will go through a growth spurt around 2 weeks. She/he will be fussy and want to eat all the time. It does NOT mean you're not producing enough! Just keep feeding and your production will level out.

Now there are some cases where milk production can be a problem, but it does not happen as often as people believe.

I rented a Medela hospital-grade pump and pumped until Raven was 2 months old. I decided to quit since she was getting way more formula anyway.

Here's another fact for you I didn't learn until just recently: Did you know that breastmilk intake does not change much from around 1-6 months? Formula amounts you have to increase, breastmilk you do not. Read more about it here.

While pregnant with The Baby, I spent a lot of time researching breastfeeding and overcoming obstacles. I ordered the Simply Breastfeeding DVD with Shari Criso. The biggest help for me was how she recommended limiting the time of feedings for the first few days to prevent sore nipples. This is what saved me!

Day 1: 5 minutes on each breast
Day 2: 7 minutes on each breast
Day 3. 10 minutes on each breast

Don't let people tell you that if breastfeeding hurts you're doing it wrong. That's not always the case. It just hurts at first!

I gave The Baby a pacifier right away to satisfy her sucking need. This did not create nipple confusion.

The Baby is now 3 months old and I am VERY proud of our exclusive breastfeeding relationship. I plan to nurse for a year and possibly let her self-wean. We'll see how it works out. I'm loving every minute of it.

I chose to breastfeed mainly because it's FREE and convenient! Ya, the health benefits of breastfeeding are great, but I don't go into that much because I had 2 formula babies that are healthy as well. {Okay sans the epilepsy but I do not believe that was caused by formula.}

I do NOT judge people for choosing not to breastfeed. It's your personal choice!

It makes me so sad to think I missed out on this awesome experience with my first two just because I didn't educate myself on breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is tough folks. It takes work and dedication. It's not just something that happens "naturally." Well it didn't for me anyway.

So most importantly, LEARN THE FACTS! Take a breastfeeding class if there's one in your area, buy a book, buy a DVD, join an online support group, see a lactation consultant. And don't always assume your doctor knows best!

What were your breastfeeding struggles?

you capture: kisses

In all our morning glory...

a book and a boob

I love to read, but it's hard to find time to fit it in. Sometimes I just skip the housework and read all day. Before we moved I read all but 3 Nicholas Sparks books in 6 weeks. After we moved it took me two months to read one. And then I finally figured it out. The perfect time to relax and read. During feedings.

I read "The Lovely Bones" last week in anticipation of the movie. My opinion? 2 thumbs down. It was written well but I thought the story was awful. I'm very curious to see what the movie will be like.

Most people say they like to see the movie before reading the book, I'm the exact opposite. I'm so excited to see "Dear John." Nicholas Sparks is the greatest!

I have 2 more Nicholas Sparks books to read, and I think I'm going to start the Twilight series. What book are you reading?

af: breastfeeding

This is my first Aloha Friday post! If you're a first time visitor, welcome! Take a look around and I hope I'll be seeing you more often!

I'm so happy to say that breastfeeding is going great this time around! It was an absolute disaster with the other two! I breastfed Otter for about half a day before giving up. Raven was exclusively breastfed for two weeks with EXCRUCIATING pain and bleeding nipples, and then I started supplementing and quit breastfeeding altogether at two months.

Now that breastfeeding is going so beautifully, I wonder how long I'll decide to do it. People ask me how long I'm planning on nursing all the time. When I say I'd like to nurse for a year they pretty much tell me I'm crazy. I'm not going to set any specific date. For now I'll enjoy my precious time with The Baby and we can make the decision together.

Did you breastfeed your kids? If so, how long?

For more Aloha Friday, visit An Island Life.