Nurture for the Future

Baby Rooms and Nursing on the Go

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Now that I have another baby, I have been on the alert for more baby rooms again.  I’m glad to say that facilities have improved enormously since my days of nursing Gavin in shopping mall baby rooms…

1. BSC now has three nursing rooms

  • Mothercare on level 2, east wing
  • Level 3, west wing
  • Level 4, west wing

Mothercare has two cubicles – one purely for nursing and one that allows you to nurse and change diapers.  The nursing room on level 3 of the west wing has an arm chair for nursing, a sink for washing up and some bench space for changing diapers.  I didn’t check out level 4, which is the dedicated children’s area.

2. Pavilion finally got around to furnishing their baby rooms.  When it was first completed, the only nursing room/baby changing room was one small and cramped room in Parkson.  The other baby rooms in the complex were temporary hideouts for the cleaning crew.

Some time back, I took a peek and discovered that they are now nicely decked out complete with nursing arm chair, changing station, sink and attached toilet.  The best thing about the toilet is that they have a child-size toilet perfect for potty training your toddler.  Gavin liked it so much that he started asking me to take him to the toilets wherever we went and was always disappointed with the venues that did not have child-size toilets.

In terms of practicalities, I find that the setup in Pavilion is probably about as close as it is going to get to the ideal “family” room because it is the most complete.  Aside from the usual practicalities of being able to change your child’s diapers and nurse your baby, there is an adjoining toilet if Mummy needs to go.  In most other shopping malls, it is very inconvenient for a mother to go to the toilet if she’s the only one out with the baby – there is not enough room to wheel in the pram into the cubicle and there is no place to put baby if you want to take your baby into the cubicle.  I doubt many mothers would feel comfortable leaving their baby in a public toilet even if they are just two steps away in a cubicle where they can’t see their baby.  Additionally, the toilet is separated from the nursing station so you don’t have to feed your baby next to the toilet.  Last but not least, they have the child-size toilet for a potty training toddler.  Most other shopping malls are usually lacking various features which detract from their practicality.

The next most convenient would have to be The Gardens – purely because of the quantity of family rooms.  There are usually three family rooms near the toilets.  Each room has its own sink, toilet chair and changing station.  They aren’t often used (except for the one on LG near Cold Storage), so they are usually fairly clean.  If they weren’t kept clean, it would be quite unpleasant to nurse in there.

Then again, since I’m more experienced with the whole nursing thing, I find that I no longer need the nursing room because I can nurse on the go.  With Gareth in the carrier, all I have to do is drape the nursing cover over his head, help him latch on and we’re good to go.

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Tandem Breastfeeding – the Practical Experience

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There have been a lot of expressed concerns regarding the fact that I was still nursing Gavin since I got pregnant with Gareth.  There were a lot of doubts about whether it was possible to nurse two siblings at the same time.  Although I had been able to put many of the concerns regarding tandem nursing to rest, there was one part of it that left doubts even in my mind.

It is easy enough to find the scientific evidence to support tandem nursing.  However, finding out how other mothers actually coped with tandem nursing – how easy or stressful it was – was another issue altogether.  I had no doubt in my mind that tandem nursing Gavin and Gareth (if Gavin still wanted to breastfeed after Gareth was born) was the right thing to do.  My only worry was whether I would be able to cope with the emotional demands of two children.

I knew that there were plenty of mothers of twins who have successfully breastfed both babies without having to resort to supplementing with formula. Nevertheless, the image I had in my mind was that of a stressed out mother trying to juggle two babies – one in each arm.  It looked difficult and exhausting.  Of course, the advantage of tandem nursing is the fact that one sibling is already a pro at it and does not require any assistance.

Last night, I had my first practical experience nursing Gavin and Gareth simultaneously.  I was nursing Gareth during a feed in between his UV treatment sessions for jaundice when Gavin came to visit.  Being mindful that I had to make sure Gareth got his fair share of colostrum, I was trying to avoid nursing Gavin until my full milk had come in.  Yet I could see that Gavin really wanted to nurse and I didn’t want to deny him after he had been through so many days without nursing.

Since Gareth had been suckling on one side for quite a while, I switched him over to the other breast and offered Gavin the breast that Gareth had been on.  With Gareth being so easy to breastfeed, it wasn’t hard to get into position.  I had Gareth nursing on the left breast in the football hold, while Gavin sat on my right and nursed on the right breast.  I could put an arm around each of them and cuddle them close to me.

Suffice to say my first simultaneous nursing experience was a beautiful one.  It felt great to be able to meet Gavin’s emotional needs while taking care of my newborn at the same time.  Far from being the stressful situation I had imagined, it was, on the contrary, very relaxing.  Let’s hope it continues in this fashion…

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Breastfeeding: Tandem Nursing Positions

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Continuing on from my previous post on Tandem Nursing…

Probably one of my biggest concerns about tandem nursing is positioning – especially in the early days when the newborn is still rather fragile.  Nursing both children one by one should be fairly straightforward, but what happens when they both want to nurse at the same time?  What are the recommended positions?

I’m sure we can reason with Gavin to let the baby go first during the day time, but if he wakes up at night to nurse, he may not be so cooperative and the last thing I want is to have a baby and toddler fighting for milk in the middle of the night.  In which case, I had better be armed with some knowledge of how to nurse two at the same time…

KellyMom offers the following suggestions which I believe are from the book “Adventures in Tandem Nursing During Pregnancy and Beyond” by Hillary Flower:

  • Initially, semi-reclining (with pillows behind your back) may be easier than sitting or lying flat.
  • Double-cradle: both children in cradle position, with newborn’s legs resting on toddler.
  • Double-football: toddler can have his/her head on a nursing pillow and body stretching away on the couch; alternatively, your toddler can be sitting next to you with knees away from you.
  • Various combinations with one child in cradle position & one child in football hold.
  • Try side-lying with the newborn on the bed; you can then have your toddler perch on your side, or kneel behind you and dip his head down (pop-over nursing position).
  • Lying on your back: you can prop a child on each side with a pillow supporting their bodies.

I’ll get back on which positions I think work best after we’ve had a go at all of them.  For now, I think I’m leaning towards the last one – lying flat on the back.  I’m not sure if that works with a newborn, but we’ll see.  The benefit of being able to lie back is so I can rest, too, which I’m sure will be beneficial in the early days while I’m trying to recover from the delivery.

In the meantime, here’s a question for any Mums out there who’ve had experience in tandem nursing before…  What’s your favourite position for nursing two at the one time?

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Breastfeeding: Tandem Nursing in Theory

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In a little over a week, I’ll be delivering Gareth.  Despite reading that some toddlers naturally self-wean during the pregnancy, it appears that Gavin is one of those toddlers who has chosen not to.  That means we’ll be tandem nursing after Gareth is born.  Up until now, I hadn’t really given it much thought, but as D-day approaches, I thought I’d probably better brush up on some theory so I’m not completely lost when the time comes.  It won’t be the same as the actual experience but I figure some knowledge will be better than no knowledge.

What You Should Know About Tandem Nursing

1. One of the major concerns about tandem nursing has always been the question: “Is there enough milk for two?”

I realise I’ve only ever had the experience of nursing Gavin so it’s difficult for me to speak on behalf of other mothers, but I have never felt short on supply where Gavin was concerned.  If anything, during the early days of nursing Gavin as a baby, I was often waking him up to get him to nurse because of engorgement!  So I guess as far as milk supply goes, I can’t imagine I’ll have a problem.

I’ve always read that milk is produced on demand.  If there is a willing mouth to suckle, then the body will continue to produce the milk.  During the early days of nursing a new baby, the body will need to adjust to the baby’s requirements.  Engorgement is simply the result of the body’s overcompensating and producing an oversupply of milk.  Personally, I think that if you can get engorged, that’s a pretty good sign you have more than enough milk for two.

If you’re not convinced, just think about the mothers who give birth to twins and successfully breastfeed both babies at the same time.  It happens all the time in nature.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – if Mother Nature was careless enough to make it a common problem for women to have insufficient milk to nurse their children, it would have been evolutionary suicide for the human population.

I’ve probably written about it to death about how some mothers might have inadvertently killed off their milk supply through a lack of understanding of how breastfeeding works.  In the early days after delivery when it appears there is no milk (in reality it’s just colostrum), a lot of well-intentioned people will suggest offering formula until the milk arrives.  If Mum heeds that advice, she unwittingly reduces baby’s time on the breast which then signals her body that she doesn’t need to produce as much milk.  As a result, Mum has just created the problem of insufficient milk supply.

The other way I see can see a mother’s milk supply diminishing is if she attempts to express milk and bottle feed rather than by nursing directly.  Personally, I found that when I express, I can never extract as much milk as Gavin could if he nursed directly.  There would be times when I’d pump until my fingers were sore and nothing would come out.  All I had to do was put Gavin on the breast and the milk would start flowing again.  In short, there’s simply no better breast pump than your baby.

If you’re struggling to breastfeed both children, I’d suggest throwing out the breast pump and nursing directly.  Of course, if you have to work, that’s a different story altogether…

Gyn-Ob.com even suggests getting your toddler to nurse to stimulate more milk production for the baby if you find your milk supply to be insufficient.  According to Beltran on eHow, tandem nursing mothers usually complain of overproduction rather than underproduction.  The only time when a mother might not have enough milk is if she has a medical condition or procedure that inhibits milk production.  You can also read what KellyMom wrote about the oversupply of breastmilk while tandem nursing.

2. What about Colostrum?

The only thing you probably have to be worried about is colostrum.  Since colostrum is produced only in limited quantities – usually about the first 3-4 days after delivery, it is important to make sure that the newborn gets first dibs during that period.  Chances are you’ll be alone with your newborn in the hospital anyway, so that shouldn’t be a problem.  If your toddler is around, then you have to make sure your newborn gets more time on the breast.

Once the matured milk comes through, it’s pretty much anything goes.  About the only time when you may want to restrict your toddler’s nursing at the breast is just before your baby wakes.

More about Tandem Nursing in the next post…

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Going Green: Cloth Diapers and Breast Pads

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Hubby and I first discussed using cloth diapers when I was pregnant with Gavin.  At that time, I must admit that I was extremely resistant to the idea because I thought it would be messy – especially because the only type of cloth diapers I had ever known were the old-school muslin nappies our parents used to use with us.  The old-school muslin nappies were squares of cloth that needed to be folded and pinned into place.  All my memories of them were that they were ill-fitting and they tended to leak a lot.

After researching all the benefits of using cloth diapers, I reluctantly agreed to try cloth diapering part time.  And then I discovered a wonderful diaper invention called “Mommy’s Touch“.  If you know anything about diapers, they are basically one-size-fits-all, all-in-one, pocket diapers.

Another benefit I discovered about cloth diapers since using them is that they appeared to be preferred over the disposables.  It became evident when Gavin was older that he found the cloth diapers to be more comfortable than the disposables (which we used to use when we go out).  Although he couldn’t articulate it, he made it very clear he only wanted to wear his cloth diapers and wouldn’t let us put on disposables for him.

Furthermore, I learned from my BFF that wool diapers are cooler than diapers made with the PUL covering.  Yes, you read that right – wool is cooler.  After reading that, I decided it was time to try out some different cloth diapering systems when Gareth was born.  I started looking online to see what was available.  The selection available was overwhelming and in the end, I chose to try some wool diapers from Twigandvine and some fleece diapers from PrettyPrinted because they were more breathable compared to the PUL diapers which I had.

So here’s my new complement of cloth diapers:

  • 12 Mommy’s Touch Diapers
  • 18 Mommy’s Touch microfiber inserts
  • 6 PrettyPrinted Fleece diapers (which are not waterproof but absorbent enough for day use)
  • 2 Wool-in-ones (basically AIO diapers made with wool)
  • 4 Organic Bamboo Fleece fitted diapers from Twigandvine
  • 1 Wool wrap diaper cover

Below: Mommy’s Touch diapers.  I noticed on their website that they now have the velcro-type fasteners and they also have the option for newborn/premmie size.  One of the complaints I recall reading was that the diapers were not suitable for small babies even though it was meant to be one-size-fits-all so I guess they have adjusted for this.

Babylicious

Below: Fleece diapers from PrettyPrinted.  I love the prints on these!

Babylicious

Below: Fitted diapers from Twigandvine.

Babylicious

Below: Wool covers from Twigandvine.

Babylicious

Essentially, that’s 24 diapers – definitely more than enough for Gareth, I should think.  We may even be able to cloth diaper out and cloth diaper Gavin at night as he’s still on diapers at night.  I think it will be a while yet before we can toilet train Gavin overnight.

Although the wool diaper system requires a little more work – having a cover and a diaper and needs extra care when cleaning, I thought it was definitely worth it after reading all the benefits of using wool from Twigandvine:

  • Natural fiber
  • Breathable: prevents diaper rash, ideal choice for sensitive skin
  • Super Absorbent–Can absorb up to 1/3 of its own weight in moisture without even feeling wet
  • An Excellent Insulator—in cold climates it insulates and when it’s hot wool keeps you cooler
  • The perfect fiber for baby’s and sensitive skin
  • Naturally Antibacterial! The natural properties of lanolin which makes a water repellent protective barrier on the wool also kills germs.
  • Low maintenance—wool diapers cover only need to air out between washings
  • Doesn’t require washing unless it’s been soiled

The only thing about wool is that it must be handwashed, it must not be dried under the sun, and it cannot be dried in the dryer or it will shrink.  It needs to be lanolised once a month to maintain its waterproof qualities.

And while we’re going green with the cloth diapers, I thought it was high time I started looking for some reusable breast pads.  Twigandvine has some lovely cloth breast pads which came highly recommended by my BFF – I ordered myself a set of organic bamboo nursing pads and a set of waterproof nursing pads.  I’m sure that will be enough to get me started.

Below: Contoured breast pads from Twigandvine.

Babylicious

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Breastfeeding Benefits for Babies

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Although I have written before about breastfeeding and it’s benefits to mother and baby, I realise that I never really took an in depth look at how it was beneficial.  After recently reviewing the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers, I thought I really ought to follow up with an article on how breastfeeding benefits babies.

Breastfeeding is one of the healthiest and most natural starts to life that a mother can provide for her baby. Yet at one stage, not all that long ago, even the doctors were encouraging mothers to offer formula milk to their babies and prescribing drugs to stop their breast milk production.

Though healthcare professionals these days now fully support breastfeeding, tradition is a little slower to change. Both the convenience of formula and the lack of awareness of the benefits that breastfeeding offers to mother and baby all contribute to the continued propagation of misconstrued beliefs surrounding breastfeeding.  This is especially so from individuals who have never breastfed a baby, nor know anything about it.

I find it ironic and annoying that the ones most vocal against breastfeeding are the ones who have no experience or knowledge about breastfeeding – or at least whatever knowledge they do possess has been misconstrued.

There are so many benefits that breastfeeding offers to a baby that infant milk formula could never hope to compete against.  And when you know of all the benefits that it affords, it is difficult to understand why a mother would choose not to breastfeed her baby.

So let’s take a look at those benefits:

1. Breast milk is nutritional. It is specially formulated by each individual mother for her individual baby. It contains just the right constituents for human development. The nutrients within breast milk will continue to change to suit the needs of the baby as the baby grows. How many milk formulas can make such claims? Additionally, infant formula is usually created from a base of cow’s milk. Cow’s milk is designed to grow a calf to a full grown cow in three years. A child at three years of age is hardly an adult.

2. Breast milk contains at least a hundred additional ingredients that formula does not. To date, no formula has been able to replicate breast milk exactly.

3. Breastfed babies have fewer illnesses because antibodies from the mother are passed to baby through the milk. Even if mother and baby fall ill, babies recover faster via the passing of mother’s antibodies to the baby through breast milk. This is the reason why most common illnesses are not an indication for mothers to stop nursing their babies. In fact, there are only a rare handful of medical conditions where mothers should not breastfeed their babies and these include HIV infection, tuberculosis, and human T-cell lymphotropic virus, certain chemotherapy treatments, and the use of illicit drugs.

4. Breastfed babies have been reported in studies to be less likely to develop allergies later in life. Breastfed babies are protected against allergies in two ways. Firstly, because they are exposed to less allergens in the first few months of life, whereas formula-fed babies come into contact with formulas based on cow’s milk and soy products. Secondly, babies’ immune systems are very immature and they require antibodies from their mothers. Their digestive systems aren’t ready for any other substances apart from their mother’s milk. Babies only begin to develop an immature, but functional immune system by about six months – hence the reason why exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months.

5. Studies have shown positive correlations that breastfed babies are less likely to develop obesity later in life. However, the manner in which breastfeeding protects babies against future obesity is still uncertain.

6. Research also shows that breastfed babies have more optimal brain development compared to their formula-fed counterparts, and that breastfed babies score higher on IQ tests. Whether this is due to the constituents in breast milk or simply the manner in which breastfeeding mothers handle their babies has not been determined.

7. Studies also show a positive correlation that breastfeeding lowers the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).

8. Breast milk contains lots of good bacteria which is important for the colonisation of the gastrointestinal tract. The presence of good bacteria helps to prevent the growth of bad bacteria, thus helping to protect baby against illnesses.

9. Breast milk straight from the breast is sterile. There is no need to sterilise bottles and other feeding apparatus which can easily become contaminated.

10. No baby is allergic to their mother’s milk (although they may be allergic to some of the foods she eats, but this is easily rectified if the mother eliminates that food).

11. Breastfed babies are more likely to end up with straight teeth. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the suckling action allows the baby to develop strong jaw muscles that encourage the growth of straight and healthy teeth. Secondly, since all sucking needs are met at the breast, the baby is less likely to suck on other things that can lead to malalignment of the teeth, such as pacifiers or thumbs.

12. Breastfed babies are also less likely to develop tooth decay compared to bottle fed babies. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, for breastfed babies suckling directly from the breast, the milk enters the mouth behind the teeth and is swallowed. There is no pooling of milk in the mouth which can lead to tooth decay. If the baby is not suckling, no milk enters the mouth. Secondly, breast milk contains lactoferrin which kills the bacteria that cause tooth decay.

13. Babies who are premature or born with medical problems have also been shown to benefit from breastfeeding. In the instance of a premature baby, breast milk helps to supply important nutrients required by the baby not only for survival but for immunity against possible infections.

14. Babies who are breastfed have a stronger bond with their mothers. Some studies have shown that breastfed babies grow up to be socially more independent than their formula fed counterparts. It is important to meet a child’s dependency needs as this is the key to helping a child achieve independence. Children who achieve independence when they are ready are generally more secure in that independence than children who have been forced prematurely into it.

15. Babies who are breastfed are generally held more closely than bottle fed babies. The skin to skin contact between mother and baby provides comfort for the baby that has just been removed from the protective environment of the womb. This is especially important during the early days as the baby is adjusting to the drastic change in environment. The birth experience can be especially traumatic for babies and having close, physical contact with their mothers can help to lessen the trauma.

The benefits that breastfeeding affords a baby are far too many to simply discount and ignore. If you want to give your baby the best start possible in life and build a strong foundation for the later years, then breastfeeding really is the way the go.

 

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