Packing for Lactation

There were a few things I wish I'd known when I was packing for my hospital trip. First, I wished I'd known I was going to have a c-section- I could have left the birth ball, etc at home! (Best laid plans and all that.) Secondly, I wished someone had told me that yes, of course, you can have complications from a c-section, but that's true of any birth. Don't listen to any of the people who will tell you that the only way to experience post-natal euphoria is to give birth in the woods with no anaesthesia. I had an emergency c-section, and my birth experience was fantastic. A c-section is NOT a guaranteed ticket to a miserable birth experience, no matter what anyone says.

Beyond that, the biggest informational hole I experienced had to do with what you should take with you to help you start breast feeding. I was blessed with a wonderful "lactivist" friend who sent me a whole care package of breast feeding supplies- Lily Padz, a nice, big, nursing pillow she said fits "real" women better than a Boppy, an electric breast pump, and a nursing bracelet. Now, if you're like me, you're thinking, what is all that stuff? Do I need to take it all to the hospital? Is that everything I'll need or want?

You don't need to take your nursing pillow to the hospital. The nurses will find you pillows if you need extras. You may or may not want your breast pump. If you are still in the hospital when your milk "comes in," you may want that thing just to help make you more comfortable, but you won't have any way to store any milk you might pump. My baby was very content and did not care when mommy wanted him to nurse, he wanted to sleep, and I wished I'd come prepared to pump. (I'll expound more on pumping another day.)

Here's my shopping & hospital packing list for moms who plan to breast feed:

• Lily Padz and disposable nursing pads. You do not want the "washable" kind that are fabric with a vinyl backer- they can cause yeast infections. You will probably start with disposable pads and then switch to the lily padz later, although I found that the Lily Padz cut down on chafing for me early on.
  
• Nursing Bracelet. I didn't wear mine until the insertion point for my IV healed up, but you may want yours- just wear it on the other arm.
• Microwave steam sterilizer bags. You'll want to sterilize your pump parts before you pack them to go to the hospital, unless you plan to rent a pump from the hospital. Either way, you'll want a few of these when you get home.
• Lanolin. It doesn't go with the Lily Padz, but this stuff really sorts out the soreness that can go along with starting breast feeding.
  
• Nipple shields. These are for inverted or flat nipples and you can buy them at Target and probably other similar stores. If you don't need them, you can give them away on Freecycle, but if you DO need them, you will be glad you have them- I've heard of hospital lactation consultants who never offered these.
• A nursing drape. Get the kind with a window or stiffener that allows you to see the baby. You can find these on eBay for relatively little money- I bought mine for $12.

The nursing drape is a bit controversial. There are those who feel that nursing shawls imply that nursing is somehow unseemly and contribute to the lack of support for nursing in our society. I know there are women who are comfortable nursing their child without covering up no matter which of the 8 billion or so human beings alive today are present, and good for them. However, I personally think a generous sized, apron-style drape with a window or stiffener in it is just a darn practical item that every mom should have in her arsenal. Why?

First of all, some babies prefer to nurse without distractions. Remember that if people can see the baby, they want to touch the baby, and the younger the infant, the more true this is. Not every place you go will have a quiet room where you and baby can be alone, so you will have a lot more freedom as a new mom if you have the option of creating a private space for your baby that still allows you to interact with them while they nurse.

Older infants find rituals reassuring in strange places. You can use your drape to create a consistent ritual that your baby associates with nursing no matter where you are. Ian was quite young when he learned that that bright blue thing coming out of the diaper bag meant he was going to be okay very soon!

You can use the nursing shawl as a sun cover up for very young infants- this is particularly nice if you or your spouse are using one of those front packs on a sunny day. You can peek to see what baby is up to, and baby doesn't get too many rays. My nursing shawl is a non-feminine color and was large enough to cover Bitty Ian completely when he was worn in the front-pack. He had a number of contented snoozes under there, including one which prompted a security guard as we entered the National Gallery to ask my husband to please unwrap his "parcel." I'm not sure who was more startled- the security guard who was suddenly looking at our 2 month old, or my son, who suddenly woke up in a room full of people!

Your baby will learn to associate the nursing shawl with you, and it can function as a lovey when you need to be separated.

Last, but not, in my opinion, least- you can use it to protect baby if you eat while nursing. During those early days it can be hard to get a break, and unless you want to give up eating anything drippy or sticky or your baby enjoys baths, this thing can be trusted to keep the syrup out of baby's ears!

Your baby might be totally opposed to the shawl, but as I say, it's something to put in your arsenal. The more tricks you have access to, the less stress you'll feel as a new mom, and really, it's all about enjoying your new family member. (Or members if you are having multiples!)

Don't be overwhelmed by the move!

please don't let yourself be overwhelmed! On July 1 you will need to have joined our new group site via the www.joytroupe.com website, but it's a very user-friendly, automated process. You can wait until there are other people who know their way around so there's someone to ask if you are confused.

Big Tent is every bit as easy to use as (if not easier than) Meetup.com. It may take a few days to adjust, but it's not difficult.

One of the things Meetup does very well is build awareness of the Meetup brand. As we transition away from Meetup, I will be working to build our own Joy Troupe "brand" instead, and I'll be sharing information about how you mamas can help, but it's all totally optional. One of my personal heroes is often heard to say, "do what you're good at." Some of you mamas are good at Facebook. Some of you are good at coming to events and making new people feel welcome. Some of you probably write really rockin' blogs, or like to sing and tell stories, or know other languages. And so forth. If each of us does what we are good at, that should pretty much cover everything when all is said and done!

Here's one we're all good at- go hug your kids!

Meghan

Update on the Move

All the 2007 group events and many cross-group events have been posted to the new site, and new events will be posted there as they are added, so if you wish to make the switch yourself, go right ahead- just keep track of things you've previously RSVPed for, as full events are not open for new RSVPs on there at this time.

Free Movies!

Check out the Free Family Film Festival!

"When school's out, kids around the country visit selected Regal theatres for the Free Family Film Festival. It's a fun-filled nine weeks of movies for kids and parents. Since 1991, Regal has provided this service to the community, and best of all it's FREE! Selected G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. First-come, first-served seating is limited to theatre capacity. The Free Family Film Festival is safe, lots of fun and a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer."

There's a drop down box where you can select your state!

Help Promote the Joy Troupe!

Look for the "get widget" buttons. You can add a link to our group or a feed from our blog to your website, Facebook page, or blog!

Facebook Mamas can check out and contribute to our NEW Facebook Page!

New stuff you'll find on Big Tent

New Stuff on Big Tent includes a place for the 2006 group to post events just for them, a Dads group, a babysitting swap forum, and a place especially for work-away mamas to network.

I'm excited about this transition and I hope you are too! Want to help out? I'm currently seeking volunteers for a new Meet & Greet committee. These events are intended to let all the Joy Troupe Mamas (and Papas!) get to know each other, and will be featured on the group website and on Meetup.com and other sites, as well. Let me know if you're interested- there's an invitation-only sub-group on Big Tent for planning!

Moving On Up!

After much searching, and 100% thanks to Tammy, I have finally come upon Big Tent, which is a site that is intended for managing groups like ours. (I had actually given up! You have NO IDEA how many sites are out there or how many ways there are to poorly design a group management website!)

The range of tools on Big Tent will allow us to control our email volume, invite multiple groups to the same events, create sub-groups for discussion or projects, create customized permissions for members, and continue to build our online community far beyond the range of the tools offered by Meetup.com, but still have all our events, news, and membership information on ONE SECURE website. In other words, our information would never be visible to anyone who wasn't a member, and even then there are controls. (And, glory, glory, glory, they have a function that will let you add things to your own calendar that shows up when you log in, so you can see ONLY the things you've said "YES" to!)

Tammy and I are still working on configuring the group, but if you want a sneak peak (or if you're interested in trying out the babysitting swap group), you can join via our website (www.joytroupe.com, if you didn't know) by going to the Join Us page. While you're there, check out the re-model I'm working on for the website! I still plan to add more photos and content, but the basic structure and overall look are in place.

Our target date for this right now is July 1. That is not etched in stone. If we are ready to go "live" before that, good, and if there are a few bugs, then we'll work on them until they're fixed, but the more of you who are able to jump in and help us test the waters, the easier the process will be- so thanks in advance to those of you who will be intrepid and give this a shot right away. If you would rather wait and join when there are other people who "know the ropes," then that's cool too!

Also, I have discovered that Zazzle will let us purchase our own 2009 Calendars! I have tested out the process by putting together one using my "picks" from my own files. NO WAY do all the great pix of our kids fit on one calendar, so in addition to "Oh, How We've Grown," which is the calendar I've created, I'll be putting together a "Yearbook" calendar which you will all get to contribute to and vote on! Look for more on this when I figure out the logistics, and be looking through your pictures of our events for some good shots to contribute! (Oh, and if you find any mistakes on the one I did, please let me know. I think I correctly identified all the babies whose names I put on, but they've all changed so much that it's hard to be sure!)

And hey, if we haven't seen you in a while, we definitely miss you. I do notice when familiar faces are missing for a while, and I look forward to hearing from some of you who maybe haven't been so active lately!

Go hug your kids!

Meghan

Chicken Pox: To Vaccinate or Not

We recently discussed whether we thought the Chicken Pox vaccine was a good idea. Here is an article about "Pox Parties."

Personally, I planned to have Ian vaccinated even before I read the scary list of complications from chicken pox listed in the article. Hope you mamas find it informative.

When listening to the "experts" makes us feel like "bad" parents

This subject comes up over and over again when I talk to moms. There is always, always, always someone out there prepared to say that your way of taking care of your kids is the wrong way.

As a result, I very much enjoyed a recent Parent's Journal segment on NPR in which they interviewed a child expert who explained that the MOST important thing babies get from us, their parents is... are you ready? PLAY.

Breastmilk, no breastmilk, sleep training, co-sleeping, etc, are not the most important factors in the parent child bond, according to this author- she said if you had to choose and could only do ONE THING with your child, it should absolutely be play.

I'm not saying that all the choices we make as parents aren't important and that we shouldn't give them a lot of thought, but I was just so glad to hear someone (other than my grandmother, whom I definitely look up to and respect) finally say that spending time with my kid was the most important thing. I plan to hang onto that insight when I find myself struggling not to internalize the comments of so-called "experts" who have never even seen my kid, but are prepared to say I'm doing it "wrong." (Or of well meaning people who are trying to "help.")

What is Freecycle?

We often talk about Freecycle, and when it comes up very frequently one of our members is not familiar with it. Here is the description from the Freecycle.org website:

"Welcome! The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,348 groups with 5,036,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on “Browse Groups” above the search box. Have fun!"

This is a great way to help stretch that mama budget, purge unneeded and unwanted items from your home, and keep things out of landfills. We hold periodic Swap Meet events in the spirit of Freecycle, so we can Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and socialize as well. At our next Swap Meet we are also collecting baby food and formula for UCM- Food banks are in desperate need of formula this year, and when they don't have enough, moms who aren't able to receive enough are sometimes forced to water the formula down to make it last. We all know how crucial the nutritional needs of these babies are at this age, so let's do what we can to help.

Mama Power Fitness

I heard an article on The Parent's Journal on NPR this morning talking about a book called Exercising Through Your Pregnancy.

Apparently, not only does exercise during pregnancy reduce the rate of post-partum depression, help treat post partum depression, and help keep mom healtier, it has benefits for baby too. (I did some research on this while I was pregnant, but some of this information was new to me.)

Babies born to moms who exercise during pregnancy are stronger newborns, which sounds logical if you think about it (strong mama, strong baby) but what was surprising to me was that at age 5, the children who were born to moms who exercised during pregnancy had HIGHER IQs.

Hear that mamas? Just by walking several times a week while you are expecting, you can expect your baby to be smarter!

Look for the article on The Parent's Journal website at some point- it's not up yet. You can listen to the podcasts. When there's a link to the article, I hopefully will remember to send that along.

You know the drill- go hug 'em!

Meghan