Assorted Updates

Hello dear boobjuicers and friends! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. It seems time to do a little updating - I have a tendency to write as therapy when I'm upset and then not write more when I'm feeling better, which may have left readers with the impression that I am wallowing in angst at all times. Not true! So a few follow-up items.

I'm feeling better about the working while breastfeeding question. A few days at home alone with Kiddo reminded me why hubby is better suited for this gig than I am. I also realized that, one way or another, it's going to be a hassle. Breadwinning with a kid is a hassle, not breadwinning with a kid is a hassle. It helps me sometimes to put everything in the context of the pioneer people. What did Laura Ingalls Wilder's mom (Caroline Ingalls) do with her babies? She didn't have a nanny or day care to look after them while she made cheese and did laundry by hand. So gains in efficiency from increased productivity over the decades have improved living standards quite a lot, but the modern day equivalent of strapping the baby to my chest in a deer skin while making cheese is, in my case, Bessie the Breastpump.

Another point that has sort of sunk in a bit better is that I am choosing this hassle, because it is the best and most palatable arrangement for me. I don't want to give up my breadwinning job, even if I thought it were economically feasible, because I'm much, much happier with the contrast of parenting and external employment than I was with the latter before parenting or would be with the former without a day job. I am choosing the breastfeeding because I love it (and of course because it is what is best for Kiddo but let's be honest, I have my selfish reasons too, see previous post). And I chose to live 30 miles from work because it was the best compromise at the time, for reasons of both socializing and compromise between job locations. That last one is the one we've changed our mind on - our lease is up in December, and we hope to move soon after that.

I'm swallowing a lot fewer pills. I gave up on the fenugreek, which was really doing a number on my intestines. Shortly afterwards I had a very reassuring conversation with my lactation consultant, who feels that I do not have a supply problem. I haven't totally given up on the grapefruit seed extract, but I think I will. I think it may have chased off the thrush another 5%, but I've got another round of fluconazole waiting for me at the pharmacy. Eh, I'll keep up with the GSE for now, who knows. I could also go another round of gentian violet... soon I'll actually write this thrush entry. It's not my most fun topic on the "what I could write on my blog" list, as you may well imagine.

Last bit of update - Kiddo and I went to Portland to visit Aunt Cathy and Uncle Erick all by ourselves! And I was remarkably less frazzled by the whole thing than I feared I would be. I added an extra hour to the time I allowed for getting to the airport than I did pre-kid, and of course did not wind up at my gate an extra hour early, but I think the real trick is just having enough time that when hiccups occur they aren't an emergency because we have time to deal with them. I still got pretty anxious when Kiddo was noisy on the plane, which is probably silly. I'm getting better at trying to time his nursing and other food so that he's interested in nursing during the landing when he needs it to help his ears, but even so, he's not interested long enough to get through the whole landing. Ah, well, nothing is perfect.

Product review: Bras!

Hello dear boobjuicers and friends! First a quick update: I'm off the fenugreek, which was really doing a number on my intestines, and I think my supply has actually improved. Probably because I've chilled a notch.

Okay, Bras!!! So a wise friend of mine told me before I was even pregnant, "You can't go cheap on nursing bras." She was right. I got a couple of underwire (no no!) bras from one of those convenient maternity chains in the mall, and they suck. Uncomfortable, unflattering, just un. Plus, I've since learned, underwire bras can cause mastitis. Ugh.

One notch up would be Medela. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing Medela - they made my dear Bessie, after all. But two things. One, they run WAY SMALL. In everything - I've tried a post-partum tummy support, bras, and the bamboo nursing cami (which is really soft but the openings for the breasts are too small), and I would warn everyone, buy at LEAST one size larger than you normally do. So, one size larger than you are buying now, not one size larger than your pre-baby size. So I don't currently own any of their bras. The sleep bra was very soft and nice, and would have been great, if it wasn't tiny. And since I've been struggling with thrush, I couldn't even donate that sucker - had to trash it. And the second thing, and really this is the case for most companies - their nursing tanks are very loose. If you want a tight one for layering, so far as I can tell, you have to find a Noppies cami. But that is a topic for another post.

Next notch up is Bravado. I have two different styles of bra from them. I have one Microfiber Nursing Bra. This is great if your nipples don't like to get mooshed, because the cups are really soft. The downside of that is they aren't very smooth, so you won't want to wear it under a sheer or silky top, or even a tight t-shirt. Or maybe you will, if you're not as "no details showing" obsessed as I am. I find that the band has become tighter over time, or else I've just started noticing it more, so if I got another one I'd get a size larger on the band than I measure. This may be due to the several times I've had to nuke my bras in hot water and dryer, again, due to thrush. I also have their Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra. I have two of these- soooo comfy. Also the most discreet, with the slide in padding for smoothness. A little bit of a nipple-masher, but okay if you're not at the very beginning of things, or not having any latching problems. With the inserts in, it's not the most breathable thing in the world, but if you go braless around the house it's not so bad.

Then there are the uber-princess bras, Bella Materna. I got these from my lactation consultant, who measured me and had me try them on carefully with nursing pads, which is probably part of why they fit so well. Soft, microfiber, breathable, no nipple mashing. Also nothing left to the imagination, be that you or your nursing pads. But under a lot of tops it doesn't matter. I have the Women's Adjustable Anytime Nursing Bralet (Okay, women's? Who else would be nursing, or wearing a bra for that matter? And why is it a Bralet and not a whole bra?). This one is great with a Boob Designs top (a review for another post but I LOVE my Boob Designs shirt and dress) because you just sort of yank all the fabric out of the way, totally minimal fuss with kiddo in public. Sometimes I feel like the bra(let) encroaches on Kiddo's activities a bit, but I can just re-yank and it's fine. On the bra(let), not Kiddo.

I also have a Bella Materna Women's Ruched Clip Nursing Bralet. (Again, looks like a whole bra to me, and they didn't have one for the husband...) This one is great because the whole cup really gets out of your way easily to nurse or pump, and it works well under my noppies nursing tank (again, another post!). Otherwise, same comments as for the other Bralet - soft, breathable, comfortable, doesn't conceal well but doesn't mash nipples either.

Both the Bravado Seamless and the Bella Maternas have fared very well through repeated hot water washings and a few machine dryings as part of the anti-thrush protocol. After a few goes in this hot wash routine, the inserts for the Bravado Seamless started to come apart a bit, but to be fair, they really aren't meant to be treated that way.

I would caution you all, as you likely have already observed, that most retailers will NOT accept returns on anything that says "nursing" on it, because they are assuming that you have deliberately squirted milk all over it and sent it back out of malice. Okay, okay, they have some valid reasoning here. But my point is, get measured by a real professional (many lactation consultants do this) if at all possible and buy one or two at a time and see how you like them.

One last warning. These non-underwire, well-made, comfortable, expensive bras have spoiled me and the girls, and we aren't going to be able to go back to the underwire, mass produced, cheaper stuff I used to wear. We've been promoted to Queen and Ladies in Waiting, and we're going to demand the best. So hopefully some of these brands make regular bras...

Boob Juice to Go!

So, I think in a previous post I talked about why I would not be pumping while commuting, yes? Well, so much for that! Necessity is the mother of invention - and motherhood is the mother of necessity. So I found myself unable to complete my fourth round with Bessie until it was time to go home, so yup! I pumped whilst commuting. Now, before anyone freaks out and calls CHP on me, I did all the set up while still parked safely in the parking lot (after moving the car to face a bush instead of the sidewalk), and I did the take-down at home in my garage (furtively glancing left and right for neighbors). So while driving, all I had to do was reach over and turn off the pump after enough time had passed, and be careful with my elbows. And I covered myself with my fleece jacket, so I wasn't even exposed while driving. So not nearly as racy or wild as it sounds! But still, a notch in my belt and more cred behind my "have boobs, will travel!" motto. Which I just adopted. Like it?