There will be three mamava pods at MKE

General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee will be the first airport in the nation to unveil mamava, a free-standing pod for breastfeeding and pumping mothers. The pod provides benches, a fold down table, a USB port, power outlet, soft lighting, space for a stroller or luggage, lock and a mirror.

As with all things parenting and all things breastfeeding the reaction on the internet was swift.  Some mothers are hailing it as a long overdue accommodation for breastfeeding mothers and others are viewing it at a way to shame and seclude breastfeeding women.  So which is it?

Personally, having spent a total of 4 years (and more to go) as a breastfeeding mom I have no problem breastfeeding in public.  I’m not a fan of doing it squished up against a stranger in an airport, but a baby’s gotta eat (and preferably, not scream). My immediate reaction was “why not breastfeed where ever you already are?”  But then, I took a moment and went back to month 1, 2, and 3 of breastfeeding.  I wasn’t as confident as I am now, we didn’t have the hang of it, and breastfeeding in public was difficult because it was just such a clumsy process.  Or, when I was pumping, which I already hated and had no interest in feeling like a Holstein in front of my husband let alone an airport full of strangers.  Or when I had a baby who was easily distracted and breastfeeding in public was beyond frustrating because of all the things the baby would rather look at.

In the United States, just over 79% of women start breastfeeding, but by 3 months, only 40% of women have continued to exclusively breastfeed according to the CDC. Anyone who’s breastfed before can tell you those first three months are the hardest.  I realized, this accommodation isn’t for me, and if you’re ok breastfeeding in public then it isn’t for you either.

It’s for the nursing and pumping mothers aren’t as comfortable in public than those of us who have the hang of it.  It’s for you and me pre-confidence, and 79% of other women who are just trying to do what’s best for their baby and need all the help they can get. These are the women who need our support, and I applaud MKE for keeping these new moms in mind.

Of course, there is the flip side. If this space turns onto another way in which we isolate mothers “Excuse me lady, there’s a pod in Concourse C for that.” It’s a whole different story.

An airport has taken initiative to make this space for nursing and pumping moms. Coupled with breastfeeding laws and support from the public, this small change can help mothers quite a bit.  But, it’s up to us an our attitude to make it a positive (or negative) thing.

Fresh air, some sunshine, a little warmth and breastfeeding at the park in front of strangers… Well, the first parts are fun.  Clothes with easy access for nursing moms can be hard to come by. But fear not, you don’t have to turn in your style card when you have a new baby.  Here’s a few spring styles available at Hip to be Round for spring 2015 that we can’t wait to get our hands on.

 Basket Weave Nursing Maxi
Believe it or not this nursing/maternity maxi dress has a hidden nursing panel right behind the top basket weave.  Works great for maternity and falls completely flat for a no-way-that’s-maternity look postpartum.

 Zahra Applique Dress
Pleats and draped fabric hide easy nursing access just below the detailed neckline. Bonus: you can wear this one pregnant too!

Must Have Maxi Dress
Keep it simple with this solid maxi dress, seam lifts for easy nursing access.

 Ikat Nursing Dress
This dress leaves a little room for that post-belly-belly to create a flattering fit, nursing access is hidden just behind the panel.

Gemma Nursing Dress
Cute print: check.  Spring colors: check. Nursing access: check.

Enja Cap Sleeve Dress
Perfect dress for work which is great, because the word “pumps” has taken a whole new meaning.

Britney Bubble Top
Dresses not your style? We’re loving the watercolor print.  Front pleating covers nursing panel and provides a flattering not-too-snug fit.

Express Nursing Tank
Can’t go wrong with a nautical stripe. This nursing tank is super cute on it’s own or paired with a light cardigan for spring.

Shop all the new arrivals and try them on in person.

Carytown
3124 W. Cary St
Richmond, VA 23221

Mosaic District
2905 District Ave, #125
Fairfax, VA 22031

This article was sponsored by Hip to be Round.
Hip to be Round carries new and consigned maternity and nursing apparel and accessories.

Our “Milk Freezer”

After my son was born, like many moms, I worked hard to provide breast milk for him while he was at daycare. This entailed expressing breast milk by pumping. You can read my story about exclusively pumping breast milk here. My hubby and I had a streamlined system for which milk went into the fridge, and which milk went into the freezer of our refrigerator. We used a simple system of rotating frozen milk (always using the oldest milk first).

After a while, we tired of limiting our frozen food choices at the grocery store, due to the milk overtaking our freezer. We invested in a deep freezer and began storing frozen milk in what would become known as the “milk freezer”. Just as I was beginning to feel confident that I could provide enough milk for my son at daycare, he was diagnosed with a milk allergy. I was devastated. Although I began eating a dairy free diet so that I could continue providing milk for him, all the milk that I saved for him could not be used. Or could it?

As my lactation consultant helped me with eliminating dairy (including caisin, and whey), so that my baby could continue to drink my milk, she mentioned that I might be able to donate my milk to a human milk bank or other source.

There are several human milk banks throughout the country. Each bank has strict guidelines that donors must adhere to. Unfortunately, because I was taking prescription medication at the time, I was not eligible to donate to these milk banks. However, there are less formal milk donation networks available with less stringent guidelines. I posted the availability of my milk as well as the medication (which was approved for breastfeeding by the FDA) I was taking. I received many responses from moms, clamoring to provide milk for their babies.

I donated thousands of ounces of breast milk to two deserving families. One was to a family in my hometown who had adopted a 4-month-old baby. Since it is only a 2-hour drive from Richmond, I packed the milk in a cooler and met the mom in a shopping mall parking lot. After this initial donation, I realized that I could probably help another family, now with dairy-free milk, which is more challenging to find. (Because I exclusively pumped, I followed a structured regimen for pumping to ensure I had an adequate supply).

My second batch of milk went to another family that lived a few states away. They had an older baby who was a year and a half with significant medical issues. I packed the milk up according to guidelines in a Styrofoam cooler and express mailed it, then hoped for the best. The child’s mother  e-mailed me right away, letting me know that the milk had arrived and confirmed that it was still frozen.

She thanked me at every opportunity, sending me heartfelt cards telling me about her growing child and major developmental milestones. She told me that she felt strongly that the milk that I provided for her child was a factor in her child’s growth.

If my son had not been diagnosed with his milk allergy (and years later, he is still allergic to cow’s milk), I am not sure if I ever would have known about milk donation. However, donating my milk was one of the best decisions I ever made because I could help a family (actually, 2 families!) who did not have the opportunity to breastfeed for a variety of reasons. I also think I benefited psychologically from helping others, since I had such a difficult breastfeeding journey. And hey, I have been a blood donor, and I am on the bone marrow registry – so why not milk donation? Is milk donation the right choice for you – as either a donor or a recipient?

Click here to learn more about human milk banks, milk donation, and milk storage.

Click here to learn more about dairy and other food sensitivities and allergies with breastfeeding here.

Click here for resources on breastfeeding in general.

Click here for other stories about breastfeeding from Richmondmom.

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Supplemental Nursing System (SNS)

I worked with a lactation consultant for several months trying to get baby to latch and deal with my low milk supply. We even tried the Supplemental Nursing System (SNS). This tube allows you to breastfeed your baby, while also supplementing with either pumped milk or formula, so that your baby can eat at the breast. Unfortunately, this did not work for us either.

With only 2 weeks left before I returned to work, I needed to change course. So, after 2 1/2 months of trying to feed my son at the breast, I made the difficult decision to exclusively pump. This means that although my baby received my milk, he drank it from a bottle. At first, I didn’t have enough milk, so I needed to supplement with formula. We made up a cocktail of sorts, that my son would get a bottle of breast milk (sometimes only ½ an ounce or an ounce) and then a bottle of formula. During these early days, my son was receiving ¾ formula and ¼ milk. As the weeks went on, I was eventually able to increase the breast milk ratio, to where he no longer required formula. Interestingly, my low supply was no longer an issue once I made the decision to exclusively pump, because I felt good about the decision and let go of some of the stress.

While I initially looked at my breastfeeding experience as a failure, it was anything but. I was able to exclusively pump for my son until he was 2 years and 11 months old. Now that is a success – even though it looks very different than I originally envisioned.

This was possible due to my supportive husband, first and foremost. He fed baby while I was pumping, and later cared for him when I was pumping and my son had already been fed. Additionally, online support groups conveyed positivity and told me that I could make this work for my baby and me. (This was especially helpful when some family and friends left me feeling discouraged about my choice, saying things like, “Wouldn’t it be easier if you just gave him formula?” or “How much time does that take? I would NEVER do that!”) Finally, I was fortunate to have a supportive employer who provided a clean, private and secure pumping location on my breaks.

Do you know someone who exclusively pumps? Is it something you would consider?

Click here to learn more about exclusive pumping.

Click here for resources on breastfeeding in general.

Click here for other stories about breastfeeding from Richmondmom.

If every child was breastfed within an hour of birth, given only breast milk for their first six months of life, and continued breastfeeding up to the age of two years, about 800,000 child lives would be saved every year.

-World Health Organization

Attending a latch on event isn’t about making a statement, it’s about, celebrating mothering, creating a community of support, meet other breastfeeding moms and getting yourself comfortable with breastfeeding too.

Breastfeeding mothers of all ages and nursing stages can meet at these two locations:

Midlothian’s Big Latch On
Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center
Saturday, August 2
at 9:30am – 11:30am
Starting in New Zealand in 2005, the Big Latch On continues to grow as communities join in.  In 2013, 14,536 women and their children came together to breastfeed simultaneously during the Big Latch On.
The Big Latch On which kicks off World Breastfeeding Week which raises awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding the first 7 days in August every year.
Note: The Midlothian event is affiliated with the Big Latch On and attendees who latch on at 10:30am and breastfeed for one minute will be counted as apart of the global Big Latch On.

RVA! Latches On
Virgina State Capital Building
Saturday, August 2
at 10:00am – 11:00am
Now in its third year, RVA Latches On! has benefited from the support of all three Richmond area hospital systems: Bon Secours Richmond, HCA Richmond, and VCU Medical Center.
This event brings together breastfeeding mothers, their families and community advocates to highlight the critical importance of breastfeeding for the current and long-term health of our mothers and children by participating in a synchronized “latch on” at the Virginia State Capitol.
Note: This is not affiliated with the Big Latch On event and will hold an independent count of mothers who latch on without a requirement for duration.

More Quick Links:
Breastfeeding Resources
When Breastfeeding Sucks 13 Things to Try

I always knew I would breastfeed. It never occurred to me not to. It never occurred to me that there was some question, because everyone I knew did it. My mom did it. My sister did it. My friends did it. It made perfect sense to me that my body made perfectly good, free food for my babies, and that I would give it to them.

I remember in my early 20’s, though, seeing that mom. The mom with a baby nursing in a sling and a toddler strapped on her back, her broomstick skirt swishing through the organic foods aisle at the grocery store, her hemp sandals flip-flopping with each step, her bangle bracelets tinkling beautifully with each graceful. As she swept her pile of reusable bags aside to make room for her Pirate’s Booty snack and variety of Yogi Teas, she absentmindedly nuzzled her baby’s cheek, her patchouli scent wafting my way as I pushed the mini-cart containing bagged salad and chips and salsa.

It never occurred to me until years later that that mom was the picture of breastfeeding in America.

Apparently, breastfeeding is viewed as something engaged in by a certain type of woman. Moms who stay at home and espouse themselves to ideals very far outside the mainstream – those are the breastfeeders. Moms who work, who watch TV, who let their kids listen to rock and roll, eat gluten, drink pasteurized milk, moms who buy Gerber baby food…those moms don’t breastfeed. And if they do, they don’t do it for long. So society tells me.

WHAT THE HELL?

I started to hear one horror story after another about moms who tried to breastfeed and failed because they

Photo: Daquella Manera

“couldn’t make milk” or whose “baby didn’t like their milk” or whose “baby had reflux on breastmilk and could only drink soy formula” or any number of other horrific stories.

I’m not saying they aren’t true, but we as a society stacked the deck against them. Chances are situation was a bigger factor than biology in mom’s low production or fussy child. If you took just the stories I heard about breastfeeding when I was pregnant, and nothing else, you would that no mom ever successfully breastfed.

So social media, and parenting sites, and just the world, created this crunchy mother earth image of breastfeeding moms that made them seem to do nothing but breastfeed and eat an occasional organic snack, dedicating their lives solely to nursing their children, all their other desires and ambitions going unfulfilled.

For a long time, I thought I was a crunchy person. If you don’t know what that means, you probably are not

one. A “CRUNCHY” person is defined by urbandictionary as follows:

Adjective. Used to describe persons who have adjusted or altered their lifestyle for environmental reasons. Crunchy persons tend to be politically strongly left-leaning and may be additionally but not exclusively categorized as vegetarians, vegans, eco-tarians, conservationists, environmentalists, neo-hippies, tree huggers, nature enthusiasts, etc.

Modified derivative of granola.

Nothing about that definition seems absurd to me, and for a long time, I thought I was pretty crunchy. I

make an above average effort to recycle. I think hybrid cars are awesome. I once used tea tree oil. I take probiotics. I don’t litter. I think that the preservation of our natural resources is our responsibility. Crunchy, right?

So I had a baby. There I was thinking I was this crunchy mama. And then… I met that mom in person (that

mom being a collection of those moms who truly do embody crunchiness). That Mom was so much crunchier than I was. I worked full-time after my maternity leave. I didn’t make baby food. Or clothes. I don’t buy organic anything. I believe that the market for supplements is a bit of a racket by the supplement makers that convince people that putting more things into their body is somehow more helpful than a healthy diet and exercise. I take a variety of prescriptions. I think homeopathic medicine can be hokey. I let my children watch TV. Before they were two. Kind of a lot. We eat chicken nuggets and pizza. And chocolate. Kind of a lot. My kids go to day care.

Compared to that mom, I was something I never would have described myself as before meeting that mom.

I was mainstream. Absolutely, positively mainstream.

You may wonder what I am getting at here. And, in fact, I have labored over how to phrase this writing so as to be inoffensive to both the crunchy moms and the mainstream moms (and those who fall somewhere in the middle).

I am not only a mom who breastfed, but a breastfeeding advocate. And it’s not because I think that formula

feeding is bad (GASP! The breastfeeding counselor just said formula isn’t bad!). I don’t honestly believe it is scientifically the better choice, but I also know plenty of awesome kids who had formula and are just fine.

But I also know that our mainstream world wants us to believe that breastfeeding is really hard and inconvenient. Especially for working moms. Especially for moms who aren’t that mom. That moms who work are doomed to fail, so why not just go ahead and use the “easier” choice?

Oh by the way, the formula companies (who sponsor the mainstream world) want you to believe that breastfeeding is harder than formula feeding.

But you don’t have to be crunchy to breastfeed. You don’t have to be a stay-at-home mom to breastfeed. You don’t have to eschew television and synthetic fabrics and meat and social acceptance. You do have to want to do it. You do have to commit to doing it, find a support system, and believe that it’s possible. And there are lots of people who are willing to help. Pretty much any breastfeeding mom I know would help you. And Breastfeeding USA has trained volunteer counselors ,  who are chomping at the bit to get your call and help you.  And lactation consultants, midwives, OB’s, and maybe even your mom.  And I assure you… none of them will tell you to wear hemp or eat tofu if you want to breastfeed.

So get it out of your mind that you have to fit some kind of mold to be a successful breastfeeder, because you just don’t. I don’t and didn’t. Breastfeeding moms are moms whose breasts make milk… so pretty much any mom who wants to.

Megan Hartless is a mom of two sons and one stepson. When the boys aren’t keeping her on her toes, she is volunteering as a Breastfeeding USA Counselor in Virginia’s Staunton-Augusta area, blogging about breastfeeding, and running a monthly support group for nursing moms. In her “spare time,” she has a full-time job as the Associate Director of Financial Aid at Mary Baldwin College.

Women entering pregnancy can now benefit from an expanded, multifaceted group approach to prenatal care offered at Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center.

CenteringPregnancy® is a nationally recognized program led by certified providers usually nurse midwives; it augments individual prenatal visits with group sessions and gives expectant women better control of their pre-natal care, through a group setting.

“Expectant women are more empowered today than 10 or 20 years ago in making their own health care decisions, and CenteringPregnancy helps them achieve this by bringing women out of isolated exam rooms and into groups for their care,” said Mary Anne Graf, vice president of women’s services, Bon Secours Virginia Health System. “CenteringPregnancy has a proven track record of ensuring healthier babies and healthier, well-informed new mothers. While moms often desire to be in the driver’s seat of their pregnancy, labor and delivery by making their own choices, they also can find pregnancy to be isolating and intimidating at times. CenteringPregnancy provides a supportive setting of women who often share the same ‘pains and passions’ of pregnancy.”

After completing their first obstetrics appointment at a Bon Secours-affiliated practice or clinic, women receive information on CenteringPregnancy and are offered the choice to participate in the program. Women are grouped by similar due dates. In each weekly session, they receive a private, prenatal check up by a certified nurse-midwife, including weight and blood pressure monitoring. This is followed by a two-hour group educational session led by a certified nurse-midwife. The weekly sessions enable the women to discuss health concerns and expectations in a supportive setting. Weekly topics including nutrition and healthy lifestyles, labor and childbirth options, breastfeeding, pregnancy discomforts, newborn care, child development and more.

Through this unique model of care, women become empowered and feel confident to play a more active role in their pregnancy and overall health. They have access to all their charts, ultrasounds and lab work, and they are acutely aware of how their pregnancy is progressing. Each woman is supported physically, spiritually, psychologically and socially, through bonds that develop within the group.

Initiated in the early 1990s by a nurse-midwife in Connecticut, and today with sites nationwide, the CenteringPregnancy model has resulted in positive health outcomes for pregnancies, specifically increased birth weight, fewer preterm births, shorter postpartum hospitalizations, and fewer unnecessary visits to the emergency room. The satisfaction expressed by both the women and their providers support the effectiveness of this model for the delivery of care.

“Women often are each other’s best teachers, and groups enable them to share a wealth of information with one another,” said Jean Curtacci, RN, a certified nurse-midwife and a group leader of CenteringPregnancy at St. Francis Medical Center. “The women in my groups are more willing to express what they’re really feeling, and they feed off of each other. The experience also is enhancing the way I provide prenatal care in a traditional setting, because I am learning more about what these women are going through in any given week of their pregnancy.”

“CenteringPregnancy has proven to be a really powerful process for a woman’s pregnancy, and it’s changing the way women are receiving their prenatal care,” said Graf. “New mothers especially are seeing this group approach as what prenatal care is, and will be in the future. The support setting will enrich their prenatal health, and the bonds they form will play an important role in each other’s lives. We see this as a new paradigm in the way prenatal care is delivered in the future.”

CenteringPregnancy comes to Bon Secours as a result of its 12-month qualitative and quantitative research, revealing how women today are more empowered than the previous generation of women to seek options and resources to pursue their own health needs. To support this, Bon Secours also is introducing other new programs this year, including Moms in Motion®, a nationally recognized fitness program.

Bon Secours is an advertiser with Richmondmom.com

Vaccines for the seasonal influenza virus are often also available at primary-care physician offices, through your job, local pharmacies and some grocery stores.  In line with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, our practice suggests the following:

If you will be attempting pregnancy, are currently pregnant (in any trimester) or breastfeeding during flu season (October through March), the seasonal flu shot is recommended. The vaccine poses no danger to the baby, and you cannot get the seasonal flu from the seasonal flu shot. Pregnant women should not have the “live” or activated seasonal influenza vaccine which comes in nasal spray form.

It is especially important that our pregnant patients receive the flu vaccine. In addition to protecting the mother, the vaccine will also protect her unborn baby during pregnancy and after birth. Because of the changes that occur during pregnancy, the flu is more likely to cause severe illness in pregnant women and pregnant women who have the flu have a greater chance of having serious problems with their unborn babies, including miscarriage or preterm birth. Even if you received the flu vaccine last year, it is important to have annual vaccination as the virus can change from year to year and the vaccine becomes less effective over time.

Virginia Women’s Center is an advertiser on Richmondmom.com

Let me start by saying, do not take to heart any criticism you receive about whatever method you select to nourish your babies. That decision is yours to make. People will say you are crazy to attempt to breastfeed two. People will say you are selfish if you decide not to breastfeed. Think carefully about your family, your support system, your finances, your personal gut feelings about the process, and make a decision. Realize you also can change your mind at many stages, and that is also your prerogative.

Most will agree, when feasible, nursing is the healthiest option for your babies, for you, and most definitely, for your wallet. I will tell you here and now, although it is ‘nature’s way,’ it is a challenge.

If you decide to breastfeed your twosome, the undertaking will require both your physical and emotional determination. Have family and friends criticized you as stubborn and obstinate? Those traits will work in your favor.

Let everyone—your hospital, OB/GYN, midwife, doula, nursing staff—know if you intend to nurse your twins. Most will assume you are planning to formula feed twins, so be vocal. Ideally, your support team will get those babies to your breasts within the first hour after they are born. Getting the babies to breast early after birth eases them into the practice when they are at their most receptive.

Don’t be shocked when hardly anything comes from your breasts. Many new mothers–especially mothers of “born early” twins–get fearful in the first few days and quit nursing, convinced their babies are starving. From what I understand (I am not a doctor), babies are born with nutrition sufficient to survive for quite some time with minimal intake. Obviously, you aren’t going to do that, but that tidbit should reassure you tremendously when the first few days are full of incorrect or non-existent nipple latch-ons. Most hospitals have a lactation consultant on staff and she (maybe I am being sexist, but I have yet to hear of a male lactation consultant) will be there to help you. Use her.

Let me dispel one of the most common apprehensions about nursing twins: No way can one woman produce enough milk to sustain two infants. In most instances, that is incorrect.

The breast creates milk on demand. Twice the demand equals twice the milk. Likewise, babies grow (through growth spurts and all) and their demand increases incrementally, your breasts adjust and increase accordingly. If your babies aren’t creating enough demand, or if your babies cannot be directly breastfed right away because of prematurity, a breast pump can simulate demand quite efficiently. The milk you pump can be fed to your babies via whatever method works.

You are probably shrieking right now, “What about nipple confusion? Won’t my babies reject my breasts in favor of the bottles?” If you don’t use care in selecting a strategically nippled bottle, the babies may do just that. But believe me, the babies aren’t confused; they’re just lazy. Most bottles/nipples will automatically drip into the babies’ mouth even if they don’t suck. Those types of bottles are just easier and faster. Don’t blame your babies for wanting the easy route, it’s tough work being adored all day long. My feeling is, it’s never too early to learn life rarely hands you something for nothing. Get nipples that simulate the breast, forcing the babies to truly suck hard to get the goods. As you will find out, the babies need to seriously work their suction muscles in order to extract milk from your breast. (Surely my daughter will thank me in the future when she has finely-chiseled cheekbones from all her diligent nursing as an infant.)

Even if you wish to breastfeed exclusively, do express milk on occasion and let your husband (or grandparents or older siblings) enjoy feeding the babies.

Embarrassingly, I don’t remember the first time I nursed my babies. Surely it was within an hour of their birth. Needless to say, I was tired, and my memory is a little blurry. Okay, my memory of it is non-existent.

What I do remember about those early in-hospital nursing sessions was how comical it must have appeared to any lookers-on. Literally, my arms were raised over my head, in a referee indicating a successful touchdown pose, while the lactation nurses, at least one on each side, positioned and re-positioned our babies’ heads on my breasts. My arms had to be directly over my head to allow the nurses’ physical access and a clear sight line to get the babies latched on.

Latching on. Who would have thought it was tricky? Knowing that breastfeeding is ‘nature’s way,’ I always assumed babies put their mouths on the breast, and voila. Their hunger would be sated. The only tough part would be trying to get two babies onto the nursing pillow at the same time. If only.

Our twosome was so sleepy in their first days of life. We had to wake them every three hours for their feeding, and we had to wake them often during the feedings. As mean as it sounds, we had strip our babies to their diapers to keep them “cool” for nursing. The breast is warm; your arms are, too. Go ahead and add warm milk to the equation. Sleeping pill companies wish they could create a substance as potent. Naked they were.

When the little baby necks (and bodies for that matter) have little strength/control, the idea of nursing them anywhere other than our Queen-sized bed (with my back to the headboard) seemed unsafe. The looming precipice off to the side of glider or a rocker seemed way too dangerous to risk while attempting to coordinate two babies, a monstrously-big pillow, and my monstrously-engorged breasts. With the bed as our base, we had soft places to “land” or place a baby should we ever have a mid-nursing challenge (excessive spit-up, explosive poo blow-out, etc.) …and those times did occur. Some twin moms have managed a couch; I was too hooked on lots of space and soft surface to try the sofa option.

Once our twins were in football hold position (babies’ heads positioned in front of breasts with their bodies lengthwise tucked under armpits) on the tandem nursing pillow, we were ready to start. The “football-hold position” as it’s affectionately known, was the only effective nursing position we were able to implement. When I look back now on all my ‘breastfeeding research’ and the class I took in preparation, I get the giggles. Just about all of the illustrations of viable twin nursing positions were drawings, except for the football hold. There were photographs of women nursing seemingly comfortably using the football-hold position. I did see a few somewhat scary looking photographs of women employing alternate holds, but all parties involved looked uncomfortable, and somewhat smushed. If you find another position works better for you, fantastic! For me, I had enough challenges. Attempting to make the nicer-sounding “cradle hold” work, would have been a waste of precious time.

And no, you are not going to do some perversion of synchronized swimming and move both your hands (each cradling a baby head) in one fluid motion onto your breasts. Once one baby is on and happily sucking, then you can get the other one hooked on. Learning to take turns early is a valuable twin lesson. Don’t make the mistake of lowering your breasts into their mouths. Ideally, you are going to spend hours, weeks and months in this position. Even though it feels “easier” for you to move to them, don’t. Your back will have plenty of other reasons for strain the first year; don’t add nonsensical nursing contortions to your body’s list of things to do

In the hospital, we were blessed to always have the fleet of nursing experts at our beck and call. Wisely, ours suggested we undertake a nursing session or two in-hospital with no assistance. Even with the solo flights notched onto your nursing bra, once you are home, it is a little more challenging. With each dual latching and nursing, try to mentally pat yourself on the back. You won’t have a free hand to literally do it, but congratulate yourself. You are truly accomplishing something special for your babies’ health.

If you have idealized images of nursing your babies like an enthroned Mother Earth, please let go of those fantasies now. You will not be relaxing while nursing, all doe-eyed, gazing upon your offspring as some of the more propagandistic literature would have you believe. Sister, you’re going to be juggling, but for good reason! Try not to get discouraged with the challenges of the early days/weeks. Your babies will learn, and you will get more adept.

After two weeks at home, we made the decision to hire a highly recommended lactation consultant for an in-home visit. We felt it would be well worth the investment, and was it ever!

If these are your first babies, please don’t let the challenges of early breastfeeding make you feel inadequate and incompetent. It easily took us about a month, and the help of that at-home lactation consult, before I genuinely felt breastfeeding was working well each and every feed. Your body is doing something it could not practice for. Cut yourself some slack, and congratulate yourself for attempting—and hopefully succeeding at—a daunting, but highly worthwhile, goal!

Bernardo Strozzi’s “Charity” @VMFA

[*edited excerpt from Twinspiration: Real-Life Advice from Pregnancy through the First Year, c. 2006. Taylor Trade Publishing]

From the beginning, I knew what kind of mom I wanted to be.

I wanted a healthy pregnancy, a drug-free labor, I wanted to stay-at-home with my son, and I wanted to breastfeed.

My life has a tendency to not go according to plan, and I wound up with a complicated pregnancy that left me on bed rest for three months, a long labor that resulted in a c-section and a near overdose of medication afterwards that left me in an unconscious state and unable to meet my son until two and half hours after his birth. (It’s recommended that babies nurse within the first hour of life.) I don’t have a conscious memory of meeting him until he was 9 hours old. My difficult birth experience in conjunction with my later developed postpartum depression set me up to fail as a breastfeeding mother.

Against all odds, I survived as a breastfeeding mother and nursed my son for two full years. He weaned right before his second birthday.

Today, in honor of World Breastfeeding Week, I would love to share a bit of my breastfeeding story with you.

The first time my son nursed I was in the hospital room and he was a bit over 2 ½ hours old. It was the first time I was meeting him and I don’t remember it. There are pictures of a very out-of-it-me holding a very hungry newborn and I just didn’t have the ability to do anything. The saving grace of my son and I’s breastfeeding relationship, and really our relationship at all, is my Mom. She is a lactation consultant, and the first time my son nursed I literally had nothing to do with it.  My mom held my breast, my husband held the baby, and they helped him latch.

The next time I nursed my husband helped me in the darkness of the late night hospital room when the nurse brought our son to us from the nursery crying.

By the time we left the hospital, I thought I understood what I was doing, and my son seemed to be thriving. We were released to go home on a Thursday evening and by Friday I had decided that I couldn’t nurse anymore.

My nipples hurt, my c-section incision hurt, my son wasn’t latching well, and mentally I just couldn’t handle the demands of a newborn needing me to feed him every two hours. I remember wanting to give up on that Friday afternoon, and if it hadn’t been for the encouragement and knowledge of my Mom, I absolutely would have.

Eventually, my son and I fell into a routine with our breastfeeding. I used a nipple shield and tried other tricks to ease the pain. My mom stayed with us for two weeks and helped me learn the art of latching and positioning.

And at the end of that two week period, it just got…easier.

My son never took a bottle or a pacifier and he nursed right up until his second birthday, an accomplishment I never would have expected to achieve.

I became a pro at breastfeeding, and would nurse my son anywhere from a restaurant to a car to a baseball game and anyone’s house we were visiting. I fell in love with my Bebe Au Lait nursing cover and also became very un-modest around close friends and family.

Here’s what I will tell you about breastfeeding: it is hard…AT FIRST. It is scary…AT FIRST. It is demanding and trying and sometimes you feel like you just can’t do it anymore because it’s your body and would everyone please stop touching me.

But it’s also beautiful. There is nothing more amazing than nourishing your child with your body and the bond you establish with your child as a nursing mother is indescribably close and sweet. And once you get through those first two weeks, breastfeeding is EASIER. Your milk is always accessible, always the right temperature, and always the perfect cure for a baby that’s hungry, tired, or just needs soothing. As added bonuses your body is much more voluptuous and you can eat whatever you want! I used to call nursing my “magic power.”

I endured some judgment for my breastfeeding from friends who bottle fed and from strangers when I nursed in public areas. I have definitely received some questioning stares when I reveal that I nursed my son for two years.

But I also established a wonderful, loving, and permanent bond with my son through our breastfeeding relationship. Given my difficult pregnancy, delivery, and recovery I needed breastfeeding to work. I truly believe that breastfeeding saved my relationship with my son. (And me…but that’s probably a story for another day.)

Thankfully, breastfeeding is not as hard for everyone as it was for me. Some moms and babies are able to establish a wonderful nursing relationship right from the start, but even if that doesn’t happen for you, there are still ways to succeed in breastfeeding. I found that the keys to my breastfeeding success were support, knowledge, and determination. I am incredibly lucky to have a Mom who happens to be a lactation consultant, and I also had a husband totally on board with breastfeeding. Our son was born in an area where I didn’t find a lot of support from peers, but once I moved to Richmond I was so pleased to find a city where breastfeeding was accepted and celebrated, and I made friends with other nursing moms. Nursing isn’t always as straightforward as it sounds, but there are a lot of ways to make it easier for you if you are having difficulty with latching or positioning. And I always tell my new mom friends something my mom told me: “Breastfeeding does take more energy at the beginning, but then it is so much easier.”

And oh so worth it.

What’s your breastfeeding story?