So You Want to Breastfeed in Ireland?

This week the Irish Parenting Bloggers are doing a blog march for World Breastfeeding Week.  There have been some amazing posts so far and I encourage you to browse!

So you want to breastfeed in Ireland, eh?  Well here are some home truths from some one who's been there and done that despite being one of the less than 1% who cannot physically breastfeed. 

First thing you need to know and probably won't like to hear.... the system and culture is set up so you are almost destined to fail.  What do I mean by this?  I mean that support in the medical system is scant at best and when it's there you have to actively seek it out.  Nine out of ten times your PHN, GP, Midwife and even some hospital lactation consultants are probably not up to date on breastfeeding best practice and advice. I find that at the first sign of trouble they are wont to offer a bottle as a solution.

This does not stop with the medical profession. Our closest support -partners, mothers, the dreaded-mother-in-law, friends, sisters, cousins - are often wont to offer similar advice.  When you have a baby, every one has an opinion and though usually well meant, these opinions can be anything but helpful.  Sylda discusses some all too familiar scenarios in her post this week. Most of our mothers and mothers-in-laws did not breastfeed.  Any attempt you have to do things differently is often met with "sure didn't you/partner turn out grand?" and the misguided assumption that because you are choosing to do something differently from them, you are disparaging the choices they made. Our culture is obsessed with babies being "good" and people are genuinely not familiar with how a biologically normal (i.e. breastfed) baby behaves. Even on my third child on the dreaded day three my own mother kept saying things like "Is that baby feeding AGAIN!?" *sigh*

So if you really want to breastfeed, how do you get around this classic Irish setup for failure?  I spoke with some of the amazingly knowledgeable and experienced women on the Extended Breastfeeding Ireland Facebook Group to get some advice and ideas! 

1. Do your research!

When you decide you want to breastfeed, research ahead of time.  The usual pregnancy books tend to just gloss over breastfeeding, with some of them subtly undermining it.  Learn about the realities of what to expect.  Many Irish women give up in the first two weeks, because they truly are the hardest.  Breastfed newborns feed a LOT! People are not used to this and will give you bad advice.  Breastfed babies will also lose a lot more weight after they're born. This can also be added to if you receive fluids during labour. Medical professionals tend to freak out when they see this weight loss or jaundice and immediately advise supplementation.  Supplementation this early will really hurt your supply and overall journey, so you need to research ahead of time and have a plan in place for if and when this happens.  Get yourself a copy of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.  It's published by La Leche League and is a phenomenal resource.  Get it ahead of time and read all about the early days and what to expect. Keep it for when after the baby is born as you will refer to it many times.  Most Irish libraries have a copy.  Jack Newman's book is also an excellent resource, especially if you run into problems.  His online handouts are exceptional as well. Familiarise yourself with all this information.  Kellymom is a fantastic online resource that will tackle any myths you might encounter or problems that might occur.  Read read read.... have realistic expectations and try to find out about other Irish women's experiences and how they dealt with and overcame problems both physical and with the system.

2. Get Support in Advance

I cannot stress this one enough. Go to a breastfeeding group before baby is born!  Please, if you do nothing else on this list, this one could make or break it for you.  I always thought these meetings would be full of hippies and "breastapo", but guess what, they are all just normal mammies like you doing their best.  The advice, support and camraderie received in these groups is second to none, but most importantly if you go to a few meetings in advance you will have a built in support group when baby comes along.  On my second daughter the PHN was telling me to do things that didn't sound right and I rang up one of the leaders from the group I'd been going to for advice.  She was over to my house within an hour popping the kettle on and helping me with latching, sending me to bed with Ciara and watching Ella while we nursed.  Amazing!  Not to say they will all be like this, but those first few weeks are fraught with emotions and hormones and even when you are well read and think you are well prepared sometimes the pressure from a PHN  or GP can have you doubting yourself.  A phone call to someone who has been where you are is often enough to give you the confidence and wherewithal to carry on. The meetings are informative and fun and can be a great way to make friends, especially if you are (or will be) a new Mum.  If you can't get out, find a local group on Facebook or join the absolutely phenomenal EBI group, the women of which seem to be able to help with just about anything and most importantly give you the reassurance that what you are facing is normal and fixable!

3. Educate and inform your family

If you are planning on breastfeeding it is imperative that you inform and educate your family and close support.  You need to prepare your partner especially well.  Let them know realistically that you will be out of commission for a few weeks while you establish breastfeeding. Let them know that you will need help - emotional, practical and physical. Let them know what to expect, that breastfed babies feed often in the first few weeks and that sleeping through the night is not a goal. Make sure your partner is aware of your preferences for birth as well. If you do end up in a situation where you cannot speak for yourself, he/she needs to be able to be your voice.  If you want to breastfeed they need to be able to advocate on your behalf. They should be aware of the various arguments medical professionals might use to support supplementing and be able to counter them, if so desired. Talk to your Mum/Mother-in-law about breastfeeding.  Maybe you'll be lucky and find out they did it and support you, but if not, make sure you tell them that their support is imperative and suggesting bottles or routines will not help.  Keep them busy with other methods of helping such as laundry, cleaning and cooking meals. Mums love to feel useful, make it happen!  Make sure your partner is on board here too, if his/her Mum is talking to them on the sly or trying to tell them you are doing things wrong, it can often reverberate back to you and have an impact on your relationship and emotions. Make sure they know where you stand and are on the same page.

4. Assume you can do it!

This one came up a few times on EBI.  Assume you can do it.  This is what your boobs are made for! Very few people cannot physically breastfeed (I should know, I am one), yet many seem to think they can't due to poor education and bad advice.  There are very few breastfeeding problems that can't be fixed with a bit of education and knowledge and a good lactation consultant (note: the hospital ones are not necessarily the best - if needed, I would recommend seeking out a private one, fees can generally be claimed back through insurance.)  Don't listen to negative stories and keep in mind that the majority of people who say they couldn't breastfeed or didn't make enough milk are most likely misinformed and received bad advice, a classic system failure.

5. Follow your instinct

The best advice I can give any parent is to go with your gut.  If it feels right, do it, naysayers be damned. If someone gives you advice, even a GP or PHN and it doesn't feel right, get a second opinion.  If a routine feels right for you, go for it, if you want to carry your baby, go for it, if you prefer a buggy, go for it.  Don't let anyone tell you what's right for you.  Listen to your baby, listen to your heart and you will find the right path.  Some people are of the persuasion that if you breastfeed you must co-sleep, baby-led wean, baby wear, cloth nappy etc etc.  That's not the case. It's not an all inclusive lifestyle. Mothers from all walks of life and all forms of parenting backgrounds breastfeed, which is precisely why I love the diverse support meetings so much.    Do what is right for you, end of story!

6. Don't feel guilty

One of the wisest things my mother ever told me was that no one else can make you feel guilty.  Guilt is a choice, a choice that brings you and people around you down. If you did the best you could, then so be it. Accept that and don't feel bad, be happy with what you achieved and be happy for other mama's who achieved differently. If you do feel guilty - examine why - don't let it hamper you. You are an amazing mama and whether you lasted a day, a week, a month or a year, every single drop made a difference to your baby and you. Don't assume that just because you see or hear someone promoting breastfeeding that they are judging or undermining your decision to wean early or not even start, because as a self-proclaimed "lactivist" I can assure you, we are not.  What works for one mum may not for another and the most important thing is that you do what is best for YOU and your baby!

What other pieces of advice would you add? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

This post is part of the Irish Parenting Bloggers BlogMarch in support of World Breastfeeding Week running from 1st to 7th August 2013. You can read more about World Breastfeeding Week 2013 here. 

The Irish Parenting Bloggers’ focus is on community support, particularly in the form of peer-to-peer support and the BlogMarch features our varied breastfeeding experiences, including our experiences with breastfeeding support in Ireland. The full list of posts is available on mama.ie here.

The Silent Killer: World Meningitis Day 2013

When I was in high school there was a meningitis outbreak.  As teenagers we thought this was great craic as we got a week off school and had to take pills that made our pee go funny colours.  Being the selfish teenagers we were very few of us spared a few thoughts for the three girls who were struggling in hospital while the rest of us enjoyed the time off.  Thankfully they recovered and there were no further outbreaks and meningitis was put out of my mind until Ella was born nine years ago.

With precious first born syndrome in full swing with her, any time there was a slight fever, the M word was at the back of my mind. It's still there with the other two these days, albeit not in such an alarmist manner.  Today is World Meningitis Day. It's a good day to remind ourselves of the symptoms and what to be aware of and look out for.

There is a free 24 hour helpline if you are ever in doubt, it's totally worth making use of.  1800 41 33 44 stick it in your phone and don't be afraid to use it.  You can't be too careful with this illness and time is of the essence.  The service is there, use it.

To learn more about meningitis and it's symptoms, treatment and implications check out the Meningitis: Keep Watching website.

This video is another somber reminder of how important it is to keep watch on our babies.







‘Meningitis: Keep Watching Ireland’ is a new campaign launched by Meningitis Research Foundation Ireland with support from Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Limited, encouraging parents to remain vigilant for the signs and symptoms of the disease.

New Mama Fuel

Some of the members of the Irish Parenting Bloggers Group are throwing a virtual baby shower in the form of a Blog March for the group’s two leaders, Lisa & Áine (who is on a well-deserved blogging break). Áine had a baby girl in January and Lisa is due to have her baby girl in March.  We are taking turns to do a post a day. Yesterday's post came from Jane at That Curious Love of Green and tomorrow will be from Laura at My Internal World.  Today it’s my turn to lead the celebrations with a little help from the letter Y.

I spent some time reflecting on some of those early days with a new baby, hard to believe it's been almost a year since my wee man was born at home. My dear husband took two weeks off to help out afterwards and kept me well fed and the older two looked after as I tried to overcome my breastfeeding issues and make the most of what I was able to produce.  It was only when he went back to work that I realised how hectic things could be with two school age kids and all the extra-curricular goings on and trying to manage those while constantly hooked up to a baby or breast pump.  It felt like there wasn't enough time in the day and I found myself often neglecting to eat!  For those of you who know me, you'll know that's a huge deal, as I never forget to eat or even forget to think about eating, but alas I did.  A few weeks in I knew things had to change and I took advantage of hubby's home days by making some quick and healthy snacks that would be ready to just grab as needed.

These mini-quiche's were a god send.  I would make a few batches on the weekend and freeze them and when I got hungry I would just throw a couple in the microwave and voila, a healthy well-rounded lunch!  You can use any veg you have on hand or just broccoli and cheddar is delicious too. I used a combination of egg whites and whole eggs to keep fat and calories a bit lower, but you can certainly use a dozen eggs if you want that extra punch. They work out at about 100 calories each.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup egg whites (+/- 9 egg whites, I used the Two Chicks liquid ones)
• 1-2 cups steamed chopped vegetables (I used leeks, broccoli, peppers, onions, tomatoes)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• herb and salt and pepper to season

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F.

Beat the egg whites and eggs together with the parmesan, olive oil and any herbs you would like to use (a teaspoon of pesto is great too!)

Toss in the steamed veg and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray (or butter them if you're not concerned with fat) and pour the egg mixture into nine of the holes.  Bake for twenty minutes.

Pop out of muffin cups and either serve immediately or store in zip-loc bags in the freezer once cooled. 

Happy New Year!

Well I have truly been a terrible blogger over the past year.  Let's just say my baby boy is a lot more work than my baby girls ever were.  Phew! He definitely keeps me on my toes!  He finally started crawling this week and is sooo much happier now that he can get where he wants to go.  Feel like a weight has been lifted in one regard, with the added worry of him escaping and getting someplace he shouldn't be.  We never bothered with all the safety devices with the girls, as we taught them early on what they were not allowed to go near, but this little guy doesn't care.  He wants what he wants and no one is going to stop him.  It's no wonder I'm wrecked! :D

But I digress... I will get back to cooking and blogging this year, it's one of my goals!  Every year I make resolutions I have already sabotaged in advance by knowing I won't do them. This year is different.  I have seen Leonie Dawson around the web for the last year or so but as I'm not a business woman anymore, I didn't feel the investment was worth it.  It was only this year that I noticed she had an offering for just about any woman as well, with her 2013 life workbook. Again, I wasn't convinced, assuming it was just another way of writing new years resolutions.  When I saw two women I greatly admire and respect recommending it, I finally gave in and ordered it.  And I am SO glad I did.

The first thing that struck me that was different about this system was the retrospective look at 2012.  It seems obvious, but how many times do we just plough ahead into the same old resolutions without actually reflecting on the year past and the lessons learned therein? Leonie asks some thought-provoking questions that really make you think back on the year past and see what you learned and what you could learn going forward.  I found this a really introspective and worthy exercise that made me look back and reflect in a way I never would have otherwise.  It gave me lots of hope going into the new year.

Then you get to continue on and have some fun.  100 things you want to do in 2013? Yes please! How much fun did I have writing that list? And the best part is I actually think it's doable!  There's something incredibly exciting about going into the new year knowing that you have at least 100 things to look forward to. That's more than one a week!!!

The artwork is playful and beautiful and the questions it brings up both superficially and introspectively are just fantastic.  I can't remember when I felt this good going into a new year.  For once I don't feel setup to fail, I see a year full of amazing possibilities!  I will be blogging my way through some of this book just so that I can keep on track and I believe there may be some others blogging their way through as well.  Do you want to join us?  When converted to Euro this is less than a tenner and I can honestly say it's worth every penny! 

While we're on this track, I have to recommend that any mothers out there check out Lucy's beautiful e-book as well.  It's free when you sign-up for her newsletter and also features stunning artwork and honest and thoughtful writing.  She writes about how to maintain your creative flair whilst still managing the daily toils and joys of motherhood.  It's such a beautiful and inspiring read that really touched me on one of those days I felt nothing else could go wrong.  Definitely worth a read for any of you creative mamas who feel stuck!

Well that being said, expect to see a lot more of me this year! I hope you all had a Blessed Yule, Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Yea! :)

Homebirth Conference 2012: Ina May Gaskin

I am so excited about Sunday when I will be attending the 2012 Homebirth Association of Ireland Conference.  It promises to be a great day out for anyone interested in natural birth and parenting.  I am a huge advocate for natural birth and homebirth and can't wait to hear the speakers and meet like-minded parents at this event.

The headline speaker is none other than Ina May Gaskin, probably the world's most renowned midwife.  I first heard of Ina May when a friend gave me a copy of Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. At the time I was of the persuasion that if I would need to be knocked out to deliver this baby and woken up when it was all over.  My only perception of childbirth was what I had seen on TV and in movies - lots of screaming and pain, frantic medical staff and frustrated Moms.  I already figured myself to have a low pain tolerance and knew there was no way I could do this without copious amounts of drugs.

I had been a bit of a hippy in my youth, following bands such as Phish around during the summer and the friend who gave me the book thought it would appeal to that side of me.  She was absolutely right.  I was only a few pages in when I began to reconsider my attitude.  The first half of the book is filled with birth stories from The Farm, where Ina May has her midwifery practice.  The stories are beautiful and empowering and instantly made me feel like I could do this.  The second half of the book focuses on birth itself and goes through the various modern practices and questions them.  There is no pressure in this book, just a very educated and experienced woman presenting the facts for you to evaluate and decide.  Before I had finished the book, I switched from an obstetrician to a midwife (not too common where I was in the US at the time) and was determined to have an intervention-free natural birth.  Ina May's book was the start of my journey towards an empowering birth and began a journey of growth as a woman.  Despite being immersed in a hospital setting, the knowledge in this book allowed me to have almost the birth I wanted.  I avoided all interventions except a heparin lock, which I couldn't argue my way out of.  It was put in an hour before delivery and I demanded it be removed immediately after, so all in all it wasn't so bad.

The book was pulled out again on my second birth where I had hoped to have a homebirth.  Unfortunately the midwife had to pull out at the last minute, but I was able to have an intervention and drug-free birth in Castlebar.  I re-read every story in the book and again it gave me so much strength.

This past time around I read the book again and I added Spiritual Midwifery and Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding to my repertoire.  I remember labouring in the pool thinking to myself "I'm going to get huge" just like one of them women in the book.  I truly believe these books helped me believe in myself and be an active participant in the three most important days of my life.

I am absolutely ecstatic to have the chance to hear Ina May on Sunday, we are so lucky to have her come to Ireland.  The Irish Times has a piece about the visit and the conference.

If you're at all interested in natural birth, it's definitely worth a visit.  The conference is this Sunday at the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel on the Naas Road in Dublin.  Tickets are available at the door and lunch is included. Tickets are €45 for HBA members and €55 for non-members. There will be lots of shopping opportunities as well.  Further details are available from the HBA website.

Let me know if you're planning on attending as I'd love to meet as many as I can!

Real Nappy Week: My Experiment with Cloth Diapers

Did you know that it's Real Nappy (Diaper) Week?  Me neither!  A week ago I thought that a real nappy was made by Pampers.  Turns out real nappies are the ones our grandmothers used... CLOTH nappies.

When I thought of cloth nappies I thought pins and pails and smells and piles and piles of laundry.  Laundry is my nemesis and I am no fan of dirty nappies, so the mere idea of cloth nappies filled me with dread.

Yes, I knew it was good for the environment and really good for my wallet, but the thought of the added laundry and a big bucket of poopy mess lying around just made me want to run the other way.

I was having coffee with some friends last week and one of them mentioned how her friend had a new baby and was using cloth nappies. We all scoffed at the thought of the extra laundry and we moved on to another subject.  Two days later I was reading an article about saving money and they came up again and a day or two later I was thinking of ways we could reduce our waste and there it was again. So like any good Mammy would, I consulted Captain Google and lo and behold, my idea of cloth nappies was antiquated at best.  After asking Moms who use cloth nappies some honest questions and doing a fair bit of online research, I decided to take the plunge and order a few samples and that is how I end up sitting with my little man wearing the cutest little blue Fuzzibunz cloth nappy.

I spoke with lots of Moms and the brands that came up again and again were Bumgenius, Fuzzibunz and the Irish brand Little Comfort.  I ordered a couple of nappies of each brand and we are trying them out over the next few days to see if it's something that would work for us.  One of the things that have convinced me is the idea of using a flushable liner in the nappies so any solids are flushed down the toilet, not sitting steeping somewhere.  That also means they aren't stinking up a garbage bin like disposable ones.  Big selling point for me, especially as they get older and the dirty nappies get worse.  From a laundry perspective it doesn't sound too bad either as I have been assured you only need to do a wash every 2-3 days.

Today starts my experiment and I will report back and review the various brands.  I have a feeling this is going to work and revolutionise this house, but time will tell.  If you are interested in taking the plunge, lots of places are doing great deals for Real Nappy Week. Below are the Irish shops that I have ordered from, all of which are offering good deals for the event or on trial packs.

• Baba Me - I ordered Bumgenius from these guys located in Newry. They offer free delivery and have some great BOGOF deals this week. I hope to receive these tomorrow.

• Little Comfort - I ordered a combination trial pack from this Irish company.  I love that the nappies are made in Ireland. They also have a 10% discount code for the rest of the month for RNW, type RNW12 in at checkout.  

• Hipbaby - I ordered Fuzzibunz from this Irish shop, there's some good deals on packs, they also stock Little Comfort. The service was amazing and I love these nappies so far, they are so cute and functional. 

• Earthmother - Earthmother stocks Bumgenius as well but they also have a huge range of earth-friendly cleaning products and detergents as well as tons of nappy accessories. 

Have you tried cloth nappies or considered it? What are your thoughts?

Review: Ardo Calypso Breast Pump

My breastfeeding journey has continued to be a struggle with my new little man.  For a few days there we thought I might actually be ok.  For the first time I experienced let down and engorgement and my little man was audibly swallowing and even gulping at times. I didn't supplement at all until day ten when it became apparent he was going downhill and losing weight and becoming less alert.  I think I made enough milk initially but as his needs increased my supply couldn't keep up.  The joys of IGT I guess. It made the whole situation quite emotional for me, as even though I had prepared for the worst I had gotten that false glimmer of hope for the first week or so that things were actually working this time around.  I have been supplementing with donor milk and formula for the last few weeks and thankfully the little man is now thriving again. It's a heartbreaking situation and even more difficult when I see so many women giving up for selfish or just plain ridiculous reasons when they make plenty of milk. But I digress...

It quickly became apparent that I would need to add pumping to my long list of tricks to get my supply to it's optimum level.  In the past I have used Medela and Avent pumps.  I used the hospital grade Medela Lactina, the Medela Swing and the Medela Mini as well as the Avent Isis. I was on a budget this time but wanted something good and reliable that wouldn't cost me a fortune in replacement parts if I needed them.

I stumbled upon the Ardo Calypso Breast Pump, an electric pump that can do single or double pumping.  It was a bit of a gamble as they are a less known company and there were not too many reviews out there.  The reviews that were out there though, were quite good.  I loved the 400 hour guarantee that transferred with owners and I liked the fact that several had commented on the excellent customer support. It is also used in hospitals in parts of the UK, so I figured that in itself is a raging endorsement.

I went ahead and ordered the package deal on Inhealth.ie as it came with the double kit and some milk storage bags and worked out cheaper than buying the double kit on Amazon or directly from Ardo.

I am very happy with the pump, it is on par with other ones I have tried, even the very expensive Medela Lactina.  I loved the fact that it came with three different sized flanges, so you are sure to be able to get one that works best for you without having to shop around elsewhere and fork out more money.  It is fairly straightforward to assemble, although I can't say I thought the instructions were very clear.  Think Ikea instructions, you need to do a lot of reading between the lines, but once set up it's easy to remember and repeat.

The pump itself is very quiet in comparison to other electric pumps.  The base unit is small and unobtrusive and doesn't look like a breast pump.  It sits inconspicuously in my living room and no one knows what it is until I plug in the flanges.

There are eight vacuum and eight cycle settings.  This is brilliant because you can play around with something that suits your situation and your flow.  I start off on a very fast cycle to imitate what a baby would do to start let down, then I slow it down.  As the flow is decreasing, I turn the vacuum up and do compressions to get the remaining few drops out.

Overall I am extremely happy with this pump. I think it is better than both the Medela and Avent options and would highly recommend it.  Below is a summary of the pros and cons.

Pros:

• Great value for money
• Three flange sizes
• Affordable replacement parts
• Quiet motor
• Small and inobtrusive
• Can be used with batteries as well
• 400 hours of pumping guarantee
• Good customer service
• Fully compliant with the WHO Breastfeeding code.

Cons:

• Instructions are not as clear as they should be
• Batteries must be removed to use the mains adaptor

Disclaimer: I purchased this pump with my own funds, no compensation was received for this review. All opinions are my own.

Breastfeeding: My sad story and a glimmer of hope!

Science says breast is best and science is right.  Science would also have you believe that every woman can breast feed. In that regard, they would be wrong.  In 99.9% of the time that is indeed the case, but sometimes, just sometimes a woman can have a physiological problem that can prevent her from being able to fully feed her child. Sometimes this can be self-induced such as the case with breast reduction surgery, but other times there can be no known cause.  I fall into the second category.

May 7, 2004

When my daughter was born in 2004 there was no question in my mind that I would breastfeed.  I wanted to give my daughter the best start in life and what better way to do it.  It never occurred to me I would have difficulties that couldn't be overcome.  I had a drug-free natural birth with a nurse midwife in a hospital in Michigan. For the most part it was a wonderful experience and baby went straight to the breast.  They told me right away that she had jaundice but encouraged me to breastfeed.  On her second day she was bright yellow and had to go under blue billirubin lights. The pediatrician wanted me to supplement to try and get the jaundice out of her system and recommended I do so with an SNS so as not to delay or upset my milk coming in.  Several days later my milk had not "come in" in the way I'd read about. No engorgement, pain, leaking... nothing.  I had a visit with a lactation consultant who examined me and knew immediately something was wrong.  She said I had underdeveloped breasts and not enough gland tissue.  She recommended herbs and domperidone to help with my supply.  Unfortunately this whole time Ella was losing weight and the jaundice was not improving.  My father-in-law came to visit immediately after she was born (never make that mistake friends) and he made me uncomfortable feeding so after just two weeks I gave up.  It was a sad day, but being in the US at the time I knew I had to be back in work in four weeks and convinced myself it was for the best.

Roll on 18 months later and my second daughter Ciara was born, this time in Ireland. Again a natural unmedicated birth.  It was to be a homebirth, but the midwife was not able to attend at the last minute so we had to go to the hospital. It was perfect and the midwife was wonderful allowing plenty of skin-to-skin and immediate feeding.  I had also had nine months to prepare and try and address the problems I had with Ella.  I worked with my GP ahead of time and was officially diagnosed with breast hypoplasia and insufficient glandular tissue.  An ultrasound confirmed that I had minimal gland tissue and as a result could not produce a full supply.  This time I was going to try pumping after feeds and add more herbs (fennugreek, blessed thistle to name a few) and a high dose of domperidone (motilium, 90mg 3x day).  None of this actually helped with my supply as far as I noticed which in hindsight makes sense as if the tissue is not there no amount of galactagogues are going to help.  I breastfed Ciara for just over nine months using the SNS to supplement but she continued to comfort nurse even though there was nothing there for about a year.  I would have liked to go longer but she was ready to move on.  Another sad day.

During both my experiences I met lots of people who tried to help whether doctors, lactation consultants or La Leche League leaders and enthusiastic members.  Most meant well, but generally made things worse by telling me everyone could breastfeed and I was obviously doing something wrong when clearly baby was latched perfectly and I was continually attached to a baby or pump.  Six years later there is a lot more known about my condition, but I have yet to find anyone else in Ireland with my problem.  Breastfeeding is atrocious here, most women get very little help and give up within days or weeks.  It makes me so sad to think of all the women and babies out there that were perfectly capable of having a wonderful nursing relationship and full supply who did not do so because no one showed them how or helped them when they encountered more common difficulties.  When you've pumped for 18 hours straight and are staring at a sum total of half an ounce, you would literally kill to have functional boobs albeit ones with mastitis, inflamed nipples or oversupply.

The good news is that this condition does improve slightly with each pregnancy as more tissue is formed.  Women with less severe hypoplasia can even go on to have a full or almost full supply in subsequent pregnancies.  There is much more known about the condition and many books and groups that help.  MOBI (Mothers Overcoming Breastfeeding Issues) has been an incredible resource for me as have two books.

The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk is an incredible resource for anyone with supply issues be it something like my IGT, breast surgery, PCOS or something baby related such as tongue tie.  There is lots of research on physical, herbal and medical solutions to many of the problems mothers and babies may encounter.

Mother Food: A Breastfeeding Diet Guide with Lactogenic Foods and Herbs for a Mom and Baby's Best Health is the second book which is a riveting read regardless of issues you may have.  It's a fascinating insight into breastfeeding throughout time and investigates both modern and historical antidotes for various issues and essential outcomes.  It's a great book for anyone breastfeeding who wants to ensure their milk is the best it can be.

Both books offer suggestions for women with chronic supply issues before and after baby is born which has helped me immensely in preparing for this pregnancy knowing the issues I will face.  My IGT plan of action is as follows:

• Pre-natal natural progesterone supplement to 38 weeks
• Pre-natal supplement of Go-Lacta, Goat's Rue, Alfalfa
• Pre-natal nutritional supplements including prenatal vitamin, Omega 3,6 oils, Evening Primrose Oil, Calcium and Floradix Iron Supplement
• Pregnancy Tea
• Expression of colostrum from 34 weeks to collect and freeze for baby and encourage supply
• Gentlebirth Hypnobirthing and the breastfeeding hypnosis track after birth
• Home waterbirth with no interventions, immediate skin-to-skin and nursing.
• Frequent on demand nursing with breast compression
• Supplement donor milk* using SNS, as necessary
• Post-natal nutritional supplements as above, increasing iron if required
• Herbal supplements of Shatavari, Leptaden, fenugreek, More Milk Special Blend and Blessed Thistle.
• Prescription supplement of high dose domperidone (motilium)
• Pumping after feeds.

* I was lucky enough to find some very understanding, kind and generous women to offer me donor milk through Human Milk for Human Babies. I am so incredibly touched that these women would help someone in my situation and I am blessed that I will be able to feed my son the best I can in my circumstances and avoid formula. 

Our wee man!

So that's the plan and my story.  Little Boy Blue is due any day now and I hope that it will improve this time .  I would love to hear from other Irish Mama's who have IGT, I know I can't be alone! I would also ask lactation consultants, LLL leaders, Doulas, PHNs and midwives to read up on the condition as it can be extremely disheartening to be told you are doing something wrong when in fact you are doing everything and then some right, but baby is still not thriving.  

I've listed some other excellent breastfeeding resources below:

Dr. Jack Newman's Website - Renowned Canadian breastfeeding expert. Lots of articles, videos and research here. A fantastic resource for new Moms. 

Kellymom - A wonderful resrouce by mothers for mothers. 

La Leche League - The breastfeeding advocates. Information on local meetings, a useful forum and tons of great handouts and pamphlets.

Human Milk for Human Babies - Find donor milk or donate milk to mothers and babies in need.

MOBI - Mothers Overcoming Breastfeeding Issues: great articles, fantastic email support group and links to various books and suppliers.

Breastfeeding Mums Ireland - A facebook group for breastfeeding mothers.

Friends of Breastfeeding - An Irish group promoting breastfeeding and lactivism.

Hey Facebook: Breastfeeding is Normal!

As some of you may be aware, Facebook has been removing pictures of women breastfeeding their children on a regular basis and in some cases, even banning these women's accounts.  In most cases they are beautiful tasteful photos with very little skin and/or nipple exposed.

Regardless of your choice to breastfeed, no one can dispute the scientific evidence that it is the best choice for your baby and the biological fact that it is indeed what our boobs were made for, despite what the porn/TV/film/advertising industry would have you believe.

The benefits of breastfeeding are undisputed, not just for an individual child, but for society as a whole.  Breastfed children grow up to be smarter and healthier than their formula fed counterparts making for a more productive society. Mothers who are allowed and encouraged to breastfeed will inevitably miss less work because of sick children and employers are beginning to realise this.

Whether or not you personally choose to breastfeed is beside the point here, the point is everyone should be given that choice and supported if they make it.  It is against the law in Ireland to discriminate against a breastfeeding woman, yet looking at the bigoted, misinformed and plain idiotic comments on this Journal post, it is clearly evident that the public at large are uneducated and clearly not supportive.  We must support mothers no matter what choice they make and even more so when they are making the best and normal choice.

If you are nursing or have nursed or just support the cause, consider coming out to the protest next Monday at the Facebook Headquarters in Dublin.  It is a chance to tell the media, the public and the censors at Facebook that not only is breastfeeding the healthy and optimal choice for society, but it's utterly and completely normal!  If you can't make it, consider changing your Facebook picture on the day and leaving a message of support for the girls!

The details are here.

Freebies for Pregnant and New Mums in Ireland

Last Updated 26/07/12

I thought I would compile a comprehensive list of all the freebies out there for expecting or new mums.  There are quite a few deals to be taken advantage of that may or may not come in handy now or later.  I hope this helps some of you and if there's anything I'm missing, please let me know!

EU Mom has possibly the best deal out there in which you collect a box of samples, coupons and information at your local Centra or Supervalu after signing up on their site.  Samples I got included Johnsons products, Detol, Sudocream, wipes, Floradix and Persil.  Definitely worth signing up for. There's also some coupons, car seat and safety information and other bits and bobs.



Pampers have a nice little packet of samples for expecting Mums.  You need to sign up before 32 weeks. I haven't received mine yet, but it looks like there's some nappies and wipes and perhaps some coupons and baby information.

Tesco Baby Club is a great resource if you shop at Tesco.  They send a magazine and coupons throughout your pregnancy and up until the baby is three.  When combined with other coupons from Pampers or Pigsback, it can result in some free nappies!

Milupa offers a baby club as well and sends vouchers and information out. Your baby must have been already born to sign up.

Silderm are offering free samples of their stretch-mark cream.

Avent Bottles are offering a free welcome gift for new Mums who join their club.

Bepanthen nappy cream are offering a free sample on their site.

Gentlebirth an Irish hypnobirthing program, that I use myself, occasionally offer free hypnobirthing mp3s, worth keeping an eye out on their site.

Cow and Gate have a nice little coupon book that they will send out to you if you sign up.  There were coupons that could be used during pregnancy and beyond, including Xtravision rentals, Chemist vouchers and more.  You are given the option on whether or not to receive information on their formula.

Aptamil also offer some money off coupons on their products.

Baba Me offers a voucher to trial their Bumgenius Cloth Nappies or a free newborn nappy.

NEW: Free gift from Clevalogs.ie when you sign up for their newsletter.



The following sites offer information on their products and infant nutrition or development, but no coupons or samples that I can tell.  Think targeted emails based on your stage of pregnancy or baby's age:
Huggies
SMA
Lansinoh

Updated 19/4/2012