Call for Your Breastfeeding Stories!

This year’s theme for World Breastfeeding Week is Sustaining Breastfeeding Together, which really brings forth the collaborative nature of breastfeeding.  When I think about the components that shape a mother’s breastfeeding experience, the first thing that come to mind is support.  Who is part of her ‘Dream Team of Breastfeeding Support’?  Her partner?  Her family and friends? Her doctors and midwives?  Her lactation consultant?  Her local and online community? All of these connections shape how we view ourselves as a breastfeeding mother and how successful we feels about ourselves and our experience.  Since not all of us are fortunate to have a huge system of in-person breastfeeding support, online support can be critical.  

Over the years we have collected breastfeeding memoirs from our readers.  Our goal is to share the many different ways that mothers breastfeed, each story highlighting different challenges that may arise and how mothers are resilient and determined to find success, whatever that may look like to them.  

This August, in honor of the 2017 World Breastfeeding Week’s theme, we are sending out a call for YOUR breastfeeding memoir.  Would you like to share your story so that another mother may find support from and connection to your experience?  Did you overcome a challenge?  Did the support of another person help shape your breastfeeding experience?   

Details:

• We will be collecting breastfeeding memoirs from August 1 - September 15, 2017.
• Each memoir should be between 150-250 words and include a photo
• Each memoir must be original content
• All selected memoirs will be posted on the SDBFC website’s blog and be considered for inclusion in an upcoming breastfeeding book!

Possible topics, but not limited to:

• Increasing milk supply

• Going back to work
• Overcoming breastfeeding challenges
• Breastfeeding after a NICU stay
• Breastfeeding after breast surgery
• Tongue tie
• Breastfeeding twins
• Positive nursing in public experience
• Full term breastfeeding
• Tandem nursing

Feel free to post any questions in the comments.

Please email your original breastfeeding memoir and photo(s) to Robin Kaplan (robinkaplan@sdbfc.com)

There are so many online stories of moms feeling like they’ve failed…. Let’s flood the Internet with stories of triumph!

Positive Breastfeeding in Public Stories - Nordstrom ROCKS!

Written by Ashley Treadwell, IBCLC

So much of what we hear about feeding our babies in public is negative - stories from women being harassed and shamed for breastfeeding in public.  While we believe that it is so important to respond to these incidents and educate people on the importance of normalizing breastfeeding, we also think that one of the best ways we can empower women is to share our positive experiences as well.  Below is one of many examples of wonderful responses women receive while feeding their babies in public - meet Margaret!

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I took five and a half months off after my baby was born in November 2014. She is our first, and after twelve weeks maternity leave, paid at 55% of my regular pay, I had another twelve-ish weeks of personal leave upaid. It was worth the financial sacrifice!

I made it a point to go out for lunch at Nordstrom (using a generous gift card) once a week. I was breastfeeding and extra-hungry, and I enjoyed soup, a sandwich, and dessert every time.

Usually, I visited the Ladies Lounge to nurse before or after lunch. My most-positive experience was at the Nordstrom in Westfield North County (Escondido) just before Christmas. One of the couches faces the door, so that other women going towards the bathroom stalls pass by and see you. So many people stopped to admire the baby and say a kind word. Older women in particular stopped to admire the ability of a breastfeeder to give her baby food anywhere, anytime. They regretted bottle-feeding their babies so many years ago. I made sure to say a kind word, like "you were a new mommy when 'bottle was best' back in the day - you were doing what you were told!" and we would chuckle about how silly doctor recommendations can sometimes be, and smile with the mutual generosity of mamas who are just trying to do what's best.

It was, needless to say, a very supportive and empowering experience.

As the baby got older, her sleep-wake cycle changed and it was impossible to predict when she would be hungry. A few times I fed her from the breast while eating at Nordstrom Cafe (in Fashion Valley). The staff were nothing but kind - going the extra mile to carry my things and being so kind.

I hope other San Diego mamas can build a routine of feeding baby out of the house. If they're feeling shy at first, Nordstrom Ladies Lounge is a great place to start.

Do you have a positive breastfeeding in public experience to share?  Please send it to us at ashleytreadwell@sdbfc.com

Nursing in Public - The Positive Spin

Recently, there have been a lot of stories in the national and local news about mothers being illegally harassed for nursing their babies in public (“NIP”).  The latest one involved a Twitter exchange between a breastfeeding mom and a Delta Airlines Public Relations employee. 

While we think it is so incredibly important that these types of incidences are highlighted and spoken about, we also believe it can paint an incorrect picture that if you nurse your baby in public, you’d better be ready for a fight.  So we thought we’d seek out some positive experiences mamas have had feeding their little ones while out and about - below are a few of the responses we received.  For every woman that may be made to feel uncomfortable for NIP, it is our greatest hope that there are 100 that receive smiles, nods, and even an occasional high five.

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From Lara Snyder:

Our son is three months old and so far I have had nothing, but positive and amazing breastfeeding experiences! The first time we ever tried NIP-ing was when my family was flying home to Colorado, for Christmas. It was my husband's and my first time flying with an infant so we got to the airport early. Our son was only one month old and like any one month old he got hungry often! Since it was my first time flying with a baby and NIP-ing I was really nervous that someone would give me a hard time and make the flight difficult. Luckily nothing like that happened! After getting through security our son started to get fussy because he was hungry, so my husband found a comfy bench to put all our stuff down and so I could nurse. Oddly enough the bench was right outside some bathrooms and quite a few people saw what I was doing!! Once we got all our stuff situated and I got comfortable, my husband simply said, "Ok I'm going to the bathroom, you feed the baby," without even second thinking my boob was going to be out in public. Sitting right there in the middle of the San Diego Airport, I fed our baby boy while airport employees and multiple travelers walked by. No one said a thing about my nursing! I'm sure a few people felt uncomfortable, but they just looked away. One man even came out of the bathroom and began talking to my family. It was a little strange to me and my husband because we didn't know this person, but he was rather nice and wished us safe travels! Once we got on the plane the positive experience continued and our wonderful little man slept the entire flight! The pressure changes bugged him a little, and even then I started nursing him and everything went smoothly! My husband offered to sit in the middle seat (even though he hates it) just in case an unappreciative person sat next to us, they would have nothing to complain about because they would see my husband and not me! After our flight landed in Colorado we waited to be the last couple off the plane, and a lot of the other passengers were surprised there was a baby on board!  Both my husband and I were so grateful I could nurse my son during the rough patches during the flight, and we felt so proud of our little man surprising everyone by not being that crying baby on the plane!

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From Marion Luebberman:

I had to take my little guy to two life celebrations for friends who had passed away before he was four months old. I was terrified both times because I was sure people would give me the stink-eye for bringing a baby to something so somber, but the truth is, people love to see babies during times of sorrow. At the first event, I had to nurse during the eulogy and my son was only a couple months old so he was very floppy and not cooperative at all. The mother and aunt (neither of whom I'd met before) of our deceased friend came over and offered to help me. I was struggling with my cover and they both said "we've all been there, do what you gotta do!" I felt so comfortable there and my boy was fed and happy. At the next service, which was attended by 200+ bikers, my husband and I were talking to the widow of the friend we had just lost. She lit up at the sight of a little baby and told me that if I had to feed him at any time, I was welcome to "whip it out and do what you gotta do!" I did just that and nobody blinked an eye. If I could pass on any message to moms who are wary of nursing in public, I would tell them what these awesome moms told me - do what you gotta do!

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From Tiffany Kyle: 

In my 15mo of breast feeding I can honestly say I have never had a negative experience nursing in public. One day stands out especially for me as being an incredibly positive moment. I was at Starbucks with my son and I think he was probably 7 or 8 months at the time. It was one of the Starbucks that has comfy furniture and it was quite crowded. I had been chatting with the people around me a little bit and they were commenting on how cute my baby was. When my son needed to nurse, we did our thing. I'll admit I wondered for a split second if any of these strangers who were sitting very near to us would have a problem with it, but everyone was more than supportive. The lady across from me gave me a high five and said what a great job I was doing and no wonder my son was such a happy guy. Seriously made my day. :)

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Thank you so much to all of the ladies who contributed their positive stories - let’s keep it going by not only sharing our own experiences, but creating a happy memory for the next woman you see feeding her baby at the zoo, or the park, on the airplane, or in the grocery store - give her a high-five and tell her what a fantastic mama she is, and “to do what you gotta do!”

Do you have a positive NIP experience you would like to share with our readers?  Send your story to ashleytreadwell@sdbfc.com and we will include it in an upcoming article!