#ibreastfeed

[yagirljuice]

😆😆 The hunger is real. #rp #breastfeeding #iBreastfeed

[ottawahealth]

“I was expecting the bliss of being a nursing mom."

Ottawa Public Health is pleased to present some of the ups and downs of breastfeeding as experienced by local mothers on the blog this week. 

“I was expecting the bliss of being a nursing mom.  Like all the soft focus pictures of mom with baby at the breast, everybody smiling happily.  I had the bras, I had the breast pads and I had nursing tops.  I was ready.

And then around week 7, O's mouth grew. And my apparatus toughened up (shout out to Jack's APNO which literally rescued my nipples from the edge of complete destruction).  In short, O was nursing and gaining weight and I was no longer gauging out my toes in pain.  Today, O is 13 months old and we are still going strong.  I would never have got here if it were not for the veteran mommies out there who gave me so much support, as well as the LCs, my doula and the Milkface Breastfeeding Cafe, my public health nurse and the City’s walk-in clinics, my family (thanks Mom!!!) and not least of all, my husband.  Nursing has been for me, a community affair.  I would definitely have given up if it weren't for all the wonderful help and support from my community”.

                                                                                         -Ottawa mother

Ottawa Public Health protects, promotes and supports breastfeeding.  A variety of services and supports are available to help mothers reach their breastfeeding goals.  Contact the Ottawa Public Health Information line at 613-580-6744 of [email protected] for further information

Join the 2012 Breastfeeding Challenge on September 29, 2012. For more information visit www.babyfriendly.ca.

On September 29th let us know you breastfed by tweeting #ibreastfeed to @ottawahealth.

[ottawahealth]

"I’m proud to say I breastfed both my children."

Ottawa Public Health is pleased to present some of the ups and downs of breastfeeding as experienced by local mothers on our blog this week.

“Mothering a newborn is exhausting, overwhelming, hectic and emotional.  Those feelings quickly slip away when you hold your baby in your arms.  Feeling their warmth and soft skin and being excited about the life you are about to share with them makes it all worth it.  I’m proud to say I breastfed both my children.  It was not without difficulty though.   Pain, long nights, thrush, cracks and many tears are things I remember vividly.  I persevered though and I’m so very glad that I did.  Why I persevered was my great desire to do all that I could to give both my children a healthy start in life.  How I persevered was by accessing community support.  

I’m not sure I could have made it through the first few weeks without the guidance of the public health nurses on the Ottawa Public Health Information Line.  My children, who are now 7 and 4, are both healthy and happy. I truly believe in many ways that has to do in part with the breastmilk they received.       

                                                                                                    -Ottawa mother of two

Ottawa Public Health protects, promotes and supports breastfeeding.  A variety of services and supports are available to help mothers reach their breastfeeding goals.  Contact the Ottawa Public Health Information line at 613-580-6744 of [email protected] for further information.

Join the 2012 Breastfeeding Challenge on September 29, 2012. For more information visit www.babyfriendly.ca

On September 29th let us know you breastfed by tweeting #ibreastfeed to @ottawahealth.

[ottawahealth]

“Would you like to know the sex of your baby?”

Ottawa Public Health is pleased to present some of the ups and downs of breastfeeding as experienced by local mothers on our blog this week.

“Would you like to know the sex of your baby”? It was a question that my husband and I pondered for the first 19 weeks of my second pregnancy.  So, we decided to have that question answered, and got the response at a routine ultrasound.   So there we were, holding our breath, waiting for three little words.  “It’s a....BOY”!!! We were overjoyed to learn that we were going to be blessed with a boy.  It was an emotional high that I will never forget, and I can still live in that moment.  But as quickly as it came, that moment began to pass.  I could tell that the tech was not sharing something with us.  The next series of questions, only confirmed my suspicions, and we had answers within the hour.

So many people were curious about our son’s condition, and whether or not he would be able to breast feed.  Asking me, “is he going to be capable of breastfeeding”?  I had to fight back tears as I explained that, NO; my son cannot create suction and is therefore unable to breast feed.  Instead, we had to buy special bottles that allowed us to squeeze milk into his mouth, a process that initially took more than two hours.  Did our son receive breast milk, yes he did.  I was able to pump and give breast milk through a bottle.  I was surprised to learn that even though our son could not feed at the breast, neither he nor I, qualified for any financial assistance to purchase a breast pump.

My experience of having a child with a cleft lip and palate can only be described as overwhelming.  I needed support in every possible way, emotionally, financially, and physically.  The bottom line, we survived and I know that we did everything we possibly could to ensure our son was provided with the best care that we could give him.  My advice to future parents, ask for help, because you will be your child’s best advocate.  Use every support possible and be persistent.  Being a second time parent, I felt the pressure of being expected to know how to care for our son, but I needed to be honest with myself, and have someone say, “Its ok, you’re not alone”. 

                                                                                               Blayr Kelly, Ottawa mother

Ottawa Public Health protects, promotes and supports breastfeeding.  A variety of services and supports are available to help mothers reach their breastfeeding goals. Contact the Ottawa Public Health Information Line at 613-580-6744 or [email protected] for further information

Join the 2012 Breastfeeding Challenge on September 29, 2012. For more information visit www.babyfriendly.ca

On September 29th let us know you breastfed by tweeting #ibreastfeed to @ottawahealth.

[ottawahealth]

Breastfeeding in public? Anytime, anywhere!

Written by Vickie Paulin, BScN, RN, Public Health Nurse, Baby-Friendly Initiative Team

The birthday party

As a woman in my twenties I found myself in a situation that may be familiar to some. I was out talking with friends at a restaurant. I was sitting across from the ‘birthday girl’ and her husband. All of a sudden, their baby started crying. The birthday girl threw a pink blanket over her shoulder, opened her blouse, and reached in near her shoulder. She picked up her baby, latched her on the breast and quickly covered her with the blanket that was hanging from her shoulder.

“Oh dear, is she breastfeeding in public? And of all places, at the dinner table?” my partner asks. “Yes” is all I can say, as my eyebrows raise in shock. I look around to see if others peek, and wonder where to look if she talks to me. What if the blanket falls? What about the men at the table? People are staring!

Even though breastfeeding anytime, anywhere should be socially acceptable it wasn’t until a few years later, and well into my nursing career, that I realized why I had the  reaction I did during my friend’s birthday dinner. It was because I was uninformed. I did not know it is every woman’s right to breastfeed anytime, anywhere and how important breastfeeding is to both mother and baby. Just some of the benefits of breastfeeding are to:

Reduce a women’s risk of breast and ovarian cancer

Help with weight loss after pregnancy

Boost baby’s immune system

Breastmilk is:

Filled with lots of vitamins, minerals and nutrients

Always ready

On hand during emergencies

A change in viewpoints can break barriers

Not all breastfeeding mothers feel comfortable feeding their babies in public. A lot of people think it is ok to see cleavage at the beach or on a magazine cover.  Yet, some women feeding their babies in public get comments like “gross” or “do that in private”. 

Women may not want to feed in public if they know they will be stared at or get mean comments.  It is isolating for a woman to feel that she cannot leave the house or go for coffee with a friend until the baby has been fed.  Attitudes create barriers; not accepting breastfeeding in public can prevent mothers from making informed and healthy feeding decisions. We can work together to change this so that mothers breastfeeding in public can feel comfortable and proud.

Together, we can change the culture

As a Baby-Friendly organization, Ottawa Public Health supports young families by:

Giving them the correct facts about feeding choices for their new baby

Supporting them in their efforts to follow worldwide health recommendations

Protecting mothers’ human rights to feed their baby as they choose

You can also play a part in breaking down barriers by keeping in mind that:

Breastfeeding has many health benefits for baby and mom

Support and acceptance of mothers’ rights to breastfeed anytime, anywhere will make them feel respected in their feeding choice.

Visit ottawa.ca/health for more details, or call the Ottawa Public Health Information line at 613-580-6744 (TTY: 613-580-9656).