724 days and counting! Sadly though we've decided that we are going to retire the booby on her 2nd birthday - which is NEXT week! Not sure who's going to take this hardest; her or I? But it's time...for us. ... [ Read More ]
Hide and Seek with The Eco Chic
I'm all sorts of geeky today - I decided to start posting information on a few other community blogs to gain some additional exposure and hopefully reach some mom's that don't regularly visit us over here at The Eco Chic. Today I found myself on BlogHer.com where I wrote more about My Extended Breastfeeding Journey. Go visit me on BlogHer and leave a comment if you want to share your story with me. Then last Friday I got an email from the producers of Mom Talk Radio asking if I was available to fill in for a cancellation they had with Maria Bailey during the weekly Mom's Roundtable discussion. I was intrigued so I said YES! After rushing Lil' B off to the pediatricians office early that morning (turned out she got stung and never told me - swelled up all nasty like!) I returned and talked with Maria and MaryBeth Whalen about Halloween. I know it's not a very eco-conversation but I did talk about composting Halloween candy at the very end of our segment. The entire podcast ... [ Read More ]
Guest Post – From Formula to Breastfeeding Pro!!
After I posted The Other Side post a few weeks ago about breastfeeding I was approached by a fellow mom on Twitter and asked if I would share her story. Meet Nerissa: I am a 32 year old mother of 4 beautiful children. I started having babies quite young - I was 20 when my first son was born. He was born via 'emergency' c-section, which I now believe to be a 'let's get her out of here' c-section. I was in labour for over 24 hours, opted for the epidural and was exhausted. I had absolutely no energy to push out a fart let alone an 8 lb. baby. He was healthy and perfectly fine. I chose to breastfeed, but had no support. A first time mother needs support with breastfeeding. My mother (who we lived with at the time) was completely against breastfeeding. I was a first generation Canadian, and to her, breastfeeding would have me "stuck to the baby at all times" and I "wouldn't be able to do anything" (her unforgettable words). The baby came down with a case of slight jaundice ... [ Read More ]
The Other Side – Breastfeeding
This is the second post in the series - The Other Side - by my friend Mama M. The opinions expressed in this post are HERS and do NOT reflect the opinions and beliefs of The Eco Chic. And for the record - The Eco Chic and Lil' B are still continuing their breastfeeding journey at 624 days! Please be respectful with your comments and remember that there are two sides to every story. - The Eco Chic Let me get straight to the point. I didn't breastfeed my little girl. My giant leap into mommy-hood was a surprise. Health issues led me to believe a child was not possible. That's not to say I couldn't GET pregnant but that a pregnancy would never develop full term. I have diabetes and I'm very holistic in nature. I am a vegetarian and I try to eat a lot of organic, fresh food. I take only the most necessary medication after researching side effects and other potential risks. I prefer remedies that come from the Earth that cannot be patented because they are natural. But ... [ Read More ]
10 Reasons to Breastfeed
Today marks the 578th day of breastfeeding my little tot! Well to be clear - I'm not actually breastfeeding her today because she is at Camp Grandma/Grandma while I am flying (yes - right now) to NYC for #BlogHer10! But - we are still breastfeeding and my pump (Thanks Hygeia) is packed securely inside my luggage. Many of you may remember the adventures I had while traveling to Miami for a week - without a tot - and without my handy pump! I had a mommy moment while packing then and left the pump in my closet all alone! Enter my introduction to hand expression and jokes from my hubby and friends! There was a question as to whether I should continue to breastfeed when I returned or let her be weened since she had been off mommy milk for a whole week. Two hours after our reunion she kindly asked for mommy - and I couldn't say no. Once again - I will continue to pump while away and I'll let her decide if it's time to ween or not. It seems almost fitting that she would ween ... [ Read More ]
Wordless Wednesday – Peace, Love, Play!
Pictured above: Left - Me, Calley (AKA - The Eco Chic), Right - Danielle Wann (owner of Peace, Love, Play) I know Wordless Wednesday should be well wordless but I had to send a special shout out to a local friend! Danielle Wann is the owner of a fabulous indoor play area for children 0-5yrs in Plant City, FL - Peace, Love, Play! Where else can you go for $5/day and let your child play in a climate controlled (nice in these hot and rainy Florida days), safe, and environmentally friendly indoor play area. In addition to Monday-Friday open play sessions - Peace, Love, Play hosts Breastfeed Support Groups, monthly Cloth Diaper Demonstrations (by East Coast Cloth), and weekend birthday party space. If you live in or around the Tampa Bay area you should really make the trip to Plant City and visit with Danielle and her family. You can also follow Danielle online at her blog "There's No Snakes in New Zealand." Danielle also hosts a weekly breastfeeding support chat (#BFCafe) on ... [ Read More ]
Wordless Wednesday – Still Going!
Image taken and edited from my iPhone. Yes, we are still breastfeeding and I think it's beautiful! ... [ Read More ]
Breastfeeding a Tot – Continued
After a very LONG week away from our 17 month old I am happy (at least I am) to report that we are STILL breastfeeding. I finally grasped the concept of manual expression of the milk since I left town without my child and my pump! It wasn't an easy concept to master but after a few days I became a pro! My worst fear was that I would be reunited with the tot and she wouldn't ever ask for mommy milk again. It took her 2.5 hours before she started to get cranky and tired - then she started to make her way back to her comfort spot. Everything works the way it did before she left - like she never skipped a beat. It was difficult for me to decide whether this should be our weaning period or if she should continue - after all big brother weaned at almost a year. We've far surpassed my expectations but I want this to be her decision - at least for now. It's not restricting me from doing anything and she does fine if we are apart. I only wish that my support system understood the ... [ Read More ]
Ever tried hand expressing milk?
Last time I told you I was leaving my baby for a whole week and was planning on pumping to sustain the production of milk - in the event that she still asks for it when I see her again. After a 4 hour drive we finally arrived at our destination when it dawned on me -my breast pump was still in the closet at home!!! After cussing and crying I decided that I was going to make this work - and I did a LOT of cussing! My tot is almost 17 mo so I refuse to spend any more money on pumps (whether that be rental or settling on another cheap manual pump) and I made myself a commitment to try manually hand expressing milk. I had never really tried it before because I always had a pump so I didn't really know where to begin. I still haven't Googled any tips - I just decided to try it. I found the best way to get things started is with a nice warm shower - but a hot washcloth works ok too. I know I'm not emptying all of the milk bit it's certainly releasing the build up - and keeping the ... [ Read More ]
Last night nursing? Or not?
I just laid Lil' B down to bed at her Grandma's and in the morning I will leave her for a week. I will nurse one more time in the morning and then I will (hopefully) pump once a day until I see her again. Will she still ask for it in a week? Or will she have moved on? Is this my last evening session - or will there be more? Only time - and my 17 month old - will tell. ... [ Read More ]