Showing posts with label Breastfeeding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breastfeeding. Show all posts
One of the hardest parts of breastfeeding is working and continuing to breastfeed. Breastfeeding in general is a huge commitment. But expressing breast milk at work is both challenging a time consuming.
When my son was 4 months old I had to return to the workforce. Pumping was my biggest concern. I had to schedule pumping schedules into my already busy day. But soon it became part of my every day ritual. Each day I have lug in my equipment along with an ice pack and empty bottles and parts.
I was very fortunate to return to a job that was very supportive of the breastfeeding mother. We had a Mothers Room that was very busy. At the time, three of us rotated in and out of the room. It was warm and cozy. I enjoyed my pumping sessions. It was nice to dim the lights and catch up on emails and Facebook. Of course their were times that it felt like a chore, but overall I was comfortable and determined to breastfeed my son. The best part was knowing I had a comfortable and safe place to pump.
For the most part, my job was stationary and I didn't have to worry about traveling. I had the occasional meeting and luckily I could plan ahead and make pumping arrangements. I contacted the facility and asked if they offered a Mothers Room. To my surprise, they did and I was relieved. Nothing fancy, but you could get the job done in privacy. This is when I stated feeling the challenges that a traveling nursing mom may experience and I began to understand why many working mothers stop nursing or need to supplement due to a low milk supply. Expressing milk and working is harder and challenging for the traveling nursing mother! Especially if you are not familiar with the facility.
When my son was around 6 months old, I was given a new job opportunity. This was very exciting. I would have the opportunity to do what I love still but it would require that I travel to a few different buildings. I accepted and was thrilled. Then it dawned on me. I am a breastfeeding mother and I am committed to making sure my son is breastfed for the first year. Many thoughts ran through my head. Where will I pump? Do they support breastfeeding? How many times a day will I be able to express milk? Will I even have time? Who do I even ask for these answers? I didn't want to make a bad impression by asking for frequent breaks to pump but breastfeeding was very important and I wanted to make sure I continued.
I remember my first day at building number one. I lugged all of my equipment to find that the only private area I would have to pump was missing an outlet nearby. I had no way to plug in my machine. I needed to come up with a new game plan. What a bummer! I instantly missed my old Mothers Room at my previous job. It was a sad day. I went home without any milk. Luckily, I had a stash of milk at home but any breastfeeding mother understands how frustrating it was and how uncomfortable my breasts were.
Day number two,at building number two, was just as stressful. I again lugged all of my equipment to find, that again, I would go home without any milk. Both buildings did not offer a warm and comfy Mothers Room where I could pump in peace while I caught up on my emails and Facebook.
I went home and decided that I needed to have an action plan. I had a new found respect for traveling nursing mothers. I got out my rechargeable battery pack and inserted 8 AA batteries. There I was ready for the next day.
This was great until I found myself in the middle of a pumping session with dead batteries. Plus they were a pain. I had to remember to recharge them each evening, and if I forgot, I was out of luck. Buying and replacing AA batteries was out of the question. Batteries are expensive and I didn't want to dispose of them in our landfills. I searched online and found a lithium rechargeable battery here. It was perfect! I ordered it and soon my power problems would be over.
Fast forward a few months and now my son is 9 months old and I am so thankful for this battery discovery. It's made pumping a lot less stressful and I am still committed to my one year goal. I still miss the Mother's Room at my previous job but at least now I am mobile and can pump anywhere regardless of whether there is an power outlet or not. I also get many pump sessions out of one charge. I don't have to worry about accidentally forgetting to charge my AA batteries before I go to bed. Sometimes I will use the lithium battery at home while I pump. It's a valuable addition to my daily routine of lugging medical equipment to and from work to ensure my son is breastfed for one year!
Everyone should have Coconut Oil. I use it for the many health benefits and now I use it to repair bad breast pump valve membranes. When the valve membranes loose their stickyness they begin to wear down and not provide a good suction to help express milk. But if you put a tiny amount of oil on your finger (just a dab) and rub it on the inside of the white membrane flap, it will make your membrane sticky again! I was thrilled to preserve my membranes and make another good use out of my coconut oil:)
I am literally in shock. Ok that may be a little over exaggerating but I am very surprised at the fact that soy is so widely used . Those of you who have read a previous post on my soy issue, due to my breast fed baby having an intolerance, are aware of my frustration with soy being in what feels like EVERYTHING.
Ok, so I am now a label reading fanatic. It drives my husband nuts! But I think it is surprising to both of us at how widely soy is used. I almost fell over when I found that my prenatal vitamin and calcium vitamin contains soy! Ugh really!!!
Looks like I will be off to Whole Foods Market to purchase a quality prenatal vitamin. So for those who have a soy intolerance, don't forget to check the label ingredients of your daily vitamins.
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| Soy & Dairy Free Option Sold at Whole Foods Market |
I couldn't figure it out. My son was still showing signs of a food sensitivity and I've eliminated all dairy, soy, peanuts, and eggs. At least I thought I had. I was beginning to think that maybe it was wheat that my little man was having a reaction to. Every time I ate Sprouted 100% Whole Grain Ezekiel 4:9 bread from Trader Joes, my baby would have a reaction. Why? I decided to read the ingredients and to my surprise it contained sprouted soybeans. It was then that I decided to look more into what actually contains soy.
Luckily most products that contain soy will specify that it contains soy due to the Food Allergen Labeling & Consumer Act of 2004 which requires food labeling manufacturers to list that a food product "contains soy". The only reason soy may not be listed is if it contains soy bean oil or soy lecithin.
I began to raid my cupboards and read labels. To my surprise soy was present in my cereal bars, some breakfast cereals, bbq sauce, the dairy free Earth Balance butter substitute I was using, hamburger buns and other breads. That's it! I never officially eliminated soy from my diet. That explains why my poor son is still showing signs of a food intolerance.
As I continue to read food labels in search of products that contain dairy and soy, I am finding that eliminating processed foods is in my best interest. It amazes me how many food products that we consume are processed. Even our basic hamburger buns are made of preservatives. I have a new found respect for those with food allergies. Its definitely not easy!
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