Milk like a Cow
Perhaps its simply my personality but I am completely neurotic about breastfeeding. I know all the benefits – breastfeeding is best. That is why, when I had my daughter, breastfeeding wasn’t just an option, it was the ONLY option. I would succeed at it – PERIOD. What resulted was a lactating cow. From the minute Ava was first able to nurse, I obsessed over her ability to latch on. Then it was her ability to stay awake during feedings – we often had to strip her down naked, place her skin to skin to wake her – and even that didn’t always work. Eventually we got into a rhythm. That rhythm was more like a frenzied dance. It became a competition with myself. I would feed and pump… eventually I mastered feeding and pumping at the same time… and later advanced to feeding on one boob, pumping the other and switching each feeding. It took me 9 months to get the right stride. This time around, I was thrilled that my son was an even better feeder than Ava could ever be. He took to the boob right away. He could get a let-down within seconds. He had a BIG appetite for a preemie! and at just less than 2 weeks old, I am producing milk like he was 9 months old. That amounts to 30-40 extra ounces of milk a day! I wince when I think of all the milk that I pumped with Ava, only to throw out months later because I simply didn’t need it. I nursed my daughter until a little after her 2nd birthday – and I intend to do the same for my son. So what to do with all this excess milk?!
I recently discovered milk banks. While there is much controversy and stigma surrounding shared breast milk, it really is a time old tradition, formerly called a wet nurse. Actress Salma Hayek recently caused a stir during a trip to Sierra Leone where she nursed an infant that was not her own. It was said she did more for humanity with her left boob than many have in a lifetime. In this case, you are providing milk for needy infants. I am currently qualifying for the International Breast Milk Project, a non-profit international humanitarian aid organization dedicated to finding solutions to help infants in urgent need get donor milk. In the past, IBMP has provided donor milk to infants in emergent need in South Africa, where an estimated 1.4 million children were orphaned due to HIV/AIDS in 2007. By the end of 2009, IBMP donors provided over 64,800 bottles of breast milk to infants in need in South Africa and an emergency shipment the Philippines after the catastrophic typhoon in October 2009.
In addition, there are non-profit milk banks such as the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, that work with IBMP, that distribute milk throughout the US to hospitals and other facilities that aid sick and premature newborns whose mother’s cannot provide breast milk but desire to. HMBANA is the only professional membership association for milk banks in Canada, Mexico and the United States and as such sets the standards and guidelines for donor milk banking for those areas. They have a list of non-profit milk banks across the United States who are all willing to accept surplus breast milk donation. Due to the holiday season, milk banks in the U.S. are at extremely low levels and need your help to meet the needs of recipient babies. Give the greatest gift this holiday season – Give Milk. Give Life. Give Hope.
A true labor of love, my DH built this magnificent furniture piece for our soon to arrive son, Marcus. The story behind this piece of furniture starts with a pregnancy fraught with problems. I had a pre-existing history of difficult pregnancies, placing me in the high risk category and this one was no exception. Following our amniocentesis, our son was diagnosed with a 
On the other side, I fondly call the pumping station, sits my well-loved and used for over 2 years, sometimes as much as 8-12 times a day, 
sized grocery store with grocery carts, checkout counters and working UPC scanners, a McDonald’s sponsored play cafe, pretend hospital wit
h nursery, uniforms, and doctor kits, a cobbler shop and an elaborate Alice in Wonderland exhibit amongst many, many, many other exhibits. You’d be hard-pressed to know if the parents or the children were more impressed. Getting the little ones to leave was of course a task unto itself, but Dutch Wonderland, rain abated, was waiting.
by a train ride around the grounds. We were able to map out which rides we wanted to tackle, not that we had to since the entire place was practically our personal playground. Not once did we have to wait in line for a ride. If the kids beckoned or ran off towards a ride, they were on it momentarily. I think all that parents were quite thankful for that perk. Imagine having to tell a 2-year-old that they had to wait patiently in line for a ride?! Ride after ride the kids went with moms and dads clicking away capturing all those precious moments. This amusement park was made for the wee ones age set. A few might have been for slightly older ones, but nothing out of reach for our group of rambunctious 2 year olds. While it was a
wee bit chilly out, we were comforted by delicious chicken corn soup and hot chocolate with $1 refills in their souvenir cups. It was the most pleasant amusement park experience ever, even for my childhood. Minutes after departing the park, our little ones were fast asleep.
Right away I was thrilled to see the 
Oh the bevy of BPA-free bottles on the market! I have so many to choose from now which is a refreshing change from the early days with Ava. I happy to say even if my son turns out to be as picky as his older sister, he now has safer choices than she had. While I’ve been leaning towards glass to be the safest possible. I learned at the Born-free counter from their representative that he’d prefer plastic. Not just for the weight but its safe, convenient and doesn’t break. He’s tested this theory. With an open mind… again… My eyes popped when I passed the 
