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Tag: Breast

  • Fun Fact Friday About Milk Making

    FUN FACT FRIDAY ABOUT MILK-MAKING. Did you know you grow more milk-making cells in your breasts with each pregnancy? So the more pregnancies you have, the more grapes (erhm.. I mean milk-making cells) you’ll have! 🍇

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    Were you a first time mom struggling with milk supply like me? I don’t think a day went by where I didn’t think about ways to at least keep up my supply.

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    Second time around? A BOUNTIFUL supply! Now there are many factors for this, but one is because the hormone changes that you go through in pregnancy help your body make more milk-making cells. So in addition to the ones you had from your last pregnancy, you’ll have some more!

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    Pretty neat huh? So if your breastfeeding journey didn’t work out the way you wanted to your first time, it likely won’t be the same the second time around (for many reasons, having more milk-making cells being one of them!) 🙌🏻

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    Credit https://www.facebook.com/breastfeeding.dietitian/

  • Breastmilk It’s Magic

    Someone commented on one of my posts recently stating that breastmilk isn’t magic. Well actually it is.

    Breastmilk is powerful. It’s love, it’s food, and its medicine. It attacks cancer cells, stops E. coli in its tracks, and destroys MRSA Infection from spreading. It contains cells otherwise only found in embryonic tissue.

    It contains stem cells currently being used to treat Alzheimer’s , Parkinson’s, Diabetes, and being studied for Regenerative Medicine. It has antibodies and contains millions of white blood cells. It is living and breathing. It produces its own food to feed the living bacteria found in itself (yes you read that right). It is made from nothing yet contains everything.

    It is different during the day then it is at night. It changes hour by hour customizing itself to your child’s particular need at every moment. Science can’t explain it and mankind can’t replicate it. 👊 #keepboobin #normalizebreastfeeding #milkitivity

    Follow Milkitivity on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/milkitivity_/

     

  • Remembering Life Before Children

    “It’s 3am and the baby cries,

    You look at your partner but he’s got work at sunrise.

    You get annoyed at him for laying there and sleeping,

    The baby monitor starts flashing and beeping.

    You try and wake up but your body protests,

    The milk is already soaking your pyjama vest.

    You remember the life you think you’ve lost,

    Everything has changed now but at what cost?

    It’s 3am and you know what this used to mean,

    Dancing and parties, following your dreams.

    You think about all the things you used to enjoy,

    All the stuff that happened before your little boy.

    You remember how your body used to be,

    No stretch marks, no wobbles, no imperfections to see.

    The housework was always up to date, the washing always clean,

    There were days where you never had to question hygiene.

    You remember the people you met, the ones you don’t see anymore,

    The friends who forgot about you and yours.

    The invites stopped because you became a mum,

    Didn’t you know motherhood is lonely, as a rule of thumb?

    But it’s 3am and the baby cries,

    He looks up and you with those big hazel eyes.

    He stops his tears and a big grin appears on his face,

    You’re his mother, his lifeline, his safe place.

    Everything has changed, yes that’s true,

    But this little bundle looks up to you.

    He doesn’t care what you’re wearing or how you look,

    Motherhood replaced the life this baby took.

    It’s hard, challenging and a difficult feat,

    But there no better sound than his little heartbeat.

    So hold him close and forget about every mindless thing,

    Life is better than before, happiness is just for you and your little king.”

    – Beautiful words and artwork by @Levi Duvall Thompson

     

  • My Baby Died But I’m Still Feeding Babies

    When I found out I was pregnant again, I wanted nothing more than to be successful at breastfeeding.

    But when we found out of Samuel’s diagnosis, I knew that was not going to happen. Just another hope that was taken from me.

    Before Samuel passed, I told myself I would pump my milk to donate. Afterall, Porter was given donated milk more than half of her first year of life!

    My Baby Died But I'm Still Feeding Babies
    My Baby Died But I’m Still Feeding Babies

    I couldn’t save Samuel’s life, but maybe I could save another baby’s life .

    Pumping is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard. Mentally and physically. And it’s even harder when you don’t actually have a baby.

    There were times I was angry because why did my milk have to come in when I had no baby to feed? Why was I waking up in the middle of the night for this? The other part of me felt it was the only thing connecting me to Samuel here on Earthside. I sure hope he’s proud of me!

    I pumped for 63 days after his birth. I am not an over supplier by any means- but I did it.

    And today, his due date, I donated my milk to the NICU milkbanks for the first and last time. Walking through the hallways of the hospital was just another step in healing.And I know, (because I felt him), that Samuel was there with me💜

    #smilingforsamuel #trisomy18awareness

    https://www.bonfire.com/store/smiling-for-samuel/

    Credit. https://www.facebook.com/sierra.coulthard

     

  • Name 7 Advantages Of Mother’s Milk Funny Story

    BIOLOGY EXAM:

    This is straight from Scotland. Students in an advanced Biology class were taking their mid-term exam. The last question was, ‘Name seven advantages of Mother’s Milk’.

    The question was worth 70 points or none at all. One student, in particular, was hard put to think of seven advantages.

    However, he wrote:

    1) It is perfect formula for the child.

    2) It provides immunity against several diseases.

    3) It is always the right temperature.

    4) It is inexpensive.

    5) It bonds the child to mother, and vice versa.

    6) It is always available as needed.

    And then the student was stuck.

    Finally, in desperation, just before the bell rang indicating the end of the test, he wrote:

    7) It comes in two attractive containers and it’s high enough off the ground where the cat can’t get it.

    He got an A+.

    Credit https://www.facebook.com/alan.imler.79

     

  • Breast Milk Is Just Amazing

    Nancy had her 1 year injections on Tuesday afternoon, the “normal” colour milk is from the day before she had them, the “blue” colour milk is from today – 2 days after she had them. It’s blue from all the antibodies my body is producing as it thinks she’s sick with what she was vaccinated against! When she feeds her saliva sends signals to my body to produce more milk with illness specific antibodies!

    This is one of the reasons I’m still breastfeeding 13 months on….you don’t get all this goodness and nutrients from formula or cows milk! Way to go boobies

    **Edit to add** holy shit I wasn’t expecting this to go viral 😱😂

    *I’m by no way shaming formula, I formula fed my 1st, and combi fed my 2nd & 3rd. I Was merely showing what women’s bodies can do when their children are poorly and this is one of the reasons I’m still breastfeeding at 13 months as I’m often questioned as to why I’m still doing so.

    **My milk isn’t this colour from what I’ve eaten (not had anything artificially coloured/no supplements/no green vegetables), my milk is only ever this colour when my daughter has been sick…it’s never been like it when she’s be well.

    ***This was expressed STRAIGHT after a feed so certainly not foremilk either.

    This goes to show the vaccines are doing exactly what they are meant to do, and so is my daughters body and mine. Whole point of vaccinations is to introduce a very very weakened version of what virus/disease you want immunity over. Which causes your body to make antibodies and “heal” itself, which then in turn makes your body think you have already had said virus/disease so your won’t get a more deadly real version in the future when/if your exposed to it.

    Don’t come on my post preaching about not having vaccinations and them been poisonous 🙄 I hope your child(ren) never becomes ill with anything serious or doesn’t pass it on to a poor baby waiting to have their immunisations because you don’t believe in vaccinations!

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    https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=730805119

     

  • How To Fix A Blocked Milk Duct

    If you’ve ever experienced a plugged duct, you may be surprised to learn that the tender lump in your breast is NOT the plug. It’s the milk backed up behind the plug. If you have a plugged duct, don’t massage BEHIND the plug.

    Instead, massage in FRONT of the lump of milk and towards the nipple, as if trying to clear a pathway. Imagine if there was a traffic jam and you could magically clear the cars away: Would you start pushing forward at the end of the line (and risk causing more of a blockage) or start at the beginning of the line and work your way back?

    Begin by kneading close to the nipple, pushing towards it. Then change the starting point so that you knead a little further back, moving closer to the lump of milk but always pushing towards the nipple. Press your other hand on the opposite side of your breast as counter-pressure. Optional: Apply a small amount of edible oil to your hands before massaging to reduce friction.

    Massaging in front of the plug is less painful and more effective than using the lump of milk behind it as a battering ram against a long stringy dried plug. Keep working it little by little because it took awhile to get there and it will take awhile to clear.

    FUN FACT: Have a milk bleb? A bleb represents an actual blocked duct, similar to the tip of white Elmer’s glue that has solidified with exposure to air.

    Credit: Dr. Smillie, “From the Perils of Block Feeding to the Magic of Milkshakes”

  • Daddy’s Asleep So From Midnight It’s Just You And I

    “Daddy’s Asleep”

    I love your daddy, I really do,

    After all, without daddy, I wouldn’t have you.

    So from midnight till sunrise, it’s just you and I.

    And as each hour passes, I’m not gonna lie:

    Mommy’s love slowly fades, becomes angry and weak,

    Because no matter what, your dad is f***ing asleep!

    It all starts out lovely. We kiss each other goodnight.

    We look lovingly down at you dear, such a beautiful sight.

    An hour later, mommy wakes with a start.

    You’re twisting and turning, you’re starting to fart.

    You’re gesturing for food. Mommy is there

    with a bottle or breast

    Daddy is snoring away, the way he knows best.

    Mommy burps you, and holds you and rocks you with care.

    You spew foul smelling yogurt on mommy’s freshly washed hair.

    As mommy changes her shirt, and mops vomit off the floor.

    Your daddy farts, rolls over and continues to snore.

    Mommy’s maternal alarm goes off, it’s not even three!

    You’re stirring again, you’re hungry and staring at me!

    “I think she is hungry” your daddy offers, pulls duvet over his head,

    Mommy sends him a death stare and rolls out of bed.

    Mommy comes back, tired and drained and what is this I see?

    Your daddy has taken over my side, doesn’t give a f*** about me!

    Mommy kicks him and pushes him angrily away.

    “What’s up love?” He moans in a lovingly way.

    Your daddy has no clue he is under attack.

    He wraps his arms around me and kisses my back.

    And just as my love for daddy is back on the rise,

    You start to coo in your crib and open your eyes.

    And daddy gently nudges me to attend to your need.

    I give him the finger as I prepare for a feed.

    But as the sun starts rising, the slate is wiped clear.

    I’m back to full love for your daddy and for you my dear.

    I forget that daddy sleeps while you cry and you poo.

    It’s back to kissing and hugging and doting on you.

    Soon you’ll grow up and be daddy’s little girl.

    You’ll not remember me cleaning up shit and vomit hurl.

    Whilst you sit on his lap and he sings you a song,

    You’ll love him and think daddy could do nothing wrong.

    But my sweet love, here is a poem for you to keep,

    So you know that all those long nights, dad was f***ing asleep!

    Credit Caroline Andersen

  • Normalise Breast Feeding-I Fought To Feed My Son

    In this photo my baby is 6 weeks old on the left, and 30 weeks old on the right. It’s been 6 months. Six months since I was allowed to breastfeed my son. Six months of a hard battle against CANCER, getting poisoned with chemo that tainted my breast milk and prevented me from nursing my infant son.

    Normalise Breast Feeding-I Fought To Feed My Son
    Normalise Breast Feeding-I Fought To Feed My Son

    Six months of pumping every few hours and dumping every single ounce of it all down the drain, just so I could keep my supply up, in hopes of eventually being allowed to nurse my baby again. Six months of having a dear, sweet, generous friend (Bec Nikodem) come to my house 1-2 times a week to latch my son, just so he would remember HOW to breastfeed again when I was able.

    Well, here we are, I had my last chemo session in January and it’s been 35 days post-chemo. My breast milk no longer contains any remnants of chemo in it, and last night I was able to BREASTFEED MY SON AGAIN!!!! It’s been a long road, but I wanted to share my journey publicly in hopes that it can be shared and might inspire others in some small way. 💚 God is GOOD. The power or prayer is REAL. 💚

    #normalizebreastfeeding #fcancer #breastfeeding

    **Photo credit for image on the left: @RHusbandsPhotography ** Rita Husbands

    Full credit to the amazing Nikki Heying

     

  • Breast Milk May Reduce Stretch Marks

    Been trying a little experiment for the last 2 weeks. Been putting breastmilk on one side of my stomach. I can’t believe the difference!! For any moms out there breast feeding put a little on those tiger stripes lol (For moms asking) I rub it into my tummy while nursing and lather it on so it’s almost dripping off.

    I let it air dry and just pull my shirt over after. I put it on every time I nurse. Been doing it for about 3 weeks now. My baby is now 2 months old. I noticed a big difference not just on colouring but also in-depth of my stretch marks.

    I posted this after my mom convinced me too share with other moms. I cannot promise it will work 100% for everyone but it definitely helps

    .(update)  I know a lot of people think this is fake but it honestly is not. I am on day 6 of starting on other side of my tummy. They have gone from dark red to light red now. Starting to get light purple on edges. Like I said before it’s not just the lightning up that is amazing but also it helps with the depth if marks. I am not Trying to deceive anyone or trying to get likes or shares. I am truly just trying to inform other moms . There’s is nothing wrong with stretch marks but it is nice to know they can fade faster.

    Full credit Chantelle Clarke