Your Breastfeeding Experiences
Welcome to Breastfeeding Experiences!
As the title suggests, this website is here to collect YOUR experiences. If you're anything like me, since the moment you conceived (and probably before!) you've been thinking about everything that's best for you and your baby. We all know that means breastfeeding, though we also know that it isn't necessarily an easy choice.
My aim for this site is to provide breastfeeding mums with a place to share their stories, knowledge and experience with each other. It doesn't matter if you tried and failed at breastfeeding, or if you're still going at the age of five. If you have a story you'd like to share, then I'd love to put it up on the site.
So how do you submit your stories? It couldn't be easier. Just look to the menu on the right and select the category you think your story best fits. Clicking on the link will take you to the relevant page, where you will find a link to an easy-to-use form, as well as a list of other people's stories in that category. You can leave your name, an alias, or be totally anonymous, it really doesn't matter. And if you can't find a category that fits what you want to say, use this form to suggest a new one!
While you're here, why not take some time to read through some of the other mums' experiences? I'm sure there's plenty here that will make you smile, make you wistful, give you some useful advice and even recommend you a good book. I hope you find this site a useful resource as you take the rollercoaster ride that is breastfeeding.
Top Breastfeeding Stories
About.com Breastfeeding
Updated :
My Hearty Laugh of the Day Goes To...
...the two men who stole four new breast pumps from the Babies R Us on 110th Avenue Northeast in Seattle, WA. (My good friend, Kevin, sent me the police blotter from The Seattle Times.) The total amount of loss was more than $1,000.
Not making light of the fact, and surely not condoning, that these men committed a crime, I have to tip my hat to them for choosing to rip off something so worthy. They clearly know what's best.
And I want to believe that they knew four women in desperate need. That's where I'm leaving it.
My Hearty Laugh of the Day Goes To... originally appeared on About.com Breastfeeding on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 16:43:34.
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Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:43:34 +0000
Breast Milk Cheese
The shout-out of the day goes to my friend, Jennifer, for alerting me to this great story...
Chef Daniel Angerer and his wife and business partner, Lori Mason, own Klee Brasserie in New York City. Making their mark in the food world, they have begun making cheese from breast milk! Angerer states that "being a chef, you're curious about anything in terms of flavor -- you look out for something new and what you can do with it." Angerer has commented that his wife's breast milk reminds him of the cow's milk that he'd pick up from a farm in Austria when he was a child..."It was still warm and it would sour the next day." The esteemed chef says that two gallons of the breast milk yielded almost two quarts of cheese. "After two weeks aging, it was somewhat like a raw-milk cheese -- it had all the flavors in there. It tastes just like really sweet cow's milk. It wasn't like, 'Hey, this is such an amazing cheese.' It's just like, 'Can you use human milk? Yes, you absolutely can!'" So cool to know!
Angerer is so excited about how everything turned out and he has posted a recipe for "My Spouse's Mommy Milk Cheese" on his blog, and you can go for a little taste-test if you'd like! "Our baby has plenty back-up mother's milk in the freezer, so whoever wants to try it is welcome to try it as long as supply lasts (please consider cheese aging time)."
Breast Milk Cheese originally appeared on About.com Breastfeeding on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 20:23:17.
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Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:23:17 +0000
Monday Morning Quarterback Talks...Breastfeeding?
I'm pretty sure that sending me a recent article was my husband's way of luring me into sports. While we are both runners and have the love of that sport in common, I have to say that I'm bored by the majority of others. His dream is to have that wife that sits with him and watches baseball (watching grass grow is more thrilling), basketball (the celebrity spectators are the highlight), and football (does "Friday Night Lights" count?), screaming at the television in unison. (Give me a marathon to watch, and I'll sit for hours, though.) I think I might have pretended to like sports when we first started to date, but that was just to get into his good graces. At any rate, he knows that my passion is all-things-breastfeeding, so I'm sure he was raising the roof when he came across the following from Peter King from Sports Illustrated. He writes a column called "Monday Morning Quarterback".
Here it is, from a section entitled "Enjoyable Travel Note of the Week":
"Had my head buried in my MacBook Air on an AirTran flight home to Boston for 15 or 20 minutes Sunday, and I paid no attention to the woman and baby across the aisle until I heard the sound of a baby struggling a bit. I turned to see the woman positioning the tot for some breast-feeding. No blanket, no clothing covering anything. Just a breast. You don't want to jerk your head away or you're a prude. You don't want to focus on it too long or you're a perv. So I, uh, moved my head deliberately back to the computer and MADE ABSOLUTELY SURE I DIDN'T LOOK THAT WAY FOR THE REST OF THE FLIGHT. See how open-minded I am?"
I have to admit, my gut reaction wasn't great, but then I sat down and thought about what he said and, truth be told, he wasn't so off. I had a similar experience on the train today. Two mothers with infants were sitting across from one another nursing their babies in the same fashion that Peter King described and I began to stare. (Not because of the act, but more because I was trying to check out the latch!) I realized, midway through my gawking, that these women had no idea what I did for a living and I promptly turned away. For all they knew, I was some crazy lady ogling them because they were breastfeeding in public. So I get it. I hear what King is saying. And quoting from my husband, "He is one of the few sports writers I like. Very knowledgeable and seems like a very nice guy." So I, by default, like him.
But as far as attracting me, it's still a no-go on the sports.
Monday Morning Quarterback Talks...Breastfeeding? originally appeared on About.com Breastfeeding on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 16:00:13.
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Publ.Date : Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:00:13 +0000
Royal Caribbean is Representin'!
Stuck in the Miami Airport on my way home from vacation, I'm reflecting on a blast of a week. Of course I had a great time feeling the sun after dealing with horrible snow at home; watching my daughter become a "Rock, Paper, Scissors" World Champion; and losing money at my nightly "Let It Ride" habit. But what always makes me smile is when I get into conversations about my job with non-Americans. For starters, everyone is always amazed that my job exists. During a pedicure, my Jamaican "spa therapist" wanted details on aspects of my work and couldn't believe that breastfeeding was such a big deal in the United States. She said, "Oh, Melissa. I'm sorry, but this doesn't make any sense to me. Why would someone call you to help you with their breastfeeding problems? We just help each other in Jamaica. Friends and family that have breastfed just help each other." And then she added, "But good for you!"
Hmmm, a funny response. Not the first part, but the last. "Good for you" resonates with me in a somewhat disturbing way because it implies that my work is out of the norm, which it shouldn't be. I long for the day where the high-five isn't necessary.
But the big shout-out of the week goes to Benjie Perez, our head waiter in the dining room. On a slow day in Georgetown, Grand Cayman, where everyone else got off the ship to explore, Melissa decided to stay aboard with the over-75 crowd, essentially having the ship to herself. Since Benjie wasn't in a major rush to attend to many other diners, we got to talking. He is from the Philippines and has two children who were, of course, breastfed. Much to the dismay of the elderly conservatives around me who overheard the conversation, I was loving the fact that Benjie knew a ton about breastfeeding--inverted nipples, engorgement--and I thought, "This is what it's all about...I need to hear this!" Royal Caribbean is an amazing microcosm, every culture and ethnicity represented, and breastfeeding is a major part of it.
Americans need to get there! And we are slowly but surely achieving that. So, breastfeeding sisters, help your friends and family. That's the first step. And it's not much to ask.
Royal Caribbean is Representin'! originally appeared on About.com Breastfeeding on Sunday, February 21st, 2010 at 12:35:10.
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Publ.Date : Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:35:10 +0000
Happy Valentine's Day!
What was once a romantic holiday focused only on you and your partner has, most probably, taken a different turn. As a new mom, going out to dinner may actually require some work now. Everything from expressing your breast milk to timing a feed so you can have a glass of wine with your dinner can add an element of stress to this holiday of amour.
It doesn't have to be that way, though.
If you and your loved one want to celebrate, just plan ahead. Having a baby means that spontaneity has already gone out the window, so embrace your "planning self"! Some quick tips: If you're not a regular pumper, plan to do so in the morning, when your supply is at its highest. Also, plan to feed the baby right before you leave, but leave a bottle of expressed milk in the fridge, just in case!
Oh, and most importantly, don a sexy bra! You'll feel like a new woman! Enjoy!
Happy Valentine's Day! originally appeared on About.com Breastfeeding on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 22:01:54.
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Publ.Date : Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:01:54 +0000
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