Breastfeeding woes....

Growing up I always assumed that I would breastfeed my children - in my mind it was that natural thing that all Momma's do. Not only that, but the benefits of breastfeeding are numerous. I was excited when our Little Guy came along, I had plans to feed him all summer and then to pump when I returned to work so he could have the best milk around.

After Little Guy was born he was brought to me in the recovery room so I could feed him, he was less than an hour old at this time and seemed to latch on without a problem. Over the next few days we woke him every 3 hours so he could eat; I felt that something wasn't right but since I had never done this before I listened when the nurses reassured me that this was breastfeeding. It hurt like crazy (I was bleeding before we left) and he kept falling asleep; I know that these are both normal but something just wasn't right! Be we were released I asked to see a lactation consultant (I had seen them throughout my stay but never during a feeding)but she was busy. Yes, we could have waited but after 4 nights we were ready to go home! Instead, one of the nursery nurses walked me though it again and gave me a few pointers - this time I felt good about it. My other concern was that Little Guy hadn't had a wet or dirty diaper in over 24 hours; the nurses were a little concerned but said that since he had so many in the 1st day he was probably okay.

The next afternoon the lactation consultant called to see how we were doing and I mentioned that he still had only had one wet but no dirty diapers. She told us to bring him in and we weighed him, then fed him before weighing him again. Besides the fact that it hurt and he wasn't latching on well, he only gained 0.1 ounce!!! I felt that I was neglecting my son because I wasn't feeding him enough.... Since he really needed to eat more but we wanted to breastfeed she suggested that we feed him for 10 minutes on each breast and then use a syringe and tube to give him more. The tubing would be tucked into the corner of his mouth and he would suck it out- this would improve his sucking (immediate reward) as well as help me produce more milk. While this was quite a production it was definitely worth it to help our little one grow!! She also suggested that we start pumping and giving him my milk and supplementing with formula as needed.

We did this for 3 days before going in for our next appointment with the lactation consultant...

These were 3 very long days...the feedings took over an hour and then we had to turn around and start over again three hours from the start time. This left no time to enjoy our family that was visiting, no time to sleep, and we were VERY stressed!! We went in ready to just bottle feed and while the lactation consultant wanted to help us out I was almost in tears so she suggested that we simply bottle feed and I continue to pump.

The pumping is going okay. It is definitely tough to make time for it while I am home alone with the Little Guy but I know how much better my milk is for him. Do we get enough for him to live solely on breastmilk? No way!! In fact I have tried many different things including fenugreek, blessed thistle, eating oatmeal, homemade oatmeal lactation cookies, etc.

Do you have any suggestions to increase milk production? I would love to hear them!

Free sample for breastfeeding moms

Get a FREE sample of The First Years Nursing Care Instant Relief System to heal & soothe sore breasts. Click here http://tinyurl.com/y9c2fjl and fill out your shipping address and we'll send you a free sample!! This is a new doctor-developed product that naturally soothes and begins healing sore nipples. A cooling gel pad slipped into a milk protein treatment sleeve provides quick relief.
I got mine in the mail and can't wait to tell you all about it!! FYI- You only get one gel pack and might want two so I would suggest signing a good friend up for one as well :)

SKOY Cloth Review and Giveaway

SKOY cloth was started by 2 California stay-at-home-moms who wanted a quality cloth that was also environmentally friendly.


SKOY cloth is a reusable and biodegradable (made from natural cotton and wood based cellulose pulp) cloth that is meant to take the place of paper towels (which can be super expensive and used only once!) You can use these in place of paper towels, wash cloth or sponges and are much healthier since they dry quickly lessening the chance of bacteria breeding.


When I got my SKOY cloths in the mail I had a hard time using them because they were so cute with a flower design on each; I did decide to use one for each room of the house and one for the floor. So, I labeled them with 'bathroom', 'kitchen', 'laundry room', and 'floors' and got started cleaning for my baby's arrival. I was very impressed with the quality of the cloths - I have been using one to hand scrub my floors for over two months and there is still no sign of wear! I use the other three to wash counters and cabinets so I expect them to last quite awhile. For washing they suggest putting it in the microwave, dishwasher, or washing machine. I have put them in both the microwave and the washing machine and both came out clean, and when you wet it and put it in the microwave it steams and is excellent for giving your microwave a quick clean.


I absolutely love the convenience of the SKOY cloth and feel like I am helping save the earth everytime I grab one instead of a paper towel!

--Buy It--

You can go to the SKOY website and buy a 4-pack for $6.99

**Win It**

The people at SKOY cloth have generously offered a reader 2 cloths of their own.

**Mandatory Entry**

Visit the SKOY website and tell me something you like or learned.

Be sure to include your email address in all of your entries. If your name is drawn but your email is not present, I will choose a new winner.

This contest will end Friday, May 28, 2010 at 11:59pm. A winner will be randomly chosen and contacted via email.

**Extra Entries**

~Visit SKOY on Facebook and leave a message on their wall telling them that Caching Family sent you. (1 entry)

~Follow my blog. (1 entry)

~Grab my button. (2 entries)

~Blog about the contest. (2 entries)

~Subscribe via email. (1 entry)

SKOY provided me with the cloths for this review. No other compensation was received and the opinions are all mine.

Winner

Winner!!!

The winner of the Seventh Generation free and clear kit is Bebemiqui.
Congratulations and thanks to those that entered.

Bebemiqui has been emailed and has 48 hours to respond.

Dapple Baby Review

dapple

Recently I have been on a big kick to use natural cleaners around our house. This has a lot to do with the recent addition of Little Guy; I want a safe environment for him as well a a healthier planet for his future. I found an amazing product online that is geared specifically toward cleaning baby items from dried milk on bottles to sticky finger prints on toys. Dapple makes natural baby products to help with everyday clean-up around the house.

The company was started by two moms who couldn't find organic baby products meant to clean toys, cups, bottles, etc. Everything they used left the detergent smell and a residue, not something you want in your baby's mouth. So, they made it their mission to create products that would be safe for babies and clean up the necessary messes. And they succeeded, all Dapple products use natural-based ingredients that are environmentally-safe, biodegradable, and free of parabens, SLES, and phthalates, as well as synthetic dyes or fragrances.

I had the opportunity to try the Dapple dish liquid and the Dapple toy cleaner spray. I was so excited as these items came in the mail just days after purchasing used toys at a local consignment sale.
I feel it is very important to wash all toys, both brand new and used, before children play with them. I had already washed the new items that we received as gifts at baby showers but was not thrilled as some of them got water inside when I put them in the soapy water. That wouldn't have happened with the Dapple toy cleaner spray as it isn't on there long enough, yet I felt confident that the toys were clean.
Here is what Dapple says about the toy cleaner spray:
Features:
Natural-based ingredients
Phtalate-free, paraben-free, SLES- & dye-free
Fragranced with pure lavender essential oil
Biodegradable
Not tested on animals
Certified to contain no detectable levels of dioxane
What’s in Dapple Toy Cleaner Spray?
Purified water, baking soda, cleaners made from fruits, tree oils and glucose, French lavender essential oil, essential oil dispersant, preservative derived from natural amino acid.

In line with latest medical research, Dapple Toy Cleaner Spray is not antibacterial. It works like a thorough wash with soap and water – so baby can build up a strong immune system while enjoying clean surroundings. Just spray, wipe and play.™

I sat down with all of Little Guy's toys, a cloth, and the toy cleaner. Everything that had a solid surface was washed and the cleaner wiped away - simple as that!! I LOVE the lavendar scent but it doesn't stay with the toy, it just makes cleaning more fun for mommy :) I also wiped down the swing as a friend had given it to us and it was very dirty, I was amazed at how much dirt was on the cloth when I was done. A little of this product goes a long way, I actually sprayed directly on the cloth and was able to clean a few toys with just a couple of sprays. I am very comfortable with Little Guy putting toys in his mouth and I know I can easily clean them again when necessary.

Little Guy's drawer or toys - I did not wash the animals with Dapple toy cleaner spray, if you do they suggest that you do a small patch test first.

If you are a bottle feeder, which I am, you understand how important it is to have clean bottles. We buy the BPA free ones but then turn around and wash them with soaps that are full of chemicals. Not any more!!

Here is what Dapple says about their dish liquid:

Features:
Rinses fast
Natural-based ingredients
Phtalate-free, paraben-free, SLES- & dye-free
Fragranced with pure lavender essential oil
Biodegradable
Not tested on animals
Certified to contain no detectable levels of dioxane
What’s in Dapple Dish Liquid?

Purified water, baking soda, cleaners derived from fruits, tree oils and glucose, French lavender essential oil, essential oil dispersant.

After Little Guy was born and breastfeeding didn't work for us, I found myself washing a ton of bottles. The first soap I reached for, and still do, was the Dapple liquid. I was so excited as the lavendar scent was back.... I noticed that the soap was a little thicker than traditional dish liquids and the suds don't last long. Be assured - these do not change the quality of the soap - I was very happy with how clean they were and how easy they were to rinse.

Dapple has focused on making organic baby products and they are very generous and make donations to a variety of organizations.

Would I buy Dapple in the future? Absolutely!! You can always buy online, but if you just want a small amount you will need to find a local retailer.

The products were given to me by Dapple but all opinions are mine.