Persevering Momma

Taking The Day One Spoon At a Time

Don’t Shame Moms For How They Feed Their Babies

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I rarely got backlash when feeding my first son. I nursed him for 26 months and often did it in public without a nursing cover. I’m thankful that I never got told to cover up or stop even when I was nursing him when he was two years old, but I can’t say it has been the same with my second son.

Anyone who knows me knows that I had all the plans to nurse Gideon for just as long as Raiden, however things didn’t go as planned this time around.

I fought. I struggled. I cried. I bled.

And yet I just couldn’t nurse my son. He got a lip tie revision. He got a tongue tie revision. We went to two different lactation consultants for two months. Week after week. I tried pumping. I tried power pumping. I tried every type of milk boosting tip I could find. But I couldn’t get my supply up.

I was going crazy. I had a starving baby.

Yes, he got formula, too. That wasn’t even working.

I felt like I had failed my son and he was only 2 months old.

I felt like I had failed him because people were still pushing me to nurse him. I wanted to nurse him oh so desperately. I just couldn’t do it. I was stressed. I barely slept. I cried the days away. I would try to tell everyone I was done nursing and pumping to only get told to keep trying because my baby needed my milk. I knew this and people just didn’t want to listen.

Then Covid-19 hit and as odd as it sounds it was a blessing in disguise. I didn’t have to hear everyone tell me to nurse. Doctor appointments became fewer and more spread out.

Gideon started to really thrive. I was able to breathe again.

Things aren’t perfect now, but at least he is doing so much better. He has gotten the help he needs and now I can show people that he is doing so much better without my milk.

He is growing and thriving on his medicine and his special formula. He is thriving and hitting milestones because his has his momma back. I’m no longer beating myself up for something that was out of my control. Instead I am happy and helping him to keep growing in our own way.

Commemorating My Breastfeeding Journey With Precious Mammaries

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This is a sponsored post about my breastfeeding journey thanks to Precious Mammaries.

Nursing our children is something that many women do without a thought. It is not always an easy journey and sometimes the journey can be a stressful one. Because of all of this I really wanted to commemorate my breastfeeding journey with my son.

I nursed my son for almost 2.5 years; it was a long 2.5 years and there were many times I considered stopping sooner because I was stressed, touched out, or just wanted to feel like I was more than just a good source to my son. However, looking back I am so thankful to have waited until he was ready and allowed him to wean himself from being nursed instead of forcing him to stop when he wasn’t ready.

Turning My Breastmilk To Stone

Deciding how to commemorate my nursing journey wasn’t very easy. I knew I wanted to do something, but I just wasn’t sure what I wanted to do until I came across Precious Mammaries. I knew that I wanted to turn my breast milk into something and that is when I decided to get both a bubble necklace and a leaf crown ring made to commemorate my journey with Raiden.

I love the idea of always having my breastmilk close to my heart. I will always remember nursing my son and how much it meant to me as well as to him. I couldn’t have asked for better snuggles than the ones I would get while he nursed in my arms and in my lap.

Precious Mammaries takes a sample of my breastmilk and does her magic to turn it into a gorgeous stone. Her time and passion goes into making each individual piece of jewelry. You can see how much it matters to her thanks to the quality of her jewelry.

I’m so thankful for my necklace. It is a simple bubble jewel piece with Raiden’s initials on the back, but that doesn’t stop it from being extra special to me. I love how simple it is because I am not one for anything more than simple jewelry.

The fact that every piece is unique and custom made just makes it that much more special. In addition to all of this she also provides you with a nice little certificate to go with the jewelry.

review of breast milk jewelry from Precious MammariesIt’s more than just a piece of jewelry.

The necklace and ring that I got is so much more than just jewelry to me. Some people don’t understand why I wanted my breast milk turned to stone. It means so much more to me than any one could know.

While my nursing journey wasn’t as hard as some others journey’s it was a long and tiresome road for me. I nursed my son for 27 long months. I never planned to nurse that long and I never expected it to last past a year, but I didn’t feel right forcing my son to wean when he wasn’t ready.

I kept nursing him despite the fact that I was completely touched out. I’ll admit that I’m not a big cuddler and I can only stand so much touching before I just want to run away screaming. I know there were plenty of times when I snapped and lost my cool because I was all touched out. I still pushed on and gave my son everything he wanted and needed despite the fact that it ended up changing from being a task that I enjoyed to something I dreaded.

I got this jewelry as a way to remember the good times and the painstakingly trying times because I wouldn’t change it for anything. It helps me to remember that I can and will push my issues aside for my son. I can be strong for him even when I normally wouldn’t feel strong.

Tips To Get You By When… Breast Feeding Isn’t Easy thanks to UpSpring

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I am a member of the MommyCon Parent Squad and this fun little piece comes to you thanks to UpSpring.

upspring mom

Beastfeeding Isn’t Always Easy

As a new mom I never realized just how difficult breastfeeding could be at times.  I had moments when I didn’t think I would be able to continue nursing in those first few days.  While I was lucky enough to not have bleeding nipples; I still didn’t think I could live through the pain of his continuous need to feed off of me.  I had read that the beginning was the hardest because your baby is learning how to latch onto you and your body isn’t used to having someone continuously suckle from your breast.

While still in the hospital my doctor prescribed me lanolin to help ease the pain while nursing my son.  I will admit I used it a couple of times, but I was not pleased with it.  So, once I got home I dig through my stash of samples and came across my UpSpring Nipple Balm.  I quickly realized that my nipples hurt because they were drying out and were forming calluses.  The Nipple Balm really helped my nipples for being continuously painful. (Don’t worry I won’t torture you with pictures of my irritated and cracked nipples; you can imagine it yourself.)

upspring nipple balm

Time. What is that?

No one ever told me how I would feel like I have no time for anything.  When Raiden was really little I almost never left the couch because I felt like he was either nursing or napping in my arms.  It really kept me from doing anything at home and often it even left me without eating when I was home alone.  I found that as long as I got a couple of meals a day, lots of water, and one or two of these powdered drinks from UpSpring I was good and didn’t have a dip in my milk supply.

upspring milkflow

I recently began using these drinks on a regular basis again due to the fact that my son is teething and going through a growth spurt.  I have found that I need the boost in my milk supply so that I can meet his nursing demands.  I prefer doing this to supplementing with formula, but when I do need to I am willing to give my son a bottle so that he is satiated and so that my poor nipples don’t feel like they are going to fall off.

Stay Healthy.

Amid the crazy nursing demands and the chaos that happens when you bring a newborn into the home you may not get as much sleep or nutrition that your body needs to satisfy your needs as well as the baby’s needs.  That is why I continued to take prenatal vitamins to help us both out while I am nursing.  I have tried a wide variety of Prenatal Vitamins before I tried the UpSpring Gummy Prenatal Vitamins and I knew I had a winner.  I have felt a boost of energy since I switched to them.  I also love how they aren’t super chewy and taste great.  If you are nursing I would recommend taking a prenatal vitamin because the extra vitamins will pass through your breast milk into the baby to help them to get all of the nutrients that they need.

upspring prenatal vitamins

Don’t Forget Mommy Time.

When you have a new baby in the home it is easy to forget about mommy time.  Mommy time can be anything from going out to dinner without the baby, taking a bath, or having a drink.  Whatever floats your boat.  I personally love taking a nice long hot bath with a glass of wine.  Thankfully I am able to drink wine without worry because UpSpring has alcohol testing strips.  All you have to do is express a little milk and place the strip in the milk.  It will tell you if your milk is free from any alcohol that you may have consumed.  I loved this when Raiden was first born.  He nursed on demand and I was really scared that I would pass alcohol through my milk the couple of times that I had a glass of wine.  I had no idea how much alcohol would reach my milk supply or how long it would take for it to pass from my system.

upspring coconut oil

The second necessity is my UpSpring Coconut Oil because after a long soaking bath I need to refresh my skin.  I apply the coconut oil to the rough skin on my feet as well as to my eczema patches and see great improvement after using it.  Of course I share the coconut oil with my son; I use it to clear up any signs of diaper rash as well as signs of eczema.

I hope this little tips help you out as much as they have helped me out.

Breastfeeding Essentials for Momma

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I don’t like to classify myself, but I guess you could say that I border on being a crunchy momma because I want the best and most natural life for my little man.  I will admit that he will probably eat a lot healthier than I will in the first few years of his life and I am okay with that.  The first reason why I say I am somewhat crunchy is because I plan on exclusively breastfeeding my little man.  It is a lot easier for me to breastfeed exclusively because I am going to be a stay-at-home mom.  If you don’t know much about breastfeeding then you might not realize some of the breastfeeding essentials that you might want to have on hand.

I am thankful that Lansinoh is sponsoring this post by providing me with some really awesome breastfeeding essentials that will help me to make my life that much easier once Raiden is in my arms.  They sent me so many more products than I was expecting; many of these items were already on my baby registry which proved to me that I was on the right track from the start.

breastfeeding essentials

Nursing Pads

The nursing pads are my number one breastfeeding essential because I know that my breasts are going to leak milk.  There is no question in my mind that I will not have milk accidents in public, but if I slip a nursing pad in my nursing shirt or bra I will reduce my risk of leaking milk through my shirt.  I already know that certain things cause my breasts to leak and produce milk.  I can feel the change in my breasts when infants cry around me and on occasion it is caused them to leak a little even though my little man hasn’t arrived just yet.  I like the idea of disposable nursing pads for on the go because if they get saturated I can toss them in the trash and not have to worry about my diaper bag smelling of spoiled milk.

Breast Therapy

One of the issues that I personally have dealt with this whole pregnancy was the fact that temperature really effects how my milk ducts function.  During the bitter cold weather I can feel them tighten up and cause my breasts and nipples to become quite painful.  The Thera°Pearl® 3-in-1 Breast Therapy Pack is one product I knew I could not be without.  These packs wrap around your breast while keeping your nipple free so that if you are feeding your little one the therapy pack will not be in the way.  These packs can be used hot to help your milk ducts flow freely or cold if your breasts are feeling tender and sore.

Gel Pads

Gel Pads are my next breastfeeding essential because I have been told that your nipples will get sore whether it is from your little one latching on or from pumping on a regular basis if your little one cannot latch or because you have to go back to work and need to pump on a regular basis to keep breastfeeding your little tyke.  Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads are another staple that I want with me every where I go because I already know that I have sensitive nipples and I want to be able to ease any discomfort that I may have on the go.

Storage Bags

If you are a pumping momma or plan to supplement with some pumping then you will want to invest in some Breastmilk Storage Bags.  Storage bags are quite helpful if you are building a stockpile of breastmilk for your little one; the bags are easily sealed by most people and can be frozen to save for a later date.  The Lansinoh bags can store up to 6 ounces of milk and even have a convenient spot on them to write the amount and date on them so that you can reference them when going to feed your little one.

 

What are a few of your Breastfeeding Essentials?

Baby Boomers Will Impact The Nursing Shortage

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Maryville University’s Nursing Program

Being someone who has studied in the health care field I find it important to keep up on things that could affect my family and I.  As the Baby Boomers are getting older it is putting quite the strain on the health care field because so many people are aging and needing additional health care services.  In the recent years there has been a growing shortage of nurses and with the increase in elderly individuals it will be causing even more of a strain on the nursing staff here in America.

If you are considering a new field of study you might want to consider nursing as a field for you because of the increase in the demand for nurses in the upcoming years.

Would You Consider a Career in Nursing?