Showing posts with label Breast Feeding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breast Feeding. Show all posts

Sunday, October 16, 2011

How Undercover Mama Saved My Baby from Chickenpox!


Hi! I'm Bayla from Soft and Cozy Baby in Baltimore, MD.

A few weeks ago I noticed 2 itchy spots on my belly and back. I thought it was mosquito bites but had no idea how they got to my belly! Someone suggested it was poison ivy but again, almost impossible. A couple days later it turned into a blistery rash. As we were going out of town the next day, I decided to go to Patient First being that it was quite uncomfortable and I wanted to make sure it wasn't contagious.


The Doctor at Patient First took one look at it and announced, "That is definitely Shingles." Shingles?! I thought that's for old people! She said that she's seen a few young people with it lately. So am I contagious? Only if someone comes into direct contact with the lesions. But I am nursing a baby! She said my baby was likely already exposed so there's nothing I can do about it anyway. Someone can contract chickenpox from shingles, but they wouldn't contract shingles. But my 8 mo old nursling has not had the chickenpox or the vaccine, and he's the only one who has been in direct contact with my belly!


Her only advice was to keep it covered, wash my hands, and take an antiviral. I was taken off work for a week as I'm a midwife and don't want to expose my patients - just in case. I called my pediatrician who wasn't concerned. It's not dangerous for a baby at 8 months to get chicken pox.


So we went on our trip as planned. And my baby never got the chicken pox!


I attribute it to my Undercover Mama! I LOVE theUndercover Mama and wear one all the time! It is great because it just hooks to your regular nursing bra and is much cheaper than a nursing tank. I like that it keeps my belly covered while I'm nursing as I wear a lot of T-shirts. I also wear it to sleep because nursing in bed makes for a cold tummy! I think because my Undercover Mama kept my belly covered all the time, my baby was never exposed to the shingles lesion.




Another great benefit of the Undercover Mama!
Posted by Bayla at 1:21 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Breastfeeding Necessities


Hi! This is Bayla from Soft and Cozy Baby, a boutique in Baltimore, MD specializing in Cloth Diapers, Babywearing, and Breastfeeding supplies.

My son is now 8 weeks old and I am LOVING breastfeeding my second time around! Breastfeeding should be simple, right. Just you and the baby. No bits and pieces to take along or wash. You're ready to go whenever baby needs with no cleanup required (except for the milk mouth)!

That is true and makes breastfeeding so much nicer than bottle feeding with all its included preparation and clean-up. But I want to share some of the gadgets that I've been using which is turning breastfeeding into almost as much of an obsession as cloth diapering! I just love all these things that I've found to make the experience that much more exciting!

The first is the Undercover Mama. This awesome invention keeps your belly covered while you nurse. Instead of buying an expensive nursing tank or forfeiting your favorite bra, you can keep your bra and save money with this product. It attaches to your own bra and drops down when you release the clasp on your bra! I am living in it these days! I wear it to bed too because my belly always gets cold when I'm nursing in bed at night!

Next is the Milkies Milk Saver which was mentioned in a previous post. This thing is ingenious. All you can think about when you take off your soaking breast pads is how much milk was wasted that is now going to be washed out. Especially when you need to pump and every drop counts! It is a little large and I would love one that I could wear all day long, but it's got a great design. You put it in your bra on the other side than you're nursing on. And it catches all the milk with let-down. I once collected 2 oz using this! It even comes with a heavy-duty case that acts as a stand to hold it upright.

My last ingenious invention is Milk Trays. With my first child, I couldn't believe how expensive those bags are to freeze breastmilk in. Were they really necessary? What's wrong with plain old freezer bags? Of course no one had an answer so I used them - protecting my precious breastmilk for my baby. I'd hate for it to get ruined or freezer burned. Then I saw Milk Trays. They are specially designed, made of medical grade plastic, with 1 oz compartments. You pour the milk into the compartments from the bottle that you pump into. Then you freeze it. When they're frozen, you pop out the one-ounce sticks and store them in a regular freezer bag. Date the bag by the week so you use up old milk first. To defrost just put as many sticks as needed into a bottle and defrost in warm water like you normally would. This way you save every drop and don't defrost more than you need and have to throw it away. Then just rinse out the trays and reuse!

Of course, I would be remiss if I failed to mention My Brest Friend as a true nursing necessity. It provides unbelievable support and comfort, even for the new breastfeeding mama with a tiny newborn. At that early stage you truly don't have enough hands and support to keep everything in place. This pillow wraps around your body and is very adjustable both in how high or low you set it and in how snug it fits around your belly. It has a flat surface so the baby doesn't roll in to you and supports your arms and back. The great thing I've found, even with nursing an older (relatively-speaking) baby, is that it comes in very handy when I'm nursing on one side and pumping on the other. I do that to maximize my pumping, which I need to do for work. The pillow completely supports the baby, so I don't need to use 2 hands to hold him, and I can hold the pump and usually still read a book or type on my laptop. For the modern woman!
My Brest Friend comes in super pattern choices, offers a plush deluxe cover option, has slipcovers that can be switched out, and even has a Twin Pillow!

Speaking of the modern breastfeeding mama, check out the Easy Expression by Medela. It comes as a halter or bustier and holds your pump in place so you're hands-free and can get things done! Truly vital if you're pumping at work. I have even heard first-hand of some women who pump in the car on their long commute. Have to be hands-free for that!


Happy Breastfeeding!
Posted by Bayla at 7:09 PM 0 comments
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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

A must have for all new Mom's

Milkies Milk Savers

Milkies Milk-Savers is an item I wish was around when I was still breastfeeding my little ones,  although I am glad I have found them now so I can share about them with the new moms I meet at my local LLL meetings or my neighbor down the street.  I was always trying to figure out how to save up my milk in case I wanted to go out without baby or to use in their cereal.  It would have been wonderful to simply store what had been leaking into my breast pads all that time. 

Some of the great features of the Milk Saver are 1) Each Milk-Saver comes fitted with a handy travel case that also functions as a convenient stand.  2) The Milk-Saver is rigorously tested by an independent lab to ensure zero chemical leaching. It is BPA and phthalate-free as part of our commitment to health.  3) The Milk-Saver is made from comfortable, pliable material that allows it to discreetly collect extra milk wherever you are. It nestles easily into any snug tank top or bra cup. 
We love Milkies so much we wanted to share them with you and hope you enjoy them.  For those of you who would also love to no longer use disposable breast pads for those times in between using your Milkies, we are offering a set of Happy Heinys Hemp nursing pads.
Please do the following to be entered into the drawing:
Like us on Facebook
Comment about us on Facebook (post link here)
Comment here
Follow us on Twitter
Tweet about us on Twitter
Thank you for reading about this new great item that every breastfeeding mom should have.  Winner will be chosen 2/16/2011 by randon.org and post here
**WINNER is Knocked up and Nursing!** Congrats 

Posted by Mom at 12:01 AM 13 comments
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