Why does everyone get and/or register for the Boppy pillow? I have to say, I found it not very helpful when it came to nursing. It did come in handy taking photos of my babies. (See my photography post.) I would put the blanket over the Boppy sometimes to put the baby on. It also helped provide a little support when my son was learning to sit up. What I hated about my Boppy was while nursing my child, there was nothing to keep it in place. The pillow would start to inch away from me, and my baby would fall down in between me and the pillow. I also found it too soft.
When it comes to nursing, the My Brest Friend pillow is great. It straps around you, is not too smooshy, and stays in place. It also has pockets for things like the phone, a pad of paper, a snack, or whatever you find useful. I like that you can strap it on and stand up without it falling off. It also offers padding around your lower back, which the Boppy does not. I used mine with my oldest every day until we stopped nursing at age 2. And now I use it every day with my twins. When I tandem nursed my twins, I actually used the My Breast Friend Twins pillow. I originally had the EZ2Nurse Twins Pillow, but again, it didn't stay put, and didn't offer great back support. I didn't realize that My Brest Friend had a twins pillow (I had heard the EZ one was the only one out there.) When I heard that they did, I ordered it w/o hesitation. and it too is awesome!!!
If I was registering for baby items, I would skip the Boppy, and make sure My Brest Friend was on my list!
Showing posts with label breastfeeding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breastfeeding. Show all posts
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
One Breast or Two?
It's a common question of new breastfeeding mothers. Should you feed a baby from both breasts at a feeding, or just one? I had the same question. This is what worked for me with my first child:
In the beginning, I nursed from both breasts, something like 15-20 minutes on each side, depending on how hungry he seemed. (I burped between breasts.) I was so engorged, both of my breasts needed the relief. As my son got a week or two older, I noticed that he started to have some green poops. My research showed that it probably wasn't a concern, but could be a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance? Well what the heck is that? I learned that the milk at the beginning of a feed is more watery, allowing it to come out faster to satisfy the baby when (s)he is super hungry. Toward the end of the feeding, the milk gets fattier and richer. This is the milk that can really help the baby gain weight. If you feed from both breasts, the baby will mostly be getting foremilk, and never get to the rich hindmilk. So, I switched to feeding from only one breast. The green poops were gone immediately. Wow! Our bodies are amazing, aye? If you are pumping, you can see the difference between foremilk and hindmilk.
I personally like feeding from one breast better anyway, and it is what most professionals recommend now. Who wants to unlatch a hungry baby and make him cry, just to switch breasts? Just let the little one eat. That's my opinion.
One more thing: when feeding from one breast: If that breast gets completely "deflated," and after say 25/30 minutes your baby still seems hungry, go ahead and offer the other side. The next feeding you would then start on that breast (the second breast from the previous feeding.)
In the beginning, I nursed from both breasts, something like 15-20 minutes on each side, depending on how hungry he seemed. (I burped between breasts.) I was so engorged, both of my breasts needed the relief. As my son got a week or two older, I noticed that he started to have some green poops. My research showed that it probably wasn't a concern, but could be a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance? Well what the heck is that? I learned that the milk at the beginning of a feed is more watery, allowing it to come out faster to satisfy the baby when (s)he is super hungry. Toward the end of the feeding, the milk gets fattier and richer. This is the milk that can really help the baby gain weight. If you feed from both breasts, the baby will mostly be getting foremilk, and never get to the rich hindmilk. So, I switched to feeding from only one breast. The green poops were gone immediately. Wow! Our bodies are amazing, aye? If you are pumping, you can see the difference between foremilk and hindmilk.
I personally like feeding from one breast better anyway, and it is what most professionals recommend now. Who wants to unlatch a hungry baby and make him cry, just to switch breasts? Just let the little one eat. That's my opinion.
One more thing: when feeding from one breast: If that breast gets completely "deflated," and after say 25/30 minutes your baby still seems hungry, go ahead and offer the other side. The next feeding you would then start on that breast (the second breast from the previous feeding.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)