Preggie Pals

newborn

Breastfeeding Your Baby in the NICU

Episode 30 | November 30th, 2012

If your baby has been placed in the NICU, the separation between mom and baby can sometimes cause a challenge with breastfeeding. How can a mom maximize her breastfeeding success when in this situation? What are your options when it comes to supplementation? And how do you maintain a good milk supply when separated from your baby? (more…)

How Breastfeeding Changed My Life

October 7th, 2012 by Shannon Stubbs

When we first discovered I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to breastfeed.  To be honest, I’m not sure why I knew that, but using formula never occurred to me.  When my daughter was born, we jumped on the breastfeeding train.  But we hit some bumps along the way.  A huge bump – like a struggle with low supply.  I remember sitting there for those first few days when we were home bawling my eyes out!  My sweet little girl was losing weight – over a pound.  They told me, breastfeed her, pump, feed that to her, offer her formula.  This consumed my day, not to mention exhausted me!  But I would do anything to get her to gain weight.

John kept telling me, it’s not a big deal.  Who cares?  Just give her formula.  He didn’t get it!  As if my hormones weren’t already off the chart, I couldn’t stop crying.  I mean, how could I be a good mom if I couldn’t even make enough milk to feed my baby?  This poor girl had no chance because I was failing already!  That is when it really hit me – I didn’t just want to breastfeed my baby, I had to breastfeed my baby!  If it didn’t work, I felt I was failing.  So we nursed, and pumped and offered her formula. (more…)

Managing a Toddler While Breastfeeding a Newborn

Episode 8 | July 2nd, 2012

Breastfeeding a newborn typically comes with its own set of challenges, such as sore nipples, sleepless nights and a complete lack of schedule. Add a toddler to the mix and life becomes pretty crazy. Is establishing a routine even possible in the beginning? How do you entertain your toddler while breastfeeding your newborn? What works “in theory” and what works in real life? (more…)