Monday, 4 June 2012

Father Gets Help From 7 Women to Breastfeed His Son

Please read this post written by Mike, one of the directors of Snugglebundl.  He believed in the benefits of breastfeeding so much that this is what he accomplished in his family's time of need.

Read to the end for a great Snugglebundl offer.

Having been a teacher for many years, I never thought I would end up as a director of a baby product company but when a friend introduced an amazing new idea to me I couldn't help but invest time and money into a starting up snugglebundl.co.uk. Amongst lots of other great feedback from mums about the snugglebundl lift and lay baby blanket, is that they find it ideal for discreet breastfeeding. Natural feeding is something I really feel strongly about to the extent that when the mother of my children was injured I rallied up support from many women to feed him until she recovered sufficiently to take over again.

We were driving home in the early hours on an unlit dual carriageway. As our six month old baby had been crying for some time we were contemplating taking him out and nurse him. After some deliberation we concluded that with just 2 minutes to go before we arrived and the roads were so clear that we would be OK to give him a calming feed. The moment she lifted him out, a speeding car appeared from nowhere in my rear mirror— travelling at a frightening speed thinking, like us, he was alone on the road. There was no time to do anything. By the time I shouted to get down the impact occurred and our car swerved to the left, bounced off a tree and roll rolled over a several times settling on its side. I looked around but couldn't see Reu or his mum and my daughter, Thea aged three, was just waking up. Realising that they must have been thrown and my heart sank. My door was against the road so I tried desperately to undo my seat belt to climb out the sun roof but it wouldn't unbuckle. I was lucky it didn't because I would have been half way out when another car hit the underside of my vehicle rolling it over on to its wheels. I would have undoubtedly been crushed to death.

Worried that we would be hit again and wanting to find my baby I quickly got Thea out and took her away from the car. I could see her mother on the road so we rushed over to see her. She was in a comatose state and unable to be moved. At that point a lady came over who saw the bodies on the road and told me she had picked up my son just before a lorry drove past! Upon inspection he seemed ok but grizzly. His mum had taken the brunt of the fall. She was barely conscious, had several broken bones and severely concussed. The ambulance crew arrived and we took Reuben and her to the nearest hospital.

The hospital was a natural environment to me as I had been a combat medic in the Army so I stayed in A&E discussing the treat-ments. Strangely they thought I was a doctor and treated me like one of the team! This was to my advantage as I could stay with my baby, who was fully aware, and offer him comfort through it all.

Worryingly an x-ray revealed that my son had a brain haemorrhage and had to be taken to a London hospital. Before I left to follow the ambulance in a friends car his mum had stabilised and we were able to have a short conversation about the situation before she drifted off again. I knew his mum would want him to continue breastfeeding and we both realised it would be contaminated with drugs used to help her recuperation. Luckily we were part of a national network of breastfeeding mums so I managed to put out the message that we needed some mums in the London area to feed him. In no time about seven mums were on rota kindly feeding Reuben in shifts! They would bring their own baby and hand them to dad whilst they fed my son. It was so generous and caring that even now it draws me to tears when I think about it. I never really got to know them because they would flash in and out like guardian angles to take care of my sons needs. They were strangers helping out a stranger in need but we all had one thing in common and that was a belief that breast is best– even if it is another mothers milk. This help continued for two weeks and there were more mums willing to volunteer if needed! .

Once we got him out of hospital three mums Natalie, Lucy and Jo came to stay at our house at different times and nursed him until his mum was able to come home. By this time Reuben’s mum had been off drugs for a few days but, just in case, Natalie stayed a little longer until my son was able to restart suckling from his own mothers breast. Even now, almost 14 yeas later, nothing gives me more pleasure than seeing a baby being fed naturally.

In my new business I am in contact with lots of mums and breastfeeding organisations who we fully support. The snugglebundl is proving very popular and we sold on every seven minutes. This is mainly because it is the only product which allows a parent to move babies without waking them and not have to carry a car seats! It wasn't originally designed as breastfeeding aid but I am so pleased it as turned out to be really practical for this purpose. Everyday we get feedback from mums telling us of it’s benefits and are pleased that it is having the impact it is. God bless all you parents who promote the benefits of breastfeeding.

Mike Edwards
www.snugglebundl.co.uk


Reuben—Now aged 14

Snugglebundl being used for discreet breastfeeding

SnuggleBundl are offering you the chance to own a Snugglebundl blanket of your very own with an incredible saving of 15%.  Please use the code SNUG15 at checkout to receive this special offer.


The snugglebundl has been designed with handles so that you do not need to disturb your baby when moving him or her between locations when they have fallen asleep.

If you have enjoyed reading this article and would like to learn more about breastfeeding and join the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt to win more prizes and find more great coupon codes for breastfeeding goodies then why not take a look at the following blogs that are participating throughout June.







Congratulations!! you have found the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt Logo and you can now enter to win the Grand Prize.  Remember, the more posts you read the greater your chances of winning.  Please enter to win by using the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, 3 June 2012

Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt Day 2 & 3

Yesterday was a crazy day, I attended the Brighton Baby Show (I shall talk about that another day) and when we returned home we just about had enough time to nurse Ellie and race up to the Local Social Club where my Uncle was playing in his band and our local friednly butcher was working on the BBQ.  If you decided not to attend last night then you totally missed out on some AMAZING lamb/beef/pork, yes I had all three.  But what I'm trying to say is that I am posting day 2 and day 3 together because I had no time to yesterday and for that I apologise.  Enjoy catching up with more great posts about the many benefits of breastfeeding from our Hunt Mummy Bloggers -

Day 2

Edspire - Breast Friends with Benefits

Mixed Bag of Allsorts - What's so Good about Breastfeeding?

Where Roots Flourish - Why I want to Breastfeed

Smiling Like Sunshine - 5 Benefits of Extended Breastfeeding

Dispelling Breastfeeding Myths - Keep Britain and Ireland Breastfeeding

Day 3


Dispelling Breastfeeding Myths - The Benefits of Breastfeeding (aka the so-called benefits of breastfeeding) with a great ARDO breastpump giveaway

Breastfeeding in England - Why I love Breastfeeding

Petra - Prematurity

Mummy is a Gadget Geek - Great Expectations The Benefits of Breastfeeding

Mummy Constant - The Benefits of Breastfeeding


I hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as I have.  Don't forget to subscribe to this blog and then make sure that you enter the rafflecopter on every post to be in with a chance of winning the Grand Prize!  Over the coming weeks more prizes will be up for grabs too, so stay tuned!

Have a great Sunday watching the boats on the Thames and attending Street Parties.

Why I love breastfeeding

If you are on the fence and you are thinking about breastfeeding but you haven't quite decide yet because you've heard some bad press about it, or you don't know anyone else who has breastfed, I thought I'd tell you why I love breastfeeding.

1.  It's FREE.

2.  I learnt all about breastfeeding at university and I learnt that it is very healthy for both Mum and baby, but I am now convinced after having two healthy children that never needed to see the Doctor for illness before th age of one.  In fact my son didn't vomit or have diarhoea for the first time until he was almost 3.

3.  It's sooooo convenient.  All you need when you walk out the door is a nappy, a couple of wipes and a babygrow which all fit nicely into the pocket of my Maya Wrap.  No bags and completely hands free too.

4.  We get quite a bit of sleep.  With my second we mastered lying down nursing in the hospital on the first night which meant that we've never really had nights when we've hardly slept (maybe once or twice with teeth).  I haven't once felt like a zombie this time around.

5.  It is the most adorable time when your baby is nursing and she/he looks up at you and smiles with a mouth full of boobie and milk, magical!

6.  It makes me sit down and take a breath (well that was before the android phone), now it's a time for tweeting.

7.  It is the answer to everything.  Breastfeeding has become the perfect parenting tool, it is the first trick I pull out of the bag and 99/100 is does the trick whether it be quench a thirst or calm after a fall.  It's also great on the aeroplane so their ears don't pop.

8.  I have met some amazing individuals through breastfeeding, at breastfeeding conferences, at breastfeeding support groups, at the hospital, and in the street.

9.  That first time that you touch your breast at the right time or the baby pulls off as soon as you let down and you squirt milk across the room (or the pub at an NCT coffee morning) and you now know that you have milk after spending twenty minutes hand expressing a few drops on the first day in the hospital and you're wondering if the baby is getting enough.  It's also a cool party trick.

10.  I love that breastfeeding has led my life on a completely different path.  I eat, sleep and breathe breastfeeding.  It nourishes my children, it pays the bills and it makes my life so rewarding to be able to share my experiences and knowledge with new Mums every day.

Tell me why you love breastfeeding or tell me what about breastfeeding has helped you decide to breastfeed your baby.

If you have enjoyed reading this article, then you may enjoy reading similar articles about breastfeeding by the following bloggers.
You may also want to visit the website of BigBookLittleBookCardboardBox, a great childrens bookcase that is not only good for the environment but is specifically designed to make it easier for children to choose the story they want to read, and can be decorated in any way imaginable. One such bookcase has been kindly offered as a prize in the main competition which you can enter below.








Thank you for reading.  Please complete the following Rafflecopter to enter the competition for the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Grand Prize.

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Friday, 1 June 2012

Hunt Day 1

The Hunt started with a bang today, and I think Google and Facebook heard my cursing yesterday and decided to make nice and allow linking to blogspot on facebook again YEY!

We already have some amazing blog posts for you to find and read, but if you haven't been able to find them yet here are some really obvious clues:

Mama Geek - Why Breast is Best

Life, Love and Living with Boys - The Ultimate Convenience Food

Diary of The Milkshake Mummy - Breast is Best

Breast 4 Babies - Benefits of Breastfeeding that I have Discovered

Really Rachel - Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt

Little Scribbles - Hold Me Close

Breastfeeding in England - The Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt has Begun

I hope these clues aren't too difficult to "follow".  Enjoy reading, I know I have and please share this event with your friends so that they can read, learn and win!

The Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt Has BEGUN!!!






Thank you for registering to join the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt 2012.  This is the Logo that you will be hunting for over the month of June.  The last week of June is National Breastfeeding Week and it is my hope that as you hunt for these logos over the internet that you also learn something new about breastfeding, share any tips that you have learnt along the way and maybe win some prizes or find out about a special discount for some breastfeeding goodies.

We have some amazing bloggers lined up to write about their own breastfeeding experiences and share with you some tips or knowledge that they have learnt along the way.  The articles you read will be about -

Breastfeeding Benefits
Mother to Mother Sharing
Support
Breastfeeding beyond 1 month

We also have some amazing companies onboard who have provided lots of fabulous prizes which make up the Grand Prize.  To be eligible to win the Grand Prize you must find the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Logo.  The logo will be found on every post written by the participating bloggers on the subject of breastfeeding throughout the month of June.  When you find the logo you will be given the chance to enter the competition.  Each time you enter the competition you will accumulate points.  Writing a mandatory comment on each post will get you 2 points, and sharing the competition on twitter will earn you 1 point each time you tweet.  You can also choose to follow the hunt on twitter and facebook to earn more points.  You only need to accumulate 50 points to be in the running for the Grand Prize worth over £500.

Don't worry.  If you are busy and you only get to read a few posts in June you can still find additional competitions throughout the month from the same great companies, and some have provided exclusive coupon codes too.

Each time you read a post you will be directed to other blogs that are participating or you can see the complete list of participating bloggers here.

Obviously, having read this post you have found the logo at the top of the page, so congratulations!  You can now enter the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt.

If you would like to read more about breastfeeding from the bloggers involved, please check out these participating blogs and then enter the competition using the rafflecopter below.






There are some amazing companies taking part too, so check out Hotmilk Lingerie to see some incredibly gorgeous nursing bras which are great throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding because they have room to grow and they are 100% cotton lines so extremely comfy to wear.

 Here is the rafflecopter


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Thursday, 31 May 2012

How to go on a date when breastfeeding

I get asked all the time about how and when to pump if Mum needs a break or wants to get out of the house without the baby.  Valentines Day is just around the corner, and if you have a brand new baby you might be thinking about whether it's possible for you to spend a little quality time with your partner with an exclusively breastfed baby.


Valentines day is extended in my household because it is also my husbands birthday.  What we usually do is decide to celebrate Valentines Day on one date and my husbands birthday on another date.  Of course this makes it even more difficult because we have to find care for two children on two days.  So I thought I'd take you through the planning and execution of having a date with a new baby.

Venue

You have two choices for venues for your first date after the birth of a newborn.  You can either stay at home or go out.

  • If you have a baby that goes to sleep early in the evening and sleeps through til midnight or later, you don't have to go out, grab a movie and a £10 meal deal from M&S and snuggle in front of the television for the evening.  Staying home will save you money and effort because you won't have to pay restaurant prices or a babysitter, and breastfeeding on demand can carry on as usual.
  • If you decide to leave the house, a little planning is involved.  You will have to find a babysitter and you may want to leave some milk behind for feeding purposes.  Think about how baby usually sleeps and try to work around this to its full potential.  If baby sleeps for a long time earlier in the evening you can go out early.  If baby goes to bed at 7pm and usually wakes at 11pm think about going out between 7 and 11 to minimise the need to pump.  You can also find a venue close by so that you can get home quickly and you can then spend more time at the restaurant having adult conversation.
  • You could decide to spend the night without baby at a hotel.  This is a possibility for some parents.  You would want to decide if it is right for you.  If the baby is a little older and sleeping longer at night, there may only be a need for the sitter to feed once or twice in the night.  I know I didn't want to leave my babies overnight for a long time, and you might feel the same.  At 18 months my husband and I had our first baby free night.  We were staying at a hotel for a conference (breastfeeding conference), and my Mother had decided to visit while we were there (Orlando).  We booked adjoining rooms and she took care of William for the whole night.  We were there if needed, but we weren't needed.  At 18 months I didn't need to pump during the night, but for a small infant you would need to set the alarm to pump as many times as baby would usually feed to reduce engorgement and maintain supply.  You would also need to pump a few times leading up to the night out to provide milk for your sitter to use.
Pumping

Planning ahead for a night out allows you to pump over a number of days to build up a stash of milk for your evening out.  You could pump last minute, but you might not pump enough as you would be a little tense and pumping leftovers so your evening out might be ruined.
Think about how often your baby nurses during the time of day you will be out and decide approximately how much milk you might need, then add a little bit just in case.  From personal experience I would say 2-3oz can be a typical feed for a normal breastfed infant, but some babies take a little bit more from a bottle (We've all done it - "Just finish the last bit").
If you don't pump regularly, you will be pumping leftovers so don't expect a whole feed.  If your body is not used to pumping, it may take a few times to get anything at all.  A good time to pump might be during a nap or you could feed twice from one side and pump the other.  Many Mums have more milk in the morning and find it a good time to pump. If you add a pumping session to your day regularly, your body will increase production and continue to make that extra feed if you want a stash of milk for future use.
Of course, hand expression is a great tool for every breastfeeding Mum to know and can be used just as effectively as a pump with practise.

Babysitter
You have a few choices:
  1. You.  If you decide to stay home for a nice romantic meal, you won't have to worry about a babysitter.
  2. Parents or family members.  If they live close by this would be really cost effective, and they might think you're doing them a favour letting them have a whole evening with their grandchild.
  3. A babysitter.  I don't know what the going rate is in the UK, but the one and only time we had a babysitter in the US it cost us $50 for 4 hours.
  4. You can babysit share.  We did this when William was a year old.  We had some friends that had a baby of a similar age and swapped babysitting duties.  We chose two dates and babysat the other couples baby for free and then they did the same for us.  If you get a group of three couples together you could even get to double date with another couple and then rotate.
Food

I don't think you should have to avoid anything when you are breastfeeding, I'll leave you to make sensible decisions about your food consumption.  I am sceptical about different foods you eat affecting baby in negative ways (I know you may not agree), and I have never had to remove a food from my diet while breastfeeding so I can't possibly understand this situation either, so I would tell you that you know your baby best and if you need to avoid certain foods, you'll probably want to continue to avoid them during your date.
I have always understood that alcohol is removed from the milk in a similar rate as it is removed from the blood, so about a unit per hour.  If you are sensible and don't drink more than a unit per hour while you are out there should be no reason to avoid breastfeeding when you get home.  However, you know your body better than me, and if you feel too drunk to hold your baby when you get home, you probably shouldn't be taking care of a baby or breastfeeding a baby, (or bedsharing with your baby), and please don't drink and drive.

Taking that first step towards going out without your baby can be stressfull.  It may not work out the first time you try, but keep on trying.  The more planning you do, the easier it will be and the less stressed you will feel.  I know that the first few times my husband and i ventured out after having our second were a little stressful, but we went somewhere local (within a mile), and actually Ellie would never even know that we had gone because she has slept through each and every time.  Each time I have pumped and it has gone to waste.  So give it a go and have a great time.

If you have enjoyed reading this post and would like to read more posts about breastfeeding and indeed join the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger hunt to learn, share and win breastfeeding goodies, then take a look at some of these bloggers who are participating throughout the Month of June.  You may also want to take a look at Bravado Designs, a company that has been designing and manufacturing nursing bras for 20 years.  They have provided an original nursing bra as a prize for the Grand Prize for the hunt, take a look at their website to see their other great bras and tanks.








You have found the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt Logo!!  You can now enter to win the Grand Prize.  Remember, the more posts you read on the hunt the greater your chance of winning.  Please enter using the rafflecopter below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

The many uses of nipple cream

Let me first of all say that I have no medical background and I'm not offering advice instead of a Doctor.  If you or your child is sick then you should consult your Doctor.

These are a few uses that I have found for nipple cream over the years, please add your own uses in the comments below -

1.  To soothe sore nipples (remember nipple cream isn't a cure, you should still seek help to make sure that the latch and position are as good as possible).

2.  As nappy rash cream.  My son never really had nappy rash, we used cloth but all of his friends at daycare had nappy rash all the time and the carers insisted that I provide something for them to apply after every change.  I gave them nipple cream and they stopped nagging me, they even complimented me on how it kept him free from rash!

3.  To soothe the itch of a mosquito bite.  There were lots of mosqitoes in Baltimore and they all lived in my garden.  After being bitten my entire limb would swell and it would itch like crazy.  A dab of nipple cream and the itch immediately went away.

4.  As a "magic cream" for every fall, scrape and bump involving my Son.  Everything was better after applying the "magic cream".

5.  Butt cream.  Apparently ( I don't ride so I cannot say for certain), when you ride a push bike a lot there can be chafing down below and when you run out of bikers butt paste the next best thing is nipple cream.

6.  Lip Balm.  We used to have samples at my old job and the staff would use it to moisten their lips.


As I said earlier, nipple cream is not a cure for sore nipples.  Do not apply nipple cream and expect all your problems to fade away.  If you have sore nipples there is probably a reason, and it can usually get better with a tweak in the position or attachment of the baby.  Take the opportunity to go to your local breastfeeding support group before it gets worse.  I have heard a rumour that you can get nipple cream on prescription if you can persuade your Doctor to write one, but don't forget you can use your own breastmilk to help soothe sore nipples.  Hand express a drop of milk, rub it on your nipple and air dry.

If you have enjoyed reading, you will find more articles about breastfeeding at these locations.  Softbots has kindly provided a nursing top for the Grand Prize, but they also sell cloth nappies, washable nursing pads and much much more so take a look.








Thank you for reading.  Please complete the following Rafflecopter to enter the competition for the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Grand Prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway