Top Ten Products for Nursing Mothers

Ok boys, you have my permission to skip this one. ;)

We have so many friends who are having babies these days! With that in mind, I thought I'd write out my list of Top Ten Products for nursing mothers. Most of these products were recommended to me while I was pregnant or immediately after Jackson was born, and I don't think we would have had such a successful experience without them! So, here they are:

Alison & Jackson's Top Ten Products for Nursing Mothers

10. Tank Top(s)

These come in useful when you're nursing around other people and don't want to let everything (especially that post-baby belly!) hanging out. This tank top is from GAP. I still wear my maternity tank tops (shh! don't tell!), which are also from GAP. I love how long they are!

9. Nursing Bra

This may seem like a "Duh" suggestion, but it makes a big difference! You'll want to look for one in the last 1-2 months of your pregnancy, when your cup size is closest to what it will be post-baby. I found my favorites at Motherhood Maternity, but GAP and Victoria's Secret (and probably several other mainstream retailers) are starting to offer nursing bra options as well. Note: several sources report that underwire bras are not the best for breastfeeding mothers because they have been linked to an increase in blocked ducts, which can lead to infections. I only wear underwire and never had that problem, but it's important to be aware of the risks involved.

8. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (from Le Leche League International)

I may not always agree with the opinions in this book, but the advice is wonderful. The book discusses different breastfeeding positions, personal stories, and information about pumping/storing breastmilk. Just be prepared - this book presents breastfeeding as the only option for your child (in other words: may induce mom-guilt in people who are on the fence about breastfeeding).

7. Lanolin

This is great for tender skin... which is a particular problem when first establishing a nursing relationship with your baby. Careful: it stains.








6. Mother's Milk Tea

What a great way to relax and unwind. This was recommended to me by a friend in Japan and is available at Whole Foods and Market Street. It also helps with milk production, which can be a problem for some women.

5. Phillip's Avent Bottles

We went through SO MANY bottles/nipples to try to find something that Jackson could drink from when I was away. Bottle-fed fluids come out much more quickly than breastfed babies are used to, which can cause choking and panic, especially in young babies. Jackson would scream all through his feedings at his grandparents' house until we got these nipples. We started him on #2, which seemed to be a great match! Dr. Brown's is also supposed to be great for breastfed babies, but we never tried that brand.

4. Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper

I would recommend this to any new parent, but it's especially nice for nursing moms because since you aren't getting up anyways to make a bottle, there's no need to leave the bed! We have used this both attached to the bed as a "co-sleeper" and not attached as a "bassinet." One concern I had when it was attached was that I might accidentally throw some covers over him during the night, so remember to take that into account as fluffy bedding can be a suffocation hazard to young babies. We transitioned Jackson to his own crib in a separate room at 4 months, but kept this in our room for a few more months for naps and when he was sick/waking up a lot during the night.

3. Bebe au Lait (aka "Hooter Hider") Nursing Cover

This is a must if you plan to venture out in to society. Yes, there is still a stigma surrounding nursing in public, but this is a discreet and comfortable way to feed your baby. Some malls (Stonebriar in Frisco, North Park in Dallas) have "family" or "mother's" rooms, as do Babies R Us. Some places (Motherhood Maternity for example) also offer their fitting rooms for nursing mothers to have some privacy. However, when not in one of these places, the alternative is the (often less-than sparkling) restroom. A nursing cover offers mobile privacy, and the Bebe au Lait has a built-in wire to provide eye contact as well as a terry-cloth corner for spit-up, spills, and dribbles. Not to mention the fun fabrics. :) Yes, not covering up is also a legal option, but a lot of women (me included!) just aren't comfortable with that.

2. Boppy

There are lots of nursing pillows out there, and you have to find the one that works best for you, but the Boppy was great for us! My husband even used it when bottle-feeding Jackson, and my in-laws bought one for their house to take the pressure off their arms/back while holding Jackson. It also doubles as sitting support for wobbly babies and a tummy-time companion. Bonus: there are lots of great covers to choose from. I suggest having at least two... our Boppy covers spent a lot of time in the washer!

1. A high-quality breast pump

I love the Medela Pump-in-Style Advanced. It gets the job done quickly and comes with bottles for storage, a cooler and ice pack for pumped milk when you're on-the-go and a battery pack for portability. I do not recommend a hand-pump if you are planning to pump with any frequency (working moms!).

So that's our top ten. If you're a mom who has breastfed your child, what did you find helpful? Did I leave off any products that would have made your top ten?

Yummy Chicken on the Grill!

I LOVE Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. One of my favorite memories growing up is that when Daddy was out of town on business, our "treat" was mac & cheese! We had so much fun picking out the different shapes (classic, spirals, dinosaurs, or whatever cartoon character was popular at the time) and then getting to STIR THE SAUCE! That was the best part. In college, without the luxury of a stove top, I made a lot of EasyMac. Basically, it's my comfort food. Yummm.

So, I was having a mad craving for mac & cheese and Steven wanted and excuse to fire up the grill, so we went grocery shopping and found a quick & delicious meal to satisfy both of us.


Here are the tasty drumsticks we bought. Steven threw them on the grill and.... MAGIC!!

Our dinner turned out great!

Now, I can say pretty certainly that this meal was NOT healthy, but what's better than taking a night off from being an adult and just eating something that makes you smile? Notice the obligatory salad, our attempt to make this a well-rounded meal. Steven's plate didn't have this much macaroni. I use the excuse that "I'm eating for two" (since I'm still nursing), but the fact is, I can really put away some tasty noodles.

What food makes you feel like a kid again?

Digital Scrapbooking

I've been trying (read: putting off) to get in to the digital scrapbooking fad. I love how cute it makes digital pictures/blogs look. So, after some trial-and-error with GIMP (thanks Lauren!), I finally have something to show for it: a "scrapbook style" picture of the cutest little boy on the planet!

In case you want this kit, I got it for FREE from Digi-Designs by Nicole in collaboration with Nibbles Skribbles.



click on the picture to see it full-size!

I think this will be our desktop background until I create another page that's actually the right size for our desktop.

...I almost forgot!! The fonts I used are from Fonts for Peas.

Arrr me hearties!

For Father's Day, I went to have pictures made of our favorite little boy. Steven LOVES the idea of anything pirate-themed. He wants to get Jackson a bed shaped like a pirate ship when he grows out of the crib. Following this idea, I decided that Steven would love pictures of his son dressed as a pirate. They turned out so cute, and Steven loved them. He thinks that Jackson would make a very handsome pirate, though not very intimidating. Unless you're afraid of baby drool, in which case, watch out!

Baby Jail

I haven't had the time or energy to post lately. Steven's family came to visit last weekend and I spent Friday at the mall with them, Saturday at home sick with food poisoning/the flu (jury's still undecided), and have been trying to kick feeling junky since then. Steven, his family, and my Mom have been awesome about helping me out though. :)

We recently installed a play-area that we fondly refer to as "baby jail" in our living room, so here's our favorite inmate saying hello!



Come to think of it, this face is oddly similar to my pirate face:

Obstacle Course

Jackson is a moving little boy and he just refuses to stop!! I have an admitted love/hate relationship with this new development. I love that he's getting around, I love watching him, and I love the look on his face when he is determined to explore something and is able to get there himself. I hate that he gets in to e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g!! Luckily, the cat has moved out again, which cuts down a lot on the "ick" factor of some places he was tempted to explore. (to my Japanese friends: Maru is safe and sound! He lives with my Mom and keeps her company and she gives him all the attention we can't since Jackson is around. We still love him and see him all the time, and we think he is much happier this way.) One place that Jackson can do all the exploring he wants? Where else? Our favorite: Gymboree! Here are some fun pictures of Jackson's trek through the obstacle course, with special guest: Grandma Scott!

Jackson starts out strong - standing by himself! Well, maybe he had a little help from the play equipment. His next step (after Mom & Grandma help him on to the platform) is to crawl through that blue and purple tunnel behind him.


Oh man, this is tough work! But Jackson's in the tunnel and scooting along.


That tunnel was a piece of cake, Mom! What's next? The red tunnel to your left, big Jack!


This one may be made of a harder and slicker material, but it has the added benefit of groves for little hands and feet!


This exploring stuff is fun!!!


No problem. Next, he has to make his way over two foam bumps.


With a great and forceful leap, Jackson clings to the blue bump for dear life.


After tackling the blue and green bumps, Jackson arrives at the end of his journey, victorious.


"Mom, that was fun, but I'm exhausted!!"


"I always know that Grandma will let me bum a ride when I'm tired."


Jackson's ever-developing skills have kicked the baby-proofing in to high-gear and our house has seen some major changes this weekend. Our cute, cozy living room has given way to his needs. We moved one of our bookshelves to the bedroom in order to designate a section of the living room for Jackson's "play area." The idea of getting a pack'n'play seemed a little unfair since there really isn't a lot of room for him to roam around and he's growing bigger by the day. Instead, we got a gate from BRU to section off a corner of the room, where Jackson can hang out and explore and I'll know he's safe while I'm doing the laundry, cleaning the house, etc. It's not the most stylish addition to our living room, but we're making do with what we have! And I know Jackson's going to love it (we... um... Steven put it up after Jackson went to sleep).

Alright, all this baby-chasing and -proofing and -blogging has made me tired! Good night! :)

Free Fonts

I spent the majority of my night downloading free fonts from this website:

www.kevinandamanda.com

...so I figured I owed her a shout-out. She has some REALLY CUTE fonts and a great webpage. Best part - it's all free! Enjoy!

Not great with the updates...

My mother-in-law calls me about once a week to yell at me for not updating my blog. Thanks Terri for keeping me in line! The only other time she calls is to find out if I've cut her pictures for her yet (I swear it's on my to-do list!) and to find out when she can see Jackson again. She used to like me for me, now she just likes me for a grandbaby oven. (kidding! we have a great relationship full of sarcasm and laughter)

Anyways, what has the Haynes family been up to? Jackson has very busy weeks these days... to the point that I've had to alter my title from "Stay-at-home Mom" to "Full-time Mom" because we are very rarely actually at home! Today (Monday) we had swim lessons, which is always a lot of FUN! Jackson is a champion in the water. He never cries, he can put his head underwater (with some help from mom), kick his little legs, and even float on his back (again, with some help from mom). Ask Jackson what his favorite part about swimming is and guess what his answer would be? (I mean... assuming he could talk) He would definitely say chewing on the floating toys! Duckies, dolphins, dinosaurs, balls, he just can't get enough of those delicious floating wonders. It's great for me because it helps him relax in the water. He can concentrate on playing and teething instead of being scared. I'm really glad that we got him started swimming early because a lot of the other kids in the class seem nervous about being in the water, and Jackson just goes with it. Again, what a champion!

Here's a picture of my little swimmer boy in the pool & after some time at the pool with Mommy & Daddy. He looks pretty traumatized, huh?:



On Tuesdays we go to Gymboree. This is special because I went to Gymboree with my mom when I was Jackson's age. I met one of my life-long friends there, Ashley. Ashley was a bridesmaid in my wedding and since moving back to Plano we get together with her about once or twice a week. Even though we haven't made any really special buddies yet, we have a BLAST at Gymboree together! My mom, Terri, and Steven have all been special guests at our Gymboree classes. We try to go on Fridays as well. This is probably my favorite activity of the week because it's always changing and engaging. It's also a lot of fun to see the different kids and talk to the other parents about common challenges we have.

Here are some photos of us at Gymboree!!


















Wednesday and Thursday we try to get over to the Library for Rhyme Time, but that doesn't always happen, and then Friday it's back to Gymboree! It's so great that we have so much going on in our lives; I've always wanted to be so blessed to be able to take care of Jackson myself rather than having someone else do it for me. Someone once told me that you'll never regret spending time with your kids. As exhausting as it can be - he was right!