The ABC's of the Not So Average Momma

A. Attached or single? Attached at the hip to my wonderful hubby

Sometimes I've got little ones attached to me too!

B. Best friend? Lucky to have a few

C. Cake or pie? Cakes, cup cakes, cake pops.. the list can go on

D. Day of choice? I love Sundays because I am doubly blessed with church family time and our personal family time

E. Essential item? The diaper bag (can you tell I'm a mom?)

This guy requires a lot of stuff!

F. Favorite color? Teal

G. Gummy bears or worms? I like the clear gummy bears best!

H. Home town? Houston, Texas

I. Favorite indulgence? Blue Bell Ice Cream

J. January or July? July- bring on the heat! 

K. Kids? Love mine!

L. Life isn't complete without? Love- whether it be from my hubby, kids, parents, etc. 

Love

M. Marriage date? 06/07/08

N. Number of brothers/sisters? 1 sister (Herbalicious) and 1 brother (June) 

O. Oranges or apples? Honeycrisp apples! Can't wait until the next Apple Festival! 

P. Phobias? The dark for sure- I've been rocking the nightlight since 1987!

Q. Quotes? "Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Ghandi

R. Reasons to smile? Too many to list.

S. Season of choice? I love the rejuvenation of spring, the warmth of summer, the crispness of fall, but above all I hate dislike the winter most! 

Summertime and the living is easy

T. Tag 5 people: Jess, Tyler, Amie, Tiphany, Krystal

U. Unknown fact about me? I try to live life in a "fish bowl"... so I don't think there's anything unknown

V. Vegetable? Broccoli 

W. Worst habit? Biting my nails/cuticles, getting distract... squirrel, letting my OCD drive my actions, staying up too late blogging... 

X. X-Ray or ultrasound? I guess ultrasound because in the past that meant there was a little dude in there for me to see! 

Y. Your favorite food? My mom's lasagna 

Z. Zodiac sign? Pisces- just keep swimming! 

Thanks to DM on a Whim for the inspiration for this post! 

Instacram: July 2013

I love being able to share my photos so easily with Instagram! Check out what I've been up to this month! 

Are you following me yet? 

Find me: NotSoAverageMomma

Top Row:  1.) Best friends,  2.) Nolan checking out the world,  3.) A series of photos taken by E,  4.) E playing with daddy,  5.)  Exploring the rocks

Middle Row:  1.) Sticking his tounge out,  2.) I see you!,  3-5.) Photos from the National's game that we all went to

Bottom Row:  1.) God bless Texas!,  2.) Everett stuffing in some pizza, 3.) Pretty kitty,  4.)  The boys at the farm,  5.) Nolan and Grandmother (Ya Ya) out on a walk

Top Row:  1.) A pretty butterfly in my parents front yard,  2.) Tyler and Nolan laying around,  3.) Senic Round Hill VA,  4.) Always sleepy,  5.)  Marley and Everett at the Bug Box

Middle Row:  1.) My little chub chub,  2.) The boys passed out in bed,  3.) One of Meme's fox visitors on her back porch,  4.) Everett (in the highchair) and Tyler both playing on their phones, 5.)  Back of camera view of a family photo my dad took of us

Bottom Row:  1.) Back of camera view of a photo I took of E,  2.) Modest mister, 3.) E's first push pop,  4.)  Nolan's eye color is changing,  5.) Everett loves his little bro

Top Row:  1.) Everett's first cone at Carl's Ice Cream (he ususally gets a shake)  2.) A morning photo shoot,  3.) Rosie the Riveter left her mark on my sock,  4- 5.)  Shots of me getting my latest tattoos

Middle Row:  1.) Sleepy Nolan,  2.) Nolan and his paci,  3.) Side by side of my dad and Everett wearing glasses,  4- 5.)  Everett and his new favorite obsession- glasses!

Bottom Row:  1.) Cute puppy celebrating Independence Day,  2.) Where's my parade?, 3.) Greensboro NC fire truck,  5.) Put em up! 

----

For more Instacram posts click here! 

Thanks to Jess for the original inspiration for this post! 

FBP: Why All the Drama Momma?

You know that look you get from other moms when your two year old won’t cooperate and throws a tantrum, your three month old is crying because he wants to nurse, and all you want to do is get the heck out of the grocery store but you can’t because you’d like to have food to put on the table at dinner time?  You know the look that says “Wow, she doesn’t have it together.”  

Read the full post here over on my blog at FredericksburgParent.net!  This post was also featured on Our Little Clan!  Be sure to head over to Amie's blog and check out what she and her family have been up to! 

Checking out the Farm

This summer I am trying to get out in the community and check out all of the fun things that Fredericksburg has to offer.  As part of this "quest" I have started a play group and we each take turns picking the location.  One of our most favorite places that we have found is Braehead Farms off of Tyler Street.  The farm just opened to the public this year and they have some really fun things for the kids to do there.  

The "barn lot" as they call it has tire swings, sand piles with trucks, slides, pedal tractors, and lots of fun animals to see and even some to pet.  We had a group of eight adults and nine kiddos at the farm and the kids loved running around and playing with each other.  

There is an admission to the barn lot ($5 for 3 years and up) but I think it is well worth it. We could have stayed and played out there all day.  They have picnic tables as well so next time we will definitely pack a lunch and make a day out of it! Check out the pictures I took while we were there!

The kids loved the sand pit, not sure how much the mommy's liked it! 

A cute little chicken

Running through the fields!

Everett and Kristian, little best buddies!

Running to see the pigs!

Checking out the pig shaped bench!

One of the pigs! 

Checking out the chickens....

Kristian was the "chicken whisperer," they loved him! 

"Look at the goat Everett!"

Micah, Kristian, and Everett checking out the goat

Just a boy on the farm! 

To read more about the farm opening click here! Be sure to like the farm on Facebook here! 

Weekend Links

This is my last breastfeeding related post this week!  I hope you all have enjoyed all of the posts this week. All the links below are breastfeeding related and I find interesting, funny, etc.  Enjoy!

• I wonder if the Duchess of Cambridge will be Breastfeeding a Prince?

This video is totally how I was!  This time around I don't even fiddle with a cover because it's so much more work and I don't find it necessary!

• This is an interesting follow up to the video: If you don't support breastfeeding in public, you don't support breastfeeding... 

• Dr. Sears' 19 Tips for Better Pumping

• "Breastfeeding is a straight-forward health issue, not one of two equivalent choices."  Do you agree? Disagree?  Read the full article here. 

Sharing the "Liquid Gold"

My story is part of the Blog carnival organized by World Milksharing Week, to celebrate World Milksharing Week 2013. Click here to read more stories about milksharing. If you’d like to participate too, please visit this page.

---------------------------------------------------------

With Everett, I was worried terrified that I would "run out" of breast milk so I pumped and pumped and pumped a lot during the first few months of his life.  This was before I started going to La Leche League and before I realized that Everett would not take a bottle.  In the almost 20 months that Everett nursed he probably only took a bottle (partially not even fully) less than a handful of times.  (Note: I am sure that if he HAD to- like if God forbid I was in an accident or something- then Everett probably would have taken one eventually.)   

I spent countless hours hooked up to the pump, spent time meticulously measuring out my milk into the little breast milk storage bags. I would carefully squeeze out all of the excess air, and daintily scribble the date and amount of milk on the bag.  I was pretty OCD about the whole thing and then kid wouldn't even take a bottle!  Go figure!  Well there was no way I was going to just throw away all of that milk! 

A photo of a milk "stash" (found here.)

So what do I do now?  My baby won't drink the milk that I have pumped and I have a freezer full of the stuff.  I started researching my options.  I had read somewhere that Sir Elton John had breast milk flown in for his son so I figured there had to be a way for someone to use my milk.   I looked into breast milk donor banks but the guidelines were sort of stringent and to be honest it looked like a lot of work.  So I kept digging to see what else I could find.  That is when I came across Human Milk 4 Human Babies (HM4HB) on facebook. 

"The mission of Human Milk 4 Human Babies Global Network is to promote the nourishment of babies and children around the world with human milk. We are dedicated to fostering community between local families who have chosen to share breast milk."

What a novel idea! A message board dedicated for women who want to breastfeed their babies but are not able to provide enough or any of their own breast milk! I was so excited that I had found this website and that there were other people out there who, like me, wanted to breastfeed their baby by whatever (safe) means possible. 

I know, I know this all sounds a bit weird to the outside world but it truly is a blessing to a baby in need.  As a new mom it can be frustrating enough to try to breastfeed but when you run into problems it can be devastating.  Some moms are more than happy and even excited to accept breast milk from another woman.  Anastasia shared with me "I got some milk from some wonderful mamas, I loved being able to supplement with breast milk and use less formula to supplement what I produced!"  On the other hand, some women are not interested and are fine with supplementing or fully switching to formula.  Joelle says "I wanted to donate my some of my milk to my sister-in- law whose son is a month younger than my daughter. She has PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and tried so hard to breastfeed but couldn't produce enough however, she wasn't receptive to the idea."  

There is also a "human element" involved in donating/receiving breast milk.  Most women who are donating are very up front about the "condition" of their milk (i.e. what medication she may be on, if she consumes alcohol, etc.) It is very important to ask questions regarding the mothers' lifestyle, especially if your child has an allergy to a certain type of food.  This is why "informed choice" is so important with milk sharing.  

"Informed choice is a choice made by competent individuals, free from coercion, that takes into account sufficient information to make a decision. This information should include the benefits and risks of a course of action, as well as taking into account what alternatives are available, and an individual’s intuitive feelings on the subject." (HM4HB Frequently Asked Questions)

Another issue that some women run into is actually finding the time to meet.  Since HM4HB operates as a message board, users communicate with each other individually and set up times to get together. This can cause issues if you have someone flake out on you.  Gina shared this story with me about her milk donation experience: 

"I had over 300 ounces of breast milk to donate after Joshua was diagnosed with his food allergies since we could no longer use the breast milk at all.  I offered my milk on the HM4HB message board and a woman said she desperately needed it. We set to meet up and she never showed up. I moved to the next woman who was interested in the milk and the same thing happened. I had never been strung along so much in my life and I was done. I ended up painfully throwing away all of those bags of milk because we desperately needed the room in our freezer."

For every negative experience, I am sure that there are dozens of positive experiences! Jessica says, "I was happy to donate to a mama in need I felt very good about sharing my milk in order to help someone else even, if it wasn't much." It is such a rewarding feeling to know that my body produces milk to not only feed my own child but to feed others who are in need of it as well.  I have donated to three different babies so far and am starting to pump daily in order to donate to a friend of mine who is fostering a four month old little girl!  I think it's pretty cool to be able to say I've nursed my own two babies and have also provided milk for four (and hopefully more)! 

I'd like to conclude this post with a story about two women who started out as acquaintances but through milk sharing  have become great friends.  I asked both of these women for their experiences with milk sharing and they provided me with their own individual accounts. To my knowledge, neither of them shared their story with the other but when I was reading them they seemed fit together seamlessly.  Enjoy!
...............

Rissa: "I breastfed all four of my babies and knew that I would breastfeed our fifth as well. It was a very easy decision. Nathan was born and little did we know, God had something different planned for us, other women would feed him, not me. Nathan was born with a very rare genetic syndrome and was unable to breastfeed, despite my hard work and dedication. He only had my milk for the first five weeks, but I had to pump it and give it to him through a bottle specifically for babies with facial malformations. As the appointments and surgeries piled up, the stress started affecting my milk supply and I had to come up with food for Nathan, quick! My first instinct was to run out and buy a can of organic formula. As much as it killed me to buy it, he needed to eat. I cried."

Erin: "To be honest I never really thought of becoming a milk donor, the opportunity just fell into my lap.  My friend Rissa, whom I have know casually for about four years through our local MOMS Club International Chapter gave birth to a beautiful baby boy last July. As it turned out Nathan was born with a rare genetic condition called Hallermann-Streiff.  Rissa tried to breastfeed Nathan but his mouth and jaw were so small he was unable to latch on; she tried and tried to pump but was unable to produce enough to feed Nathan."

Nathan, 1 year old
Photo by Stephanie McFarland Photography

Rissa: "I text messaged a friend of mine, who is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and she mentioned milk sharing.  She said I had to have a few friends that breastfed and would willingly give me some milk. I discussed this with my husband. He was a little unsure about it but after doing some research, I couldn't find anything harmful about it. 

So after an hour of thinking about it, I posted a status to my Facebook page: “I am gonna need a little help to keep up with Nathan's feedings. I am wondering if there are any breastfeeding mommas out there willing to part with their "liquid gold" for Nathan? I appreciate any ounce I can get.” I had milk in my fridge/freezer by the end of the next day!" 

Erin: "One day she put a call out on Facebook for milk donations.  By this time my son was over a year old and I had not pumped since he was an infant. I did however have a few bags of frozen milk and knew a ton of other breastfeeding moms.  Rissa gladly accepted what I had, after talking with her during a meal drop off. I told her I would pump for her once or twice a day for as long as I could. I was not producing tons, but what I had was enough for a few meals for Nate a day. During this time many of my friends also donated to Rissa and Nathan. I ended up pumping for Nathan for about six months I believe. I was so sad once I was no longer able to pump anything of substance. I did however continue to connect Rissa with as many of my friends who could donate as possible." 

Rissa: "It was all uphill from there. I was able to pump some milk for Nathan until he was about six months of age, but our milk mommas gave him most of his nutrition.  Some of our friends and family were a little skeptical of our plan to feed Nathan with other women’s milk but it is a normal thing around our house now. When I mention a "milk smuggle," it’s as normal as running to the grocery store. I have tried to keep track of all of our milk mommas but sometimes milk just shows up in our freezer and I never know who to credit it to. We have about 40 milk mommas, give or take a few, at this moment. We have over 60+ milk smuggles under our belt and we have collected milk in four different states. We very rarely turn down milk. Although breast milk is our most treasured item at home (we even bought a generator for bad weather), the ultimate treasure is the new relationships I have with Nathans milk momma's. I have met some really nice women and a few of them are now great friends of mine."

Erin: "It is such a rewarding experience to donate breast milk; watching Nathan thrive and grow has been joyous. Through this experience I have gained a best friend as Rissa and I have become incredibly close over this last year. I honestly feel Rissa and her family have become a part of my family."

Rissa: "Nathan is thriving, he is gaining weight, he is happy, he is perfect. I would not have been able to do this without the help of all of the donors that help me feed him. I would not have been able to do it without the support of my husband. Milk sharing is one of the best decisions I made for Nathan."

Nathan, 1 year old
Photo by Stephanie McFarland Photography

Erin: "I am excited to say I am 18 weeks pregnant with my third child and cannot wait to donate milk to Nathan or any other child in need after the baby is born. Breastfeeding had been one of the greatest joys of my motherhood experience; milk donation only enhanced that experience. Thanks to Rissa’s courage for asking for milk donations my life has been enriched and I have gained lasting friendships."
.............

I am so touched by their story. I hope that mothers out there who, like Rissa, want to provide breast milk for their child/ren but for whatever reason are unable to will reach out to the community and start researching their options.  

I want to say THANK YOU to Anastasia, Joelle, Gina, Jessica, Rissa, and Erin for sharing their comments and stories with me.  I am so thankful to have a real life perspective to add to this post.  I know that through your courageousness we are making strides in normalizing breastfeeding and milk sharing.  :) 

Have you ever heard of milk sharing?  What do you think?  Is this a weird thing to you or totally normal?  Would you ever consider sharing your milk or using another woman's breast milk to feed your baby?  I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - 

If you are interested in using a breast pump either for your child or for the purposes of donating you should now be able to acquire one through your insurance company for little to no cost.  Check out this link for more information! 

The Big Latch On

Happy Thursday and happy World Breastfeeding Week! Every year the first seven days in the month of August are celebrated as World Breastfeeding Week! 

"World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 120 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.  It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration made by WHO and UNICEF policy-makers in August 1990 to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.  Breastfeeding is the best way to provide newborns with the nutrients they need. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding until a baby is six months old, and continued breastfeeding with the addition of nutritious complementary foods for up to two years or beyond." (Quote found here.) 

During World Breastfeeding Week each year women around the world gather for the Big Latch On!  Nolan and I will be attending this event this Saturday- a big thanks to Kim (one of my loyal readers) who found the local event page for me! Click here to find a location near you! 

Here is some more information from the Big Latch On website! 

What is the Big Latch On?

• A Big Latch On is a lot of fun! Groups of breastfeeding women come together at registered locations around the world, at a set time they all latch on their child for one minute while being counted by witnesses. The numbers are added up and see if we beat previous Big Latch On records or maybe even the world record!

Why have a Big Latch On? 

Nursing Everett at
Chatham Manor last year

• We all know how important breastfeeding is and this way we can show everyone just how much we all value breastfeeding and support all women as they grow the next generation.  Plus it's a really good way to spend time with other women & families, and have a lot of fun, maybe a coffee and some cake as well!

What are the aims of the Big Latch On?

• Support for communities to identify and grow opportunities to provide ongoing breastfeeding support and promotion.
• Raise awareness of breastfeeding support and knowledge available in communities.
• Help communities positively support breastfeeding in public places.
• Make breastfeeding a normal part of the day-to-day life at a local community level.
• Increase support for women who breastfeed - women are supported by there partners, family and the breastfeeding knowledge that is embedded in their communities.
• Communities have the resources to and/or advocate for coordinated appropriate and accessible breastfeeding support services.

What is the record for simultaneous breastfeeding?

• The first record for one location was from Berkeley, CA USA in 2002 where 1,130 mothers breastfed simultaneously. The international record for one location is 3,738 mothers held by the Philippines in 2006. Buoyed by their success, the Philippines have partnered every year since with other countries and in October 2010 recorded 9,826 nursing mothers in 325 sites in 16 countries.

What's the Big Latch On record?

• 8,862 women and their children came together and breastfed simultaneously as part of the Big Latch On in 2012.

Photo found here. 

Will you be attending a Big Latch On event in your area? I would love to hear your experience! Feel free to share below! Check out this article about the event in our area. Nolan and I even made it into the paper!

FBP: Breastfeeding a Prince

Photo found here.

With the birth of the Royal Baby the whole world has come down with baby fever! Every one is cooing and oooing over His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge (aka George Alexander Louis) and you know what... I am really excited that we are focused on something happy! How wonderful is it that we are tuning into the news and reading about babies being born rather than looting and murders! 

Read the full post here over on my blog at FredericksburgParent.net! 

Free Nursing Pillow Anyone?

Little Nolan

When I nurse Nolan (and when I nursed Everett) I typically used a nursing pillow which helps tremendously.  The pillow brings the baby up higher off your lap and helps you to not have to hold him up the entire time.  

Nursing Pillow is offering their product for free (you pay S&H) for a limited time! Check out the instructions (below) to get yours today! 

1. Go to www.nursingpillow.com.
2. Click on "Shop Now" and select the Nursing Pillow of your choice in any of the nine prints!
3. Once you have made your selection, you'll automatically be directed to the shopping bag. Enter the promo code "BREASTFEED" and we will deduct 100% off the cost of your selected Nursing Pillow - all you pay are the SP&S fees!

** I was not perked or paid for this post.  All opinions are my own.

Breastfeeding Week

In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week (August 1st- 7th) all of my posts this week are going to be about breastfeeding, yay boobies! :) I was able to breastfeed Everett for almost 20 months (19 months and 25 days to be exact) and although there were ups and downs, it was a beautiful relationship.   I am passionate about breastfeeding because I believe that it is one of the most beautiful gifts that God gave to women.  This week is not about being "anti-formula" rather, it is about sharing something that I am passionate about.  I hope that what I post this week will be beneficial to women who may be interested in breastfeeding and will at the very least be informational for every one else! This first post is a collection of photographs taken by Story Teller Photography (like her facebook page here).  The photographer, Candice is putting together a coffee table book to help normalize breastfeeding and the stigma of nursing in public.  Check out the photos of Nolan and I as well as some of my friends and their cute little ones!  Enjoy! 

Tiphany and Micah with Nolan and I

Julie and Emmalyn

Laurie and Issac

Helen and Will

Tiphany and Micah

Wednesday I will be posting some of the tips I have picked up over the last two years breastfeeding and will be "sharing" them with the Duchess of Cambridge.  I am not sure if she is or not but I am hoping that she plans to breastfeed that little Prince!  These tips will of course be for any mother who is or plans to breastfeed as well! :)