Packing for the beach for Ben was easy. No bottles or formula to worry about. He did great. He pretty much stayed on his regular nursing routine. My favorite time was when we were up before everyone else and nursed on the balcony as the sun came up. We didn't slow down and nursed at the pool side. We got a strange look from an employee but that was the most negativity we came across. When we went to dinner I went to the van to feed Ben not because I did not want to nurse in public but because he is so distractable lately. I knew the busy restaurant would be too much for him. On our way home we stopped at a great McDonald's with a really nice indoor play place. I watched Eliot play and fed Ben. No one gave me a second look. Another mother with an itty bitty baby sat near us. The baby started to fuss. She started to give her a bottle but she was still fussing. The mom moved to another table and when we walked past on ourway out she was breastfeeding her little one. That warmed my heart.
One a second note, I gave Ben a taste of plain baked potatoes and plain sweet potatoes during the past few days. He seems more interested in what we are eating. We'll see what happens next.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Breastfeeding and Early Intervention
Please enjoy this post via The Leaky B@@b. Thank you so much for letting me be part of the blog carnival during World Breastfeeding Week!
"My child has Autism. How do I continue to breastfeed him?"
"My baby was born at 28 weeks. How do I even start a breastfeeding relationship?"
"My baby just won't latch how can I breastfeed?"
"I have stopped breastfeeding. Now I want to start again. Isn't my milk all gone?"
These are all questions that I have heard as I work with families with special needs children under three years old. They are also questions I have asked myself. I am a developmental specialist, service coordinator, and special instructor with my state's early intervention program. I am also a mother of seven children. My oldest child has Autism. My fourth child was born at 28 weeks and it was months before she was able to latch on. She also has a seizure disorder. My seventh and youngest child just could not get the hang of nursing and I pumped for three months before I could teach him how to latch and be a pro at breastfeeding now at six months old. My other children breastfeed with all different degrees of "success". All of my experiences with my children bring a depth to the work I do everyday. When parents find out I can share some of the emotions they feel I gain some of their trust. This allows me to provide the best care and services to their children.
Unfortunately, most of the families I work with never even try to breastfeed their special needs babies. A lot of these children have compromised immune systems or suboptimal brain development. Some even have metabolic disorders and nutrient absorption problems. Yet still they never even consider breast milk as the best food for their child.
Other times mothers just choose not to breastfeed or even hold their child to bottle feed. They may have developmental delays without a diagnosois. I am challenged when a child has a goal to hold their own bottle at 6 months. Their family wants them to sit supported in a seat and hold a bottle without any emotional or physical help. In my job I have to respect the family culture of those I am there to help. But I also don't want to support them in causing more hurtles for their child to surmount. I try to gently remind them that feeding time is meant to be a nurturing learning time for their child. I remind them how human babies have been fed in ages past and in other countries. Sometimes this prompts them to consider holding their babies to bottle feed them. Rarely I work with with a family that wants to breastfeed and just needs help to increase their supply. Or sometimes they just need someone to tell them it is OK to nurse their special needs child. I remind them that it is BETTER to breastfeed their special needs child. Nursing at the breast is a great oral motor workout. Children with Down syndrome benefit from this method of feeding way above and beyond just getting fed. This helps with their speech development and oral motor control on a lot of levels. Typical children benefit from breastfeeding but it can be dramatically evident how much it helps children with low muscle tone. I have even seen a dramatic difference in children with Autism that are or have been breastfed. I have more luck in introducing new foods to children that have breastfed. They seem to be more used to changes in taste than children who have only had formula. I attribute that to the varying differences in breastmilk from feeding to feeding and day to day. They did not get the same old taste every feeding so they expect a bit more variety. And as always with a job where one works with children under three years old poopy comes into the conversation. A lot of families I meet notice that their children have a lot of problems with constipation because of low tone, nerve damage, or drug interactions. But, the few that receive some breastmilk have little or no problems with constipation. I have even recommended that families find a source of breastmilk for their child. I refer them to friends and or family members they trust or to milk banks in their area. I get really strange looks when I make that recommendation. It is just not in their mindset to think that way.
I hope that from the dozens of families that I come in contact with throughout the year I am able to help some children achieve access to breastmilk in any way that they can. Even children that can not suckle or even swallow need braestmilk to help reach their full potential. Well, I've got to go. I am off to work with a child learning how to communicate. And you know what? Mom is pregnant. Let's see if I can plant a seed of change!
"My child has Autism. How do I continue to breastfeed him?"
"My baby was born at 28 weeks. How do I even start a breastfeeding relationship?"
"My baby just won't latch how can I breastfeed?"
"I have stopped breastfeeding. Now I want to start again. Isn't my milk all gone?"
These are all questions that I have heard as I work with families with special needs children under three years old. They are also questions I have asked myself. I am a developmental specialist, service coordinator, and special instructor with my state's early intervention program. I am also a mother of seven children. My oldest child has Autism. My fourth child was born at 28 weeks and it was months before she was able to latch on. She also has a seizure disorder. My seventh and youngest child just could not get the hang of nursing and I pumped for three months before I could teach him how to latch and be a pro at breastfeeding now at six months old. My other children breastfeed with all different degrees of "success". All of my experiences with my children bring a depth to the work I do everyday. When parents find out I can share some of the emotions they feel I gain some of their trust. This allows me to provide the best care and services to their children.
Unfortunately, most of the families I work with never even try to breastfeed their special needs babies. A lot of these children have compromised immune systems or suboptimal brain development. Some even have metabolic disorders and nutrient absorption problems. Yet still they never even consider breast milk as the best food for their child.
Other times mothers just choose not to breastfeed or even hold their child to bottle feed. They may have developmental delays without a diagnosois. I am challenged when a child has a goal to hold their own bottle at 6 months. Their family wants them to sit supported in a seat and hold a bottle without any emotional or physical help. In my job I have to respect the family culture of those I am there to help. But I also don't want to support them in causing more hurtles for their child to surmount. I try to gently remind them that feeding time is meant to be a nurturing learning time for their child. I remind them how human babies have been fed in ages past and in other countries. Sometimes this prompts them to consider holding their babies to bottle feed them. Rarely I work with with a family that wants to breastfeed and just needs help to increase their supply. Or sometimes they just need someone to tell them it is OK to nurse their special needs child. I remind them that it is BETTER to breastfeed their special needs child. Nursing at the breast is a great oral motor workout. Children with Down syndrome benefit from this method of feeding way above and beyond just getting fed. This helps with their speech development and oral motor control on a lot of levels. Typical children benefit from breastfeeding but it can be dramatically evident how much it helps children with low muscle tone. I have even seen a dramatic difference in children with Autism that are or have been breastfed. I have more luck in introducing new foods to children that have breastfed. They seem to be more used to changes in taste than children who have only had formula. I attribute that to the varying differences in breastmilk from feeding to feeding and day to day. They did not get the same old taste every feeding so they expect a bit more variety. And as always with a job where one works with children under three years old poopy comes into the conversation. A lot of families I meet notice that their children have a lot of problems with constipation because of low tone, nerve damage, or drug interactions. But, the few that receive some breastmilk have little or no problems with constipation. I have even recommended that families find a source of breastmilk for their child. I refer them to friends and or family members they trust or to milk banks in their area. I get really strange looks when I make that recommendation. It is just not in their mindset to think that way.
I hope that from the dozens of families that I come in contact with throughout the year I am able to help some children achieve access to breastmilk in any way that they can. Even children that can not suckle or even swallow need braestmilk to help reach their full potential. Well, I've got to go. I am off to work with a child learning how to communicate. And you know what? Mom is pregnant. Let's see if I can plant a seed of change!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
World Breastfeeding Week
In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week I am working on a submission to a blog carnival. The big girls are working on essay and artwork submissions too.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
In the grocery line
For once I was in the grocery line by myself today. I was getting WIC for myself and Evan. I didn't need all of the milk on my voucher. I was making small talk and told the cashier that I didn't need all of the milk that they give me for being a breastfeeding mom. The cashier said, "You must have a newborn". I looked at her for a split second and said with a smile that my baby turned 6 months old this month. She looked a little confused. I guess she didn't ever consider that moms nurse after a few weeks.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Nursing at the pool
I wore a suit that was easy to pull down at the pool last Sunday. I was all prepared to nurse Ben at the poolside if need be. He didn't act hungry at all till it was time to leave and we were all in the family change room. He ate away privately there and slept all the way home.
Baby food....
I did end up getting the jars of baby food on WIC. The other kids got into them. Evan and Eliot wanted banana applesauce. The older girls even wanted to try it. They all liked the fruit but the meat and veggies did not really find any fans. I will try Ben on some organic baby food a little at first. WIC doesn't let you get organic food except for the fresh fruit and vegetables. We'll see how all of that goes.
Food time?
Ben was 6 months old on the 18th of this month. He is starting to show some interest in food. He watches my spoon or fork as it goes from my mouth to my plate. He has reached for my food several times. And everything is going in the mouth. He is gnawing on everything. Dad informed me yesterday that my freezer stash is running out. I probably only have enough milk to last out the week. I pump everyday but Ben is drinking and sometimes wasting about 4 ounces more than I pump. I either need to add more pumping sessions to my routine or come up with some other solution. I do not want to add formula into the mix. I have my bananas, rice, and avocados ready to offer him. I think we will start with the bananas tonight. I want to see him in action trying to eat before I turn that job over to Dad during the day. I don't want to use a lot or any processed foods. I think I will stay away from the baby cereals right now. All of their "fortified" nutrients can be found in real food if you pick the right foods. Besides, breastmilk is and still will be his main nutrition. Food right now is just extra for practice. I do hope to use food as a bit of a staller for Dad till I get home. I want Ben to nurse more at night but he is all about sleeping instead of eating at night right now. I usually feed him around 4:30 am or 5:00am. He just doesn't want to eat right before I go to work anymore. If I could only reason with the little man. I'll let you know how eating food goes tonight!
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