You may or may not be aware that from the 1st to the 7th of August we celebrated World Breastfeeding Week.
One of their posts gave some awesome tips about expressing and gave some really good reasons why you might want to choose to express your milk. Honestly, go and check this one out because there was a lot of information there, but two that I picked out were these.
- One tip was you could pump at the same time every day, as far as your body’s concerned, that’s an extra feed that’s needed every day and so your body can adjust and accommodate to it.
- The second tip was to just get comfy, put on a great TV show, grab some easy snacks and use some breathing techniques. Being as comfortable and as chilled as you can help the milk to flow.
The next one I found was by @momsbundle (here’s a link to the full post)
She did a whole host of fabulous posts, different ones so please go and have a look. But I picked this one out because it was all about how to support a breastfeeding mom.
- The one thing you could do is to just be there to listen to them.
- Sometimes a breastfeeding mom who’s having difficulty just needs someone to hear her out.
- She may also feel like she’s just a milk machine at the minute and really wants to take a break, but still enjoying the process too.
- Just be there really, no judging.
- Just listen and support her.
- Another thing would be to check in with her to see if she needs anything. Often breastfeeding can be isolating for some and some might choose to go into it privately. And if they do, ask if there’s anything they need, or if they’d like just a little bit of company.
The other post I found was @thebabytobumpchapter (here’s a link to the full post)
She did a lovely post about storing and defrosting your breast milk. So the post includes tips about how to store it, what to store it in, and the time to use it after it’s defrosting. An example I can give you, but please go and have a look at this post because there was so many, was a real eye-opener. I actually didn’t realize quite how much was involved in storing breast milk. So here’s one example.
- You can store breast milk in an insulated cooler bag for up to 24 hours.
Next up is the @theecomidwife (here’s a link to the full post)
She included some really interesting facts about breastfeeding, chestfeeding and milk. But two interesting facts that she mentioned that you may or may not know,
- Is that breast milk is a living substance that adapts to your baby and your child’s needs.
- Another fact was that breast milk contains antibodies, which provide a great foundation for your baby’s immune system.
Lastly, I found a post by @rosemotherhood (here’s a link to the full post)
Her post helped prevent mastitis. In her post, she outlines what she calls the mastitis prevention protocol. If you’ve suffered from mastitis or know someone who is suffering, send them this post. It’s a lengthy post, but it has some super suggestions such as
- Checking your latch,
- Different feeding positions
- Taking hot showers and baths
- Gently massaging
Now, apart from informative posts, I also found a shed load of beautiful art. I love all kinds of art and shared so many of my findings in my Instagram stories throughout that week. I shared breast/chestfeeding paintings, sketches, lino prints, sculptures, videos, photographs, statues.
There is some amazing, amazing work out there!!
One account whose breast/chestfeeding paintings blow me away is Lauren J. Turner Fine Art (check out her instagram account here!)
Please, please, please take the time to visit her account. Her work is sublime.
Another account to follow that shares a huge range of artwork is called @breastfeedingart
I lost many hours going through this account, it is absolutely stunning.
and finally please check out my latest Podcast episode (16) where I interview Lisa Thompson about all things breast/chestfeeding. The show notes are 100% worth your time to!
If you are on a breast/chestfeeding journey and would love some moments to encapsulate this time check out my Motherhood sessions
