BREASTS – NOT JUST FOR OGLING ANYMORE! Breasts, knockers, boobies, hooters – there are more names for this one area of the female anatomy than any other. They’re gawked at, giggled at, drooled over and some are more enhanced than digital photography. But stick a baby on the end of one of them; the laughing stops and people turn their heads in horror. I actually witnessed one gentleman trip over a small dog while attempting to pass by a nursing mother without actually having to make eye-breast contact. Now I realize that almost the entire male population is under the impression that women’s breasts were invented purely for their enjoyment. Well, to an infant male – that pretty much wraps it up. But why is it that the same men who will trip all over themselves to catch a peek down a woman’s blouse on the subway, are quite offended by the glimpse of a nipple in the mouth of a breastfeeding baby? Why are breasts only socially acceptable when adorned with tassels, rather than a nursing infant? And it’s not like breastfeeding mothers are strutting around with their blouses gaping, yelling “Hey you! Look over here! I’ve got my boobs exposed for you to ogle! Check ‘em out!” Nursing mothers are simply feeding their babies. And usually quite discreetly, I might add. And personally, given the choice between a screaming infant and a content baby at his mother’s breast? I’ll take a flash of flesh any day. Everyone seems to have a
breastfeeding story, or knows someone who does. Attitudes from spouse,
parents, siblings, friends, and even younger children, can play a big role
in the breastfeeding experience. Mother Earth Extraordinaire can be a
difficult role to play when you have your husband making comments like,
“For goodness sake, you’re not going to flop those puppies out right here
in public, are you?!” Or, a well-intentioned girlfriend who positively
gushes about how wonderful the whole experience was for her and her
daughter. “Look at how happy and healthy my Molecular Biologist has turned
out”, may not be overly helpful if you’re struggling to nurse with
bleeding nipples and a baby who seems to have been born with his first set
of teeth. For some women, it’s just
assumed that as soon as their newborn is placed in their arms, baby will
turn to the nipple as if magnets were somehow involved, and the feeding
frenzy will begin. I bought into this. How hard can it be? You shove a
nipple into the kids’ mouth, and he sucks out the milk. Big deal. My son
was obviously a leg man, because he showed absolutely NO interest in
either of my breasts. I waved those nipples in front of his face as one
might wave a new Ping driver in front of their husband. Nothing. He took
one look, screwed up his little face and started howling his objection to
the one-eyed Mammary Monster that was obviously about to gobble him up.
I’m sure this will come up in therapy one day. For those women who are
truly blessed with a supportive and informed circle of friends and family,
breastfeeding may well be one of the most rewarding aspects of
motherhood. And the best part is it occurs long before your adorable
little bundle of joy is flushing your gold earrings down the toilet, just
to see them go “bye bye”. It’s that magical time when you first connect
with your newborn baby on such a profoundly intimate level. You bask in
the beauty of your God-given ability to simultaneously provide
nourishment, security and love. To look down upon your little one taking
their sole sustenance from your body is an experience equaled by few.
Although, I have since discovered that watching your child make their own
breakfast, thereby allowing you to return to bed for a few extra minutes
of sleep, rates right up there as well. I have always marveled at
mothers of multiples who nurse their babies. It’s enough work to
co-ordinate the feeding schedule of one baby, let alone two or three.
But, breastfeeding more than one baby is not only possible; many have done
it quite successfully. Personally, I think it would be a whole lot easier
if we were made like cats – have four babies, have the required four
nipples (and even extras to accommodate the heavy drinkers), lie down on
one side, and while thumbing through the latest issue of “Parenting
Without Stress - Fact or Fiction?” and sipping on an iced tea, we’d nurse
our offspring lined up like kittens, slurping away. And that kneading
thing kittens do with their paws has got to help that mother’s stomach
return to it’s former self. My own cat had six kittens once and her
stomach is as firm as all get out. You go girl. But, alas, we women have to
be more resourceful than cats. Fortunately for women who choose to
breastfeed, whether one baby or many, there are organizations and
publications out there geared to support and encourage their success. I
feel strongly that for it to be a successful endeavor, the comfort and
confidence of the mother is of the utmost importance. How does that saying go?
“Necessity is the mother of invention”. Well, I think the word “mother”
is the key here. There are many mothers who have discovered something
lacking in our world, and just plunged ahead to fill the gap. Sandy Clark
of San Diego, CA is one of those women. Having her first pregnancy at 37
years old, her foremost desire was to breastfeed for as long as possible.
But, early on, when an ultrasound showed two tiny heartbeats instead of
one, Clark wondered if breastfeeding twins would ever be a reality. Armed
with an encouraging sister who was a Childbirth Educator, and valuable
information from La Leche League, Sandy regained her confidence and
prepared herself to tackle the task with both breasts. The pun is totally
intended..… With great intentions of
nursing throughout the twins’ first year, Clark began tandem nursing,
trying several nursing pillows and positions. She soon realized that
she’d require much more support if she was going to succeed. After
hearing her frustration, her husband suggested, “If you think you can
design something better, do it!” (Now, if it was my husband making that
suggestion, he would have been met with a death stare, a whack upside the
head and a full tub of Baby Wipes strategically aimed at his chest.
Fortunately for breastfeeding women worldwide, Sandy is made of tougher
stuff than I.) So, with some blocks of foam, and an electric knife from
her kitchen, she went to work. And thus – “Double Blessings” was
born. Was it not enough for her to have just given birth to twins? Show
off. After many prototypes and
refinements, Clark’s nursing pillow has taken the breastfeeding world by
storm. Her “EZ-2-Nurse Twins” Nursing Pillow is unique among its
competitors in that it has an angled top surface, which slopes towards Mom
on all three sides. This design safely positions babies towards mother’s
breasts, while freeing up her arms and hands, which are needed for
positioning, stimulating, caressing and burping. Simple math shows that
if a mother were to bottle-feed formula to her twins, it would require
preparing over 700 bottles in the first month alone! It exhausts me just
thinking about it… Life with multiples is no doubt busy enough! I’m also
thinking why buy the cows, the farm, and the equipment when you can get a
much higher quality milk for free. Six years later, Double
Blessings is now hailed as one of the largest suppliers of twin
specialty products and offers a full line of twin-related embroidered logo
t-shirts, ball caps, visors and window signs. As of 2001, Double
Blessings launched its redesigned nursing pillow for twins, now
offered in an inflatable model. It easily inflates to a mother’s
individual comfort level and deflates for travel and storage. Also
included is a detachable back pillow for mother’s comfort and support.
“The redesigned product is a response to customers who love our pillow,
but sometimes find it cumbersome to store or ship,” says Clark. “The new
version provides the same unique features, while offering versatility.
And the smaller package design requires less shelf space and reduces
shipping costs.” Double Blessings
can be found at
www.doubleblessings.com and 1-800-584-TWIN. Included are instructions
on where to sit, where to place the babies, and how to coordinate bringing
them to the pillow at the same time, without help from anyone else. And
while the “EZ-2-Nurse TwinsTM” Nursing Pillow is designed for nursing
multiples, its design makes it totally user-friendly for mothers of
singles, as well. Not to mention the added bonus of making it comfortable
for Mother’s Helpers when it comes to pitching in with bottle-feeding
pumped breastmilk. Having Daddy, Grandma or Nanny happy while helping out
is sure to keep them coming back for more. So where was Sandy Clark when I was struggling to breastfeed my firstborn? Apparently very busy! But now that her twins have long-since weaned off breastmilk and are now more into Karate and Ballet, she has more time to encourage, advocate and support those women who choose to breastfeed their multiples. We might not have the edge on nursing that cats do, but we’re lucky to have women out there like Sandy; women who are dedicated to working passionately to make breastfeeding a pleasurable and memorable experience. You go girl. Paulette King |
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