There is so much information out there when it comes to breastfeeding that it is difficult to sort through what is best when it comes to feeding your baby. Everyone tells you what is best for the baby, but what about for mom? We already know about all the great benefits breastfeeding provides for a newborn through their first birthday, such as reduced ear infections, allergies, and rates of obesity. But did you know that breastfeeding reduces the mother’s risk of breast cancer? It also aids in shedding those extra pregnancy pounds!
When I was chosen to throw a Medela Party, I was very excited to share my own experiences with the soon to be mommies in my circle of friends. I feel that I had enough experience to share my stories with my friends. With my infant, I experienced many breastfeeding-related hurdles that I had to overcome which ultimately led me to breastfeed her for an entire year! In the beginning she had difficulty latching on. We were fortunate enough to have a lactation consultant in the hospital to help us out. (We actually had a few- the first one yelled at me and completely discouraged me, but everyone else was really helpful!) Once we got home, she started to prefer pumped milk over the breast, which only led to nipple confusion and round the clock nursing sessions to break that habit. By the time she was 8 weeks old, I had to return to work and decided it was only me that could make this successful. I pumped while I was at work, disregarding people around me that told me I should “just give her formula – it will make your life easier” and others that told me the benefits of breastfeeding are non existent once the baby is 3 months old. I found it more comical that people who never breastfed an infant had all the answers!
I had MANY stories to tell my friends about breastfeeding. They asked questions and we even did some research together on the internet to find questions that we weren’t sure the answers to. Again, LOTS of information on the internet about breastfeeding!
It felt great sharing my stories and inspiring other mommies to do what is best for their babies.
I don’t want to sound like a total product placement ad, but if it weren’t for my Medela pump, I don’t think I would have been as successful when it came to pumping milk when I returned to work. The Medela pump in style is a great machine, quiet, and very very efficient. It was easy to clean, easy to store, and easy to take with me. I’ve even pumped in my car on a few occasions when we had family outings!
Everyone from the Medela party walked away with a goodie bag full of Medela samples. They received a steam sterilizer bag, which can be used up to 20 times, a sample of lanolin, a reference book, nursing pads, and pump cleaning wipes. I showed them how to use the steam bags and the nursing pads. I also explained how important the use of lanolin was in the beginning and when chapped nipples would make it hard to breastfeed. I use to apply lanolin right before I took a shower so that the hot water wouldn’t worsen the broken skin.
I made up a true/false game about breastfeeding facts and I facilitated while the mommies played. I asked questions and told them to write down true or false. The winner walked away with a Medela Grand Prize gift set, and EVERYONE learned something new about breastfeeding that they didn’t know before! The gift set included the Pump in Style, (Yes, she got a brand new pump!) a box of Micro Steam bags, a box of disposable nursing pads, Hydrogel pads (I never used these so I made her promise to let me know how they worked), a full size bottle of lanolin, and a bag of Medela wipes for pump parts.
My own Medela is working like new after a full year of pumping for my little girl, so I know when baby #2 comes it will be just as reliable as it was before! (I do, however, really really really want the Medela Freestyle breast pump)
You can follow the tweets of everyone that hosted a Medela Party on Twitter by using the hashtag #Medelaparty. Also, you can connect with Medela on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: I received all items pictured above by Medela in order to host a Medela Party. All experiences and opinions are my own. My friends and I would love to personally thank MommyParties and Medela for this opportunity!