So, the trip into town went really well, and I did a public (ish) feed in the Mothercare Nursing Room. Mothercare is a mother and baby shop, and most of the outlets have a nursing room, which are lovely. They are softly lit, have big squishy sofas and feeding chairs and generally provide a lovely environment in which to nurse your baby. Bottle-feeders don't seem to be treated quite so nicely, they get a room with hard plastic chairs, but then again, they are not getting their bodies out in public!
The trouble I have with feeding, and have done since the beginning is that I produce so much milk. I have already mentioned that I use nipple shields and nipple shells to help, and they do. The sheilds slow the flow rate a little so that Ruth isn't trying to protect her airway every time she feeds, and thus makes it far less painful for me. If we are blessed with another baby, I will use sheilds right from the start. Anyway, because I produce so much milk, feeding times are a real palava. I get through up to 2-3 muslins a feed for both Ruth and I, and I can get through as many as 5 t-shirts a day, and that is just due to me and my drips, nothing to do with whatever additons Ruth may add to my clothes! So thus feeding in public is a big thing for me as preparing myself is no discreet task. Imagine down one bra cup I place the plastic shell and position a pad so that I collect any overflow. On the other side, I have to unhook the cup, tuck a muslin into the band of my bra underneath the breast and then put a silicone shield over my nipple. Then I am ready to place Ruth on, taking care not to knock either the shield or the shell lest I spill milk everywhere. Once Ruth is on, if she chooses to faff about for whatever reason, invariably the shield gets knocked and milk pours everywhere. I was feeding at a friend's house on Saturday and ended up with big wet patches on my jeans due to spillage, not to mention Ruth's arm and face. I usually put a bib on Ruth for feeding, not for her sicking up, but so that her clothes don't get soaked from my overflow. I have to admit to feeling jealous of my friends who can just discreetly lift one side of their tops and plug the baby on and off they go.
With all the milk I collect (anything from 3-5oz in a day) I either save in a bottle in the fridge if I know we are going out (like I always take a bottle to church for example) collected from the day before, or I freeze the milk. I have 2 options with the frozen milk, I can either use it for mixing in with food when I start to wean Ruth around April time or I can donate it to SCBU. I need to look into that option more, as the nearest place which accepts donations is Birmingham or Oxford. This seems a little silly to me as where I had Ruth also has a SCBU, where presumably babies need mik too...
Right, time for some lunch I think before Ruth needs hers...
The trouble I have with feeding, and have done since the beginning is that I produce so much milk. I have already mentioned that I use nipple shields and nipple shells to help, and they do. The sheilds slow the flow rate a little so that Ruth isn't trying to protect her airway every time she feeds, and thus makes it far less painful for me. If we are blessed with another baby, I will use sheilds right from the start. Anyway, because I produce so much milk, feeding times are a real palava. I get through up to 2-3 muslins a feed for both Ruth and I, and I can get through as many as 5 t-shirts a day, and that is just due to me and my drips, nothing to do with whatever additons Ruth may add to my clothes! So thus feeding in public is a big thing for me as preparing myself is no discreet task. Imagine down one bra cup I place the plastic shell and position a pad so that I collect any overflow. On the other side, I have to unhook the cup, tuck a muslin into the band of my bra underneath the breast and then put a silicone shield over my nipple. Then I am ready to place Ruth on, taking care not to knock either the shield or the shell lest I spill milk everywhere. Once Ruth is on, if she chooses to faff about for whatever reason, invariably the shield gets knocked and milk pours everywhere. I was feeding at a friend's house on Saturday and ended up with big wet patches on my jeans due to spillage, not to mention Ruth's arm and face. I usually put a bib on Ruth for feeding, not for her sicking up, but so that her clothes don't get soaked from my overflow. I have to admit to feeling jealous of my friends who can just discreetly lift one side of their tops and plug the baby on and off they go.
With all the milk I collect (anything from 3-5oz in a day) I either save in a bottle in the fridge if I know we are going out (like I always take a bottle to church for example) collected from the day before, or I freeze the milk. I have 2 options with the frozen milk, I can either use it for mixing in with food when I start to wean Ruth around April time or I can donate it to SCBU. I need to look into that option more, as the nearest place which accepts donations is Birmingham or Oxford. This seems a little silly to me as where I had Ruth also has a SCBU, where presumably babies need mik too...
Right, time for some lunch I think before Ruth needs hers...
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