As a babywearing group leader, one of the most common questions I hear is “What carrier is the easiest to nurse in?” The short answer is any carrier you are already comfortable using, once you are used to it. We recommend that you first learn how to breastfeed easily, learn how to use your carrier safely, then combine the two. You may need to use one hand for support until baby has great head control. For very busty mamas, you may never be completely hands free, but learning to nurse in a carrier is always a helpful skill! For step by step instructions on how to nurse in a specific carrier, I strongly recommend getting hands on help from a knowledgeable babywearer. Check around for groups in your area. Here, I’ll speak generically about some considerations when nursing in any carrier.

Three Tips for Breastfeeding and Babywearing

• Safe positioning

Baby’s chin should be off his chest, never pressed into it, as this could constrict the airway. You want to be able to see your baby’s face and be checking to ensure the airway is protected. Before you put any material over baby as a nursing cover, put it up to your mouth and nose. If you can’t easily breathe through it, neither can baby. If you choose to use something like a ring sling tail as a cover, you MUST be vigilant in checking on baby.

You can nurse baby upright in many carriers by simply loosening the carrier until baby is at the right height. In some carriers, baby may prefer to recline, so you’ll need to transition to a cradle position. In this case, you need to be very careful to position properly. Baby should be in a checkmark shape with bottom being the point of the check and the back being straight-ish. Baby should never be in a “tight C” shape, as you would find in a bag sling, with chin tightly to chest. This can compromise baby’s breathing. Again, this is where hands on help is so valuable.

• Right Clothing

The right clothing can make nursing easy or a hassle. This is especially true in a carrier. You do not want to be trying to work your shirt back down in between you and the sleeping baby strapped onto your chest. What I like to do is wear a tank that can be pulled down from the top or a nursing tank under a regular shirt. If I know I will be nursing in the carrier, I pull up the top shirt to just underneath my bust. My belly is still covered by the tank, nothing is exposed. Then, I put the baby and carrier on. When it’s time to nurse, it’s easy to do so without having to hassle around a lot. You can see a picture tutorial of how to do this here.

• Practice

Practice at home first! Yes, it is wonderful to be able to discretely nurse in public. The way you get to that point, though, is to nurse at home. Look in the mirror when you do so. You may feel very exposed, but many carriers offer wonderful coverage. With the right clothing choice, a little planning and some practice, you can nurse at the grocery store with no one the wiser! Nothing makes me feel like I have it all together more than strolling through the grocery store pushing a cart full of groceries and a toddler, while secretly nursing an infant!

Beth has been nursing and wearing babies, toddlers and preschoolers for 5 years. She is a co-leader of Babywearing International of Peoria, a non profit group that helps caregivers find the right carrier for them and learn how to safely use it.

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In part 1 I shared some of the benefits I found in extended breastfeeding. If you have not read it, please do so as it sets the stage for this post.

Reasons I found not to Practice Extended Breastfeeding

As wonderful as breastfeeding both kids well into, or even beyond, toddlerhood there were reasons I chose to actively wean both of them, as well as cons to the fact that I did do extended breastfeeding.

Tandem Nursing issues- I nursed Christopher through my pregnancy with Natalia. I honestly do not know if it was the best choice. I am glad that I got to nurse him for so long, but there were many issues with our tandem nursing experience. It hurt. It was exhausting. It was a crazy stressful time for us and I further stressed my body. The entire pregnancy I struggled with depression and though times of nursing was relaxing I am not sure I was asking too much of my body.

Most of all though, one day it caused my uterus to contract terribly hard and set off a chain of contractions leading up to me being on partial bedrest. Do I think it was due to nursing? No, at least not directly. I think there was other things going on which meant my body could not handle the extra strain.

I did not nurse him for three weeks, then ended up nursing him again after it was safe for baby to come. I did not nurse him much because it did lead to painful long contractions, but I did.

Gungho/legalism- I felt a lot of pressure from reading articles (like this one I am afraid) that talked about the benefits of extended nursing. I had it in my mind I wanted to reach to 3. After the birth of my daughter I enjoyed nursing both kids- for a few weeks. Then we were moving. I had a not quite two year old, a newborn, and an entire house to pack as I was not able to get to it before Natalia’s birth.

One morning as I laid there nursing Christopher I cried out to God “I just can’t do this anymore!” The beautiful bonding and relaxation were gone and I was doing it out of the legalism need to “give my kid the best”. God answered my cry and I felt at peace with not nursing him. We stopped and I told Christopher I just needed to focus on nursing baby Natalia. He was heart over head in love with her and accepted that answer with only a few tears.

A few weeks later after the move was complete I let him nurse again because I could handle it then and it was once again that beautiful experience. I did have to cut back on his nursing though because he would have nursed 4-5 times a day if I let him and with a newborn that was not happening!

Nursing can take a lot out of you! I urge you to pray about it, and then do what you feel is right for you and your family and not let a list of rules dictate you. I actually chose, based on my first experience, not to nurse my daughter past the first few months of pregnancy. I did not want to cold wean her and she was nursing full time when I got pregnant, so it took a while to fully wean.

Why I actively weaned both kids:

I would have loved to self wean, but when my three year old still would have nursed multiple times a day and I was dealing with a lot of health issues last summer I knew it was time. I just could not handle it anymore. It was once again not that beautiful time of relaxing and bonding but something I did because I felt like I should. We still snuggled and had plenty of one-on-one time just not nursing any longer.

The decision to wean Natalia when I got pregnant with baby #3 was incredibly hard. She was still nursing at night, and many times during the day. She in no way seemed old enough to wean. But, like I just mentioned I had a lot of health issues over the summer. My hormones were so out of whack I had morning sickness symptoms without even being pregnant. I really struggled to eat enough to be able to nurse, much less to be nurse during pregnancy. I had pretty extreme fatigue. I had many signs of magnesium deficiency Looking back over my pregnancy I am so glad I chose to wean her even if I get sad when she still (4 mo later) asks to nurse.

Dreams for the future:

I would love to nurse future kids for as long, if not longer, then I did with Christopher because it was such a beautiful time of bonding. I will however have to listen to my body and decide each time if I can still handle, and enjoy, it.

Have you ever breastfeed past infancy? What were some of the pros and cons you found?

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photo credit: flequi

The gut flora of every human being will make or break your overall health. The human gastrointestinal tract constitutes about seventy percent of the immune system. You know, that complex system within our bodies that protects us and keeps us healthy.

In your belly, your baby is in the safest place in the world. While your little one is in your belly he or she is receiving the protection from your, the mother’s, immune system. You have spent many years being exposed to different microbes and pathogens. Your immune is strong because of your gut flora. Our gut flora is the game changer in moderating our immunity. Our gut flora is like the gate keeper and has the job of not allowint any garbage to penetrate the boundaries. When they do come across garbage this is when they signal the immune system to take action.

Our immune system offers different levels of defense against foreign invaders. Besides the anatomical barriers – such as the skin and mucous membranes- our immune system is broken into two distinct courses or progressions. First, we have the innate, or non-specific, part of the immune system in which our bodies elicit a broad, general response to foreign invaders such as bacteria or viruses. Second, we have the humoral, or adaptive and specific, immune system in which our bodies learn and improve on repeated exposure. Remember back when you were young and your mom sent you to chicken pox parties? This is so you would get chicken pox and your body would learn how to fight it off, so then when you become older your body can combat chicken pox and shingles effectively.

The most important thing you can do for your new baby is facilitate the development of their gastrointestinal tract and immune system. This is the best defense you can give your child against the outside world. Forget about all the future life’s lessons and book reports. Those are beneficial. However, if your child does not have a healthy functioning immune system he or she will not thrive.

When a baby is born, they basically have a blank canvas as far as microbial content is concerned. The second they enter this world they are being exposed to microbes, good and bad, trying to seek refuge in a new host, your infant.

Vaginal birth and cesarean birth have a significant impact on the gut flora of the newborn. Once the bacteria hit the gut, it immediately establishes a home. When the infant is born vaginally, this is where the infant receives the first dose of microbes via the mother’s vaginal canal and surrounding tissues. There is a difference in the colonization of bacteria in a vaginal birth as compared to a cesarean birth. Babies born vaginally have mostly Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus. These come from the mother’s vaginal and fecal flora. While babies born via cesarean section exhibit Clostridium and Streptococcus in their gut flora. However, these come from the shiny tools.

The bacteria that originate from the mother’s vaginal canal play a huge role natural development and growth. Bifidobacterium aids in digestion of the breast milk and has an immunomodulatory effect on intestinal immune cells. Lactobacillus plays a role in digestion, stimulates the immune system, and inhibits growth of pathogenic bacteria by keeping the pH low and regulating it’s own enzymatic activity. Escherichia coli is also known to produce crucial vitamin complexes.

Breastfeeding is just as significant impact on the immune system development. When the baby first latches on, he or she receives colostrum. This is specifically designed for the infant to aid in nutrition and helps pass the first stool. Infants that do not breastfeed suffer in many categories one being that they are more prone to infection because they lack the bifidobacteria. Infants that are not breastfed lack the colonization of beneficial bacteria along with numerous other issues.

Cesarean section? No big deal. However, the baby does need to be exposed to the bacteria that you, the mother, have developed. Enroll someone- the partner, the midwife, the ObGyn- to swab the vaginal canal and wipe on the mom’s breasts. This will expose the newborn baby while latching on to the mother’s breast for feeding. This is not gross. This is normal. Maybe not common at the moment, but your baby needs this exposure in order to ensure the healthy development of their immune system.

Once the first few moments of the baby’s life have passed then you can start to think about the next 24 hours, few days, weeks, and even months. The first 18-24 months of a baby’s life constitutes a whole new article, and those months are critical for establishing the infant’s immune system just as the first few moments in life are critical. The intestinal lining, the gut, takes about 18-24 months to fully form. The best advice I can pass along is to wait as long as possible before introducing grains to a new baby. Feed them real foods such as fruits, veggies, meats, fish, and healthy fats.

When new, beneficial bacteria colonize they establish a firm foundation resulting in healthy functioning immune system years later. Take action. Establishing healthy gut flora can prevent numerous ailments such as asthma, ADHD, eczema, and anything related to systemic inflammation. Give your baby’s immune system a solid foundation from the beginning.

What is the first action step you will take to establish your baby’s gut?

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I feel very blessed to have been able to not only be able to nurse both of my kids, but to nurse them for extended periods. My son until he was three and my daughter until 20 months (I sadly felt I needed to wean her, but more on that later). There were so many reasons I did chose to extended breastfeed, as well as reasons I chose to wean when I did.

I will be sharing a bit of our nursing story as well as the pros and cons I found with nursing past infancy. Please note though: these are from my personal experience. I have read every argument out there for, and against, extended breastfeeding and have come to the conclusion that everyone needs to make weigh their own decision and make the best decision for them and their child.

Why we chose to breastfeed past infancy

There was not much a decision to breastfeed extendedly as the decision to wean just did not really seem right.

My son always “fit” during that time I nursed him. I remember holding a newborn baby and worrying that as he grew he would no longer “fit” as well. My mom assured me that was not the case–that he would fit even as he got bigger. She was right! Even when I was nursing a 2 year old and a newborn they both fit into my arms, and it was a similar bonding experience with a few different aspects.

A Few More (logical) Reasons

Though bonding was the biggest reason for us, there were other reasons as well:

Nutrition- During the 2nd year (13 -24 mo) of breastfeeding, breastmilk can provide:

• 29% of energy requirements
•  43% of protein requirements
•  36% of calcium requirements 
• 75% of vitamin A requirements 
• 76% of folate requirements 
• 94% of vitamin B12 requirements 
•  60% of vitamin C requirements

- Dewey 2001 (source)

I totally did not know those numbers, it was simply a  matter of wanting him to have something I knew was very nourishing during years of very fast development.

Brain development- 75% of a person’s brain development happens in the first three years (source) during that time I felt that breastmilk, with all of it’s brain developing nutrition, was especially beneficial.

Immune system support- A child’s immune system is not fully developed until age four or five. Breast milk provides immune supporting nutrition, as well as antibodies. When a mother has the same cold as the child the antibodies are even tailored to that sickness, helping the child even more. (source)

Hydration- Dehydration in a sick child is a scary thing. I have seen my son who refused all other forms of liquid and most foods readily except the breast- actually this happened a couple times between 1 and 2. Even when nothing else was accepted my son was nourished and hydrated with some amazing nourishment.

Comfort- Though I can not say I remember it, I can tell by watching my kids that there is something extra special and comforting about nursing. This is one of the biggest reasons I miss nursing my daughter. She has had a rough few months with some food sensitivities and allergies. Her stomach hurts, her mouth hurts, her bottom hurts, her chest itches ect. Though we are working hard to try and figure out all that is going on, I just wish sometimes I could scoop her up and nurse her just for the comfort aspect if nothing else.

There are many other benefits, these were just the ones we took into consideration more then anything else.

As much as I loved nursing my son until 3, and my daughter till nearly 2 (and wish I felt like we could have gone longer) there were some cons to it as well as reasons we chose to actively (vs. self) wean both of them. Next week I will be sharing that part of our story.

Have you ever breastfeed past infancy? What were some of the pros and cons you found?

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