twin olympics.

teach me how to breastfeed.

Another amazing video to inspire you to breastfeed!

Happy National Breastfeeding Awareness Month!!

pictures of boobies.

In honor of National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, I teamed up with Naissance Photography to try to capture the beauty of breastfeeding. This amazing video is the result.

Happy National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, everyone! Get out there and use those boobies! (And capture it on film if you can!)

reasons breastfeeding rocks #4.

Reasons breastfeeding rocks #4: It reduces the risk of SIDS.

SIDS is scary and not entirely understood. For some reason, some babies in the first year go to sleep and just don't wake up. Horrific. Luckily there are a few things you can do to significantly reduce the risk or that happening:

• put your baby to sleep on their back; 
• don't smoke during pregnancy or around baby - or come on now, ever; 
• have baby sleep with their face uncovered, in a safe environment, in the same room or bed as the caregiver for the first six to twelve months; 
• and breastfeed baby if you can.)

Dr. Fern Hauck, MD, of the department of family medicine at the University of Virginia, examined 288 studies on SIDS and breastfeeding from 1966 to 2009. The research showed that for babies who received any amount of breastmilk for any amount of time the risk of SIDS was 60% lower. 60 freaking percent!!! For babies who were breastfed for at least two months, the likelihood of SIDS was 62% lower. For babies who were exclusively breastfed at two months, the incidence of SIDS was 73% lower.

Talk about an easy way to protect your baby!

The relationship between breastfeeding and reducing the risk of SIDS is also not entirely understood, but probably involves the decreased risk of infection in breastfed babies, the fact that breastfed babies and breastfeeding mamas are both more easily roused from sleep, and breastfeeding improving breathing and swallowing coordination, among other things.

So sit back and know your sweet babe is safe while you nourish them with those luscious boobs of yours! 

reasons breastfeeding rocks #3.

Reasons breastfeeding rocks #3: It saves you money.

Now if that isn't a reason to hop on board, I don't know what is.

Seriously.

Formula is expensive. The cheapest standard type of formula costs about $1000 for the first year for one baby. Is that not crazy?! If you need specialized formula due to allergies or preference or want to go organic, double that (at least).

Besides the few extra dollars it will cost for you to eat two servings of dinner every now and then in order to get the calories to produce enough, breastfeeding is absolutely free.

It also helps save money down the road, as the American Academy of Pediatrics states that breastfed babies have significantly lower incidence of illness than those who are formula-fed. This saves money two ways: fewer visits to the doctor to pay for (as well as fewer medicines and treatments to pay for) and fewer days staying home from work to take care of sick babies (meaning no loss of income).

So sit back and save money while you nourish your baby with those luscious boobs of yours! 

reasons breastfeeding rocks #2.

Reasons breastfeeding rocks #2: It gives you a rockin' bod.

Seriously.

Making milk is hard work. Think about it. You are producing all the nutrition your baby needs not just to survive but to thrive! Every time you go in for a check up and your baby has gained a few ounces, those ounces came directly from you. It's pretty phenomenal, really.

All those calories you are putting in to baby have to come from somewhere. Breastfeeding requires about 500 additional calories per day, meaning if you are using your boobs to feed your babe you can lose all that pregnancy weight faster without dieting or running marathons. In fact, you will probably need to eat even more than you did while you were pregnant - just think about how big your baby was in the womb versus how big they are now and remember that you are still the sole sustenance your baby gets - and you will still lose weight. No joke. Fan-freaking-tastic!

So sit back and lose weight effortlessly while you nourish your baby with those luscious boobs of yours!

reasons breastfeeding rocks #1.

Reasons breastfeeding rocks #1: Let down helps me let go.

Seriously.

Breastfeeding stimulates the release of the hormones oxytocin and prolactin, which promote relaxation, stress-release and a general sense of well-being. Oxytocin is the amazing hormone which induced your labor (or if it was artificially induced, synthetic pitocin is structurally modeled after oxytocin), and is also the hormone which helped your uterus contract back down to the size of your fist from the size of a watermelon right after birth.

This hormone release also promotes sleep if you are having difficulties, helps you fall back asleep more quickly during night time feedings, and helps you to sleep more deeply, meaning you feel more rested after a short amount of sleep than you would if you weren't breastfeeding. Amazing!

So sit back and relax while you nourish your baby with those luscious boobs of yours!

reasons why i love breastfeeding.

The chance to nourish your child literally by yourself doesn't happen often. The window of opportunity for knowing you are the sole provider for your baby is a small one, and time spent giving your baby life from the breast should be just as cherished and celebrated as the time you spent nurturing and growing your child in the womb. The fact that we can sustain life and provoke growth with just our breasts is miraculous.

Take a minute and really think about it. If you are exclusively breastfeeding your baby, they are alive exclusively thanks to you. You are the provider, the sustainer of life. You are physically building your baby, molecule by molecule, every time you nurse. You are God.

In the spirit of this National Breastfeeding Month, let's talk about the reasons breastfeeding is amazing. Let's help spread the word. Some places on this earth (and especially in this nation) it is frowned upon, seen as unnecessary, sexualized and misunderstood.

Let's change that, you and me. Let's make a list of all the reasons we love to nurse. Do this with me? Join the boobolution?

whip 'em out.

I whip mine out daily. Will you?

Come on, it's National Breastfeeding Month! Join the Boobolution with me!

a record number of boobies.

As you all probably already know, August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month.  To kick start this whole month dedicated to celebrating boobies, August 1 - 7 pushes the party even more global with World Breastfeeding Week. Here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest seeing a mama with her boob popped out to feed a babe is not a particularly crazy sight, but in some parts of the world it is. There are a ton of reasons why breast is best, in whatever capacity you can offer. Even just a little boob is better than no boob; I'm pretty sure everyone in the world can agree.

This month is meant to celebrate those determined mamas who have given their all to nourish their babies. (In no way is this meant to belittle mamas who give their babies formula, as Mama by the Bay so eloquently explains in her declaration of support!)

To celebrate my first year as a breastfeeding mama, we participated in The Big Latch On. The idea is to help rally in the troops, celebrate breastfeeding and feel connected to other mamas who share your passion for the breast. Across the globe, mamas get together at different locations and all latch their babes on for one minute at the exact same time!

In 2012, 8862 women came together to latch their babies on at the same time. It was a Big Latch On record at the time, but this year we broke that record! 14,536 of us all over the world came together on August 2nd and 3rd this year! How amazing!

 I realized at the event that there are not too many photos of me tandem feeding my boys. Breastfeeding them this long has been quite a challenge, and I am so proud of myself for all the hard work I've put in. It's a beautiful thing, a breastfeeding relationship, and I am so happy to have it documented here!

We hope you'll join us in more booby fun next year!!!

maman musing #8.

Sometimes just putting on your dancing shoes makes you feel like a ballerina.