Diary of a Breastfeeding Mom

By Abbey Fairbanks

Breastfeeding resources abound on the internet and in book form; however what they may lack is insider's knowledge on what actually happens when mom returns to work, or supply decreases, or when baby has reflux and/or many other experiences that occur with nursing. "Diary of a Breastfeeding Mom" has the answers to those questions with nursing that are apt to happen. It gives real-life scenarios of how to handle a baby with reflux and still successfully nurse. Author, Abbey Fairbanks, is a Speech and Language Pathologist with a specialty in Pediatric Feeding. She has successfully breastfed two of her children, who both struggled with reflux as babies. She shares the breastfeeding mistakes she made with her first-born and is honest with difficulties that can happen along the nursing adventure. Sometimes breastfeeding brings frustration, moments of awe, tears but overall it allows an unbreakable, joyful bond to form between mother and baby. Come along on this journey through one mother's bumpy-ride through the world of breastfeeding.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abbey Fairbanks
• Release date: Mar 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310429989

Abbey Fairbanks

I am a mom, a wife and a Pediatric Speech and Feeding therapist. I find joy in writing books that could potentially help others.

Book preview

Diary of a Breastfeeding Mom

Abbey Fairbanks MS, CCC-SLP/L

Copyright 2014 Abbey Fairbanks

Published at Smashwords

Table of Contents

Chapter One- Background Information

Chapter Two- The First Couple Days

Chapter Three-Let Down

Chapter Four- The 30 Minute Rule

Chapter Five- GERD, Reflux or as some call it-Colic

Chapter Six- Pump it up!

Chapter Seven- Joy

Chapter One-Background Information:

Babies, babies, babies, as a perfectionistic person by nature, I of course thought that my own babies would just fit into this little mold that all the Baby books talk about. I figured raising a sweet little baby was all in the know-how of the parents. Little did I know that this journey from baby to walking toddler would be filled with moments that made my heart smile, moments that filled my eyes with tears of joy, sadness, elation, and frustration; as well as many moments that made me throw up my hands to God as I uttered Help me Lord-guide me to be the mother that you want me to be.

How it started: We found out that we were expecting our first child prior to thanksgiving of 2009. The entire thanksgiving that year, my mind was spinning in a thousand different directions and when we got back home I sprang into action. I did what every newly pregnant mom does. I read 50 million how to books. I read books about sleeping, books about breastfeeding, about eating, baby schedules, and even pooping. I was how to obsessed. I would read the books, highlight sections and slyly place them near the toilets in our apartment so my husband would be inclined to read the information too. My mom was a teacher growing up and so the motto education is power was very prevalent in our home. I set out to know everything about how to raise our little bundle of joy in the right way. The older I get, this is a lesson that God continues to teach me, you can’t know everything-but at the time I was determined that at least in regards to our little growing bump, I was going to know everything.

Naturally with all my vast research that I did in newborns, I quickly became a die-hard breastfeeding promoter. In my mind, there simply was no other option and if I could help it, formula would never enter my baby’s body. I was blessed right from the beginning to be surrounded by both friends and family who supported my decision to nurse my little Peanut. I guess my husband figured that with (at the time) 5 years of experience with working with birth-5 year olds in Early Intervention as a Speech and Feeding therapist plus all the millions of books I read during pregnancy plus my stubborn-side, that he decided he would trust that breastfeeding was the best choice and he would support me in whatever way he could. I thank God for my husband, because when you are up every hour on the hour with a nursing baby in the beginning, I truly believe that his support saved breastfeeding. My husband is NOT a go to sleep and wake up chipper kind of a guy, but thankfully he is a gentle, kind-hearted, Christ-following man who ultimately chose to grumble quietly to himself while he kept bringing me water to drink and attending to whatever needs he could of mine so that I could just focus on nursing little Peanut. (Remember that Peanut, your daddy loves you so much he supported mommy to do what was best for you and that is a pretty awesome love)

Chapter Two-The First Couple Days:

In the heat of the summer of 2010 little Peanut was born. For as long as I live, I will never forget the moment that she was actually born and placed upon my chest. I can still hear her little cry and see those huge eyes searching her new world for something familiar. I will always remember how warm she felt resting in my arms for the first time and how as my husband and I spoke to her, her body stilled and she stopped crying. Tears of joy cannot even begin to describe the incredible emotion of holding your child for the first time. My husband and I had said a million prayers for little Peanut, and then all of sudden in a blur of craziness the world suddenly faded away as we sat there holding her in our arms as she looked up at us. As quickly as she was born, I began asking when I could nurse her for the first time, as I knew having a baby latch and nurse earlier was better than later; and we were going to do things right. I stroked her cheek and