If your browsing the web…

You can now find us several great places besides Etsy thanks to some of my amazing vendors.

Justine at Springroll and Burrito has been amazing to work with I am so excited to be a part of her great children’s items!

Springroll and Burrito

This sweet little boutique in Australia has such beautiful things and an online website to view them!   TippeeToes

I’ll leave it to you to browse around and try and find my products . While your at it look at the other great items these vendors offer!

Candy Cane Hunt

Team etsybaby is offering tons of free promos and discounts if you buy the items in each shop with the hidden candy cane. This fun opportunity starts tomorrow and runs through November. We are participating, so head over to Modest Milk and find that candy cane for 5% off your purchase and a free nursing nudges!!!

(click on the icon below for a list of participating shops and what they are offering!)

Mom’s who have been there say…

During the Bloggy Carnival I asked moms to share things they wish they had known before breastfeeding. Here is some advice from Moms who’ve been there:

Before my first baby was born, I really thought that nursing would come completely naturally. I thought we’d both instinctively know exactly what to do, and it would be a magical moment. Little did I know just how much we’d both have to learn, and how much work it would be for the first few weeks!

Nursing has been much easier the second time around, although I think that is partially because I learned so much with my first. Every baby is different, but I was much more relaxed this time which made it easier for both of us! I was so afraid of failing on my first that I got stressed when things didn’t work just perfectly!

As for nursing, I wish I’d known how hard it really is! It took me forever to be pain-free!

I wish someone would have let me know that there are ways to prevent drying up and not to give up!

I wish someone would have told me how much it hurts at first! I had no idea but I stuck with it. I never wanted to go anywhere either because I always felt weird nursing in public… but with all these things to help with that it got easier and more relaxing. I am so glad you are using your talent to help us BFeeding mother’s out!

And I wish someone had told me that nursing DOES hurt a little at first, so I wasn’t so worried I was doing it wrong!

I second the lady who commented before me. It hurt so much that I started to resent my child. But after two months it was okay and by the time I quit I was sad. I am now looking forward to it with the next baby.

I wish I would have known how hard nursing would be. Totally worth it, but hard… and painful.

I wish that I had known it was going to be difficult at the beginning and that I was going to become best friends with the lactation consultant. It would have been nice to hear someone else’s horror story to know that they got through it and so could I.

The one thing I wish I would have known when I started breastfeeding my first was just to take it easy and enjoy it. All too quickly she weaned herself, and I missed that sweet closeness!!

I wish that I would not have been dissuaded about nursing by well intentioned in-laws. I was constantly being asked how I knew if he had had enough, and now I wish I had nursed longer. I will know better next time!

I wish I would have known that it doesn’t always work for everyone, no matter how hard you try. I had surgery and didn’t realize that it probably affected my milk production. Oh well – next time I’m trying again!

I wish I had known that even if I got the hang of nursing, with each baby it is a whole new experience. My fourth baby was my hardest to find a nursing relationship with and I thought I knew what I was doing so it caught me off guard.

I didn’t know how special nursing would be. It was hard at first but so incredibly warm and cuddly and special feeling.

i wished i knew that feeding on demand was the only way to get your milk established, that would have saved me and my twins a lot of tears in the first weeks!

One thing I wish I knew was that there are things you can do to increase your milk supply!

I wish I would have known that babies with cleft palate have very little success nursing. Knowing that it was physically almost impossible for him to create suction would have saved me three weeks of extreme frustration. After the hard work I put in with my first baby, I had been really looking forward to nursing the second. But I ended up pumping a ton instead!

I wish I would have known that it wasn’t going to be easy that way I would not have gotten so discouraged. I had every problem you could possibly have. From not taking to it to only latching on one side. I have had mastitis, thrush and a clogged duct that turned into a breast abscess. But some how we managed to make it.

I wish I had known how HARD breast feeding would be for some! My son was a preemie & couldn’t latch on. I had to pump, then feed him thru a tube. We went to specialists to try to get him to nurse for the 1st 8 weeks, but he just couldn’t. I ended up pumping every day for over a year. I pumped 72 ounces of milk a day (on average). My freezer got filled up pretty quickly. Thanks!

I wish I’d known that nursing took so much time and that cluster-feeding isn’t uncommon.

I wish I would have known that my breasts would no longer be private. My little guy is a blanket yanker. I feel like Janet Jackson waiting for the wardrobe malfunction whenever I nurse in public.

I wish I had known that those first months of nursing aren’t necessarily the lovey-dovey picture of happiness. Not that I wasn’t/am not happy – not the case at all! But with my first I just wish I had known that breastfeeding is a learning process for both myself AND baby. I think I would have given myself a break and not been so worried about it all.

Now nursing my third (2 months old) I’m much more relaxed and confident in the entire process.

I wish I would have known how normal it is to not be able to nurse right away. that really worried me with my first son.

I wish that I had a nursing cover with my first, I think I would have been more encouraged to nurse longer.

I wish I knew about thrush.

I wish people wouldn’t give so much false information about nursing your baby only a certain amount of minutes on each side. There is no way every baby needs only 10 minutes on each side! My kids nurse until they stop, not until I stop them!

I found nursing easy, and pretty much what I expected (but mom breastfed, so it wasn’t new to me) . . . my advice to new nursers would be to relax, your body knows what to do!

*and I sure wish someone had told me that nursing can hurt like a ‘you know what’ they first few weeks! Man I was not expecting that!

What I wish I knew…. I nursed my first 2 fine. My 3rd… I thought I knew it all. NOPE! he didn’t latch on as well. I had to call the lactation specialest for help!

I wish someone had told me how much it hurts the first couple of weks to nurse a baby! I was totally unprepared for the pain and tenderness when first nursing. It didn’t help the first time around that I never had a resting side, but even with one, those forst 10 days or so were rough. We made it through though and all of my children have become extended nursers (my twins stopped shortly before their second birthday), the youngest is still going strong at 20 months and I love the bond we have.

Another Feature…

Thanks so much to Amy the owner of Mama’s little Monkeys for this great interview and feature on me on her blog.

Head on over to read more about me my passions and Modest Milk.

And the Winner is…

After a very scientific method of selecting comments cowgirl and grape bunch picked out a winning number…

Congrats #42!

Congrats on your prize Jessica!

If you didn’t win but wish you did head on over to Modest Milk and pick any item for our store. In the notes to seller write bloggycarnival for 5% off your purchase (pre-shipping).  HURRY this offer expires 11/30/08. Checkout then wait to pay until you get a revised invoice from me. Thanks for playing!

Check back here for answers to some of the nursing questions asked during our give. Thanks to everyone!

We are featured….

Thanks so much HelenesDreames for featuring us on your blog today. We appreciate it so much!

Click here to read her write-up on Modest Milk!

Special Modest Milk Giveaway!

Bloggy Giveaway is hosting another blog carnival all with free items to give. In the spirit of loving free items Modest Milk is participating.

1 winner will win a nursing mothers gift pack. This prize includes (click on the image for more details):

This is a great package of goodies to use or to give to a nursing mother you know. To enter to win head on over to Modest Milk and look around. Then come back here and tell me:

1-what item type and style you like the best

2-what you wish you’d known before nursing or a nursing question you’d like answered or what you will do with this if you won

3-A way to contact you if you win.

This give closes October 30th. The winner will be chosen at random on October 31st. If you are chosen and do not respond back in 3 days another winner will be chosen. This item is only open to people living in the USA.

Head on over to Bloggy Giveaways when your done here to see enter in other great giveaways!

Modest Milk Clips REviewed!

Click the above icon to see our product, Modest Milk Clips, review in photobabybug. Thanks Toni!

We are launching all new ribbon desgins on Modest Milk Clips all week so come visit our store to see what new selections we are offering!

A good latch = happy mommy and happy baby

Getting a good latch is imperative to preventing mastesis, infection and sore cracked and dry nipples.

Latching is a skill that you learn and then teach to your baby. Here are some of my favorite online resources to help:

What a good latch looks like hosted by Breastfeeding.com:

Instructional Video by Ameba

Breastfeeding in the news!

Thanks to my husband the chemist for the link to this article on the chemistry of breastmilk
*note for the nerdy at heart*

Chemical and Engineering News Article

and in case you haven’t heard PETA has come up with another absurd idea…because there is so much more breastmilk then cows milk?

PETA wants breastmilk in Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream