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Thursday, October 26, 2006
Ok, so I always kinda thought nursing bracelets were hokey...I mean who can't remember when the last time they nursed their kid was?Umm...apparently me. ;)
I have NO problem remembering when he eats at night...mostly because when he wakes up I look at the clock and think "oh holy crap, I only got 45 minutes of sleep since the LAST TIME he ate!!" But during the day...nope, I never remember. :)
Now that's not such a big deal, but I DO find myself having a really hard time remembering what the last side he nursed on was. Since I don't nurse him on both sides at each feeding (and why would I when he can get 8-10 ounces from one side of my industrial capacity dairy tanks?), I often have to sit and think for a minute or two to figure out where to put him.
So I went hunting for nursing bracelets to see what I could find...
I found this crystal one that's pretty cool...you can mark the time of the last feeding and can easily switch it from side to side. It's also kind of nice looking, but fairly expensive for a nursing bracelet...
I spotted Milk Bands, which are cute and fashionable in that silicon bracelet kinda way, but I look at them and think "I'd lose those little white pins in no time and one of the kids would eat them!"
Oddly enough, that's the only two that seem to really exist, at least on the first four pages of Google. Now if only they'd send me a complimentary one for me to review and write about here. ;)
Or I could just find a regular cheapo bracelet somewhere and put it on I guess, but someone that seems...well...less fun.
So what'd you do? How did you remember which side you last fed on?
Labels: Product Reviews
There is a Breastfeeding Protection Initiative silicone bracelet that says Encourage, Support, Protect Breastfeeding and it is lavender. It is a joint initiative by Lansinoh Laboratories (breastfeeding support product company) and La Leche League intended to raise funds to educate people about breastfeeding rights and legislation around the world (or lack thereof). The bracelet is $5 for an individual bracelet and the amount goes down the more you buy. Alot of breastfeeding groups and hospitals have used them as fundraisers to help ignite other breastfeeding supportive activities in their local communities. They can be ordered through www.lansinoh.com or I would be happy to send you one if you post the best way for me to get in touch with you.
Gina Ciagne
Lansinoh Labs
Alexandria, VA
Wow, someone from Lansinoh reads this blog? You made my day! I LOVE Lansinoh...it quite literally saved my breastfeeding relationship with Emmitt.
You can email me at jennifer at thelactivist dot com to get my address. I'd love to do what I can to work with you guys on this and to promote the bracelet here!
I have one of those bracelets on right now! I got it through La Leche League (I'm a leader). You can totally use it for remembering which side you nurse on, or just to be cute and of course, to show your support for BFing. I wear it with my pink support Breast Cancer research bracelet.
So cool that someone from Lansinoh is reading your blog!
I can't really see the point of the time thing unless you have a baby that is totally lethargic and won't wake for feeding during the early weeks.
I mean now that we're four weeks in, I nurse when he's hungry, who cares when the last time he ate was? It might be 2 or 3 hours or it might be 30 minutes. If he's hungry, he's gonna eat.
Thus, the side thing is the major issue for me.
If I coudln't remember the side, I used to just feel my boobs to see which one is fuller. Yeah, looks funny but it worked. When my son got older, this wasn't a problem as he insisted on nursing on both sides each time. One of his first words was: "side".
Avent makes a good cheap nursing bracelet with a little window you side around to hit the right number... no pins or removable parts. I paid a dollar for mine at my hospital's breastfeeding center.
I like what alena said and that tends to be what I ultimately do too. I don't watch the clock; if my baby i shungry I nurse my baby. And I, like you, only nurse form one side per feeding. I've never had a problem with this and the baby gets more of the hind milk this way too. Every now and then it made it easier to tell about growth spurts too, because that's when the one side was not enough to make baby full.
In those first weeks when I'm so tired and really can NOT remember which side baby fed from last I put a safety pin on my bra strap on the last used side. And for bracelets, I did use one with one baby, but it was just a regular bracelet. I put it on whichever wrist is the same as the last side used.
You know, I'm not sure I even OWN a bracelet...lol. I'm not a jewelry person. I have my engagement ring, wedding band, one pair of small gold hoop earrings and a gold chain that my brother brought me from Bahrain.
That's pretty much it.
Oh wait, I had a red silicon bracelet from Ask Jeeves that said 'Search Strong' lol...but Elnora absconded with that ages ago...
Congrats on a rockin milk supply!
Because I have so much I nurse on the same side for one feeding to keep from having a foremilk imbalance. Therefore I usually have to just grab and guess if I have forgotten and see which sister has more heft!
This obnoxious method, of course, would be remedied by a nice bracelet! I hope you find a great one and I will look back to see what you decide on!
The leaking will decrease and then really stop when the breast begins to get more efficient at supply demand and the endocrine control switches over....3-5 mos.....
Megan
ditto the "Watch your baby,not the clock" statement. IF baby is hungry feed him no matter if it's been 2 minutes or 3 hours since he nursed last!
Okay, a little late for this post- love your blog by the way, and my youngest (of 4) is already 4. I'm not a nursing mom anymore :( but I'm with ya in spirit. Here goes:
I just used a safety pin- small, silver- and pinned it to the bottom of my shirt. If I finished nursing on the right side, I would pin it on the bottom left to remind me where to begin at the next go-round. It worked!!
You should check out this baby bracelet I read about it in one of the baby mags probably baby center..
Anywhoodle, I am ordering one right now, it has a slider that shows what time the last feeding was. Anyways thought that would be of some help.
http://www.dvfamilyinc.com/product_mm_bbfeed.php
Seems like the only people who "need" to know when you nursed last and on what side are the nosey doctors and WIC folks. Then they scowl when you can give them what they want. I nursed My kids on demand, so as long as baby was happy and putting out the pee and cottage cheese poop I was happy.
BTW, can any of you ladies tell me how to DRY UP my milk?
Baby is almost 3yrs old and not nursing. She nursed very little due to a bad hernia (lots of pain and puking, my milk made her strangle because it wasn't thick enough) and so 33mths later I still have milk that needs to go AWAY!
TIA,
Delana
"Watch the baby" is great but my Holstien boobs make way more than my baby demands so I pump every 3 hours like clockwork. And this is 5 weeks in... If I have pumped and 15 minutes later she is hungry she gets a bottle. Some days we are in sync and others she takes a bottle--regardless of those who have screamed nipple confusion. I live by my bracelet.
I ordered one that was very affordable from a stay at home mom. I could not live w/o it. I really like to use it when I go out. Those plastic ones are tacky. Here is her site www.babyfeedingbracelets.com
I too have the purple band. I got it and a couple other nursing bracelets at www.nursingnotions.com
I never did get the time thing though. I let my sweet one nurse until she was finished. Oh I did the feeling myself up bit too. Husband got a real kick out of it.
I bought an inexpensive ring and just switched hands each time I fed the baby. It was so easy and very inconspicuous. It was a little tighter on one hand and a bit looser on the other, but it's not really that hard to find one that fits both hands.
I too produce tons of milks, so can never guess which breast needs emptying and baby does not appreciate being made to wait while I have a good grope. I purchased the glass bracelet by Unique Mums and it is a lifesaver (though expensive) and now I no longer need to think, which is great. Of course I feed on demand, but it is helpful to know when the last feed was. Sometimes I feel annoyed that it is so soon, then realise that actually last feed was 4 hours ago. It is just that the first few weeks are so tough and time an elastic concept, you love anything that makes your life a little easier.
I am a first time mom and bought FIVE different nursing bracelets before my baby boy was born. They all gather dust now b/c I found fault with them. I have the Milk Band but you can only track one thing. I bought the quarter hour beaded nursing bracelet and found it not accurate enough. So I decided to make my own, a hybrid of the Milk Band and the much prettier and versatile beaded bracelets. I use mine to track baby's diapers, feedings; medication, sleep/wake times, and more. If you are looking for one please check us out here: www.myspace.com/szetobaby Very affordable and many designs to choose from.
Have any of you tried the Itzbeen. I use a milkband to track pumping while at work but at home I use a small electronic device (the itzbeen). It will track up to 4 things, feedings, diaper changes, medication and one other. You just hit the button when you start feeding or change a diaper or so on and it starts a timer. You can lock the buttons to keep other children from playing and reseting it on you. There is also a little switch at the bottom that has L and R that you switch to let you know which side you left off on or need to use next. This thing has been a Godsend in our house. With one glance my husband or I know exactly how long its been since the baby was changed, fed, or if he's had his medicine. It even has a light on it so you can see and read it during the night (a must for us sleep deprived parents).
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