Fed is Best

The day after giving birth to Ned a midwife questioned my ability to breastfeed given I 'didn't have a lot of breast tissue' and asked if I had considered mixed feeding. I don't think I'd ever even changed a nappy so the term mixed feeding was foreign to me. She explained that I may need to consider formula top ups as it was unlikely I would be able to exclusively breastfeed.

I was kind of puzzled. Yes, my boobs hadn't really grown {major disappointment} but surely if my identical twin sister was able to breastfeed exclusively then given our DNA, shouldn't I?

The midwives were amazingly supportive once we'd come home and practically sent dad off to the shops with bottle and formula recommendations. I was also provided with a list of things that may help boost my supply. I tried the medication, the herbs. the cookies, water, pumping ... all of it. And to me, it didn't seem to really make much of a difference. I think the thing that really frustrated me was that the technique was never an issue and I was happy to breastfeed whenever and wherever I had to. The fact that I could only give Ned what felt like an 'entree' feed was disheartening. I remember one day where mum and I had gone shopping at Noosa and I had breastfeed him there. He basically screamed the whole back back to Maroochydore {around 40 minutes}. We pulled into the shopping centre and I could have qualified for a game of Supermarket Sweep {anyone remember that show?} with the speed I located and purchased a tin of formula, a bottle of water and a bottle. When you exhaust all avenues what really can you do? You have two options ... persist feeling constantly deflated or switch to formula full time.

I continued mixed feeding until Ned was around five months and then phased out the breast feeds pretty quickly. I was actually proud I lasted that long.

Prior to birthing the twins I didn't have any clear goals when it came to breastfeeding. I thought I would give it a crack and see how we went. My boobs again barely grew so I pretty much knew that I'd have issues with supply again and with two babies to feed this time, my expectations were low.

I'd say from the get-go I sabotaged our feeding relationship. My prior experience taught me that no matter what I did I would never be able to support two babies, and from chatting to other twin mums, would I even want to?

The staff in the special care nursery {where we were the entire time} were very supportive and realistic around discussing my wishes and intentions for feeding the girls. Without much of a thought, and now knowing what mixed feeding was, I explained to them that for now, that was my choice. For the four nights we stayed at the hospital I breast fed one or both babies and then followed that feed with a formula bottle. This happened three hourly, round the clock and it was tough. I don't know how many times a different midwife or nurse or lactation consultant questioned whether I had troubleshooted my poor supply issues with Ned. I really should have just recorded a message and whipped out the iPhone every time I was asked about my decision. I know they all meant well and all of them recognised that breastfeeding twins is difficult even when you have no supply dramas but still, I felt a little judged that I wasn't keen on exploring options again this time.

One lactation consultant however did try and discover the root cause of my supply issues. The doctor who had prescribed me ovulation drugs to help with falling pregnant {that's a whole other blog post} did mention the words polycystic ovaries. And then it clicked. That was more than likely the reason why I couldn't and wasn't producing much milk, even with all of the medical and natural supposed remedies. Finding this out however didn't stop aforementioned lactation consultant from grabbing my entire A- cup boob and shoving it abruptly in one of the twin's mouths. I felt a little violated to be honest.

When we returned home from hospital I felt positive about continuing the mixed feeding. I even sourced a breast pump to try and produce more milk. Again though, pumping for twenty minutes and producing ten or twenty millilitres of milk isn't encouraging especially when you see pics of other mums on social media filling a 150ml bottle from one side!

It didn't take long for my positivity and enthusiasm to decline. The reality of having two newborn babies desperate for your attention often at the same time had me questioning whether breastfeeding was even worth it - not necessarily for them {because you know, we all know breast is best ;)} but for my sanity and health.

When people asked if I was feeding {as in breast feeding} them, my answer was 'kind of'. I was still attempting to let each baby have their 'entree' for one or two feeds a day. Which is seriously next to nothing. The less you feed, the less milk you'll produce and so I was totally self-sabotaging. You see 'kind of' feeding can be likened to that ex boyfriend who you've never quite got over. He is always somewhere in your thoughts and you get tingles whenever you think about him or see his name pop up on social media.

It's been maybe a week since I've breast fed and those tingles are a constant reminder of perhaps what I should be doing. A reminder of the body's ability to feed your baby. And that your body doesn't quit on you as early as you might quit on it.

But you know what? Sometimes it just doesn't work the way that nature intended. And that is totally okay.

The real-life mum queen herself, Constance Hall gave a shout out to formula feeding mums in a week where breastfeeding mums are officially being celebrated. Respect to these words:

Formula feeding mums.I started full time formula feeding the twins at around 5 months and guess what? It's no joy ride either.
In fact, in some ways it's harder then breast feeding. Making milk, cleaning bottles. That's not fun.

Formula feeding certainly isn't the easy way out at all.
It's expensive.
It's tiring.
It's an option that can lead to judgement.

Oh god, now reading this I wonder whether I should reconsider my choice.

There's that mum guilt for you.

In the end, #fedisbest.

Making Food Time Easy with Tommee Tippee - Review and Giveaway

As hip, cool and relaxed as I may seem as a trainee mama, I just can't quite handle the baby-wed-leaning (or BLW for the cool kids) craze that a lot of new mums seem to have embraced. As Ned has tried more and more food I've started introducing a more chunkier food and do give him the occasional 'whole' food (like toast, fruit or rice crackers) to keep him occupied but I watch him like a hawk waiting for that bit of food that goes down the wrong way to cause him to gag. My hook reflex has improved remarkably but it doesn't make it any easier or less-heart-stopping when my sweet little baby has food stuck in his throat.

So, when Tommee Tippee offered me a range of feeding products to try I jumped at the chance. I'm very excited at a longer term relationship with this fabulous Australian brand and am also happy to share that one lucky reader will win this prize pack that I've kindly been sent to review.

All-in-one food processor

I would have loved to receive this fabulous machine earlier (especially because our microwave carked it) - it has five functions in one - bottle steriliser/warmer, food warmer, steam cooker and blender and is perfect for home and small enough to travel with too. I was a little confused when I first attempted to use it as I did follow the instructions and washed all parts before using (D'oh!) but eventually figured out that not all parts had to be used for the different functions and now it's super easy to use. I like that it is easy to clean (so much quicker and easier than cleaning a saucepan + steamer basket + food processor!), helps with portion size (only probably enough for one or two serves meaning the food is always fresh), and has more than just a food cooking/blending function. On my first attempt at using it apparently I didn't read that the max capacity was 150g and as per my washing antics, tried to stuff as much in the mixing bowl as I could. The pumpkin and carrot were steamed beautifully but the extra water I added ended up flooding the bench - okay, that's a slight exaggeration. It's also great that once the food is steamed, you simply turn the bowl upside down, place the mixer blade in the bowl, insert the blender top and puree as little or as much as you like.

Heat Sensor Weaning Spoons

These are great - the spoon head turns white if the food or liquid is too hot to give to your baby. And you get four in a pack - perfect for me who always seems to lose things like this and also means you can keep one in your baby bag.

Roll and Go Bibs

Not the trendiest bibs on the market but probably the most functional as they have been designed to catch spills or to allow your baby to save some stuff for 'Ron. They are simple to clean and are even dishwasher safe - big tick in my book.

Discovera Trainer Cup

Love this cup and it seems Ned does too. He really has mastered the use of the sippy cup and I think the easy-to-use handles have aided in that. It is also shake proof (such a fun game apparently) and even has a spot to write your child's name on it ... if only I had nicer handwriting. Oh, and it's a great size - 260ml which helps me try and get Ned's required amount of water in for the day. Being fully formula fed for a couple of months now I was shocked to find out he should be drinking around 300mls of water a day. I soon realised why my baby was waking up before midnight for what seemed like weeks on end. I think he was dehydrated  (#motheroftheyear) so this cup is never too far from Ned. 

Stickee Bowl

This bowl is the shiz-niz. As per its name, it sticks. And it sticks good. It has a fancy-schmancy suction base preventing even me from removing it from the high chair ... well at least until I read the instructions. I also had to read the instructions as to how to apply it but I'm sure my engineer husband would have mastered it without consulting the how-to card. Love the spoon too - Ned was indeed very intrigued by it and it seems it would help develop feeding skills and independence although I'm not quite ready for the world-war-III cleanup that would likely result from letting Ned go-to-town feeding himself.

One lucky trainee mama reader will win all of these fabulous products simply by leaving a comment on this blog post! 

Entries are only open to Australian residents and the competition will close Tuesday 22 April at 5:00pm AEST. Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner. 

Sinchies - Reusable Food Pouches - Review and GIVEAWAY

I was lucky enough to receive a pack of Sinchies resusable food pouches to trial recently and let me tell you, they are fabulous and I wish I had discovered them before purchasing a whole pile of plastic containers.

The Sinchies brand is a local Sunshine Coast business who produce a range of food pouches and associated products, not only super handy for mums but for a range of people and purposes. Not only can they be used for food, you can also use them for travelling by filling with essentials like shampoo, conditioner or body wash. The variety of sizes also will help you comply with flight liquid restrictions.

{from the website}

Handy and easy to use - designed with a ziplock at the top for easy filling and a side spout so you can suck or pour the contents out. Simply mix up your own home-made goodness, healthy snacks, baby food, yoghurt, smoothie or fruit crusher, pour it in and zip it up.Young children can enjoy feeding themselves through the handy spout which allows them to suck or squeeze out their snacks and meals. Older children can participate in the preparation process, learning about healthy foods along the way. Parents can use them for storing dips, soups, spice rubs. These are suitable for all sorts -  store all manner of liquids, soft foods, sauces, salad dressings and even toiletries in Sinchies pouches.Made free from BPA, Phthalates and PVC, these are designed for easy filling and washing, with a double ziplock top to prevent leaks. Sinchies are freezer and dishwasher safe making cleaning and storing easy!

Oh, I forgot to mention ...they are super affordable too and offer great cost-per-use. For example, a pack with 5 x 140ml and 5 x 200ml pouches is only $18.95 - great value for money right there!

Ned loves his greek yoghurt and berries so I added these to a 200ml pouch before heading out earlier this afternoon. I love that they are sized appropriately for babies and at this time, the 200ml is perfect - still small enough for eight month old hands to hold and large enough to provide enough (well too much really) for his ever growing stomach. Ned has mastered sucking through a straw so the pouches are a fabulous way for him to feed himself and gives me time to do things like go to fabulous coffee shops and write blog posts in relative peace. 

To aid in filling the smaller sized pouches you can use a larger pouch and squeeze it in or purchase a funnel from the website. You can also get anti-choke lids for the little ones AND there is also a try before you buy option where you can receive a pouch of your choice (80ml, 140ml, 200ml or 1L) and all you have to do is pay the postage costs (although these don't really need to be tried first - they are fabulous - take my word for it)

What is almost as good as the product itself? The Sinchies website which has a huge amount of information, tips, recipes and FAQs to compliment the product.

Visit the Sinchies website, facebook or instagram accounts for more fun and information. Sinchies food pouches are available on the website and a number of brick-and-mortar stores. Check the list of stockists here.

Like to win a pack for yourself? Leave a comment on this blog post - simple as that! 

Make sure you like trainee mama and sinchies on facebook too!

{competition is open for a week and will close at 5pm 16th April 2014. Winner will be drawn randomly)