Lilacs & Lollipops HideAway Nursing Cover - GIVEAWAY

That's right... you've read the review about how much I absolutely LOVE my HideAway Nursing Cover from Lilacs & Lollipops... how it absolutely changed my life... how I can now peacefully feed my sweet baby in public without worrying about what body part is showing to whom... and how I double it as a cover for his Baby Bjorn when we're out to help his super stimulated little mind turn off for just a moment so that he can fall asleep when we're out and about.
Well, today is the day you get to change YOUR breastfeeding life!! That's right, the fabulous ladies at Lilacs & Lollipops are offering one privileged Aussie Mommy reader the HideAway Nursing Cover of your choice!!

If my first blog didn't convince you enough, well let me say that Lilacs & Lollipops have just released a new and improved version of their fabulous HideAway Nursing Cover. According to their Etsy store:

"We have improved our Nursing Covers by adding a Terry Cloth pocket and Nickel Overall Buckle. The Overall Buckle will allow you to adjust the Nursing Cover to the exact length you want and no re-adjusting for every use."

Now, I love my HideAway Nursing Cover, but any mommy saving minute like an always adjusted overall buckle really sounds appealing to me!!

If you're not a breastfeeding mum, well I would definitely recommend this Lilacs & Lollipops HideAway Nursing Cover for a gift for any mums to be. It is my new number one favourite to give to my girlfriends at their showers! You'll also have to check out the Lilacs & Lollipops store to see all kinds of other fabulous baby shower gifts with ADORABLE diaper clutches, bumbo covers and more!

So, are you wondering how you can win this fabulous giveaway from Lilacs & Lollipops? You can enter up to six times. Here's what to do:

1. Visit the Lilacs and Lollipops website and comment this blog to tell me what HideAway Nursing Cover you will choose if you win. (One entry)
   
2. "Like" the Lilacs and Lollipops page on Facebook and comment that you did. (One entry)
3. "Follow" the Lilacs and Lollipops blog and comment that you did. (One entry)
   
4. Tweet about this Giveaway and comment that you did. (One entry)
5. Follow The Aussie Mommy on Twitter and comment that you did. (One entry)
6. Follow The Aussie Mommy blog and comment that you did. (One entry)

The winner will be chosen by random.org on Tuesday, 18 May. Check back here to find out whether its you! Once the winner is announced, you will have 72 hours to contact me to claim your prize.

Enjoy!!

Asking for Help

I'm definitely an independent person. I always have been. I spent a lot of time alone growing up. I was always keen to travel and take adventures. I'm not necessarily a risk taker... I just like to be able to handle things on my own.

That's my approach to motherhood a lot of times too. I know that I have the capacity to do what I need to do to take care of my little boy. I want to be assured of that.

At the same time, while I'm very confident in that, I've also decided that I really like to hear other peoples' experiences. I like to hear their ideas and what worked for them. I know that their choice may not work for me because their child, family and circumstances are different from mine, but I often find I get some great tips hearing from other mums.

Today I took a big step. I went and saw a lactation consultant. I went with this mentality: "I am fully capable of taking care of my son. He is healthy and he is thriving and that is good. BUT, there might be something more I can learn. There might be a way that I could do this better."

Thanks to the Australian government (Hey you Americans, the right national health care MIGHT not be as bad as you think... I'm just sayin'...), I was able to see a lactation consultant at an Infant and Parent Management Service totally free. The nurse I saw was very sweet. I took my son at a time when I was sure he'd be ready to eat and we just chatted.

Do you know what I learned today? My gut was right. He IS healthy and thriving.

• I said: He generally only eats for around 10 minutes at a time.
• She said: He is a very efficient eater. (She could hear him chugging away!)
  

• I said: He still takes feeds during the night... sometimes 2-3 times!
• She said: Is he always this active? (Yes.) Because he is always on the go, he needs more calories than babies who are content to just sit quietly.

Am I disappointed I went? No. I thought that these might be the answers I'd get. But I am really proud of myself for asking for help. For understanding that there MIGHT be a better way but there also MIGHT NOT for now. I am happy that I was open to the possibility and even happier that - as exhausted as I am - my boy and I are doing just fine!

From one vulnerable mum to another,

Breastfeeding in Public Just Improved Dramatically

I remember my first experience breastfeeding in public. My mom was visiting from America the week after our son was born and despite the fact that I had had a bit of a hectic delivery (read: tearing an artery without drugs and requiring three bags of blood!), we decided to go for a hike to enjoy dinner with a view. It was a cool and windy evening and our baby needed a feed while we were out. Despite the beautiful sunset view, there I was with a muslin wrap trying to keep him latched on and not flash the world. I know some mums are cool with this and even though I'm happy to feed in public, I like to stay a little bit modest.

The next day my mom insisted on buying me a breastfeeding cover but we could only find one in town and it was $60 for this piece of square fabric. I was not impressed!

Instead, I hopped on etsy and found a wonderful seller - Lilacs & Lollipops. They had heaps of HideAway breastfeeding covers in beautiful fabrics with very reasonable prices!

Lilacs and Lollipops were great to work with. When my HideAway breastfeeding cover arrived, I was so impressed with the quick shipping and I don't know what they scented the cover with, but it had the most beautiful (but subtle) scent for the next few washes!!

It is so easy to feed in public with this cover. It fits right around my neck with a little pop out top so I can see my little man. Its also perfect to wear over his Baby Bjorn. He is one of those super stimulatable kids who is just always curious. Whenever he's tired and I pop the breastfeeding cover over his carrier, he falls asleep literally in about 30 seconds! Its breathable and I can peek down at him. PERFECT!

If you're a breastfeeding mom, i definitely recommend picking up one of these HideAway covers. It will seriously change your breastfeeding life!

We Want to PUMP! YOU UP! (My Double Electric Breast Pump Has Arrived!)

Yes, I have been so eagerly awaiting the day that my Medela InStyle Double Electric Breast Pump would arrive! I absolutely adore breastfeeding my little boy, but I am also a working mom. While I am blessed enough to be able to work from home and also have an area to bring my son to work, there are times when meetings are on and I need to leave bub with someone else to take care of him.

Because I've been breastfeeding exclusively, I've really been hesitant to use formula even for those occasions I had to leave my baby with someone else. I know breastfeeding is not for everyone but since it is something that is working for us, I wanted to maintain what was going into my son's body.

My pumping journey has been a bit on the hilarious side.

1. First, I tried a manual pump from a friend. I started out very optimistic., picturing an abundant flow milk pouring from my bosom. Then came the reality check. After about 15 very uncoordinated minutes, I found myself with a cramped hand, and an ounce of milk. I was so discouraged!

2. I then rang the chemist as I heard they hired out electric pumps which would hook up into this manual pump. I had to ring a few places before I found success and it was $30/week! Great for a once-off but not a good long-term solution at all.

3. A couple of days later I happened to be at a friend's house. She was moving out of the country and had a few items to get rid of so I was stoked to see that one such item was a electric (battery operated) pump. This was the funniest experience to date. I hooked up, convinced this was going to be the pump that changed my life. As soon as I got it connected, I cried out in pain! It literally felt like my nipple was going to fall off! I finally understood women who say they have great pain in breastfeeding and immediately felt horrible for them! Determined as I am, I continued to try but no milk came out. My midwife happened to be coming the following day for a home visit so I asked her about it. After showing her what I was going, she said, "First of all, this pump is too small for your nipple." (Hence the awful ripping feeling!) None the less, the battery faded out within the time that it took to try and show my midwife so I gave up on that one!

4. My husband and I decided to suck it up. We have been very thrifty with our "Baby Bonus" but this was going to be worth it. We did lots of homework online - and asking other breastfeeding moms - and decided to go with the Medela In Style Breast Pump.
Even the packaging indicates that THIS is the real deal! It arrived in a beautiful backpack with a compartment for the actual pumping mechanism on the bottom and a section at the top for bottles and the cooler bag (included.) There are all kinds of practical compartments which really excites an organised mom like me. It even came with a manual pump just in case!

My first pumping experience was in the evening and my baby was going through one of those big eating stages. He had all but sucked me dry but I still managed to pump 2 ounces. I couldn't believe how comfortable it was compared to the other pumps I had tried! It felt like a miracle and I waved the milk in my husband's face in joy!!

I now pump regularly to keep up a stock for those just in case times and always have a great yield in record time and with a lot of comfort.

Its a real blessing. This morning, our baby woke up about half an hour early. Being the weekend, my sweet husband grabbed him and gave him a bath while I kept sleeping (yes, exhausted from the other 3 times I had fed him in the night!). I started to hear my son's hunger squack but by the time I had come out from bed, there was my wonderful husband feeding our baby a bottle.

We love our Medela In Style Advanced Breast Pump and would DEFINITELY RECOMMEND it!

Happy feeding times!