Day 13 of No Poo

So I think No Poo is going well, and I think I've hit the transitioning stage.

On Wednesday (day 10), the roots of my hair started feeing waxy. Not greasy, waxy. Thursday I did the no poo routine and it didn't stop the waxiness. In fact the waxiness was spreading out from the roots and down the hair. I woke up at 4:15 Friday morning with some insomnia. While I was lying there trying to go back to sleep, I was thinking about how the waxiness reminds me of how sheep produce lanolin to protect their wool coats. Then (you can tell it was early morning) I thought, "Hmm. I wonder if I can lanolize our soakers by rubbing them on my head?"

I went online and asked a forum about this- does this sound like the transition stage? Does it sound like a hard water issue? Should I try lemon juice? Consensus is that it's just transition. I'm inclined to believe that, too. McKay says it feels different (but doesn't smell) and he isn't against it; he wants me to push on through this stage. That surprised me, but I guess if he was comfortable enough catching Margaret, he'll probably be comfortable enough with most of my ideas. Except family cloth. He's against that, but I still have time to work on that. :)

Anyway, so my hair is a little waxy. I bought a boar bristle brush yesterday because they are supposed to help push the natural oils of your scalp to the rest of your hair unlike plastic and other man-made materials. Other than waxy, it's not bad. I know my hair is clean (waxy doesn't mean not clean), I've found further proof that I am a mammal (sebum), and I can style my hair well. In fact, as I was doing my hair yesterday, I thought, "This is what my hair felt like after our wedding with all that gunk in it... wait... people PAY for their hair to feel like this?" Yes, yes they do.

If I quit now, the experiment won't be worth much. I'd like to go at least a month. On the forum, they said it's usually roughest around weeks 2-3. We'll see. One of the responders has been going no-poo for 14 months. She changes her routines according to the seasons: in the winter she was washing with just conditioner, right now she's using a bakingsoda/brown sugar/honey combo. This sounds fun. And yummy.

ETA: One problem I've heard of people having is an itchy scalp. I haven't experienced that yet. Also, the honey and baking soda scrub on my face is working very well. I've had a couple of zits show up, but not the breakout I was expecting this weekend. Of course, the weekend isn't over yet!

Friday Fillins

1. It's cold and dangerous out there in the Interwebs.

2. When I buy groceries, I'm definitely buying tomatoes.

3. My favorite health and beauty product is now honey.

4. Sometimes I splurge and waste gas for a a nice long ride.

5. Well, first of all people change.

6. Me, Mckay, Sheri; those were the cast of characters in a recent dream and it was in Europe and had something to do with hats.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to either having the house clean or a soaker knitted (bets on which one happens?), tomorrow my plans include helping a friend move and Sunday, I want to perhaps go to all three hours of church?!

Facial Scrub

I don't think if I mentioned this on the No Poo post, but it's so great, I wanted to share it.

I've started washing my face with a honey baking soda scrub, and I LOVE it. Before, when I got out of the shower, I would always have dry flaky skin on my cheeks and no amount of moisturizer would work. I also struggled with acne everywhere else on my face.

The recipe is about 1:1 with baking soda to honey. Maybe a little less baking soda. You can experiment with it. I've also thought of adding a drop of lavender essential oil into it. The honey smells so nice, and when I get out of the shower my face is soft and not flaky. That is a good thing.

After sitting for a while, the mixture will separate, so you'll need to stir it up. We have lots of kabob sticks that I use for that purpose.

Still having issues with the laptop or else I'd have pictures.

No Poo

Things about our shower routine that needed changing:

• We needed to move my shower/Margaret's bath to the evenings. Margaret bathes when I do, but now that she actually gets dirty during the day, she needs a bath in the evenings.
  
• I needed to stop washing my hair every day. It's not good for my hair to wash it that often.
• I needed to stop using shampoo in general.

So we changed all of that. This week. All at once.

Last Sunday morning was the last time I showered in the morning, regularly, with shampoo. Right now my routine consists of washing my hair every other day with baking soda diluted in water. I'm using an apple cider vinegar rinse for conditioner, but I may change that to lemon juice just to see how that affects it.

It's kind of like a fun experiment!

How is it working? Great! There was a day this past week where my hair was kind of greasy by the end of the day- but that was an "other" day of my every other day routine, and my hair is still getting used to not being washed every day. After the no poo routine, it didn't look greasy at all, and lasted for 2 days without looking greasy. I think my scalp was just adjusting to the every other day schedule.

My hair feels lighter, more airy. I've heard that going no poo will accentuate curls and waves because there are no chemicals weighing your hair down. I haven't noticed that yet (I have a wave to my hair), but it is feeling lighter.

This is where I found the most extensive information on going "No Poo." And this is the thread Annie sent me on Twitter that did most of the inspiring.

I was going to post a picture of my hair today, but we're having troubles with our laptop and it's too much work. Maybe I'll give an update next week with a picture.

Friday Fill-ins

1. Moving all the furniture in our house (minus the bed) into the kitchen takes less than 5 minutes. Learned that one this week.

2. Born free!

3. My best quality is my ability to lactate. That was the answer McKay gave me when I asked him. "Yeah! You sustain life... through your breasts! That's a freakin' miracle!" was his explanation.

4. There are many, complicated details.

5. In nearly 10 years, I've gone from trusting the man to fighting the man. You aren't going to keep me down!

6. Ideas of what to knit is what I need right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to something... not sure, tomorrow my plans include something else... not sure and Sunday, I want to have even more elusive plans!

Busy week

While I have many posts in progress, this week has been crazy: revolving around a water heater incident from last Saturday.

Last night I went to LLL. While I have lots of online support, the real life support is so wonderful. I left even more excited about breastfeeding (is that possible?). I also learned that some women experience hot flashes when let down occurs. Didn't know that! It's also nice to be reassured that even though Margaret nurses maybe once at night (and late into the night like 6 am) and nurses as often as a newborn during the day, that it's ok.

Well, I think that's how she nurses. Last night she nursed more often because of teething, if nursing at midnight counts as "more often". And a couple days last week, we went 5 hours without nursing in the day. Was I engorged! She had no problem catching up, though. I think she forgets about nursing because she's distracted by everything else. When it's bed time or in the morning when I get dressed, she notices that I have breasts and wants to nurse. Many times she'll only nurse for half a minute or so, but sometimes it's more, especially at nap times. I couldn't give you any sort of schedule. I don't know how often she'll nurse in a day until that day happens. Things change every day.

She usually LOVES to eat different foods, but lately she's been turning down all solids- including strawberries! I think it's all teething-related. She has 2 molars that just broke through this past week and 2 more spots that are really swollen and ready.

Today, after days of cleaning and dealing with the flooding and subsequent matters, I'm taking a break. Today is just play. I made a fort for Margaret and turned on some dancing music. We'll be at the park later today.

Fun with Brigham Young

A few months after Margaret's birth, I came across this Brigham Young quote. I thought it was fun.

Would you want doctors? Yes, to set bones. We should want a good surgeon for that, or to cut off a limb. But do you want doctors? For not much of anything else, let me tell you, only the traditions of the people lead them to think so; and here is a growing evil in our midst. It will be so in a little time that not a woman in all Israel will dare to have a baby unless she can have a doctor by her. I will tell you what to do, you ladies, when you find you are going to have an increase, go off into some country where you cannot call for a doctor, and see if you can keep it. I guess you will have it, and I guess it will be all right, too. -Journal of Discouses, page 225

This is in the section of Brigham Young's view of Zion and a perfect society. He also disliked lawyers as you can see right before this quote. This was said at October General Conference in 1872. I imagine what the people were thinking when he said this; this was at a time where it was a rarity for a doctor to attend a birth. "Afraid to give birth without a doctor?! Why, Sister M did that last week and Sister B the week before!"

Just sharing this because I think it's fun.

Info for Provo area cloth diaperers

I don't know these people personally but I thought people in Provo/Orem might want to know.

At the Quilted Bear in Provo, there's a booth that sells various cloth diapers including Bum Genius, FuzziBuns, GroBaby and also baby legs, cloth wipe solutions, "make your own diaper" kits, etc. I picked up their card and their site is http://www.littlerabbits.webs.com/.

I find that buying bulk online is cheapest, but if you'd like to go check out different diapers and brands and and then buy them online this is a good option.

The lady also does cloth diapering classes at Mothering Your Way in Orem. I don't know all it entails but if you're interested, it's there.

Friday Fill-ins

I forgot to do this last week... oops!

1. If we had no winter Christmas would be dull.

2. Margaret and everything she does is a perpetual astonishment.

3. If I had my life to live over I wouldn't have done my undergrad in math- not that I don't like it, but it's just not what I want to do with the rest of my life.

4. I get to sleep, eat, play with Margaret, and maybe do some chores (maybe) all inside of four and twenty hours.

5. If you've never been thrilled about window shopping, you aren't looking in the right windows.

6. To be interested in the changing seasons has something to do with what I want to knit next.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to BINGO with the old ladies, perhaps?, tomorrow my plans include hanging out with a friend while McKay goes to see Star Trek and Sunday, I want to do something!

The Human Pacifier

A post I wrote up for last week, but didn't publish.

Margaret is still young enough to pass as a baby, so I haven't heard many intrusive comments. However, a year ago someone tried to tell me that I would end up as a human pacifier.

Um... Ok... How is that bad? Why is comforting my child something that is distasteful? Isn't that part of the whole "mom" thing?

Then I thought about pacifying. If I were to write a talk for church on Sunday, I wouldn't say this because it's cliche, but I'll say it here: Merriam Webster defines "pacify" as, "to allay the anger or agitation of" and "to restore to a tranquil state." I really can't see the wrong in that.

So I'm going to continue being the human pacifier that I am and keep pacifying the human in my care. Plus there's so many extra benefits: I don't get lost, or fall on the floor, or need sanitizing, etc., like the plastic kind.


"Emotional needs are still needs." I heard someone at LLL say this. It completely changed the way I thought of parenting. Yes, Margaret occasionally nurses for comfort. She needs comfort- she's only been on Earth for a short time. The world is big and scary and she needs a home base that isn't- and I'm that home base until she moves out and creates her own.



Need quick responses to comments?
Kellymom.com has examples of nice, diplomatic ways to handle questions
Here are some responses- some with slightly more lip
Here are more responses if you're feeling particularly snarky (not that I'm promoting the snark)

And, of course, Hathor's take on this:

Cloth Diapers and the Laundromat

We've been living in our studio apartment for over two and a half years- all the while making weekly trips to the laundromat. When we started using cloth diapers, that changed to bi-weekly. There have been a few weeks when people have offered their homes for the laundry (Thanks Faith, Monique, and Vanessa), but the majority of the time, I've trekked the 2 blocks. How does that work with cloth diapers? The same way it worked with clothes, though there are a few special considerations.

First, we had to pick a couple of days to do laundry. In general, I go on Mondays for diapers only and Thursdays for everything. This is because our laundromat has assigned some of the washers to only be $1/wash on Thursdays. Saving us money! One of my favorite benefits of the laundromat is that you can get everything washed all at once. You don't have to spend hours doing laundry! Just 60-90 minutes!

Last November taking a ride in the laundry cart

My diaper routine:

1. Pour the detergent in. We have a mild detergent without any perfumes or fragrances. Some diapers need specific detergents. The microfiber in the Bum Genius can hold onto the urine smell if the detergent isn't one that rinses well from it. You can avoid that complication simply by using flats or prefolds to stuff the pockets since those don't have detergent restrictions like microfiber does.
2. Throw diapers and wipes and wet bags in. Our diaper "pail" is just a really large wet bag that we wash with the diapers.
3. A few drops of tea tree oil get thrown in. It's antibacterial and smells really good. It is also expensive, but that is why I only use a few drops. Our tiny bottle has lasted us over half a year so far.
   
4. Set to the hottest, most agitating setting. I want the diapers to get clean! There are no "extra rinse" settings at the laundromat like some home washers have, so I'm pretty aggressive with the settings.
   
5. I used to add a cup of white vinegar when the cycle changed to "rinse" to eliminate odors. I've heard that vinegar ruins the microfiber of the Bum Genius, so I've stopped. Of course, if you choose to stuff your pocket diapers with something other than microfiber, go ahead and do this. If vinegar is ok with microfiber, someone please let me know.
   
6. Put the diapers and inserts in the dryer. You can put the covers and pockets in the dryer, but I've found that the heat of the dryer has ruined some covers. The plastic parts melted into themselves. Not good. Of course, it's summer now, so I dry both diapers and covers on a line: saves money and energy.

One of the pitfalls of the laundromat is that you can't control the detergent other people have used previously in the machines. I always wash the diapers in a machine that is in a corner and hard to reach, hoping that it's used less and so will have less detergent residue.

What about stripping the diapers? There are times when cloth diapers do need to be stripped for smells. Most sources online will tell you to wash the duapers on a couple cycles of super hot water, which isn't possible at the laundromat. Our simple solution is to boil the diapers. We have a very large stock pot and when I need to strip the diapers, I plan on boiling then in that. Stock pots also come in handy when you give birth at home in a tub.

In Marxh pushing the carts around

In the winters, I spend about $3.75/week on diapers. In the summers, it's only $2.50. It is free, of course, when I do it at someone's house. Not bad compared to the economical and environmental cost of disposable diapers. For me, the biggest downside to the laundromat is having to leave the house and if I don't have the car that day, it's kind of a pain to carry it all, but it's good exercise.

I know that, "I have to wash my diapers at the laundromat" sounds like an overwhelming thought. It was to me originally, too. But really, it's not a big deal and it's easier than this post makes it sound, I promise.

If you're in Provo, the laundromats with $1 washes on Thursdays are the ones on Freedom: next to Honks and the one at the corner of 3rd south. Hope that helps you, Melissa! And I hope your washer gets fixed soon!

Nursing a Toddler Upside-down

The later half of this week went much better. I was able to get a few pics of Margaret nursing.

Nursing while mom blogs:

Nursing and sleeping in the sling:

Nursing while mom knits:
On May first, a small exchange on Twitter occured:

TopHat8855: Guess what? It's possible for a child to latch on even if you're holding them upside down by their legs. Ask me how I know. :)

phdinparenting: @TopHat8855 Can you post a how-to video for us all? ;)

Yes, yes I can. So here's a how-to video!

Although I say it in the video, please don't do this if your child doesn't have neck and back control. Newborns are not candidates for this. Also, don't do it if your child doesn't like to be upside-down. Margaret has just recently in the past few months become ok with being bounced and flipped upside-down. She still doesn't like being tossed into the air. Don't do anything that your child doesn't like. That's just mean.

The week of tantrums

Dear Margaret,

You have, we estimate, 3 molars coming in right now. You had a fever all weekend and Monday. Since Sunday, you have refused any consolation short of being held and rocked as we walk around the room. Sometimes we would sing to you and you would sing to us. That's what it looked like when things were under control.

But yesterday, Margaret I didn't have things under control. I had a lot to do and all I wanted was to put you down for half an hour while I got the grocery list written. You, however, were plagued by the incessant sensation of molars pressing against your gums, so when I put you down you wanted me to know you were uncomfortable and wanted me to hold you, so you cried. You screamed. You threw yourself out of my arms and threw your head back. Your voice was saying, "My life is really hard right now and you're ignoring it!" and your body was saying, "These sensations are too much for me and I don't know what to do with myself." And in my head I was saying, "COME ON! You're fever broke! Why are you so crazy? You've been like this since Saturday! Why isn't it over?"

I wasn't very nice in my head. All day yesterday, everything put you over the edge and you wouldn't sleep. When you finally got to bed last night, you kept waking all night. I kept turning you over to nurse and you kept waking up and crying. "GO TO SLEEP!" rang in my head.

When I woke up this morning I rememberd your teething. I thought about how it must be to be on sensation overload with everything piling up and not being able to do anything about it. It reminded me of myself Tuesday night.

You see, you had been sick all weekend and the dishes were piling up and the laundry needed serious doing and I lost a library book that was overdue, and McKay had to be gone all evening, which was especially unfair because he had been gone all day, too. Everything was piling up in my head and so I threw myself on the bed refusing to move. All-grown-up -like, huh?

And now, I look at you who threw yourself on the floor screaming yesterday. We are not too different, I see. Just as my frustrations piled up, your physical sensations are piling up. And just as I wanted McKay to be nice to me while I worked through that, you want me to be nice to you while your teeth break through.

I didn't see it yesterday when it was all happening. All I saw was a baby who should be feeling better because now her fever has broken and I saw my list of things to do that didn't get done when you were feverish and needed my attention. And I saw you have tantrum after tantrum, And you woke up hour after hour last night and I was frustrated. I tried being there for you: I held you and nursed you, but to be honest, my thoughts weren't very sympathetic. I was there in person, but not in spirit.

But you know what? I get it. Sometimes everything builds up and you just need to get it out. It happens to me, it happens to you. And it's ok to get it all out. If I allow myself tantrums at the age of 23, you're allowed them at 13 months.

How about we start this week over, ok? Sounds good? Great.

They Say:

They say that breastfeeding into toddlerhood and beyond is healthy and normal. "They" includes moms like those who posted in the Carnival yesterday. It also includes a few medical organizations. I'll share a couple of quotes. Purple emphasis is mine.

The World Health Organization:

Breastfeeding should continue with complementary feeding up to 2 years of age or beyond, and it should be on demand, as often as the child wants....Breast milk continues to provide higher quality nutrients than complementary foods, and also protective factors. Breast milk is a critical source of energy and nutrients during illness, and reduces mortality among children who are malnourished. In addition...breastfeeding reduces the risk of a number of acute and chronic diseases. Children tend to breastfeed less often when complimentary foods are introduced, so breastfeeding needs to be actively encouraged to sustain breast-milk intake."
quoted from Infant and young child feeding: Model Chapter for textbooks for medical students and allied health professionals, 2009, page 20, downloaded from here.

The American Academy of Family Physicians:

As recommended by the WHO, breastfeeding should ideally continue beyond infancy, but this is not the cultural norm in the United States and requires ongoing support and encouragement. It has been estimated that a natural weaning age for humans is between two and seven years. Family physicians should be knowledgeable regarding the ongoing benefits to the child of extended breastfeeding, including continued immune protection, better social adjustment, and having a sustainable food source in times of emergency. The longer women breastfeed, the greater the decrease in their risk of breast cancer.... There is no evidence that extended breastfeeding is harmful to mother or child. Breastfeeding during a subsequent pregnancy is not unusual. If the pregnancy is normal and the mother is healthy, breastfeeding during pregnancy is the woman's personal decision. If the child is younger than two years, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned. Breastfeeding the nursing child after delivery of the next child (tandem nursing) may help provide a smooth transition psychologically for the older child.

Government statements (I'm limiting this to English-speaking countries because this blog is in English, not because other countries don't have statements or aren't important):

American Academy of Pediatrics, because the US Department of Health's statement is a quote from the AAP: "Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child."

Health Canada promotes "continued breastfeeding for up to two years and beyond."

Australian Government: "continued breastfeeding until the age of 12 months – and beyond if both mother and infant wish."

The European Union seems to use the WHO's recommendation of 2 years- I had a hard time navigating their site to find an exact link.


I found the WHO's recommendation to continue breastfeeding on demand into the second year of life and to continue encouraging the child to breastfeed so that wearning doesn't occur before their second birthday to be very interesting. I have heard many times, "breastfeed on demand" but never heard of age being addressed in the discussion. I aksed an LLL leader about this and she said that it's fine to ask your toddler to wait a few minutes as you finish something up that you're busy with, but waiting more than half an hour is a weaning technique, so if you're not trying to wean, don't use it. And I mention she's an LLL leader- not because that's LLL's official stance, but to emphasize that she is very immersed in breastfeeding literature and research. I don't know LLL's official stance (or even if they have one) on that.

Comfort in Sick Times

This post is for the "This is What Nursing a Toddler Looks Like" Carnival. Welcome carnival readers!

Originally, I was going to spend the weekend taking pictures of all the ways Margaret nurses and post them all here. Margaret can nurse standing up, in a mei tai, upside-down, lying down, and squooshed up in the couch:

All my good intentions were lost when Margaret got a fever that lasted 3 days. It has now broken, and there are a couple of swollen areas in her mouth where molars are waiting and taunting us.

On the first day, Margaret refused any solids. I felt reassured in nursing her; I knew she would stay hydrated on my breastmilk and get the comfort she needed. Then on the afternoon of the second day, she started refusing any form of food. My breasts were engorged and I expressed some milk in a cup for her. Maybe the sippy cup would have enough novelty that she would drink? No. Maybe a straw? No. We even tried to get some into her with an eye dropper and I tried to show her how to suck on a soaked washcloth for fluids. Nope. I kept offering the breast and she kept turning away. Occasionally she would take a couple of sips, but they really were just a couple of sips.

Somehow, she started nursing again. Those couple of sips turned into more sips. Breastmilk is very easily digested. I was confident that her body was taking the little nutrition she was receiving and maximizing its potential. I was still engorged and I spent some time after McKay and Margaret went to bed Sunday night expressing a couple of ounces into a bowl. The result was the most watery foremilk I have ever seen. My body knew Margaret needed water and it was successfully producing what she needed. I was engorged most of the day Monday despite the fact that she was now nursing more regularly.

It's not unusal for children to stop eating solids for various reasons: growth spurts, illnesses, major life changes. I knew a couple last summer who worried about their 1 year old who spent a week only wanting her bottle. This is totally normal. Some children eat lots of solids at a year, some children don't eat regular solids until they are almost 2. By continuing to nurse into the toddler years and beyond, you'll find that breastmilk picks up the slack where the solids are lacking in nutrition.

I don't know how long Margaret will nurse. At the moment the plan is to let her decide when she'll wean. I look forward to nursing her through more illnesses and bumps and scrapes. I have seen my friends calm tantrums with the breast. As Margaret gets older her nursing sessions are more than just food: they bridge the language gap. She has feelings she wants to express, but she is not yet talking and she doesn't yet understand my explanations of her world, "Margaret we can't go outside right now, it's raining." We can nurse, though, and the lack of words is filled with the calming time spent with each other.


When Margaret gets better this week, I'll see if I can't get more of those fun, "I can't believe she can nurse in that position" pictures.

More Carnival Posts (updated throughout the day)

Mallory's The Joys, Humor, and Struggles of Nursing a Toddler
Seagal's This is What Nursing a Toddler Looks Like
Melissa's Nursing A (and Around A) Toddler Creates Cute Stories
Destiny's I Never Thought I'd Nurse a Toddler
Brightonwoman's Nursing an [Older] Toddler
PhDinParenting's Nursing a Toddler in a Ring Sling
Melodie's Pros and Cons of Breastfeeding a Toddler
Sam's My Nursing Toddler Story
Threegirlpileup's This is What Nursing a Toddler Looks Like
Alisa's A Breastfeeding Toddler's Photoshoot
Permission to Mother's This is What a Nursing Toddler Looks Like

Breastfeeding and the flu

From the CDC about H1N1:

Does breastfeeding protect babies from this new flu virus?
There are many ways that breastfeeding and breast milk protect babies’ health. Since this is a new virus, we don’t know yet about protection specific against it. Mothers pass on protective antibodies to their baby during breastfeeding. Antibodies are a type of protein made by the immune system in the body. Antibodies help fight off infection.

Flu can be very serious in young babies. Babies who are not breastfed get sick from infections like the flu more often and more severely than babies who are breastfed.

Should I stop breastfeeding my baby if I think I have come in contact with the flu?
No. Because mothers make antibodies to fight diseases they come in contact with, their milk is custom-made to fight the diseases their babies are exposed to as well. This is really important in young babies when their immune system is still developing. Breastfeeding also helps the baby to develop his own ability to fight off diseases.

Is it ok to breastfeed my baby if I am sick?
Yes. This is really important.

Do not stop breastfeeding if you are ill. Ideally babies less than about 6 months of age should get their feedings from breast milk. Breastfeed early and often. Limit formula feeds as much as possible. This will help protect your baby from infection.
If you are too sick to breastfeed, pump and have someone give the expressed milk to your baby.
If my baby is sick, is it okay to breastfeed?
Yes. One of the best things you can do for your sick baby is keep breastfeeding.

Do not stop breastfeeding if your baby is ill. Give your baby many chances to breastfeed throughout the illness. Babies who are sick need more fluids than when they are well. The fluid babies get from breast milk is better than anything else, even better than water, juice, or Pedialyte® because it also helps protect your baby’s immune system.
If your baby is too sick to breastfeed, he or she can drink your milk from a cup, bottle, syringe, or eye-dropper.
If no expressed milk is available, you can give your baby milk donated by other mothers to a HMBANA-certified milk bank.

Very good information here. Things I would change: the word "baby" to "child" and "H1N1/flu" to "any illness."

Why would I change that? According to kellymom.com, which is a very thorough and well-documented breastfeeding site,

Nursing toddlers are sick less often...."Antibodies are abundant in human milk throughout lactation" (Nutrition During Lactation 1991; p. 134). In fact, some of the immune factors in breastmilk increase in concentration during the second year and also during the weaning process. (Goldman 1983, Goldman & Goldblum 1983, Institute of Medicine 1991).

Why is this? My guess is that as your child breastfeeds less, your body compensates for the fewer and shorter feedings by making a more immunologically dense breastmilk so that your child is still receiving the protection they need.

Pictured: blogging and feeding my fever-ridden, napping toddler.

This week, I'll be posting about toddler breastfeeding. Tomorrow will be the "This is what nursing a toddler looks like" blog carnival." I'll be emailing you participants today with instructions.

Friday Fill-ins

1. The first rule of working in an office and getting along is drink lots of water, but not so much that you need a bathroom break every half hour.

2. Chowder is the only way I've ever eaten clams.

3. When I think of carnivals I think of the due date for the "This is what Nursing a Toddler Looks Like" Blog Carnival: it's today! Email those to me at itsallaboutthehat (at) gmail (dot) com.

4. Lilacs are my favorite spring flower.

5. Things on my desk include some junk mail, the computer, the printer, and the waste basket.

6. This weather makes me wanna sew some clothes for summer.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner with McKay's grandma, mom, and aunts, tomorrow my plans include an LLL meeting for people who are/want to be leaders and Sunday, I want to knit!