DUMBASS DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional. ALWAYS consult your physician, pediatrician, OB-GYN, and/or midwife.

This is a collection of all of the tips, information, links and suggestions which I gathered during my pregnancies.

* JOIN LE LECHE LEAGUE NOW. Do this BEFORE you have the baby. It's a great way to prepare for breast-feeding. It is also a great way to find out about the doctors, midwives and birthing options in your area - these women will know who likes to do c-sections, who will attend homebirths, where you can find a birthing pool, etc. LLL leaders & members will know the lactation consultants in the area, and many are consultants themselves. Know whom to contact - before the baby arrives! LLL is there to help you with sore nipples, latch-on technique, colicky babies, emotional support and more.

I can't tell you how many times I hear women say, "Well, I tried nursing and it didn't work out." It was "too hard," it "hurt," the baby just "wouldn't do it," ... I've heard all kinds of lame ass excuses. No, breastfeeding does not just happen (any more than a "good marriage" just happens). It takes dedication, knowledge, patience and commitment. Our society, by and large, doesn't provide any support for breastfeeding. Nursing is not very visible in our culture and media, and many families are not very close. Earlier generations of women were encouraged by their doctors to use formula, and thus cannot mentor their own daughters and grand-daughters.

The first few weeks, even months, of nursing will be a challenge. This is where LLL is a priceless resource.

Breastfeeding is the best thing you can do for your baby. Human milk provides all the protein, sugar, fat, and vitamins your baby needs. It helps protect your baby against ear infections, allergies, vomiting, diarrhea, pneumonia, wheezing, meningitis and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). It is easier for babies to digest, does not need to be prepared, costs nothing to make and is always in supply.

Breastfeeding is linked to increased intelligence and decreased diabetes and obesity in children, and it decreases the mom's chances of getting breast or ovarian cancers. If you nurse, you will increase your bone strength, which helps against osteoporosis.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says, "Extensive research, especially in recent years, documents diverse and compelling advantages to infants, mothers, families, and society from breastfeeding and the use of human milk for infant feeding. These include health, nutritional, immunologic, developmental, psychological, social, economic, and environmental benefits." AAP says "There is no right time to wean," and suggests nursing up to at least a year.

The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for up to 2 years.

To be honest, nursing is not a barrel of fun for me. I've never felt all earth-mothery or whatever. It didn't help me lose weight. But I nursed my first child for almost 3 years, and I am currently nursing my second child. It's the right thing to do, and they love it. That's what boobs are there for. Yeah, it hurts for a little while at first, and can be difficult, but so is labor, so is raising a child.

* Don't be a tree-hugging hippy idiot and try to give your baby soy or rice milk. AAP article.

* Avent breast pump. I highly recommend this one. Easy to use, easy to transport, easy to clean. Have it ready to go, understand how it works and practice assembling and disassembling it before the baby's born - you never know what might happen and why you might need it - including relief of engorgement, helping your milk to come in while recovering from an emergency c-section or feeding a premie baby. YES, you CAN nurse after c-section or premie baby (ask Le Leche League for more information).

* Bravado nursing bras. I've tried several different nursing bras, and I liked these the best. They are comfortable, easy to use, pretty, no underwires, and come in E-F cup sizes. I've been cautioned against underwire nursing bras - not only are they uncomfortable (you could sleep in your Bravado Bra, if you want to), but they can dig into your breast and cause mastitis.

There's also one website I know of with maternity and nursing clothes up to size 6X and up to K-cup size bras: Baby Becoming.

* Get a baby carrier. The Maya Wrap and the Over-the-shoulder-baby-holder are the best. Basically, both are easy to use, excellent for nursing and generally comfortable (unless you have really chronic back problems, like I do, but I still use the sling occasionally). The OTSBH is padded, and so more comfortable, but the Maya Wrap is great for summer, because the fabric is lighter. Men can wear slings, but tend to prefer the Snugli type carriers which "look less gay." The backpack types are easier on my back, but don't seem as comfortable to the baby, IMO, as slings. Plus, they aren't so hot for small babies (who can't hold up their own heads) and aren't useful for discreet public nursing the way the slings are.

* Get a nursing pillow. I've used several kinds, and highly recommend the My Brest Friend pillow. Excellent design.

* Get a neck pillow. I like the Bucky. These are wonderful to use while nursing in an upright position.

* Get a pregnancy pillow. I didn't have one for my first pregnancy, but I got one the second time around. Don't know how I got along without it! In fact, it's so comfortable, in general, that my husband's confiscated it and won't sleep without it. We have the Snoozer Full Body Pillow but there's also a Snoogle Total Body Pillow.

* Find out about the birthing options in your area. Do this BEFORE you get pregnant. Nine months will fly by, and you don't want to spend it arguing with medical professionals or other care providers who do not see things the way you do. Switching midwives or OB/GYNs midway through a pregnancy can be a big hassle. And, even if you think you have chosen well in the beginning, you never know what might happen to make you want to find someone else - know what your options are. This is one of the most important, intense times of your life. You do have a right to the care you want and deserve. You may need to shop around, request a sliding scale, set up a payment plan, petition your health insurance, or simply ask to see a different doctor, nurse or midwife in the same office. Having a baby is very exciting, frightening, expensive and emotional, and most health practitioners will understand that and be willing to work with you (and if they're not, IMHO, then you don't want them presiding over your life and birth, anyway, right?).

* Take vitamins. It is important to take pre-natal vitamins before and during pregnancy, but I found that prescription vitamins made me very ill. I have also heard similar stories from friends who suffered nausea until changing their vitamin brand or prescription (sometimes 2 or 3 times until finding one that didn't make them ill, or as ill as the others).

While my prescription vitamins were covered by medical insurance, I opted to buy my own vitamins at a health food store. Rainbow Light has a pre-natal vitamin, as does Nature's Plus. During my second pregnancy, I took the Nature's Plus "Source of Life" supplement - it's derived from whole food concentrates, comes in mini-tabs so they're easy to swallow, and are vegetarian and hypo-allergenic. I took a bottle to my midwife so she could make sure it had everything I would get in a standard pre-natal vite, and she said it was just fine. NOTE: I do have friends who've said that the "Source of Life" vitamins seemed to upset their babies stomachs when taken while breastfeeding.

* Walk. I have been told that going through labor is like doing a 50-mile hike in one day. I think this is especially true if you plan to have a natural (or as natural as possible) childbirth, in which you will need all the energy and stamina you can get.

* Rest. Sleep. As much as possible. Everyone always says this. "Get it while you can." But it is SO TRUE.

* BURT'S BEES. The Burt's Bees stuff may be a little more expensive than grocery store brands, but a little goes a long way. And they have the best diaper ointment I have ever used. It makes a rash go away almost immediately - and stay away. I also use their talc-free dusting powder (which is great for moms, too!). I've read that talc is not good for babies (or women). My husband says, "Then why do they sell it and call it 'baby powder'?" I have no clue. Why do they sell formula and people think it's better than breast milk? But they do.

I just found this page of information about slings and baby carriers, which seems to be quite thorough: http://www.pburch.net/carriersFAQ.html

* Cloth diapers. I used cloth for my first child, but not my second. For a good overview of cloth, disposables and biodegradable disposable diapers, read "The Poop on Eco-Friendly Diapers"

* Cloth menstrual pads. I know this may sound really "out there" to some of you, but it's been less than 100 years we've had handy tampons and disposable pads, so get over it. Women have been, literally, "on the rag" for tens of thousands of years. And, now having used some cloth myself, I'm doubting the new-fangled ones are really better! Granted, tampons are nice when you're swimming or such, but in general, cloth isn't as uncomfortable and weird as you might think, if you buy the right ones.

Aside from the "eco-friendly" aspect, the concerns surrounding the link between tampons & toxic shock, and the concerns about tampons and pads containing chemicals which are bad for you, the reason I recommend these is that they were SO WONDERFUL when I had about 3 weeks of post-partum bleeding... I started to chafe, itch and generally feel icky after awhile and using the cloth pads eliminated that completely! I had only a few of them, and when I had to go back on disposable pads to wash the cloth ones, I would start to itch and chafe again. I have Lunapads, which are surprisingly easy to use, wonderfully designed, come in different sizes and adjustable thicknesses (for various flow days) and mine never leaked. Here are a few other sites to check out...

Glad Rags * Many Moons * Wemoon * Pandora Pads * How To Make Your Own

* Do you need special "nursing clothes"? No. I've never had any, nor felt the need for any. But you might want to take a peek at your wardrobe and make sure you have lots of shirts that you'll be able to pull up or unbutton to easily whip out a nip. Before my first child, I had a lot of dresses - most of them had to go because they didn't unbutton in the front.

* If you're using disposible diapers, may I recommend the Diaper Champ. It doesn't require special refill bags, so it's cheaper to use. I haven't noticed a smell problem, unless you let it get too full and don't take it out. I also use scented trash bags with it, and for particularly stinky diapers, you can wrap them in a plastic grocery bag, first, then dispose.

DUMBASS DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional. ALWAYS consult your physician, pediatrician, OB-GYN, and/or midwife.