Landing the Plane with The Breastfeeding Shop

Editor’s note: This post is sponsored by The Breastfeeding Shop

 

When I became a mother for the first time, I felt like my life had been flipped upside down.

Facebook recently reminded me of this truth with a status I posted three years ago when I birthed my daughter. It went something like this: “I’ve decided that becoming a mother is like trying to land a 747 in a blizzard. It’s difficult, scary, and uncertain, but in the end, I hang on tight, knowing that most planes make it safely onto the runway without crashing. Right?”

Let’s just say my daughter and I got off to kind of a rocky start.

Bringing her into this world went relatively smoothly, minus the fact that I was eight days overdue and had to be induced. And the Pictocin made me practically yak up my toenails.

But she arrived, safe and sound, au natural with no pain meds.

Now, my next task was to feed this tiny human and keep her alive.

I was determined to be one of those Breastfeeding Rock Star Mamas. One that exclusively breastfed for at least the first year of life and with enough stored milk in the fridge to supply the neighborhood.

But that’s not exactly how it turned out.

My ever-changing OBGYNs had advised against me taking a breastfeeding class because they said it would “stress me out.”

All I have to say is that I wish I would have had some educational resources and general support in this area. At that point in my life, I was naturally high strung. I was a worrier. It was our first kid. And we were facing a cross-country move three months after she arrived.

My stress level was through the roof.

And apparently, stress affects milk supply.

Long story still long, my kid never slept. Doc said it was because she was colicky. Turns out, she wasn’t getting enough to eat because I wasn’t making enough milk. And this wasn’t discovered until her two-month check up when the words “failure to thrive” came up.

Yep. Landing a 747 in a blizzard. Sounds about right.

(Side note: The situation was quickly rectified with supplementation, and we didn’t “crash the plane.” She is a happy, healthy, feisty threenager now.)

Looking back, I would have definitely done things differently and sought out connections like a legit lactation consultant who didn’t treat me like a crazy person, and instead, tapped into solid resources like the Breastfeeding Shop so maybe we could have avoided the whole crazy situation to begin with.

Through Army Wife Network, I’ve recently learned about Patty Gatter and her business with The Breastfeeding Shop. Not too long ago, she starred as a guest on our Army Wife Talk Radio show. (Want to hear more? Swing by and give it a listen.)

All I could think about during that show was how much I wished I’d known about The Breastfeeding Shop when I was trying to land my plane three years ago.

The Breastfeeding Shop is a TRICARE provider and ships breast pumps all over the United States and internationally.

Patty takes an immense amount of pride to ensure that mothers of all backgrounds get high-quality service. She strives to match mamas with the best pump possible that suits their individual needs, as all pumps (and mothers) are a bit different. This method, in my opinion, is a much more solid strategy than gaining feedback from the internet, message boards, and general Facebook polls.

But Patty from the Breastfeeding Shop doesn’t stop there. She’s always available to help mothers through the process and actually teaches them how to use the pump properly, which as I learned the hard way, most medical suppliers typically don’t.

If you’d like to get connected with Patty and the Breastfeeding shop, visit them on Facebook for more information, useful tips, and even some fun stuff about all things feeding our tiny humans!

You can also check out her website or her easy order form to start the process. (The website is extensive: Pump reviews, supplies, tips, blogs, cloth diapers, you name it, they’ve got it! Very impressive.)

Dear readers, it doesn’t matter if this is your first attempt at breastfeeding or the fifth. All I know is that finding quality resources and support is a must. I know that the next time I try to land a 747 plane in a blizzard, I will be tapping into The Breastfeeding Shop right off the runway.

Do you have questions about the resources available with the Breastfeeding Shop? In what ways do you think the Breastfeeding shop could help you? We always love to hear from you. Join the conversation and leave a comment below.