Tag Archives: tips

How Dads Can Play an Important Role in Breastfeeding and a Giveaway

06/15/2014 R.C. Liley 9 Comments

Happy Father’s Day to all of you awesome dads out there! These two girls make me a happy father/husband every day!

Yep, I’m one proud and lucky guy, and I’m elated to be celebrating this day for the first time! Avery also turns 7 months old today; she’s past the half year mark!

I finally get to find out what my wife has been keeping me from in our front room for the past month. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you soon.

Besides having two beautiful girls in my life, I’m proud of the fact that Going Mom chooses to only breastfeed Avery and will never consider formula. I understand some situations where it’s not possible, but just giving up isn’t a good reason or fair to babies.

No doubt, breastfeeding, from what I’ve seen and heard, is no walk in the park and has many hurdles to get past, but it’s not impossible. Going Mom is one of many mothers who deal with the #boobissues on a daily basis, and I do my best to support her however I can.

In honor of Father’s Day, Medela shared with me that they have collaborated with Kuroji Patrick, one of Medela’s 2013 Breastfeeding Hall of Excellence inductees, to create a list of tips for dads to get and stay involved with the breastfeeding journey.

We take pride in raising our daughter with the best nutrition from Mother Nature, and I hope this list will held dads support their partners and be an advocate for breastfeeding.

Daddies and Breastfeeding: Ways to Stay Involved

Before the Baby Comes

Be supportive of your partner’s decision to breastfeed by understanding the benefits of breastmilk.

Help your partner find information on what breastpump your insurance will cover. The Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to provide equipment and support with no co-pay, but the actual pump provided will vary from company to company.

Join your partner in preparing for the experience of breastfeeding by taking a course that will provide you both with the information you’ll need to know.

Seek out other fathers who have supported their partners while Breastfeeding to gain real world advice.

At the Hospital

At the hospital, be an advocate for your partner. Make sure the staff knows that she wants to breastfeed and that formula should not be given to the baby without consent.

Find the lactation consultant if mom is struggling. Many hospitals have one on staff, and early intervention and support from a professional is crucial, particularly for first-time moms.

Ask the hospital staff about local breastfeeding support groups for after your family goes home. Peer encouragement is helpful, and it’s an excuse for mom and baby to get out of the house.

At Home

In addition to making sure your partner has what she needs while she heals from childbirth, you can help the breastfeeding transition to home by making sure she is comfortable while nursing—by bringing her pillows, foot rest, water, etc.
It doesn’t sound glamorous, but diaper changes are a great way for you to get involved in baby care. In addition to giving your partner a break, it’s a chance for you and your baby to start practicing conversation skills by making eye contact, cooing noises and engaging your baby with changing facial expressions.
If your partner starts pumping, you’ll have a chance to bond with your baby over a bottle and give your partner a break. You can further help your partner by washing and sterilizing pump parts and bottles.
Be your partner’s biggest cheerleader. Breastfeeding can be frustrating and difficult in the beginning, but you can provide moral support by acknowledging the difficulty of nursing and offering to find a professional to help, such as lactation consultant (which should be covered by your insurance). And remind your partner of why she wanted to breastfeed in the first place!

I have been utilizing tips like these since Avery’s birth and know I have a stronger bond with my daughter and wife as a result. The benefits of breastfeeding are powerful and I’d hope any parent would want only the best for their children.

Medela’s online education course, Breastfeeding University, costs a reasonable $25 and offers you priceless information, but they have agreed to allow me to offer 3 readers free access codes to the course! This would be perfect for the expecting couple to complete together or any couple looking to add to their breastfeeding knowledge database.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below telling me about your experience or plans with breastfeeding. I will randomly select 3 commenters to receive access codes to use to take the course for free. Contest ends next Friday, June 20th.

This giveaway has ended, but don’t worry, I’ll have plenty of other opportunities to win great prizes in the future!

Thanks to everyone who read and commented on this post, it’s something I am deeply passionate about. The three winners are Maggie, Ashley, and Stacy. Congrats and I have sent an e-mail for your code!

Hope everyone has a great day! Treat the dad in your life extra nice today! 🙂

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this post and all views are strictly my own.

Parenting, Pinterest Picks

Going Dad’s Top Ten Pinterest Picks (6): Baby Proof Your Home!

05/24/2014 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

You had to of known this one was coming, right? At this point, I’d expect to make these posts related to what we’re currently experiencing/learning with Avery.

Right now, she can sit up without even trying. Seriously, she’ll wake in the middle of the night and all of the sudden, she’s upright…..and crying.

She eventually tumbles over and will (usually) fall back asleep.

Now the next big milestone is crawling and/or walking, and we need to get our house prepared! Of course there’s always something we’ll miss and won’t find out until she finds it for us, but thankfully Pinterest is here to offer a helping hand.

By the way Avery is able to move around just by rolling and scooting, it’s only a matter of time before she’s getting into anything within reach. If you have a baby that’s about to be or already is becoming more mobile, I hope these top ten picks help get you prepared.

1. 10+ Tips for childproofing. Practical tips and advice we all should read up on!

2. Pict-o-graphs are fun and a great way to have important info all on one giant page. Great for printing! Now I just need a printer…..

3. DIY baby gate? Yes please, the store-bought ones are pricey!!

4. We don’t have stairs in our home, but I’m sure many of you do and would like to NOT put holes anywhere. So, here you go!

5. Pool noodles to the rescue! It may not be the prettiest way to baby proof, but you might as well get used to the fact that having a baby isn’t always pretty! We’re slowly catching on…..

6. I shouldn’t have to explain the reasoning here; babies in trash = no good. I didn’t even think of the trash until seeing this Pin!

7. Well looky here, the pool noodles make another safety appearance. Again, is it pretty? No. But will it save your kid from busting their lip or worse? I sure hope so!

8. Room by room tips on baby proofing. Just skip to the rooms you need and see if there’s any new ideas.

9. Okay, last pool noodle Pin. Only because I have one left before ten. you could really surround your home in pool noodles! Hmmm, wonder if Going Mom would approve?

10. Just in case we missed something from the above pins, hopefully this will complete your list of to-do’s!

So, are you ready to baby proof your home? Have you already proofed thinking you were all set and found something else?

Let me know where you are in the process and please, share any tips you might have to offer!

You might be interested in my other Top Ten Pinterest Picks for helpful ideas and even a good laugh:

Life, Parenting

How I Plan on Wearing My Baby in the Heat

04/28/2014 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Do you live where there’s hardly a transition from Winter to Summer? Sure, there’s the season we call Spring, but here in Texas, it seems likes it’s either cold and miserable or just plain hot.

Yes, I’m exaggerating a little, there are some nice days, but Texas heat turns on rather quickly around here. It doesn’t help when humidity is thrown into the mix; ugh.

But I am a lover of the heat and will take drenching my clothes in sweat over shivering in layers of clothes any day. Go for a run early in the morning? Not me, I prefer early afternoon with the sun beaming down on me.

I know my performance would be better in cooler weather, but I love the drained feeling after a hot workout. That said, I need to be more mindful now that I have a baby to bring along wherever I go.

Lately, I have been running with Avery in our B.O.B. stroller and using a weather shield because I thought she’d get too much dirt blown in her face. Well, Going Mom set me straight and told me how you shouldn’t use the weather shield in great than 65 degree weather; it’s only for precipitation anyway.

Admitting mistakes is not my strong point, but I’m admitting it now, I’m a doofus for subjecting our beautiful girl to the shield. Next run, I’m make sure it’s open to the fresh air! Sorry, Avery, and thank you, Kelley, for showing me the light!

Good job, Daddy, way to admit your stupidity! I love you!

Since I’ll also be wearing Avery when we are outside, I need to have a plan to keep her cool and comfortable. Thankfully, Onya Baby has a very simple solution to keep your baby cool when wearing them in hot weather.

All you need is a baby carrier with front pockets (such as, say….the Onya Outback!) and a freezer/ice pack. I’m sure you know what’s next, just put the ice pack in the front pocket of your carrier and now you’ll have a one cool baby!

I did this when wearing Avery in the Onya while reel mowing with our Fiskars mower on a hot day and she kept cool and calm the whole time. Actually, she took a nap like she has before!

So, it’s that easy, use one or two cold packs when wearing your baby under the scorching sun and keep them safe! Onya Baby wrote a post on their blog about using the ice pack and included these additional tips:

– Dress yourself and your baby in loose, lightweight, natural fiber clothing
– Carry an umbrella to provide portable shade for both yourself and your baby

– Place a lightweight cloth or flat diaper between yourself and your baby
– Remove your baby periodically from your carrier to allow both of you to cool off
– Check your baby often by touch and sight to be sure he’s not overheating.

Click here for Onya’s original post.

I’ve used an umbrella several times and it works great, but if it’s windy outside, it can be a hassle. That’s when I recommend and giant brimmed hat with a neck strap!

Overall, be mindful of the weather when bringing your baby outside. I admit to being slightly stubborn/ignorant of this and have my lovely wife to thank for snapping me out of it. Again, thank you, Kelley!

Do you have to deal with heat where you live?

Any tips of you own on keeping baby safe in the sun?