Breastfeeding Journal

Feb. 17, 2008

Tonight for the first time, as I was nursing Ethan before bed I pondered the thought of weaning him completely. Not even thinking about today’s date, I remembered that initially my goal was to nurse him for 14 months.

Once it dawned on me that he would be 14 months in two weeks, I must admit that I got a little nervous. I had to ask myself, “Am I really ready to end this chapter in my life that means so much to me and begin a new one?” The other question I asked myself is, “Am I the only one that is sad for this chapter to end or does Ethan feel the same way?”

I began the difficult process of weaning him off his nap feedings when he was 12 ½ months old, and since then have only been nursing him in the morning and evening. I must admit that it wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. I was misty eyed off and on for a day or two, but survived. To my surprise, Ethan had a more difficult time adjusting than I did. I had been hearing just the opposite, that usually mothers have a harder time.


Feb. 28, 2008
For the past week I have only been nursing Ethan in the evening. My goal was to have him weaned by the end of this month, but I’ve had a change of heart. Both of us are definitely not ready to end this chapter in our lives. When Ethan shows me the sign for milk, which makes me aware that he wants to nurse during the day, I feel guilty for only nursing him at night. I have to remind myself the reason I began the weaning process in the first place.

Last semester when I was nursing exclusively, I was on a time restraint to pump on campus between classes. Now that this is my last semester and I am taking more classes than I did in the fall, my schedule does not allow for me to pump anymore. At least I feel good knowing that he’s getting extra nutrients by only nursing in the evenings, rather than not nursing at all.

I feel confident that when the time comes to completely wean Ethan, that he and I will both know. Ever since I started to only nurse him before bed he has been sleeping 10 – 11 hours, which leads me to believe that he has adapted to this new change very well.

Being a full-time college student I don’t have the time or energy, physically and emotionally to invest if he were to get sick. This motivates me to take a little extra time out of my schedule to nurse him before he goes to bed. I have been blessed so far that he has not gotten sick and hope the added nutrients from my breast milk will continue to protect him until I graduate. Otherwise, how could I possibly be away from my little guy at school while he’s sick? It would be devastating.

Sisters Deliver Babies 49 Minutes Apart

I have a very close relationship with my two younger sisters, Teresa, 23 and Kaitlyn, 16. Being almost three years apart in age, Teresa and I have always had a close bond. Just when I thought our bond could not be any closer I was taken by surprise.

On April 6, 2006 at 9 a.m. I called my family from El Centro, Calif. where I was living at the time as a newlywed, and announced that Ryan and I were expecting.

I was reluctant to tell Teresa since I knew she was hoping to be expecting herself. Even though I was overjoyed I felt somewhat sad for her, although she was ecstatic to hear my exciting news.

My emotions became even more mixed as soon as I got a phone call from her at 8 p.m. My sister and her husband, Tommy surprisingly announced that they too were expecting.

I asked myself, “Is this really possible to find out on the same day that we’re both expecting our first child?”

My family jokingly asked if we called each other to plan it, which of course did not happen.

One month later, as we were experiencing morning sickness, restless nights, leg cramps, and other pregnancy symptoms together, reality finally kicked in. I instantly felt a strong connection with my sister that I had never felt before.

We would call each other all day and all night long, especially at times when we just needed to vent. Since we were experiencing the same emotions and symptoms, we were able to attentively listen to each other and not try to offer solutions.

On Wednesday, Dec. 27th I went to my scheduled prenatal appointment in the morning. My doctor was concerned about the size of my baby boy and scheduled me for an induction at Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar on Friday, Dec. 29th at 6 a.m.

My sister had her scheduled prenatal check-up with her doctor on Wednesday that same afternoon. She was informed that her baby girl was breech and scheduled for a cesarean at Kaiser Riverside Medical Center, also on Friday at 1 p.m.

When she called and told me the coincidence, we were very astonished. We found out we were pregnant on the same day and now we were going to give birth on the same day. When we told our parents the shocking news they almost passed out, caused by the excitement.

My sister could only have one person in the delivery room with her, which she decided would be her husband. Fortunately for my mom’s sake, she was relieved she didn’t have to choose which daughter’s birth to attend.

The next day seemed like it was never-ending, and then Friday morning finally arrived. After a night of tossing and turning I anxiously got out of bed at 5 a.m. and forced myself to eat a bagel, even though I felt like vomiting.

When I finally arrived at the hospital with my three coaches - my husband, mom, and mother-in-law I was so nervous I couldn’t keep my hands from shaking. It felt like I was in a dream. It was a strange, yet miraculous feeling knowing that I was about to bring a new life into this world. It was also strange knowing my sister was going to as well.

I was admitted at 6 a.m. and actually had contractions about three minutes apart, even before the induction took place. Teresa, Tommy, and Kaitlyn stopped by to see me at 10 a.m. to take pictures and my sister and I wished each other well. The three of them were off to Riverside for my niece’s birth.

Due to other emergency c-sections, Teresa’s surgery was bumped from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Kaitlyn called my mom at 2:30 p.m. and advised her that Teresa was taken in for preparation. In the mean time, I was becoming more uncomfortable.

At 3 p.m. Kaitlyn called my mom again and said, “You better get here. They are taking Teresa into surgery.”

My mom replied, “I can’t leave…Amber is in transition.”

The next phone was Kaitlyn announcing the delivery of Memphis Gann at 3:14 p.m. She weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces and was 19 inches long.

As I was pushing, my mom told me the good news and ended her phone call. Ethan was born shortly after at 4:05 p.m. He weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces and was 19 inches long.

My sister, Teresa and I were blessed with safe deliveries and healthy babies. We always prayed that we would have our first child around the same time and God definitely answered our prayers. We experienced many ups and downs throughout our pregnancy and delivery, which are memories we will always hold near and dear to our hearts.

Ways I prevent my child from getting colds and the flu:

• Wash his hands often.
• Wash my hands often and use hand sanitizer.
• Wash his sheets, changing table, high chair, clothes, and toys regularly.
• Occasionally air out the house and regularly clean it.
• Get him the flu shot in the fall.
• Avoid other people with colds and/or the flu.
• Run a small, portable heater in his room during the night when it's cold.
• Frequently run a humidifier in his room during the night, especially during wintertime when running the heater.
• Clean the humidifier regularly and disinfect it at least once a year.
• Continue to nurse him through cold and flu season for extra nutrients.
• Feed him nutritious food.
• Make sure he has adequate sleep.
• Dress him warmly.
• Keep him active.
• Use shopping cart/high chair cover.
• Use table placemat when dining out.

The Big Debate: Are Cold Medicines Safe?

The Food and Drug Administration began questioning the current recommendations of cold medicine dosage for children less than 6 years of age this past October. Some parents blamed cold medication companies for complications and deaths of their children.

During the controversy pediatricians made a statement that children’s cold medicines were no different than sugar pills, also known as placebos.

A panel of experts from the FDA voted in favor of the pediatrician’s statement on Friday, October 19th to ban the popular over-the-counter cold medicines, such as Triaminic, Robitussin, and more for children 6 years old and younger.

However, there are people who disagree with the medication recall and feel the parents are the only ones to blame.

“This is not a problem with the medicine. It has to do with a human error,” said Dr. John Hunter, a General Practitioner from Hemet, Calif. He feels slightly lukewarm about the whole issue.

When used correctly, he feels that all cold medicine for children 12 and under has added benefits. “People don’t realize the medication for infants must be weight-based and not age-based. There’s so much variability in infants and their weights,” he said.

He is unsure how the FDA figured out that the medications were not working.

“Being a nurse I believe medications are very helpful, but must be used very wisely,” said Mary Mikolaycik, Hemet Unified School District Nurse.

Any time she reads an article about a major health change she determines where the facts were obtained. She agrees with pediatricians that there are many good home remedies that should be used first. If they fail to work, then she feels a doctor should be contacted, after assessing the cold symptoms.

“So many people in today’s society want a quick fix, ‘a magic pill’ instead of practicing a healthy lifestyle, which involves taking time to educate yourself,” she said.

Thomas Gann, a registered nurse and his wife, Teresa Gann are parents of their 13-month-old daughter, Memphis. Although they both agree that the FDA should not have banned the cold medicines, they disagree on other aspects.

“First of all, you have to look at the reasons why the children took the medication in the first place,” said Thomas, adding that there is no scientific evidence that link the deaths of the children and complications caused by the cold medications.

Thomas feels that it is cheaper for pharmacies to recall cold medicines than it is to pay out settlements.

Memphis has never had a cold, but when she gets one Thomas said he would not give her cold medications until she is older. He would continue to only treat her for a fever with Tylenol or Ibuprofen.

Thomas and Teresa would both treat their child’s cold by using a humidifier, although Teresa would ask her pediatrician what medication and dosage he would recommend if the cold were to persist.

“Personally, I think all parents should do that with all types of medication. It clearly states on medicine bottles to call a doctor for children under the age of 6,” said Teresa.

“Little Colds by Little Remedies Multi-Symptom Cold Formula” warn consumers about serious health problems that it could cause if the product exceeds the recommended dosage.

The FDA web site also gives information “How to Give Medicine to Children” and clearly states, “If you're not sure about the medicine or how to give it to your child, ask your pharmacist or doctor. Or ask the FDA.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics web site advises, “While there is no "cure" for infections caused by a virus, there are things you can do to help your child feel better until the virus runs its course.”

Currently, it seems as though the majority of consumers are willing to take the responsibility of obtaining information of proper dosing of medication, for their children from their pediatrician.

For more information about this topic, please visit the following web sites: www.fda.gov and www.aap.org.