BreastFeeding rights

 Do you know your Breastfeeding rights?
This is a list of State laws  about breastfeeding.

    44 USA states allow women to breastfeed in any public or private locations. 28 states exempt breastfeeding from indecency laws.
    About 12,000 women per year get arrested for breastfeeding in public in the United States.
     There are many stories of women dealing with the police because of breastfeeding
Dunkin donuts in NJ get around the right to breastfeed with an indecency report to police.
Breastfeeding in California is counted as child porn
Mom in line at a Target get cops called
    There are many people who flash that 'how dare you do that here' look. They are the same people that flash 'how dare you let your baby scream and not doing anything' look.
      You can never make everyone happy, so just make baby happy and it makes your life easier. Keep it in the laws of your state; if you have full rights, smile knowing that you have the law on your side. If you are in one of the states that can get you for indecency then make a nursing tank top to fit under your shirt. If you have no rights then take advantage to inform all those 'do something' onlookers as you struggle with a screaming baby that you have no rights to feed your baby where you sit.
       Every mother should have the right to breastfeed their baby in private or public.  It's pathetic that government is waging a modern day fight over womens' rights, and that fight be something as natural as breastfeeding.
    If you have any incident with someone giving you a hard time breastfeeding please share and let others know they are not alone.

DIY Formal Nursing Gown

Recently I was in a wedding party and that created many problems to be solved as a mother of a nursing baby.
   Pulling my thinking cap on I came up with a way to alter but still match the wedding party.
  First thing to do was call the bride and ask if it would be all right to alter the gown so it can be nursed in. Then out came the seam ripper and carefully picked the seams over both breast. Zig zag the edges, and then let the creative juices flow.  I went shopping for a dressy looking stretch top that I could cut and pull over the top of the gown. This is what I came up with.

A pretty lacy top with elastic right under the breasts was easily cut off and pulled over the top to give a sweet innocent look.

Though I found another look that was a bit more regal looking. Found a great top with a drape look that went below the breasts. Cut the sleeves under the drape and cut the top below the drape leaving enough of of the under shirt to keep the drape stable. Dye it to match the wedding accent color and pulled it over the dress.
   There are tons of possibilities, if you have any more ideas please share.

Winter dry chapped nipples

   There is something I keep in my baby bag that is not on the normal list of what to take with you for baby, that is Bag balm.
    It is used on cow udders when they have dry, cracked, over used, bleeding nipples. It has the lanolin that you can get in those cute expensive tubes for breast feeding mothers with the same symptoms. It also includes a few other ingredients including antiseptic to prevent infection and because it is is used in the food industry it is safe to use as a breastfeeding mother.
   It is also great to use instead of Vaseline to protect your little angel's bottom from diaper rash and the antiseptic helps clear it up.
    Other uses for this little green jar of goop, massage baby with it, lip balm, make-up remover (haven't met a waterproof mascara that can stand up to a crying mom), great for cradle cap, buff shoes, put a strip above baby's eyes in bath to prevent suds going into his eyes, lubricate wheels of stroller, get gum out of hair, and revives leather that has been spit-up on.
    If you know of any other ways to use this please share.

Dressing Milk Jugs

  Cabin fever can push anyone out into public even a mom with a baby that can scream like a siren.
     If that happens as a breastfeeding mother your options are to:  A. try the blanket technique (risking flashing your breast when you have a blanket malfunction)
            B. sit in cramped toilet stall crawling with fecal germs and nurse your baby (listening to the bowel movements of others)
            C. or dress in nursing clothes.

   There are many cute nursing tops that you can buy for a pretty penny, but you have a closet full of clothes that already look good on you,so why waste money.
   This is a quick technique with a knit tank top (as pictured) to turn almost any top into a double layered nursing top just like the ones you can buy in the stores. The knit will roll so all you have to do is cut straight down from the straps giving your baby a quick snack where ever you are.
Ways you can wear it:
 1.    button up shirts and leave the buttons to the bottom of breasts unbuttoned showing off a nice contrasting color from the tank top. Also any deep V-neck, criss cross ending under the breasts tops work also. When you nurse your baby, to most eyes it just looks like you are holding your baby close as if it is asleep and you look hardly disheveled.

2.   These tank tops work great under sweaters, t-shirts, hoodies, anything that is stretchy.  With these you pull up the top layer to reveal the layer under, with this style try to find the same color or complementary color to the top layer to keep nursing as discreet as possible. Or if you have the layered t-shirt sleeve look match the under layer color for a cute look.

   -$$Tip- tank tops can be picked up for very cheap second hand.
    -Special occasion Tip-    If you have need for a dressier look you can use the satin tank tops, zig-zag in matching color around cut fabric before placing under a dress that has option 1 opening.

Got ~Leaking~ Milk?

   Leaking boobs? Spots on the front of your shirt? Sounds like the job for breast pads.
    Doctors warn about bacteria growing on wet nipples, I'd love to see them try to keep a nipple dry when it is gushing at the sound of a crying baby.
   Stores sell washable breast pads that are no better then a folded cotton handkerchief that will still soak through your clothing when you get more then a few drops on it. Or there are the expensive super high tech disposable breast pads with a dry shield and waterproof back side that can hold a few more drop before leaking from the bottom and drenching down your stomach.
    I know not every mother out there has the super soakers I have but here is what I picked up over the years.
    Feminine sanitary napkins, maxi-pads, those nice blood soaking pads of our mothers' works way better and cheaper then those high priced, high tech breast pads.
     You can go super cheap or go all out and get ones with odor control if warm sour milk is an offensive smell to your loved ones. Get the ones without wings and cut in half. If you have spare time or maybe a personal assitant you can glue,or tape the cut ends. If ends are not secured, try to aim the cut part down so that any fuzz drops below my nipple far from hungry baby mouths.

   Most the time I find myself juggling a baby while frantically cutting a pad in half shoving it down my bra and being thankful I am not padding my bra with paper towels to answer the door for the postman.
    Got any funny milk leaking stories to share?