Maternity Fall Fashion

Fall is just around the corner and that means an change in my wardrobe. On my other blog, Sierra's Style, I picked out a few favorites for my fall wardrobe. Even though I'm not pregnant again (yet, anyway), I thought it would be fun to compile a list of maternity favorites for fall in hopes of inspiring any pregnant readers. All of the outfits below are from Isabella Oliver Maternity.Enjoy!

SO gorgeous, isn't it?

A great cashmere/silk scarf for accessorizing

One of my faves

Going Barefoot

Up until recently I didn't really give it a second thought when it came to Elijah wearing shoes. Though he's not walking yet (going to be happening VERY soon - I predict by 10 months), we've been putting shoes on him on occasion to complete his outfits when going out. But now that he's getting close to walking, I have decided to let him go barefoot as long as it's safe and not worry about getting him shoes for walking. For when it's NOT safe to go barefoot, I discovered Vivobarefoot shoes by Terra Plana, that Elijah can wear. One of my favorites are these sandals, pictured above. They even make standard black shoes for kids who go to private schools or schools requiring a uniform. What's great about these shoes is that children get the health benefits of going barefoot along with the protection of normal shoes, which are wide, light and flexible with a 3mm puncture-resistant sole.

Why the concern over wearing shoes? According to an article I read online at www.guardian.co.uk , "Walking barefoot....develops the muscles and ligaments of the foot, increases the strength of the foot's arch, improves proprioception (our awareness of where we are in relation to the space around us) and contributes to good posture," all of which can be delayed or inhibited by wearing ill-fitting and poorly constructed shoes. Most children's shoes are too stiff in the sole and constricting in the toe box that it can be detrimental to the development of their feet.

I'm sure my son and most children would wholeheartedly agree to this article!

Milkalicious

Before I even got pregnant, I knew that I was going to breastfeed my baby. It was a non-issue and when I got pregnant, didn't even research formula, how to use bottles or the like. I had a couple of nursing books I was reading before giving birth, but nothing I read or researched prepared me for what happened right after I had Elijah. Although I'd heard that breastfeeding could be hard, I didn't think it could happen to me. Well, it did.

Because of the emergency situation I was in right after the c-section and being in ICU for nearly two days, I lost the initial bonding experience and couldn't breastfeed. To my utter dismay, he had to be fed formula. Of course I'm glad he was able to get something since I was unable to breastfeed, but I was just completely unprepared for the fact that he would get formula before my own breastmilk. It was one of my biggest disappointments.

Elijah - 1 week old

The following 2-3 days in the hospital were spent with me just trying to recuperate from the surgery and feeling so comatose all I could do was sleep. Every time I was awake and tried to breastfeed, different lactation consultants would come in, giving me their advice on how to do it. As well-intentioned as they were, I got conflicting advice and information and almost nothing was working. Elijah had a hard time latching on and I had little patience since I was so ill. It was utterly frustrating.

They sent us home with some formula and for the next week or so I continued trying to nurse him but to no avail. My milk never came in. We scoured the internet for donated breastmilk and found some, and was able to feed him that until we ran out (and had to then go back to formula). In the meantime, I was trying to figure out what to do about my situation as I was desperate to breastfeed him exclusively without supplementing with formula. I even fed him formula through a tube while he was nursing so that he wouldn't get used to a bottle.

Almost two weeks after having Elijah, after visiting with a chiropractic doctor, she suggested I see Jennifer Ritchie, lactation consultant and owner of Milkalicious. We went on the website and saw they had free breastfeeding workshops, so we made an appointment and went the next day. We walked in and saw that it was a small store full of breastfeeding paraphernalia, nursing clothes, slings, books and also had a room full of bean bag chairs with women breastfeeding their newborn babies. That was when Gabe had to leave, ha ha!

Basically the workshop is that they weigh your baby before you nurse, and then again after they nurse on one side, to see how much milk they take in. The staff in attendant at the workshop also educates you about breastmilk and breastfeeding. It was a wonderful way to see how much, if any, milk your baby was drinking! I told them my birth story and how I was having a hard time producing milk. That was when they had me make an appointment for a private consultation with Jennifer. In the meantime, they gave me some tools and advice to make the feedings easier. It was also great to talk with the other moms in attendance and share stories and tips.

Based on Jennifer's assessment of my situation, it turned out that my being diabetic and having thyroid issues was the culprit for my low prolactin levels and milk supply. She told me about a drug, that was very safe for me and the baby, to take that would raise my prolactin levels, which I am now taking.

It took a while for the drug to go into full effect but once it did I was able to cut back more and more on the formula. I went to the workshop a couple times a week to monitor Elijah's weight gain and also my milk output. I was so encouraged to see the supply steadily increasing. 

When Elijah was almost 2 months old, I was breastfeeding but also still supplementing with formula (with a bottle at this point), thinking that he wasn't ready to wean from the bottle yet.  I took him to see his pediatrician, Dr. Bob Sears for his well visit. I will always be forever grateful to the nurse that checked Elijah's stats because she is the one that suggested that I go ahead and completely stop the formula since he most definitely wasn't starving and was in the 95th percentile for height and weight.

That night I stopped formula feeding and he's been nursing like a champ ever since. I'm ecstatic to say that other than a handful of times he had a few bottles of formula since then (because I didn't have enough pumped breastmilk on hand), he's been exclusively breastfed! Jennifer wasn't even sure I would ever be able to exclusively breastfeed, so she was so happy to hear that I was.

So if you have any issues with breastfeeding at all, Milkalicious is the go-to for your solutions. Jennifer even does consultations via Skype for those who don't live in the area.

I love breastfeeding and nurse him everywhere I go. I am definitely not shy about nursing in public. I even nursed him at the top of the Sacre Couer in Paris earlier this year! It feels so good that he's able to get the best source of nutrition and it clearly shows with his robust health and energy. I plan to nurse until he self-weans.....even if that means until 2-3 years old. 

Nursing at the top of Sacre Couer in Paris

In Gouvieux, France at my friend's country home

Elijah at 9 months