Back to School - Part 2 of 6

All's well in wet 'n wild BC. Mom was sipping on tap water at work yesterday when she read the email warning everyone of the Boil Water Advisory. The rain saga continues. Since Nov 11th, our backyard weather station has recorded 153 mm of rain. We're anxiously awaiting a sunny day to be able to take a photo for the blog.

Yesterday Dad and Mom attended Prenatal Class, this time on "Breastfeeding." Mom has had lots of newborn experience as a foster sister, but obviously none in this area! She is quite worried about succeeding at this important aspect of the early days so we listened with great interest. While we feel more educated now, we also feel a little bit more pressure. So many facts on the benefits of breastfeeding were thrown at us that if it turns out we can't, wow are we ever going to feel guilty! One example: it takes six weeks of breastfeeding for all the "tiny painter guys to paint a protective wall in the babies stomach," referring to the antibodies that are received by baby from breast milk. It takes only one formula feeding to break that wall down. What was nice to hear was about all the available support we can "latch onto", should the baby not. Public health nurses, lactation consultants, our midwife, La Leche League, and BC Nurse Line for middle of the night issues. Apparently 96% of newborns in Nanaimo breastfeed, so the support resources must be effective.