My Kansas City Mommy: Breastfeeding Rocks with Help from Medela

I think all women have a lot of expectations when they find out they are expecting. I know I certainly did. I had a great plan. I was going to be a happy and glowing little mama for nine months, have an easy labor and delivery, and have a perfect baby who slept through the night almost immediately. Oh, and of course, we would be old pros at breastfeeding from day one.

If you are a mommy, I'm sure you can imagine how wrong I was about all of this. I did have a pretty easy labor and delivery - after fighting extreme morning sickness the majority of my pregnancy. Glowing was about the furthest word from my mind while I was expecting.

And as for breastfeeding? Well, let's just say that neither of us had a clue what we were doing. I won't delve into the full story, but it took about five full weeks before L latched without difficulty and it wasn't until he was eight weeks old that we had settled into a fairly normal and painless routine. I will be forever grateful to a friend who came over and helped us work through some of our breastfeeding issues the first week we were home from the hospital.

All of that to say - new mommies who are committed to breastfeeding need a great support system. And I find it pretty awesome that Medela is dedicated to helping moms like me. My Medela Pump in Style Advanced has been a fantastic help in our breastfeeding journey so far.

L had fun chewing on his friend Grace's toy!

Medela and MommyParties are encouraging breastfeeding mommies - and this weekend I was given the chance to host a gathering of moms and babies in my home. L thought it was awesome to have other babies visiting, and I had a great time eating snacks and chatting with my mommy friends. I was able to pass out some great samples of Medela products like lanolin, breast pads, quick clean micro-steam bags, and more.

Samples for all the MommyParty guests!

Plus, we had a raffle drawing and one of my mommy friends, Jessica, won a fabulous breastfeeding prize package valued at over $350! She went home with a Medela Pump in Style Advanced On-the-go Tote, along with breastmilk storage bags, micro-steam bags, quick clean wipes, breast pads, lanolin, and hydro-gel pads. She's expecting her second baby in October, so I know she is thrilled with all of her new gear! Congrats, Jessica! :)

The Medela Prize Pack!

You can join a great community of moms and moms-to-be on Medela's Facebook page. If you are planning to breastfeed - or currently breastfeeding but haven't gotten the hang of it yet, know that it is worth it! I look back on my experience and am very happy that I stuck with it - even though it was very difficult for both of us! Don't just give up - contact a lactation consultant or your local La Leche League. Or call a friend who has been there before. Chances are, she'll come over and give you a big hug, and that may be just what you need to convince you to keep trying.

Thanks to Medela and MommyParties for sponsoring this event and for providing the samples and raffle prize. I received no compensation for hosting this party or for writing this blog post. All opinions expressed are my own.