30 week midwife appointment

I can't believe I'm 30 weeks already. Wow! This is really the home stretch. I saw a different NMW today because mine is on vacation this week. She was really nice! We chatted it up because my aunt works with her as well (my aunt, the Labor & Delivery RN -- my dream job).

Anyway, blood pressure is still good (I run low anyway). My fundal height is 30 cm, so right on track. She confirmed that baby is, indeed, head down, but lying sideways with his/her back to my left of my stomach. The other day I was convinced the baby was feet down because I kept having all kinds of fluttery feelings down there and it was just strange. He/she either turned now, or those were fingers. Whatever, I am just glad the baby is in position (somewhat), even though I know things can change. The heartrate was 150 -- I never tire of listening to that beautiful sound. ♥

I am still nursing Elise -- it's going really well. I mentioned it to the midwife and she said that she nursed her daughter through her third pregnancy and went on to tandem nurse. Her daughter was 27 months when he was born and went on for another 7-8 months. I told her that was really good. It's nice to meet other moms who understand extended breastfeeding and all the benefits and they don't look at you like you have two heads (well, haha, just two heads on the boobies!). She said that she would always feed the baby first and then her daughter, and her daughter would tell her that there was so much milk. I am, here and there, having people fret and tell me that I have to make sure the baby gets enough -- and he/she will! The body knows exactly what it is doing and will make enough for the demand -- in this case, it would be kind-of like nursing twins, but not quite because Elise obviously won't be needing the same amount of feedings as her little brother or sister.

Nothing else is really new here. I turn 31 this coming Saturday -- blah. It's not so bad, I guess. Turning 30 last year was a little hard for me, but being a mom is the best thing in the world so I'll just refer to my late 20s into my 30s as my glory years. :)

Just a few reasons to nurse past a year

I occasionally encounter questions. I nursed my son for 25 months and am now at 14 months with my daughter, yes, while pregnant! I know some of my other fellow mommies are in the same boat, so I am sharing just a few of the wonderful reasons why nursing past a year is so important.

■“Nursing toddlers between the ages of 16 and 30 months have been found to have fewer illnesses and illnesses of shorter duration than their non-nursing peers.” (2)

■“Antibodies are abundant in human milk throughout lactation. In fact, some of the immune factors in breastmilk increase in concentration during the second year and also during the weaning process.” (3)

■There is “a significant inverse association between duration of lactation and breast cancer risk.” (4)

■Breastfeeding beyond one year “can reduce your risk of ovarian cancer by about one-third.” (5)

■“The longer a woman breastfeeds, the less likely she is to get endometrial cancer.” (6)

There are, of course, more reasons, but these are some great facts to throw out there in case you should encounter a skeptical or nosy friend or family member!