Konrad, that tree is loaded! That same tree in my yard woukld have fallen victim to plum curculio in the early stages,then as the fruit changed color the birds would start pecking them,and as they began to become aromatic as they reached peak ripeness the raccoons would be climbing and braking branches and "testing" each fruit for best flavor.....A very long story short is that Glenn and his family are left with about 40 plums!You are so lucky Konrad, I am soooo jealous!

The consensus in the lactation and health arenas is that you should continue to nurse as long as both you and your child would like. No rules! Every day (or month, or year) is great for both of you. This is a personal thing between mother and child, and children who no longer care to nurse, for whatever reason, simply stop showing interest. Other people may continue to have opinions on this and other aspects of your life, mothering and otherwise, but hey! Only you know what works for you, and feels good. What works may vary from mom to mom, and from child to child. For the record, La Leche League has no official recommendations on length of nursing, just plenty of information and a great network for mothers, health care professionals, etc. There are articles and links on the website. If issues come up (from biting to nosy neighbors) meetings are a great place to check in for both parenting and lactation feedback/dialogue. If there are no meetings in your area you can check out online meetings through the website. There isn't one way to nurse -- both a good thing and a challenge! For those of you out there "still nursing," enjoy! Soon enough children grow up and that nursing season is a sweet memory. Like other sweet memories, we tend not to wish we spent less time cuddling those closest to us. And nursing is, first and last, a great cuddle, with nutrition and immune factors a fabulous side bonus! Here is a link that might be useful: La Leche League International

Congratulations on being a new grandmother. Believe it or not, the "current method" is a good one. Warmed breastmilk should only be kept at room temp for about an hour. This is why you don't want to heat it up until you are sure you need it. Sometimes baby seems hungry but isn't and then you have to dump that precious stuff. It is a soul-destroying experience if pumping is difficult or the mom is having supply problems. Really, the baby is not dying of starvation in the 10 minutes it takes to heat up the bottle. But if baby is really desperate, have you considered giving the bottle cold? There is no health reason to heat up the bottle and after a few tries, most babies will just accept that bottle milk is cold and breast milk is warm. Bottle warmers are not necessary and can actually be detrimental. If it is too hot, it can damage the beneficial compounds in the milk and can also cause the milk to taste "off." A cup of hot water will gradually cool down, whereas the bottle warmer will maintain a hot water temp.

My mom had a terrible experience with a clogged duct and had to have multiple procedures to clear it up. I remember her having gauze crammed in an incesion in her left breast. They left the end of the gauze dangling out like a sick candle wick of sorts so they could pull it out and change it untill the infection had cleared.....scary! I very clearly remember her picking a scab off of it once and having LITERALLY a gallon of puss come pouring out of it. It was off putting to say the least. Doodledoo, when I was taking childbirth classes the instructor was excellent, and really knew what she was doing. At the end of our last class she told us this, "Breastfeeding does not hurt if it's done properly. If the nurses tell you it hurts, make sure you see the lactation consultant because it should not hurt." But when I had my baby it hurt like he!! to say the least. The lactation consultant was on vacation, but her fill-in told me, "Honey, it just hurts some people". Every nurse, every visitor, every doctor told me the same thing - sometimes it just hurts. So I just assumed the childbirth instructor was wrong, until one nurse came in toward the end of my stay (I had some problems and stayed longer than some moms). She told me it hurt her really bad, too, but the regular lactation consultant helped her, and it doesn't hurt if it's done correctly. This nurse couldn't tell me how to do it (it had been awhile), but when she was on duty she'd come in while I nursed and hold my hand and cry with me (yes, it hurt that bad). At the end of my third week, I couldn't stand it any longer. I called the hospital crying and got the regular lactation consultant. She told me to come in, and I packed the baby up (even though I wasn't supposed to drive yet) and went in. It was an amazing experience. Everyone else (except the one nurse) acted like I was a whiny baby. But the lactation consultant didn't even ask to see my chest. She stuck her finger in my baby's mouth, her eyes teared up, and she said with the deepest compassion I've ever heard, "Honey, I know you hurt, I know you hurt. Let me see your chest." By this time my nipples were cracked, bleeding, scabbed and infected. Just the weight of a light summer shirt hurt. I had to bite my knuckles and hands to keep from screaming when I nursed. The lactation consultant leaned over, took my wrist in her hands and pressed it gently. She said, "That's what it should feel like when you nurse. Let me show you." As she positioned my baby, I flinched and prepared to bite myself to keep from screaming. She positioned the baby at my breast and held his tongue and jaw in place, and it felt like a butterfly landing on my arm. Absolutely no pain. It turned out my son had a problem with the way he sucked. I gave up breastfeeding anyway. I was going to have to have a helper every time I breastfed - one who would learn how to position the baby's tongue and jaw and hold it in place. My family didn't have any more vacation time, so I quit. I don't regret quitting - I was exhausted and needed to get well more than my son needed to breastfeed. Anyway, when I had my second child, I knew better. I had her at a different hospital, and she hurt me, too. Again, the nurses and the lactation consultant said, "Honey, it just hurts, you just have to toughen those nipples." I smiled sweetly and said okay, and had my husband make me an appointment with a private lactation consulting firm. As soon as I checked out of the hospital we headed straight for the private consultant. They didn't have the absolute amazing genius of the one who helped me with my son, but they gave me a lot of help. I nursed her through her first year and started weaning her at 13 months. My nipples never got very sore, never bled, never cracked, never got infected. My daughter had a problem with her palate that caused the problem, but no one at the hospital even checked. Here are my suggestions if you want to breast feed: First, the vast majority of doctors don't know beans about the comfort issues of breastfeeding. They are great about illnesses, diseases, etc., but not breastfeeding. Second, if you use nipple shields (I did with my 2nd child), just be aware that you can get mastitis more easily that way. The lactation consultant I had with my second child told me after I finished breastfeeding to make a circle out of my hands and encircle my breast with both my hands at the very top (like way up under my arm). Starting at the top is very important. Then slide the circle of your hands down your breast, squeezing gently. I can't remember exactly why, but I think you're massaging the milk out of your ducts. Also, another thing you can do is this: before you start to nurse, do the above-mentioned massage. This should get the milk massaged down so you will let down faster. I don't know if I'd do that right away, but after the first week I would. This shortens your nursing time a little, because the milk lets down earlier. I'm glad I breastfed my daughter. Our budget was tight and it's lots cheaper. It was also way easier in the long run (I was a SAHM). A few diapers and wipes and we were ready to go, no bottles, no formula. Breastfeeding is also an enforced rest time for the mom - I would have been up cleaning and doing laundry while everybody else bottle fed the baby. If I had had more children, I would have breastfed them even if I worked, because I enjoyed it. I never thought I would - I always thought it was a little icky, but I enjoyed it after the first 3 months. It is pretty icky to me at first - all the leaking, etc. till your body gets used to it is just unpleasant (to me). I am a firm believer that every mom should do what she thinks works best for her situation and her family's. If you ever decide you don't want to breastfeed, then don't. My oldest is just fine and he was bottle fed after the first 3 weeks. But please don't put yourself through the he!! I went through and your mom went through because people tell you it just hurts sometimes. If that nurse could put my son on my breast without hurting, then I know breast feeding doesn't have to hurt. I will say that my breastfed daughter has a much better immune system than my bottle fed son. That may just be coincidence. Anyway, I still don't regret quitting breastfeeding him. That was just too much pain to endure when there are bottles and formula. I tried not to write a book here, but my heart just goes out to any woman who might hurt so badly while breastfeeding, and if I can spare somebody a part of the agony I went through, I want to do that. I wish you a safe childbirth and a healthy, happy baby.