My Baby Is Not Spoiled, But My Baby Is Most Definitely Loved...
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Moms who are simply meeting the needs of their babies are catching such flak for it and I don't understand why. Some moms choose to allow their babies to cry and self soothe, some would rather have their babies sleep in cribs, and some choose to feed their babies on a schedule. If that is what those parents want to do, their kids, their say. This isn't about trying to make moms feel bad for their choices. It's about respecting each others choices even if it's a choice that would never work for you. And no I'm not saying that people who parent differently than the choices in this article do not love their kids. This article is strictly addressing the fact that babies can never be "Spoiled" , but they most definitely can be loved.
Ten Things People Should Stop Saying To A Struggling Breastfeeding Mama
/By: Teresa Finocchio (Guest Blogger)
Breastfeeding is a natural, beautiful and simple way to feed your baby. But, let’s be real…many breastfeeding journeys do not start out even close to any of those things. The first three months of my breastfeeding journey were extremely hard. From a bad latch and jaundice to a full body allergic reaction, to thrush and mastitis, to sore, cracked nipples and posterior tongue tie! We saw it all.
And we made it.
Is your wife, friend, daughter/daughter-in-law, sister, etc., struggling with breastfeeding? She will definitely need your support – but here are 10 things NOT to say to her.
1.) “Breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt.”
Dealing with the pain of breastfeeding is both emotionally and physically difficult. We know that it should not hurt. We sometimes feel like our bodies are letting us down or that we are letting our babies down. We understand when it hurts, something is not right. We do not need to be reminded constantly that our bodies are wrong, because they are not. Breastfeeding does hurt. It hurts many women for many different reasons. So, what you can say instead of “breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt” is, “I am sorry you are having such pain breastfeeding – there has got to be a reason, let’s contact a lactation consultant and get to the bottom of this so you can start feeling better!”
2. “I think maybe your nipples are too big.”
Or too small. Just stay away from commenting on mom’s nipple size, please. We are already emotionally a wreck as we are trying to perfect this special bond and we do not need to feel as if our bodies are physically wrong. No nipple of any size will stop a baby from breastfeeding! If the mother thinks her nipples are the wrong size, she can check with her pediatrician or OB about this being the problem. We are not as comfortable as we look with being constantly topless around our daily visitors in the beginning, so don’t make this any worse than it is for us! If you really think the nipple is the problem what you can say instead of commenting on the size or shape of mom’s nipple is, “I believe they sell something called a nipple shield that helps the baby latch well – would you like me to run out and get you one?”
3. “What have you eaten lately? Maybe the baby doesn’t like the taste?”
Most of us breastfeeding moms are educated and informed on what to eat and not to eat while breastfeeding. Telling us our babies may not like the taste of the milk we have produced is asinine! If you are worried we are eating improperly, buy us a book on healthy eating while nursing, but please do not shame the taste of our milk. That is most likely NOT the problem baby is having and our bodies have worked very hard to produce this milk! So instead, as said, buy us a nice healthy eating or recipe book for nursing moms, or better yet – cook us a healthy meal, quietly!
4. “I think your baby's mouth is too small.”
Ugh, again with the size and shapes but this time of our babies! No, just do not! Do not tell us that our perfect little angel may have the wrong size mouth to breastfeed. If you are not educated on this matter – refrain from commenting on this altogether, but what you could say instead is, “Some babies have tongue tie or posterior tongue tie, which doesn’t allow their tongue to move as freely as it should while feeding. Have you asked your pediatrician to check for this or contacted a lactation consultant?”
Breastfeeding Through Worries & Doubts...
/By: Kristy Kemp
Every mother faces a different set of obstacles that they must go through to provide the best care they can physically give. Making the choice to breastfeed is only the start. Read through some of these of these worries and fears that I think most moms can relate to. It's okay to be uncertain, it's okay to be confused, and it's okay to not love and adore every second of breastfeeding...
If Moms Talked to Each Other Like They Talked to Their Children
/Why I Regret Feeding My Child Solids Too Soon...
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Both the AAP and WHO suggest waiting until 6 months before starting solids. [1.] Do not let anyone, professional or not, tell you different. [2.] They are not up to date if they are giving that kind of information. The theory still holds true that solids need to be started between 6 months and a year, and not after a year, to prevent allergies. But it was discovered that starting solids before 6 months in term was detrimental to their gut health and causes problems down the road, if not immediately.
Here is this mamas story...
"I would like to share a personal story about my oldest son and being fed solids too young. I feel it's an important share and maybe it'll help someone understand the life long affects of feeding a child food too early. My oldest is almost 9. I listened to everything our pediatrician said back then because well, "he's got a degree and I don't so he must be right". I was told at 4 months he could have rice cereal and to give him food. So I did. I made my own baby food and bought the box of organic rice cereal and I was so excited I was "allowed" to feed him so young. He didn't particularly love it because he was so little (and obviously looking back, FAR from ready) but since the doctor said to, we kept on with it. He was always a spit-up kid, but it actually intensified around 6 months and he continued to spit up constantly until around age 1. At that point, he went from spitting up to projectile vomiting all of the time. He would vomit while playing, while eating, while sleeping (at least 3 nights a week), just constant vomit until he was around age 3. We did tests, we had doctors visits, we found a dairy allergy but the vomit continued and continued. He finally improved a little bit by age 4 but he had in the process become terrified of new foods, afraid to go to bed because he knew he would maybe throw up, and became a very picky eater. He has since that time had a very sensitive stomach, a very hard time trying new foods, still vomits every now and then and he has a terrible gag reflex as well. We have had SEVERAL doctors confirm that his stomach and digestion problems all stem from eating food way too young and his gut being damaged from that. There's no "fix" or cure for the damage that he experienced eating food too young and he will now suffer a lifetime of digestion problems because we just didn't know. The guilt is terrible and I wish we had just researched for ourselves and not blindly followed the doctor just because he was a doctor. I hope that helps someone understand that while your baby is "fine" eating food before 6 months, there are no guarantees you won't see problems in 1 year or 10 years or even longer. Please enjoy those 6 months of just nursing or bottle feeding your baby. You have their whole life to feed them food!"
