Pages

Showing posts with label Breastfeeding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breastfeeding. Show all posts

Monday, March 26, 2012

Natural Parents Do It Yourself

It's that time again! You might remember the great post in December 2011 that highlighted the Natural Parents Network Volunteer's most popular or favorite posts from the year

Well, we are back and this time we are bringing you a collection of posts that focus on Do It Yourself projects, How To's, Tutorials, Recipes, and anything related to a step by step guide or informational how-to. There are a lot of really wonderful posts here and I hope that this serves as an excellent resource that you can pass on to your friends! Enjoy!  

Sunday, February 26, 2012

I'm a Natural Parent - BUT...

Welcome to the "I'm a Natural Parent - BUT..." Carnival
This post was written for inclusion in the carnival hosted by The Artful Mama and Natural Parents Network. During this carnival our participants have focused on the many different forms and shapes Natural Parenting can take in our community.
***


Hours old and never out of our sight.

 I have written before that I hate labels, mostly because they are limiting. No matter what the label is people have certain ideals that they think are inclusive of that label. I believe this to be true for just about all labels; political, racial, social and of course parenting labels. My parenting style is very much in line with principles of Natural Parenting but there are no rules as to exactly how that is carried out. What does that say about my parenting?

To me natural parenting is doing what feels natural to us as a family. It is about parenting with love, gentleness, care, and consideration. If I don't follow all the stereotypes that are considered to be a part of natural parenting, am I less natural as a parent?

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Sunday Surf - Mixing It Up


PhD in Parenting shares how Barbie and McDonald's are sending some is sending some pretty nasty messages to girls. 

Up, Down & Natural Shares how she took a stand for a Breastfeeding mom. 
I have to say she's pretty great!


Job Description: Mommy shares so awesome info on the placenta. 
Not to mention some pretty cool pics.

Dairy of a First Child shares some tips preparing for a homebirth. 
Someday I will have a Homebirth.  :)

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Still with the Breastfeeding Theme for This Week ;)



In this past year it seems as if women’s breasts are under attack, as long as they are being used for something besides selling burgers, booze, cars, clothes, shave gel, antiperspirant…etc


Most moms who wanted to breastfeed, but ended up formula feeding, will be able to cite a reason or two. Breastfeeding advocates generally say that most of those hurdles can be overcome...



A collection of Great Breastfeeding Quotes. 



Most of us have heard about the many benefits of breastfeeding, and although my decision to breastfeed was based upon reasons like breast-milk being the ultimate food for babies, why I am continuing to breastfeed, convenience plays a huge role.


Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Can We Get These Commercials On Every TV Satiation?

The Breastfeeding Stigma continues; Facebook is still removing photos, they have not agreed to completely stop. Fine or Die is the latest site to remove a BFing video. Moms and Babies are still being harassed. I just read of a women who was harassed in a Walmart today.  

 
A lot of the negative comments I have been reading compare BFing to going to the bathroom or having sex. It is disgusting that this is the image people have of the natural way to feed a baby.  I can't comprehend  how they can compare them. 

The other thing that is being said all the time is; Why can't you just go to the bathroom and nurse in there? Would you eat your lunch or dinner in a public restroom? 





Tuesday, January 17, 2012

How did "Bring BFing Back to Sesame Street" get started? And Pediatricians Reactions!

Art Credit Joni Rae
Bring Breastfeeding Back To Sesame Street Started As One Mom's Wish.

While on pregnancy bed-rest I was searching the internet for videos and information on breastfeeding in an effort to learn as much as I could about breastfeeding. I was so afraid I would be unable to breastfeed that I began to research every possible problem so that I would know how to fix any that could happened. That is when I came across the Sesame Street videos from the 70's and 80's depicting breastfeeding.  I thought to myself, "I would love to see those come back to television."  Recently, after endless news stories regarding nursing mothers being publicly harassed while breastfeeding, I  blogged asking Sesame Street to bring breastfeeding back.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

My Favorite Post about "Bring Breastfeeding Back to Sesame Street"

Image By Joni Rae
This has been an amazing two weeks! I never thought that this would happen! The momentum is unbelievable, as I am typing we have over 25,000 signatures and they are continuing to go up! The Petition was only posted 13 days ago. I have come across a lot of post about my blog post / the petition these are my favorite.  First some amazing places that my blog has been discussed on. The most exciting was TIME.com, I was ecstatic when that showed up in my Google Alerts and it is so supportive!  Huffington Post was our first big break in the online seen. Annie from PhD in Parenting did an amazing article on Care2 which set the ball in motion. Thank you Annie! Now for my favorites! 



Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Mommy's View


This week it's MOMMY'S VIEW!

Even in these very close up views I can't find anything offensive, can you?
What is it about nursing that has the country in such an uproar?

My ~B~ Heaven in my Arms!

Monday, January 9, 2012

What Nursing in Public REALLY Looks Like

There is a HUGE  misconception that nursing in public is indecent and women are exposing themselves just because they can. But as nursing moms we have no more interest in showing you our breast as you do in seeing them. These are pictures of real moms nursing in public. 

Are they indecent? Exposing themselves? Flashing the world?  I don't believe so.

They are simply feeding their babies the way nature intended. 

Thank you to all the moms who shared their beautiful pictures.

Me and ~B~ nursing on a walk in a Baby K'Tan Carrier.


Sunday, January 8, 2012

Sunday Surf ~ Nursing In Public

I am still going with Nursing in Public Theme for This Week


Basically breastfeeding in public IS legal in the United States, though sometimes people simply don't know it and therefore might complain about it.


Children learn by observing and interacting with their world, and every moment adds up to form the basis for the values, beliefs, habits, and memories which will carry them into adulthood.



I’m thankful for not having boobs thrown in my face all the time by offensive and indecent breastfeeding mothers.



There's absolutely nothing wrong with breastfeeding, because it's the normative way to feed your baby. But just because it's the biological norm doesn't make it the cultural one, which is why breastfeeding in public can take some getting used to, even for the boldest mamas among us. 

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Sunday Surf: Happy New Year and new to me surfing!

This week has been all about Breastfeeding and making Nursing in Public the norm, acceptable and common place.


A timeline detailing the journey of the average breastfed baby.


If you’re easily offended or like a good fight, now might be a good time to look away. 
I’m talking about the World War 3 of parenting: breast vs bottle.



Nursing mothers have no more interest in flashing you a breast than you do in seeing one.


Most of us have heard about the many benefits of breastfeeding. These are the 5 reasons why I don’t want to give up the convenience of breastfeeding.


Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Bring Breastfeeding Back to Sesame Street

My little guy has been sick lately, we have been doing lots of cuddles, usually reading books or doing puzzels. We definitely have been watching Sesame Street as well. I found these great Classic Sesame Street video's that I thought I would share. I love Classic Sesame Street.


I wish they would redo this scene for the current series! Maybe with a Celeb. It would help normalize breastfeeding to a culture that has completely sexualized breastfeeding. It look's like we need 1999 version, and a 2010 version. Well maybe we will get lucky and by 2020 it will be the norm and they will redo it then!!! These scenes are beautiful!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Donating Breast Milk

As I mentioned in my last post Pumping...A Love ~ Hate Relationship. I was able to store up about 5000+ ounces and we bought a deep freezer to store it all. When my son turned nine months old I realized there was no way we would use all of of this milk... Yes, I could give it to him in a bottle or a cup, use it for cereal, but our BFing relationship was going strong and I saw no immediate future need for all of it. I tried to make Breast Milk Butter out of it (I wasn't successful), even looked into Breast Milk Recipes. I didn't see a need for that.
What I really wanted was the milk to be used for babies who need it. I looked into donating it to a Milk Bank, but everywhere I looked someone was profiting from my free breast milk. That just didn't sit well with me. I wanted it to go to babies in need at no expense to the parents. I could not find a place like that. After countless hours scouring the Internet I started reading more and more about mom to mom milk sharing. Really this idea isn't new. Women have used wet nurses and crossed nursed since the dawn of time. How else did babies survive before formula when a mom was unable to nurse?

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Pumping... A Love - Hate Relationship!


Like I said before I had a huge fear of not being able to feed my son. So I searched and searched the Internet, read everything I possibly could about BFing... and I also talked and talked to everyone who I knew that was BFing and/or pumping... One day when I was big and round I was at a friends house ~E~. We were talking about  BFing and Pumping and she showed me her amazing stash!!! Seriously the girl was my BFing Idol! Her freezer was full of 8oz bags! I was drooling! lol... I wanted that! I wanted to be able to never worry about having milk for my boy... I begged her for her secret! And hoped it wasn't just genetics, because we weren't related... But at that moment I was hoping she was my long lost milk sister...

Sooo she explained to my how she started pumping as soon she had her son... That she tricked her body to thinking that it need to produce more milk then he needed... That she would pump in the morning and then nurse her son.  It's all supply and demand, so the more you take the more you make...  Sound easy enough right... but here's the thing... pumping isn't that easy, a babies suck is so much more effective!!! So she also explained that she would do breast compressions and try to get every last drop... So I need more information on what exactly I needed to do to produce the most milk possible!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

~B's~ Birth Story!

So it's been a crazy Fall and Winter and I haven't Blogged at all... :(  I want to change that from this point forward I really want remember these days because time is just flying by way to quickly...  I have been lucky to be able to stay home with my son this first year of his life... It truly has been the most rewarding and best year... Before I know it my son will be turning 1 year old in May and I wanted to write his birth story before I forget all the details...


I had some difficulties getting pregnant, which included me having to have surgery. Two months later I was pregnant... I had always wanted a natural childbirth (my mother had four natural childbirths and I see that as awe-inspiring, I wanted to be able to do that)... I loved the idea of a home-birth, but due to the previous surgery, I was considered high risk for uterine rupture... I decided to go with a birthing center that was separate from a hospital, but after meeting with them I was told that I was to high risk and they recommended a birthing center within the hospital with a midwife. I went and saw them and I was told that I really should be followed by OB... After much disappointment I chose to stay with my OB (who I loved... but I just wanted it to be very natural)... So I explained to my OB what I wanted... Natural with no intervention... She was fine with that, but she was going to consult with the specialist who did my surgery just a few months earlier...Well knowing that this is what all the other birthing professionals had done previously, I had a bad feeling about this... After a meeting and reviewing my medical record it was decided that the best way to proceed was with a c-section... I was high risk for uterine rupture and that was life threatening... 

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Favorite Breastfeeding Book and Website

When I was eight months pregnant I was so nervous and fearful. Not of the actual birth, but of not being able to BF. For some awful reason when you are pregnant everyone wants to tell you their horror story. This goes for the whole experience... You hear horror stories like...I was sick for the entire pregnancy, the never ending labor, the delivery from hell, it took 16 weeks to walk normally, the countless sleepless nights that are approaching, the endless crying you will endure, the pain of breastfeeding and the I was unable to breastfeed.

For me the BFing was the most worrisome. I really, really, wanted to be able to do it. I have always wanted to be a mom, even as a child I have pictures of me pretending to BF a doll.
Check it out wasn't I cute!?! My biggest fear was not producing enough milk. I was told so many stories of women who did not produce enough milk. I was even told of my Great-Grandmother who in Cuba did not produce enough milk for my Grandfather. The family had to buy a goat for him. And then he ended being allergic to the goat milk so they had hire a wet nurse. Talk about crazy! I was also told, because I was well endowed that the baby might not be able to get the milk to come down. I was seriously petrified of not being able to feed my child. Well ladies don't listen to a single negative story! That would be my biggest piece of advice. I ended up producing  more then enough milk for my son and so much that we had to buy a deep freezer. Read about that later.

Helping a Fellow BFing Mom...

Photo Credit ~ http://mirmurr.blogspot.com/
On Monday, I got a text message in the early afternoon saying that ~T~ with was having a hard time with BFing and could I help her out??? I had never met ~T~ and normally you would think it would be weird to go and help someone you don't know with something so personal. But, as soon as I got that text message I wanted to go and help her. I felt compelled to help.

In my New Moms' Group we were talking about BFing and how hard it is in the beginning. Someone mentioned that in villages in underdeveloped countries, moms with older babies would go to visit the new moms and show them how to BF. They did this by giving the new mom an older baby to practice nursing with, so that she would learn how to do it.  In turn the experienced mom would then nurse the newborn to teach the newborn how to nurse properly. I know that sounds quite odd, a little crazy, and some might say gross. You have to remember, in those areas if the mothers are unable to nurse, the babies may not survive. They don't have readily available formula. So really it's a very beautiful thing that they are willing to help each other care for their babies. That is not what we were going to do, but I wanted to be a support and to help her in anyway I could. After all, someone did that for me. A good friend ~J~ came over with her 7 month old daughter a day or two after I got home from the hospital. She helped me with positioning, getting the baby to latch properly, and most of all she was very supportive!