My first child is due Feb. 8th 2012. As I wait with anticipation for my breastfeeding adventure to begin, I feel so lucky to be able to be a part of the breastfeeding blog world. For more about me read the About Us section of the blog! This blog is intended to be a place of inspiration and information. It is a place to share stories and ideas. I love hearing from you!
Momzelle Nursing News
Archive for the ‘Nursing anywhere, naturally.’ Category
I love how there is a week for just about everything these days. Here is one I look forward to celebrating when I have my little one (due in February); International Babywearing Week! This year it is being held this week, Oct. 10th-16th.
I am really looking forward to “wearing” my baby. I was always stealing my nieces from my sister anytime she took out her sling or carrier. I love the closeness and functionality of it.
I’m looking for the perfect sling/wrap/carrier. Any suggestions!? I want to be able to breastfeed easily, have lots of back support, and the two of us to be very comfortable. From my research, I think I want a wrap for the first few months, then a carrier around 6+ months.
With Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend, I wondered how breastfeeding mothers fair at such family events. I am not due until February, so I will not be breastfeeding at the two biggest family gatherings this year. Let’s say I’m preparing for Easter!
It would seem to me (as an eager mom-to-be), that a family gathering should be a welcoming and supportive place to breastfeed. But then again a part of me imagines it is more comfortable to breastfeed in front of a busload of strangers than while trying to have a conversation with my father-in-law. Family members also seem far too comfortable putting in their two cents about how you should raise your child. A mother wrote this plea on a forum recently “Help with opinionated MIL….” I love the responses. It’s not just mother-in-laws! Friends and family often offer suggestions (er, criticism) on all topics of parenting.
Norman Rockwell painting
So how do you deal with it? What are your tips for surviving family events without awkwardness and debate?
As I get further along in my pregnancy (five months now!) and further along at my new job as a blogger of breastfeeding and other mom things, I keep coming across the term “crunchy mom”. I like the idea of being “crunchy”, from what I understand of it.
Here is one definition I found at urbandictionary.com
Crunchy Mama:
Mother who supports homebirth, breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth diapering, co-sleeping, gentle discipline, etc. One who questions established medical authority; tends to be vegetarian and/or prepare all-organic foods. See crunchy and hippie.
I have a hard time committing to one (very general) definition! I will say I want to be a fairly crunchy mom. But let me also preface this by saying that I’m not quite sure what all is encompassed in being “crunchy”…
These are my intentions of crunchiness:
I will breastfeed
I will start with cloth diapers (not sure how long I will continue with them, the poop seems to get quite scary!)
I plan to puree my own baby food (but it probably won’t be organic all the time)
I want to baby wear as much as possible
I will nurse at least a year
I am planning a natural birth (zero medical intervention, if possible) with a doula (in a hospital, as I haven’t been called for the midwife clinic waiting list yet, so wish me luck!)
I plan to have mostly used/hand-me-down baby things such as stroller, playpen, etc (mostly for my budget, but also for the environment)
I am taking a yoga class and am interested in the idea of hypno-birthing (must do more research!)
As you can see with all the above brackets, that I may not qualify as a “crunchy mom”! But I like the idea of making the world as natural, safe and interesting as possible for my family.
Instead of a quote or a video, this week I wanted to share an article and an idea!
Let’s laugh. That is the idea and in England on a weekday afternoon in the back of a pub, you just might find a gaggle of moms with their babies doing just that. Instead of a matinee movie, why not catch a comedy act? As more women comedians are rising on the scene, motherhood and parenting is becoming quite the inspiration for material.
Helen Rutter had the idea for her successful mom and baby comedy show shortly after she gave birth. Along with making them laugh, she wanted to design a show to support and reassure new mothers “at a time when your emotions are all over the place and you can feel extremely vulnerable”. To read the full article in the Guardian, click here.
I love the idea of meeting other new moms in your community, being welcomed to breastfeed in public and being thoroughly entertained all in one place. What do you think? Are there any comedy acts aimed at motherhood in your area? Would you be interested in it?
Tomorrow, October 1st, is the Breastfeeding Challenge. In Canada, it kicks off World Breastfeeding Week, which we celebrate from Oct 1st to 7th (I don’t know why it’s two months later than when most of the rest of the world celebrated it!)
The Breastfeeding Challenge is not just a Canadian event, though. This year it is being held in 15 countries. The event is intended to raise awareness and support for breastfeeding. At 11am local time, all the participants will simultaneously nurse. Cheers to the world’s largest latch on!
Toronto Breastfeeding Challenge 2009 http://www.babyfriendly.ca/gallery/image_toronto-2009_122.aspx
Momzelle is proud to be a sponsor of over 100 Breastfeeding Challenges in North America. We hope that women in all communities find the support they need. This event is a great opportunity to meet other breastfeeding moms. Is there a Challenge in your community? Click here to find out.
We would love to hear if you are attending an event this year or have attended one in the past!
It starts with “the breast milk dad”, a man from California who decided to blog about his effort to use up the freezer full of breast milk his wife had produced while nursing their baby. This baby is now weaned and the milk was just taking up space. The couple had apparently tried to donate it, but to no avail. So Dad goes on a breast milk only diet, forsaking food.
Within two weeks, the uproar was too much to bear and the couple pulled the blog and stopped the stunt. Outcries to donate the milk eventually led the couple to Emma Kwasnica of Human Milk 4 Human Babies. Emma put them in touch with a mother of quadruplets in California! The breast milk is now nourishing four little babies, instead of one grown man.
Click here to read the full article (and see the adorable quadruplets!).
Don’t eat soft cheese, don’t drink alcohol, watch out for mercury in fish, stop smoking, don’t get too much vitamin A, don’t forget folic acid; the list of not to do’s is long and controversial when it comes to having a baby. Of course, we do our best to follow it because the health of our child usually takes precedence over all else.
This made me wonder about all the things we are supposed to do, specifically breastfeeding. There is no argument now that breastfeeding is best. We are inundated with statistics and facts about the benefits of breast milk. We are told to do it exclusively for the first six months of our child’s life. So how often do you see a woman breastfeeding in public? Now that I am blogging about breastfeeding I am on the lookout for women who NIP (nurse in public). Where are they?! I want to see them on the subway, at the restaurant, in the parks!! I’m sure they are out there, I belong to a community of breastfeeding bloggers and I read stories about nursing in public every day. Since I found out that I am expecting my first child, I seem to see dozens of pregnant women and newborns in slings every time I step out of my apartment. Perhaps these breastfeeding women are just really discreet and once I become a breastfeeding mom my radar will be extra sharp, but until then I can’t help but come to the conclusion that our society still encourages us to hide inside. This is the same society that tells us breastfeeding is best!
With World Breastfeeding Week having just past, I hope the awareness raised will make the NIP sighting less of a rarity, less controversial and more welcomed around here.
Here is a wonderful video that echoes my sentiment to those that NIP!
~ Sara @ Momzelle
And here are some tips for breastfeeding in public with ease:
Today’s Parent article Breastfeeding in Public
My anticipation for breastfeeding is quite high. I am fifteen weeks pregnant and just rearing to go! I was having a discussion with my husband the other day and he was worried about how long my mother would be staying with us when the baby was born. He is worried his opportunities to bond with the baby will be minimized if my mom is here. It made me think about all the time that I will be breastfeeding. Will he feel left out? How can I include him in the experience itself?
I have no doubt that he will bond with the baby in lots of ways; holding, washing, changing, rocking, and loving. The most obvious way I can see to include him in the breastfeeding experience is to encourage and acknowledge his support of me, and I don’t just mean get him to bring me food and water and tell me I’m doing a great job (though that would be nice:)) The emotional support I will need from him will be essential to our breastfeeding success. Humor, love and different perspectives make our relationship strong and I hope these traits will see us triumphant in parenting as well.
I admit that I am quite excited to have a special bond with my baby. A mother/child bond that is unique only to me, but I can’t think of anything better than seeing my husband have his own bond with our children. I can imagine him out on the driveway with the basketball or helping with math homework, but it’s hard for me to see him running home from work to change diapers!
How did you include the father in the early days of your child’s life?
