April 2012
26 posts
11 tags
Nursing Difficulties Linked With Higher Rates of... →
Let’s face it, having trouble breastfeeding can be a downer. But is it also a red flag that you are at risk for postpartum depression? Yes, say researchers from the University of North Carolina whose recent study of over 2,500 new moms found that women who admit they don’t like to breastfeed–or who experience breastfeeding difficulties during the first few weeks after birth–have much higher...
14 tags
"Why I'm a Breastfeeding Dad." →
I’m a transgender parent: not the parent of a transgender child, nor a parent who transitioned after having kids. Rather, I transitioned from female to male, and then later became pregnant—as a trans man. I had a healthy pregnancy, and birthed my baby naturally. And in that first moment when I saw my baby and held him in my arms—smelling his amazing, newborn baby smell—I became addicted to...
11 tags
Breastfeeding Wasn't So Important... Until I Had... →
Even now, almost two years later, I feel a twinge whenever I see a woman whip out her boob at the playground. Why couldn’t that have been me? I briefly fantasize about having another baby (could I maybe get it right the second time around?), before reminding myself that the dream of breastfeeding is possibly the worst reason to have another child. But then I look over at my son, roaring with...
11 tags
Exclusive Pumping- Guilt vs Regret. →
many mothers state that they feel guilty because they had to stop breastfeeding for one reason or the other. they say that for those of us out there in the trenches desperately working to promote and normalize breastfeeding, our thought-provoking one liners and quotes of encouragement further cement their guilt.
i’m hear to tell you dear mothers, that what you feel is not guilt.
no, it isn’t.
...
16 tags
Why We Shouldn't Use the Term "Breastfeeding Nazi"... →
All Germans were not Nazis, and obviously, all lactivists are not engaging in fascist or supremacist behavior. It sucks that some bad eggs are ruining what should be a really healthy, wholesome omelette. But we also cannot sit idly by and watch a subtle form of fascism grow. So while I am ardently against indiscriminate hurling of the “boob nazi” label, I wish breastfeeding advocates...
14 tags
Is Compassion a Conflict of Interest For... →
I would love to see breastfeeding advocacy (and birth advocacy, and educational advocacy, and others) fit into the context of what I hope is the larger goal: healthier children and strong familial bonds. In that context, lactation professionals and peer counselors can be trained in the benefits of breastfeeding and provide breastfeeding support, but also be watchful for the signs that...
14 tags
Breastfeeding Gestapo Moves to Ban Free Formula... →
Even though I breastfed exclusively for the first six months, the miserable time I had with it makes me completely understand why someone wouldn’t want to do it. For one thing, all the mother-child bonding studies aside, the pain associated with it could easily make one resent her newborn, and thus hinder the bonding experience. While exclusive breastfeeding (and “exclusive”...
9 tags
10 tags
Life After Loss: Managing Milk Production After... →
Our bodies treat the birth of our silent children the same as it would a living child. Second trimester miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death brings with it an added trigger of milk production. Typically, 2-7 days after birth, milk production starts and it can not only be a big trigger, but physically painful as well. There are ways to ease the engorgement and transition to drying your milk,...
14 tags
The True Cost of Breastfeeding- This Milk Isn't... →
If we as a society truly place a high value on nursing — if the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation that mothers breast-feed for 12 months or more (and breast-feed exclusively for six months or more) is meant for all women, not just those with the resources to withstand economic loss — then we need to support breast-feeding by putting in place laws, policies, programs and social...
My Beautiful Cushy Tushy. →
lapetitemoi:
I was just telling Kevin today that I truly believe that my body is more beautiful after giving birth to Lucas. There is nothing more empowering than knowing that I gave birth completely naturally to my beautiful little boy! ♥
Here’s an article that “talks about how we need to do more than just not talk smack our bodies in front of kids; we need to actively model self-acceptance”!
14 tags
Message in a Bottle: "Dear Mama." →
Dear Mama,
It’s me, your child. The one who wakes you up at 3 a.m. because my stomach is the size of a golf ball or being held five times tonight isn’t quite enough. The one who finds it hilarious to dump oatmeal all over the floor and your hair if I can manage it. The one whose diapers tempt you to contact your country’s military research department because that smell is a good candidate...
10 tags
Modern Mother Guilt: The Child King. →
Mothers today, she says, are experiencing more pressure, guilt and anxiety than ever before. Motherhood has become a “tyrannical state”, in which women have become “slaves to l’enfant roi” - the child-king. They are pressured to run their pregnancies like dietary boot camps, made to feel guilty unless they insist on natural childbirth, and are filled with anxiety...
19 tags
Feeding Our Babies: Choice? Guilt? Anger? Regret? →
Put up a poster promoting breastfeeding, though, and suddenly people complain it is only being done to make those who are artificially feeding feel guilty! Why is this? How can just another health message seem personalised and threatening? The answer might surprise you. There is certainly emotion involved but it is nothing to do with guilt. Guilt is how you feel having committed an offence;...
9 tags
How to Bottle Feed Baby Without the Guilt. →
According to Dr. Laura Jana pediatrician and co-author of the book, Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, being a new parent is challenging and can be frustrating. For a mother faced with the additional challenges associated with breastfeeding, sometimes the extra time, effort, appointments/instruction can prove to be too...
Breastfeeding Interrupted →
jenniferthorsondoula:
One mother does the best she can when her plans go out the window.
What do you want to read about?
Ask questions or send your suggestions!
14 tags
Motherhood 101: The First Year. →
The summer of babies is upon us.
I thought I’d start compiling a list – for me to revisit and read when I’m in sleep-deprived psychosis, flying off the handle at every little thing, weeping over the dirt on my floor, and telling the cat that I’m going to sell him because he’s such an obnoxious freak of nature.
And for the other new moms out there who are at this very moment yelling at their...
11 tags
What Breastfeeding Advocates Need to Stop Saying. →
One of the main reasons breastfeeding advocates are negatively judged by the mainstream media, is due to their attack on formula feeding mothers, as part of their defense. This really angers me, because I feel that some breastfeeding mothers are aiding in the attack and judgement of my family (a family that practices extended breastfeeding) through their malicious statements directed at formula...
11 tags
Research Shows 50 Years of Motherhood Manuals Set... →
New research at the University of Warwick into 50 years of motherhood manuals has revealed how despite their differences they have always issued advice as orders and set unattainably high standards for new mums and babies.
And in other news… fire is hot, water is wet, and the sky is blue!
16 tags
Bottlefeeding with Love: One Mom's Story. →
“Breast is best.” Such a simple fact. If you are planning to be an attachment parent, you want to breastfeed. It’s at the very foundation of the philosophy.
But sometimes, things aren’t that simple. Perhaps you have a medical condition that won’t allow you to breastfeed. Maybe you are an abuse survivor who has unresolved issues that are hindering you. Or, as in my...
13 tags
Parental Judgment and Nosy Parkers. →
When you have a baby, you know that you are in for lots of things. Sleepless nights, being peed and puked on, having your heart broken, laughing your biggest laugh, and crying your hardest cries ever are to be expected. One thing no one tells you is that you will be judged by every single person that you come into contact with for just about every single decision you make in regards to that...
13 tags
“Thought of the Day: One thing I have learned is that being a good mother does...”
– Lisa, Bottle Babies
14 tags
"I Had to Stop Breastfeeding for My Mental Health-... →
“Over the past months I’ve realized that the ‘best’ that I can give her isn’t always what can be written down on paper or put in a category like natural birth, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, etc. The best that I can give her is an emotionally stable and content mother.”
30 tags
How to Support Breastfeeding Without Demonising... →
Some of the strongest advocates in the intactivist movement are mothers who circumcised their first children. Marilyn Fayre Milos, for example. Some of the strongest advocates for gentle discipline are those who chose corporal punishment first. Some of the strongest proponents of natural birth are those who experienced an over-medicated labor or an “unnecessarian”. Many cloth...
12 tags
What a "Lactivist" Is, and Isn't... →
A true lactivist does not seek to demonise women, but to empower and support those who need help. To present accurate, unbiased, unjudgmental information on which parents can make a truly informed choice.
