Things that Irk me!!
More to come….
I’m now nursing a 3 year old!
Wow… I can’t beleive it!
Xavier turned 3 yesterday… 3 years ago I knew that I would nurse past a year but never thought about nursing to age 3… now that I am here though I wouldn’t have it any different… I still love nursing Xavier and I hope that his brother will nurse for at least the same amount of time…
PPD…. (and breastfeeding…. or lack of)
I have encountered many people lately that have suffered greatly from PPD (post partum Depression) A running theme that I have often encountered is that many of the Moms are not breastfeeding and have never breastfed, or tried and it didn’t work out for whatever reason (informed or uninformed) …
I believe that PPD is very real and that it is something that many women go through… However, I also believe that it is diagnosed too much and that medication is given when it is not always the best answer… However, there is something else that I am starting to believe more and more…
When our child is born the natural thing is to breastfeed (Formula is not natural no debate could convince me otherwise) when a women doesn’t breastfeed however, the body stops producing the hormones to make milk….(milk production is activated by demand which then makes the body produce hormones which develops the milk) Anyways, when these hormones are no longer in production the body actually think that the baby has died which makes the body in question start the process to become pregnant again…
If your body believes that your offspring has died wouldn’t the logical conclusion be that sometimes the body reacts negatively chemically and therefore not breastfeeding could be a cause of PPD?
Another thing is that breastfeeding helps create a very strong bond between Mom and baby. This is why Breastfeeding is one of the fundamentals in Attachment Parenting. Couldn’t it also be that this lack of bonding that is often a cause of PPD also come from the lack of not breastfeeding?
I do completely understand that PPD is a medical condition that can stem from many reasons or even no reason at all but I really believe that the lack of breastfeeding can often have a lot to do with it…
Baby Training… CIO vent
Why do people find the need to train their babies? Why do people expect their children to be so grown up so quickly. It is getting to be ridiculous! I mean… what do people really expect their children to be when they are born…
The images we see are so far from reality… TV always has that perfect image of a parent taking a completly awake baby and placing it in a crib, turning the light off and that’s it… When we become parents, especially when we are not around kids too often, we almost expect that this will be so… but when it doesn’t happen then we search on ways to make things best and of course get some sleep…
When Xavier was born I didn’t know what AP was, but the minute I held him in my arms things just fell into place… He slept so well cuddled between Dh and I, falling asleep at the breast each time. People around me said it was bad but I just felt I was doing the right things that ensured that everyone get good sleep. Some say that I was lucky because Xavier was sleeping through the night by 8 weeks and that I never knew what bad nights were and so I couldn’t talk about my experiences because I had never been in their position…
However, these people that were having rough nights and whose babies where not sleeping enough (or the parents where not sleeping enough) are the same parents that refused to bring their baby into their bed and insisted that they learn how to “self-soothe”… Why does a 3, 6 or 9 month old baby need to learn to “self-soothe”? If they need to have a little help to fall asleep what’s wrong with that? Why don’t use gentler ways to guide a baby into sleep…
When Colin was born I realized how much 2 siblings can be polar opposites. Colin was a very fussy High Needs baby that didn’t want to sleep through the night and often woke up 3-4 X a night… however, he slept happily between DH and I and nursed to sleep almost every time (he is a baby that often wants to be put down to fall asleep alone though, or unlatches and rolls over before falling asleep) Even on nights that he didn’t want to fall asleep right away when he woke in the middle of the night I just slept beside him while he was awake and we again never lost sleep… Are we just lucky again.. I don’t thing so.. I think we just have a method that works…
I understand that some people think that making their baby CIO (cry it out) is the only way that they will learn how to sleep, I also understand that they find it hard but they feel they have to do it… and they stand beside the fact that it does work… But the reason that it works is because the baby knows that as much as they need their parent, as much as they want to be held, as much as they are thirsty, hungry, uncomfortable or lonely, their parents won’t come when they cry…. and they are made to retreat into themselves and give up… Which is why when a baby is sick and their cries are responded to for a few nights the process has to start all over again…
The worst thing I have heard of now in this is that you can now Hire a Nanny to come over for a few nights and make your baby CIO for you… That means that Parents can snuggle with the one they love, in a warm bed together (maybe even the family cat or dog snoozing at their feet) while the little baby, the most helpless in the household is in a dark room crying with a stranger checking in on them once in a while (if they are checking in at all)… I makes me feel ill and makes me want to cry…
I don’t remeber where I hard this but it is now my Motto…
In my house, Nobody cries alone…..
Update on Pre-natal and babywearing….
The Pre-natal went pretty well last night… there where 5 couples that where all ears but one couple in particular…
When asked at the beginning if they where wanting to breastfeed this couple said that yes they would but would like to express to have daddy have a chance to have that bond too… So I made a point of explaining all of the things that Daddy can so even if he doesn’t nurse… (skin to skin, walking, burping, cuddling, bathing) and it seemed to make sense to him… The whole time I was talking this guy had a big smile and was nodding… During the break they told me that they have read a lot of breastfeeding and that all the things they have read where confirmed and they learned many more things… I told them that if they want to succeed they have to go into it saying that they are going to do it… and told them how when I was pregnant I decided that nothing was going to stop me from breastfeeding and I wouldn’t let myself be set up for any disaster so all bottles and samples where thrown out of the house… When I said that A light lit up in this guys face, and right away he said that that was such a great idea… that having samples around just`makes it so much easier for then to be used and for something to hinder the breastfeeding relationship… and that if you have to go out and get Formula you might think about it a bit more… (I really think that the samples they have are going to be leaving the house LOL)
Another thing they asked me about was Vit D… I told them that I have never given Vit D and that it depends on the school of thought… Though the Canadian Paediatric Society recomeds it… the actual fact is that it is a blanket recommendation that really doesn’t have too much weight especially in a fair skinned child born in the summer..
Another cool thing that happened was that the nurse asked me if I had brought my wrap and Sling because she really wanted to show it off and show off the way I wear my baby…. I told her that I have been thinking about giving some classes a the “Carrefour†and she thought it was a great idea and is going to talk to her boss about me being the “official†resource is the region… She even told me that she has gotten a few questions about babywering from people that have seen me in Public and she knew they where talking about me because they described my Ellaroo!
I am still waiting for the answer from “Maman Kangourou†but I am pretty sure to become a retailer and that way I can teach and sell…