Organically Inclined » mothering

Babies Don’t Keep…the poem has an author!

Mish — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:00:12 +0000

I posted this a while ago and a lot of people seem to be looking for it – so here it is again.

Babies Don’t Keep
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

Technorati Tags: attachment parenting, babies don't keep, baby poem, mothering, ruth hamilton

No Container Babies- 5 Reasons to Wear Your Baby!

Mish — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:00:16 +0000

There is nothing I hate worse than to see a mom or dad lugging their baby around in the car seat in a store. I can’t believe a mother would rather lug 12 pounds of baby plus 15 pounds of car seat in an uncomfortable position, like a bucket of water down to the barn. It breaks my heart – the baby is usually bundled in the seat, head rocking and bouncing as the seat bangs into the leg of the person carrying it.

Why wouldn’t you want to hold your baby? Babies smell good. They’re cute and funny. And when I have one, all I want to do is hold it – and when I can’t, I bundle her into a sling and carry her around. And when I can’t do that (like when taking a shower), I make sure that someone else who loves her is holding her. My God, they are only this little once – and it goes by so fast. Once it’s gone , it’s gone – so don’t waste it strapping them into car seats (unless they are actually in the car) or swings! Hold your baby! When they’re teenagers, they won’t let you near them ( and really, they’re not as cuddly as teens, I have two teens and a “tween” and I can verify this fact)!

1. Baby wearing is convenient. I’m wearing and breastfeeding my baby right now – even as I write this! Really? Yes. Really. I can do almost anything I need to do while wearing my 3.5 month old baby…except the dishes, but I find other reasons not to do them too!

2.Babies who are worn in slings or carried cry less. There is a lot of anthropological and scientific evidence of this fact, but I’ve had six babies, so far, and of the six the only colicky, constantly crying baby I had was the one I was encouraged to put down all of the time! That was my first baby. Since then, I have either held or worn all of my babies. Kiara – the latest – gets complimented all the time on being such a good baby. I think they mean quiet. And she is. During basketball games or other outings, she just sits in my lap and looks around. She rarely fusses. In fact, when she does scream, it’s usually because I’ve put her in the car seat for a trip.

3. Babies who are worn, learn more. Yes, another scientific fact! Babies who are worn spend more of their time in quiet alertness. Because your baby’s needs are being met, she doesn’t need to spend so much time looking for attention and therefore can sort out the puzzle around her – learning to adapt to the environment, seeking things to look at, etc. Researchers have also reported that carried babies show enhanced visual and auditory alertness.

4. Worn babies are smarter. OK, this might just sound like I’m bragging, but this has been proven true outside my own household! Because the mother or father of a worn baby acts like a filter, the baby is guarded from unwanted stimuli that can bombard their wee nervous systems. They also develop their ability to listen very early and therefore their language and development abilities are cultivated earlier. For example, if there is a loud clanging in the house (the toddler knocks the pots off the dish rack), a baby alone in a swing or seat will likely respond by startling and then crying. A baby in a sling, next to her mother, will still startle, but because mother is nearby, will see it’s just a noise and that she is still fine – quickly soothed by mom. The startle then becomes a learning experience that the baby is not so afraid of the next time….rather than being “rattled” every time a loud noise occurs.

5. Worn babies sleep more! Especially in the beginning. I’ve rarely felt sleep deprived, even as a new mother…and when I have it’s usually because I spend the night excitedly gazing at my new love. Wearing a baby keeps them close – think of yourself like a Kangaroo. There is a great saying – nine months in and nine months out. Thinking of the gestational period of the baby as being 18 months makes it easier to reconcile.

Technorati Tags: attachment parenting, baby, babywearing, breastfeeding, family, mothering

Breastfeeding, Pumping, the Mommy Wars continue…

Mish — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:46:16 +0000

Recently, a fairly well-known author, Judith Warner, wrote on her New York Times blog commending Hanna Rosin for speaking out about how much, according to them, breast pumps suck (pun intended).

Warner’s article: http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/why-i-dumped-the-pump/ and Rosin’s: The Case Against Breastfeeding published in The Atlantic (a publication I used to like a lot).

Rosin’s article is a bit more blatantly anti-breastfeeding than Werner’s, but the effect of both is still the same. They are both not just encouraging women to ban the breast pump – but heralding women who say “screw it, I don’t care if breasts were made for feeding babies – my husband wants to use them!”

Very strange.

I think what is the most upsetting about these two articles (if you can call them that, Rosin’s in particular is very poorly researched), is that they seem to confirm the belief that breastfeeding isn’t better for children. In fact, Rosin goes to great lengths to try and get us to believe that formula might actually be equal to breastmilk.

The convenience of bottle feeding argument is also getting a little old. How many times do we nursing moms have to explain that it is NOT easier to bottle feed. Bottle feeding requires doing more dishes, sterilizing bottles, mixing formula – not to mention the purchasing of formula, which is expensive.

Breastfeeding is simple: lift shirt, baby eats. It’s sterile, portable and always at the right temperature.

Basically, what Rosin says is that she got sick of breastfeeding. To paraphrase, in her sleep-deprived state, she found something online that said the results of breastfeeding’s benefits were “inconsistent.” “The seed was planted,” Rosin says. And then goes on to read the results of studies that assure her that breastfeeding is only a “little” better than formula feeding. Rosin then goes on to say that the benefits to babies from breastmilk are often overstated – a claim that inspired the American Academy of Pediatrics to write to The Atlantic and rebuke Rosin’s claims.

I am also highly offended of Rosin’s claims that because I attach breastfeeding to my frugal nature, that means, that my time is worth nothing:

Breast-feeding exclusively is not like taking a prenatal vitamin. It is a serious time commitment that pretty much guarantees that you will not work in any meaningful way. Letâ€™s say a baby feeds seven times a day and then a couple more times at night. Thatâ€™s nine times for about a half hour each, which adds up to more than half of a working day, every day, for at least six months. This is why, when people say that breast-feeding is â€œfree,â€ I want to hit them with a two-by-four. Itâ€™s only free if a womanâ€™s time is worth nothing.

My time breastfeeding, staying home and schooling my children, even cleaning or doing laundry isn’t worth nothing. Just because that is how I choose to spend my time, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth something to my family. I believe it is worth a lot – as does my husband who is happy not to have to spend the money he earns on a second car, a cell phone, child care, formula – or any of the other gazillion items that children will require when both parents can’t be home – not to mention the take-out because I’d be too tired to cook.

While the breastfeeding part of this issue really upsets me, because I believe children are entitled to breastmilk the same way they are entitled to clothes and a place to live, I am really offended that Rosin continues to perpetuate the “Mommy Wars,” by saying that somehow I matter less because I choose to stay home and do these things.

Further, the idea that she doesn’t breastfeed her son “slavishly,” is even more offensive. Being a mother is nurturing, loving, supporting and while sometimes it does feel like we get left behind, if we remember that most women take on those roles of support – even in the workplace – we can rest assured that even a paycheck doesn’t determine our maternal nature.

Technorati Tags: bottlefeeding, breastfeeding, family, hannah rosin, judith warner, kids, mothering, parenting

Night Nannies? What’s Next?

mishakennedy — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:07:41 +0000

I’m sorry. This will sound very unfeminist of me – but as I get older I realize just how unfeminist I truly am! I just read this article on Night Nannies on The New York Times and let me say that I am appalled. Now, not only are more and more children being shunted out the door to daycare at a younger and younger age, but now their parents can’t even get up with their baby in the middle of the night.

I’m not going to go into how bad this lack of interest in one’s children is – there are plenty of people who have done that already. Let me just say that I don’t understand why people who don’t want to hang out with their children even bother to have them. I’m sorry that waking up in the middle of the night to nurse or comfort your wee one is too much of a strain for you. I know your life and sleep are so much more important. Wake up people – they are only this tiny once in their life! Enjoy that time to snuggle – and catch up on your David Letterman watching. And if you don’t want to do the job of parenting…don’t become a parent. It’s not difficult. And it’s not a job that needs to be outsourced.

Technorati Tags: attachment parenting, child care, daycare, mothering, nannies, night nannies

A concerned frugal reader’s questions

Mish — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:51:22 +0000

This is the text of an email I recently received from a new reader. She made an excellent point and so I have asked her if I can publish her concerns here. I have also published my response. I did edit (just a little) for grammar and spelling.

Hey Michelle:

I am a new subscriber to your blog, and I love it! Well most of it. The thing is ( and please don’t take offense) I think that promoting gDiapers goes totally against what your blog seems to be trying to say. I feel like you talk about frugality and sustainability and staying away from consumerism as much as possible.

G-diapers are pretty rad, Iwill give you that. But they are expensive as all get out and not really that sustainable because they have to be made from natural resources that just get tossed at the end of the change. Plus you are buying refills all the time just as you would with disposables. I read your article about the ten things you don’t need when you are having a baby and frankly these seem like they would fit on that list. I feel good old pre folds (or any reusable diaper) are the most cost efficient and the best choice for sustainability.

Maybe i am totally off base. I am relatively new to all of this ( diapering, parenting, living as green as I can etc.) I know you said you used to use cloth so you have experience with both and probably have great reasons for switching (please feel free to share).

I really really don’t want you to think I am rude, I love your site and all your great tips for living frugally and in harmony with the earth. I too am a stay at home mom with ambitions to homeschool and am always looking for ways to stretch our one small income. I am so thankful for stumbling onto your site as you are really an inspiration.

I hope my loud opinion does not irritate you too much.

Thanks for your time

Dana

And here’s my reply (I sent this to Dana by email and am now publishing it here):

Hi Dana,

Not at all! What a great point you make! Can I post your comment on my site? First off, I must state that I love the gDiapers covers and use them often with plain old cloth diapers. However, I know many people who, for them, a gDiaper is a good first stepping stone. I like the idea of bridging the gap between disposables and cloth. For those people, to see that using a cover isn’t such a pain, is a good experience – whether with a liner or a cloth diaper.

But your point is well taken that I am not exactly promoting frugality. Although, I do promote investing in cloth diapers and covers of your choice and passing them on to other children (whether your own or someone else’s). I guess I thought of gDiapers as an investment in the same way – but giving parents the option of going a more “disposable route” or “cloth route” – I guess in this case, I figure if people are going to eschew frugality for convenience – I’d rather have them at least be green about it!

Does that make any sense?

Thanks so much for writing!

All best,

Michelle

What is your opinion on this issue? I do not use gDiapers exclusively (because they are expensive), but do like their covers a lot. Please leave your comments – and remember, the contest is still going on!

Technorati Tags: babies, baby, cloth diapers, diapers, gDiapers, mothering

Practice Present Parenting…and Smile

mishakennedy — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:37:05 +0000

I had a wonderful time at the beach with my kids last week. I was sad that all of my children weren’t there – my oldest son Matt recently got a new job and had to remain home to work. I was, however, proud of him for taking it well and being so willing to work (and take care of the house and animals while we were gone).

There were, of course, plenty of stressors on our trip. There was the 10-hour car ride; staying with my parents; very hot days; a four hour ride to the beach later in the week; staying in a hotel room with five children; sand in my bed…sunscreen in my nose – you name it! But I had fun! And it wasn’t because of the dinners out or the air conditioning or the fact that there were so many activities the kids were never bored. It was because I focused on viewing our vacation through their eyes. I was “in” Jack’s joy as he ran in and out of the surf – or discovered the most beautiful rag tag seashell you ever saw. I walked slowly up the boardwalk – at Jack’s pace – with Kiara on my back as we investigated every sign and played every video game.

I didn’t have a lot of money to “blow” but I took my luxuries in afternoon naps in the hotel room listening to the ocean while the kids chilled out before dinner. Or in sitting on the balcony and watching people walk by.

But at the same time, I was disturbed by a lot of what I saw.

I listened as a young mother yelled at her two year old (ish) son to “Hurry up,” in the potty and I listened as he wailed that he couldn’t go that fast. Then I watched her drag him back out into the lobby of the rest stop. Meanwhile, I was still standing in the stall of the bathroom where Jack told me to “turn around” while he went to the bathroom, so ended up talking to a stall door for 10 minutes.

I watched as sweaty child after sweaty child was pushed and pulled to “walk faster” and yelled at to “put that down” or “pick that up.”

Let me be clear, the place we went is a vacation destination…rarely are there people there who are not in vacation mode. You aren’t going to be running routine errands on the boardwalk. So, why all of the pushing and pulling and hurrying up to have fun?

I have no idea. It seemed so insane to me. Was I really supposed to yank my sons off the beach, where they were having a perfectly delightful time, because it was “time” to go have “fun” doing something else?

I know it’s hard sometimes to be patient as a parent. People get crabby. I am crabby often! However, it’s essential that we learn to remove ourselves from the equation when reacting to something our child is doing.

I used to hate mundane tasks like washing dishes, folding clothes or weeding the garden. Not just dislike – HATE! I avoided it at all costs. I made my kids do it. I volunteered to do other chores if someone else would do those. They were so boring. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it and could only get through them with music blasting.

Then I read a book where the writer had been to Plum Village, a retreat led by Thich Nhat Hanh. He encouraged smiling while doing the dishes. I thought that sounded dumb. Smile? What good is smiling going to do? It’s not going to wash the dishes any faster.

But, one afternoon, there was momentous pile of dishes of to do – and no child over the age of 3 in sight! So I settled into to do them and then, remembering what I had read, I looked out my window and smiled. Self-conscious, but determined, I continued to smile and realized about half way through the dish pile that I didn’t seem to mind doing the dishes. In fact, I was enjoying – enjoying? – myself. It seemed impossible. But there it was. I had been concentrating so much on the smile – and probably how dumb I looked smiling – that I my hate for the task at hand had vanished. I scrubbed and rinsed with a new silly smile on my face and have volunteered to do the dishes (most nights) ever since. I’ve also, in the past few years, started to enjoy the peace and quiet of weeding in the garden or folding laundry on our big dining room table while chaos surrounds me.

What does this have to do with parenting? It’s simple – it’s about finding joy. Taking myself out of the equation is essential to family harmony. If Jack (who is 3), is pounding on the piano, I could get really irritated because he is disturbing my peace. However, looking at it from his point of view, my getting angry is disturbing his joy! So, now when Jack pounds the piano, I smile. I try and find his joy.

When my 10 and 12 year old boys are arguing, I usually try and stay out of it, but sometimes they bring me right into it. Rather than freak and send people away (which I’ve been known to do), I try and smile and have them each sit. Rather than sentence each of them to their own separate space (which is probably what they’d prefer anyway), I have them talk and then find an activity they can do together.

Last night, Jack woke up from a fitful sleep screaming because he has pink eye and his eyes were stuck together and he was just feeling cruddy overall. Because he started screaming, Kiara (9 months) woke up…crying. And then, in an effort to help me my husband John walked over but accidently kicked a glass of soda over! Ugh! I could feel the anxiety building up in me. I just wanted to yell. I did actually have to yell at Jack once, but that was just so he could hear me, his eyes were almost completely swollen shut and he was screaming so loud he couldn’t hear anything!

So, I sat there, with a screaming Jack on my lap, a crying Kiara next to me and my husband running for a towel which he thought he was going to use to mop up the soda, but it turns out we are going to need it for Jack who has decided he needs to throw up!

Believe it or not, I smiled. Not meanly…just smiled…and I relaxed almost immediately and was able to calm Jack down with a glass of water. Then I was able to calm Kiara down with a snuggle and a boob. As soon as I relaxed, I was able to focus and move on.

Smiling helps. It calms. It gives you the ability to see the big picture and move past your own ego. Sure, there was a part of me that wanted to put both kids on the couch and run out the door. But what does that show my children? That when things are hard or stressful they should bail?

So, when chaos abounds (as long as it’s happy chaos) or spills happen or someone pees on the floor or someone pukes on you or you’ve come home to a pile of dishes or they all happen at once…just smile – at least a little.

Technorati Tags: baby, family, kids, miscellaneous, mothering, parenting, zen

gDiapers Coupon giveaway!

mishakennedy — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:36:42 +0000

THIS OFFER IS NOW OVER – BUT THANKS FOR VISITING, AND WE HOPE YOU WILL VISIT OTHER PAGES ON THE SITE!

`Michelle

Hey! Want to try out gDiapers? I love them. I don’t sell them or anything – I just love them and I am trying to spread the word. gDiapers have these great cover designs and the liners are flushable or compostable! How cool is that? And if you run out of the liners, you can throw a cloth diaper in the cover. Seriously, I’m a convert. So much so, that I emailed gDiapers – told them how much I love them, and they sent me 50 coupons for $2 off to give out to anyone I wanted. So – do you want the coupon? Just send me an email and I’ll mail it to you. What do I want in return? Healthier babies and a healthier planet. (and if you want to link or tell your friends about OI, that would be great too:-)

So email me – michelle@organicallyinclined.org – and I’ll mail out the coupon. Super easy. And I’ll post here when I run out.

Thanks!

Misha

Technorati Tags: baby, cloth diapers, family, gDiapers, kids, mothering

Chinese Policewoman Nursing Orphan Babies

mishakennedy — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:34:43 +0000

http://yesboleh.blogspot.com/2008/05/chinese-policewoman-helps-quake-effort.html

Just read this story about a remarkable Chinese policewoman who is nursing her own baby, the babies of mothers too traumatized by the earthquake to produce milk and several orphan babies! I wish I could send her food and water – talk about an heroic effort.

Technorati Tags: breastfeeding, China earthquake, earthquake relief, miscellaneous, mothering, nursing mothers

I Am A Mom – Feminism Revisited

mishakennedy — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:27:25 +0000

By Michelle Kennedy Hogan

michelle [at] organicallyinclined.org

When I was 14, I was never having children. Not one. And I wasn’t going to get married either. I was going to be a politician. I was going to be the President. In my head, being a mother and being the President were mutually exclusive. Not being a woman and being the President. At 14, being a woman was a mere bump in the road to my future fame.

Because my maiden name is Kennedy, I spent a great deal of time in my teen years reading about those other Kennedy’s. The famous ones. My hero quickly became Robert F. Kennedy (he still is), but after reading a number of books, I found a book by Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK and RFK’s mother). She had nine children. And while she had lots of maids and nannies to help, she was a very hands-on mother.

I found myself fascinated by this kind of parenting…and the large family. While I still denied it to the world at large, I knew, somewhere in my heart that this is what I wanted to.

By age 20 the urge to have children was almost impossible to deny. While I still considered myself a feminist with a political agenda, I happily had my first child and just assumed that I would “put him in daycare” while I finished school. Then I held him for the first time. And I looked in his confused newborn eyes. And I smelled him. And I realized that there wasn’t any way that anyone else was going to get to hold him – much less raise him! The bond was so strong already in those first few minutes that I couldn’t imagine ever giving him over to anyone else.

So I didn’t. I stayed home and had two more children fairly quickly. Then I had a number four. And thought I was “done.”

But I wasn’t. After several years as a “working” mom – as opposed to a lazy, stay-at-home one, I guess – I decided that my place really was at home and I became pregnant with numbers 5 and 6.

Even though I was where I wanted to be and I had become reasonably successful in my writing career, I still felt conflicted. I couldn’t rectify my image of feminism with my image of motherhood. Further, I felt conflicted by my roles in the world – and how I wa viewed in the eyes of others. While I wish I could say that how others viewed me didn’t matter much – I would be lying. I felt – still feel – acutely the judgment of others when I tell them that I stay home with my children.

What a strange justification to have to make! Until about 30 years ago, staying home with one’s own children was a no-brainer. Most moms stayed at home with their children. Who better to raise a child than the child’s mother? No one even considered any different. And then came feminism and bra burnings and whatever else. And women were suddenly not only encouraged to break the glass ceiling but to leave their children behind in order to do it.

Let me be clear. I am not condemning women in the workplace at all. But when did it become the norm to leave the children behind and go to “work”? When did mothering itself become such a disdained position?

I hear little jokes all of the time about mothers who stood up to someone who said, “oh, you’re just a mom…” and replied that they were domestic engineers or whatever. Why? Why can’t “mother” be an adequate – if not revered – job description? Why do I, when asked, what I do “for a living” reply that I am a writer? Why does that make me feel more justified in staying home with my children?

Why is it more accepted now for mothers to go to work and leave the care-giving to someone we pay a wage (not a very good one…) to?

Why is it unacceptable for little Janey to say that she wants to be a mom when she grows up? Why can’t that be a reasonable ambition? Why does she have to say that she wants to be a doctor or lawyer or astronaut in order to be deemed worthy in school these days?

Those who know me, know that I have a thing for classified ads. I love to ponder jobs and career paths untravelled. In my life I have done a lot of things to make money, but I’ve had only one true career – that of mother. And I get to exercise a lot of my unchosen career paths during my tenure. I am a writer, yes, and have made good money doing that work. But I’m also a nurse, a teacher, a farmer, a maid, a lumberjack, a chef, a chauffeur, a veterinarian and much more.

I can’t imagine getting up every morning and driving the same 30 miles to the same cubicle with a picture of my children on the wall…for something like 20 or 30 years of my life.

I know many moms who say that can’t imagine staying home with their children all day – it would be so tedious and boring. Really? I’ve never had so much fun. Imagine going to work everyday for 16 years (that’s how long I’ve been at it now) and truly enjoying your job. While it’s not always fun and games and some of it is tedious and boring, it’s never not important.

I love my varied and interesting life. I love spending time (pretty much all of it) with my children….even when it’s boring.

I’ve been struggling lately, trying to understand the nature of my life. I’ve been trying to figure out why I haven’t accomplished more than I have. Why haven’t I done more to help the world at large? Am I selfish to just stay home with my kids? Shouldn’t I be doing something? What is my contribution? And is it enough?

And then I realize how much I am doing. By trying to raise children who are hopeful, learned, tolerant, patient, loving, eco-conscious and much more, I think I am sending out a little ripple of hope to the big world. I want my children to epitomize the joy I have in raising them. And hopefully, even if that’s the only contribution I make, it’s enough.

Technorati Tags: attachment parenting, family, kids, mom, mothering

Frugal and Green Tip of the Day – Breastfeed Your Baby

mishakennedy — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:42:03 +0000

This is probably the most frugal and green tip I can give! There is nothing more natural – and cheaper – than breastfeeding. And any mother can do it.

But first things first. Breastfeeding is the cheapest way to feed your baby. Period. It is estimated that families will spend over $1000 a year on formula and related costs alone. Add in extra money for doctor visits because formula fed babies are more prone to ear infections and food allergies and the cost goes up even more!

Breastfeeding is easy and way more convenient than bottle feeding. One mother I know couldn’t believe that I would nurse my baby. “Isn’t it a pain?” she asked. “Why don’t you bottle-feed?”

I don’t bottle feed, I told her, because I’m too lazy.

It’s way too much work to clean all those bottles, sterilize them, remember to carry them around with me, make up extras, buy the formula, and so on. I would way rather just sit on the couch and pull out a boob.

“Aren’t you then, like, attached to your baby all the time?” another mother asked me once. “Yes,” I replied, “but that was kind of the point of having her.”

I like being “attached” to my baby. I love babies, that’s why I had them. If I didn’t want to hang out with them all of the time, then I wouldn’t choose to have children. If there is anything I’ve learned over the years, it’s that babies soon grow up – too fast – and I need to cherish them, and cuddle them when they are small. Because when they are 15 they just look at me like I’m insane all of the time and talk about how they can’t wait to graduate and move out!

Breastfeeding also has a few other great benefits – like babies with higher IQs; lower cancer risks for both mom and baby; fewer food-related allergies; fewer ear infections; and leaner children longer in life.

Breastfeeding isn’t always easy. I nearly gave it up in the first week with my first born. The hospital gave him a bottle and a pacifier – and no one told me that my boobs would turn into rock-hard watermelons two days after I got home! It was so easy to nurse in the hospital without any milk in them yet. I had a full week of a crying baby and a frustrated postpartum me. It was awful. At one point I was pumping milk and giving it to him in a bottle because it was all he would take. Then, finally, my boobs settled down a bit and the baby figured it out and we happily nursed for the next 9 months or so.

And with each baby I have had some little issue – with my last baby (who is 6 months now), it was a crack so deep I thought they had relocated the Grand Canyon! But, from experience, I knew I had to just keep nursing…and we got through it. I wish I had had the Internet to refer to when I had my first. A site like breastfeeding.com or Mothering Magazine provide a wealth of information for the new or experienced mom.

Nursing, like anything else, can be frustrating at times. But the benefits far outweigh the downside. Babies should be nurtured and what better way to do that then to nurse them – and how great that it doesn’t cost a dime?

And – if you are – or you know of a new mom who needs a little help – email me, I’m happy to do what I can!

Technorati Tags: breastfeeding, family, health, mothering, mothers, nursing