Archive for the ‘Breastfeeding’ Category
-
Spanish drama – baby removed because of… breastfeeding!
I am sorry I came to the nightmarish party late, but there is a tragic story I still very much want to write about – a story that should horrify us all, and a story about a mother’s love as well. This is a story about racism, misogyny, and discrimination against mothers and babies. In Spain, a 22 year-old Marrocan mother called Habiba took the brave and difficult step of leaving an abusive relationship. She turned to the government for help, and had her 15 month-old baby, Alma, taken away from her. Why? Because Habiba did the very thing recommended by the World Health Organization and just about every other medical organization in the world – she breastfed her baby.
-
My toddler self-weaned!
It’s been about two weeks since my toddler nursed now – one day, he simply decided that he was done. Self-weaning is not a dream that is impossible to realize! I don’t know whether to be happy or sad about it. We attempted to nightwean a while back for various reasons, and the attempt failed horribly. In the end, I decided that I would just stop trying and let Son decide when he was ready, all by himself. And he did!
-
Why breastfeeding mothers rock at multitasking
I read this article commenting about a new study of how society sees breastfeeding women, and I just had to share. Please head over to Miller-McCune and read how breastfeeding women are seen as less competent, and apparently as especially less competent in math. It’s a fascinating read, and a really well-written piece.
-
Breastfeeding in public
Apparently, breasts are so sexualized that breastfeeding in public still produces hot debates, and are a nice topic for the “mommy wars”, especially online. Here is my perspective. I’ve been breastfeeding for the last (nearly) five years. The right to breastfeeding in public is guaranteed in most places, even though a few unlucky women end up being criticized (notice those nurse-ins organized after a mom was told to leave a public space if she “insisted” on nursing?). Public breastfeeding is more about the baby’s right to eat than the mother’s right to breastfeed.
-
Adventures in weaning a toddler
“Nooo! I don’t want water! I want milk! Mama is naughty! Go to time-out!” These were my two-year old son’s first words upon waking in the middle of the night, for the second time. He already anticipated I would offer him some water, because I have been trying to night wean him for a while now. He doesn’t, apparently, like it much. When I started rubbing his back to comfort him, he said: “Don’t bite me!” He did go to sleep soon after, but weaning is still a struggle. The obvious answer would be to simply keep on nursing my son until he self-weans, but I don’t think that is the answer for us.
-
Cross nursing – breastfeeding someone else’s baby
Cross nursing is the practice of breastfeeding friends’ or relatives’ babies, or another mother nursing your baby. Some African cultures, which place a large value on breastfeeding and that do not widely use formula as a breastmilk replacement, see cross nursing as a normal and convenient solution when a nursing mom has got something to take care of that can’t involve a baby. In Western societies, cross nursing is much rarer. But it is not any less practical!
-
Night weaning my nearly two-year old
Another two months, and my little boy (the blond one in my blog banner) will already be two years old. I believe in extended nursing, and love the health benefits that breastfeeding brings to my toddler. I have no intention of stopping, and I feel strongly about at least following the recommendation of the World Health Organization to breastfeeding for two years. But Son seems to feel the need to stay attached to my breasts all night long, more son than when he was younger. He wakes up and starts screaming if I attempt to take my nipple away. It’s annoying, and my back is really hurting from the awful sleeping positions I have to assume for Son to be able to nurse the night away.
My sprouts
Visit our sponsors
Categories
- Birth
- Breastfeeding
- Miscarriage
- Fertility
- Babies
- Reviews
- Parenting
- Homebirth
- Unassisted Childbirth
- Hospital Birth
- Pregnancy
- Post-partum
- In the news
- Rambling
- Uncategorized
Want to share your birth story?
Tag cloud
Write About Birth loves these sites
Add my button!
