Netphoria Boob Album 2018

[Cool As Ice Cream]

how long did you do breastfeeding only, and at what point did other food come into the picture, combined with breastfeeding?
or was it all or nothing most of the time?

[vixnix]

I breastfed exclusively for six months (as was the World Health Organisation recommendation then - I think they've changed it to four months, now. It changes every few years, just to be extra helpful to nervous first time parents), and then offered food, but neither of mine were very interested. They didn't eat more than a couple of mouthfuls a day until they were one. Between one and two they would eat about one meal a day - but that was by their choice - I always offered food after six months.

I dunno - while they were still breastfeeding they most often just ate off my plate. I would fix myself something to eat and they'd either eat that or breastfeed, or both. I didn't really think about it.

Mine were born 4.55kg (10 lbs) and 5.2 kg (11 lb 7 oz), and have stayed above the 90th percentile for height & 75th for weight. And they met milestones early - they both crawled by 6 months. So I was really, really lucky that there were no concerns about their nutrition or development, so I could always be pretty relaxed. A lot of my friends with prem babies or babies who didn't make it onto the growth charts didn't have that luxury. In that case you are trying to measure exactly how many basic nutrients and calories you can get your baby to digest, and formula seems to work a lot better than breastmilk, in many instances.

After I nearly lost my mind trying to settle my elder son as a baby, in his own cot, I read some advice on an Attachment Parenting forum about co-sleeping. So in those first couple of years with each of my children, we set up a family bed, and they just slept with us and fed anywhere between 2-6 times a night. I think it's actually a more natural pattern for babies and toddlers, to meet their need for calories at night when their mother is right there with them, and doesn't have to rush around doing anything else, is completely relaxed/half asleep so the all important 'let down' happens and the baby can access the richer 'hind milk'.

Relatively modern western advice is that babies need sleep, so they should be encouraged to sleep all night in their own bed. But that's slowly giving way to a more natural/instinctive approach. It seems like the current western ideas about baby care stem from the Victorian age when ideas like Original Sin came into play. There is a lot of toxic advice about basically showing the baby who's boss, etc., so that the evil baby doesn't manipulate you.

More relaxed doctors say that meeting a baby's need for intimacy, connection, touch, food and comfort can only be a good thing. I chose that advice, I guess.

[vixnix]

Until they were two. And then I was like...I just can't do this anymore, I'm sorry . Here, eat a banana

[Cool As Ice Cream]

thanks
this will be very useful in my next round of mum shaming ("you're not doing it right, you're the worst mother")

[Cool As Ice Cream]

i think two years is very long
if i were a mother, i think i'd definitely try it, but probably not longer than a couple of months (six max), if it worked at all
if there were too many issues, i'd give up and go for "formula", as you call it

[vixnix]

Always glad to be of service, though as any other mum will tell you, whatever you come up with will pale in comparison to the professionals of mum shaming....other mums.

[vixnix]

you can take notes from here!

[Cool As Ice Cream]

Originally Posted by vixnix

whatever you come up with will pale in comparison to the professionals of mum shaming....other mums.

i know, i know

[vixnix]

Originally Posted by Cool As Ice Cream

i think two years is very long
if i were a mother, i think i'd definitely try it, but probably not longer than a couple of months (six max), if it worked at all
if there were too many issues, i'd give up and go for "formula", as you call it

By the time kids are the age that mine are now (12 and 9) nobody talks about it anymore. Nobody has asked me if I breastfed my kids for about 5 years already. So I reckon it's better to do whatever works. Parenting is hard enough without doing stuff that you don't even want to do, if you don't have to do it!

[Cool As Ice Cream]

parenting is easy, just get a big telly and loads of sugar

[FoolofaTook]

if i were a mother...

[Cool As Ice Cream]

Originally Posted by FoolofaTook

if i were a mother...

[FoolofaTook]

true true

[FoolofaTook]

i'm downloading pom poko

[vixnix]