As such a personal thing, all women have different aims for breastfeeding. The great thing is we can all decide for ourselves what we hope for and want. The bad side is unfortunately our journey through breastfeeding doesn’t always line up with the one we had planned for. The Scottish Maternal and Infant Nutrition Survey in 2017 found that three quarters of those who stopped breastfeeding would have liked to have continued for longer. With these outcomes, a lot of us can feel disappointed with how breastfeeding turns out. We’ve heard from a lot of women about this and some common themes have been feeling like a failure and feeling guilty for stopping. “… the stress and worry I put...
Breastfeeding can be hard, really hard. For some people the option of mixed or combination feeding can be ideal. This is combining breastfeeding with bottle feeding on a regular basis. There are pros nd cons and also risks to consider with this approach. With some conflicting advice out there it’s hard to know what to do and how to start combination feeding. And when. I spoke to Yvonne Fairholm, who runs a breastfeeding support group, for some advice on the matter. Why might I want to mixed feed?“Mums often tell me they combination feed as a breast feed doesn’t fill their baby as when they are then offered a bottle they guzzle it then fall asleep. It is important here...
Mere days or even hours after hearing those initial cries of your firstborn and it inevitably begins. Someone’s baby is “easiest”, sleepiest, biggest, the best feeder. There’s nothing like hearing other new mums around you discuss their 6 week old sleeping through the night to make you feel like a failure. One mother feels she is accused of making a rod for her own back by co-sleeping while eyebrows are raised as another is viewed as heartless for pursuing a strict routine. The competitive parenting can begin from day one and is such a shock for new parents who until this moment have gone about their daily lives without constant judgment and evaluation. Social evaluation in this highly personal but...
When I was pregnant with my first child I had so many ideas of what life as a mother would be like. 3 children later it’s not quite as I imagined…… Expectations for sleep My baby would sleep and if not I’d read a book and do some effective sleep training and they’d sleep through early. Reality Nope. I’ve not even read a single parenting book. Surely the answer is on Mumsnet? Nope. Turns out there is no answer. Only survival. Some of mine slept, one didn’t, and I treated them all the same. Expectations for feeding They’d all be breastfed but happily take bottles too so I’d be able to get my freedom back pretty fast. Reality I've...
