Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding

Nursing my children was the best decision I ever made. I was not a breastfed child, however I wanted to establish a bond with my children and I understood the nutritional benefits that my milk would provide for my children. And I was blessed to be able to provide them with what can be considered the best nutrients for babies. The benefits of human breast milk greatly exceed any other alternative method of infant feeding and most health organizations around the world have united to promote breastfeeding as an option for the nutritional and emotional benefits for babies.

The World Health Organization,  encourages women to breastfeed exclusively for six months and to continue  to breastfeed for at least two years to take advantage of human milk’s ability to provide the best nutrition and protect against infection (ouch, I could not imagine breast feeding my babies once they started teething).

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for about six months also, followed by breastfeeding with the introduction of solid foods for the next six months and thereafter the mother and infant could continue to breastfeed as long as there is a mutually desire.

A quote about breastfeeding

“Breastfeeding is like an art, and like anything new it takes a little time to make it work smoothly. New mothers and babies must learn how to make a nursing relationship successful. The only way to succeed is determination.”—anonymous

References

http://www.who.int

www.aap.org

http://www.wicdirectors.org



Child Birth Customs around the World

I found a wonderful article on www.parents.com , where parents share their birthing experiences/customs around the world. I read one parents, story from the Netherlands, and how the Dutch women usually only give birth naturally, no painkillers……not sure I would be able to handle it, but more power to the women that do, in my book, you would be consider a “Superhero”.

http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world

My Birthing Experience

My first born, Dexter at 3 weeks old. I had morning sickness until about 4 months, then I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, which then I had to monitor what I could eat, he was due on March 12 which was a Monday, I worked until that Friday March 9th, I was induced on March 12th at around 5:30 am, contractions started, epidural given around 10:30 am, went to sleep afterwards, awoke around 12ish, was told to push at 1:30pm, he was here at 1:44pm, was simply and quick, by 3pm I was already asking when I could go home, my work here was done....haha.

This time was interesting, as this is my princess Kelsey Grace. Pregnancy went about the same as the first time, morning sickness until about 5 months, no Gestational Diabetes, but this time I went into labor naturally. I was due 12/05, I remember having a Dr. Appt on 11/25, the day before Thanksgiving and the Doctor telling me I was already 2 cm, so she could come any day now. I remember that I worked up until that Monday, 11/23, as she told me I could no longer commute to work longer than 30 minutes, and that Wednesday afternoon after my appt., I remember going into a "nesting mode", where my family and I just went shopping all over the mall, which also included a lot of walking for me, later that night I felt pains in my thighs, so I went to bed, I awoke about 5am and felt my first contractions which I let last almost two hours, as I was not sure it was the real thing. We started moving and getting ready to go and I knew that this time it was the real thing. So I gave birth to my daughter on Thanksgiving Day, I received the epidural about 7am, that only worked on my left side, it did not take on my right side, so I was crying and pleading with my nurse to call the Anaesthesiologist back to see what went wrong, he came back and fixed the problem and I was ready to push at 11:25 am, she came at 11:30 am.

One thing that I have learned through both of these experiences is that having children changes your life forever.