Tomorrow my little girl will turn 4, and I have been thinking back to her birth and all of the others, and I began to think about being pregnant for the first time.
As you all know I have successfully breastfed all six of my children and have enough milk for most of the East Coast!!
But what made me want to breastfeed. I hear so often why someone chose NOT to breastfeed or why someone chose To bottlefeed, but I would like to know
WHAT MADE YOU BREASTFEED ?
I can remember a mum coming into college whilst I was doing my Nursery Nursing course, talking to us about breastfeeding, the two mums that I babysat for also breastfed, but my mum breastfed me for only 9 weeks, so I wouldn't say she has been a major influence in my decision.
The midwife that was my mentor during my maternity placement is the breastfeeding specialist for the area, but I don't recall her pushing it on me, but I never considered not breastfeeding my baby.
I would be interested to know, and I shall also be asking the ladies at the Baby Cafe why they chose to breastfeed
Answers on a postcard... (not really!) but if you would like to reply below please feel free xxx
I am still feeding my youngest, so I still have the excuse to go out and look at pretty Nursing Bras and feeding pyjamas. I found a wonderful website called More 4 Mums which has an amazing choice of Maternity and Nursing wear.
They have lots of well known brands to choose from and such pretty choices.
I was very fortunate, when the lovely Lynn offered me a Nursing bra to review.
I was sent an Emma Jane Seam Free Padded Nursing Bra.
The bra arrived the very next day, a fantastic speedy service. The bra itself is just so soft and it doesn't even feel as if I am wearing a Nursing Bra. The padded part is great, it means there is always something to catch any leakage, on top of the breast pads, and it doesn't make your nipples show through in this rather chilly weather, like some I have tried!
The website itself is extremely easy to use and the choice of maternity and nursing wear is excellent. The search facility is super quick and I was able to find exactly what I was looking for. So for any pregnant or breastfeeding mums, I would definitely recommend More 4 Mums, as the first place to look out for your nursing needs.
Medela are very excited to announce the launch of their new
campaign; Make a Pledge.The campaign
gives families a unique opportunity to make a special and personal promise to
an important child in their life, through a dedicated microsite www.makeapledge.co.uk
There are plenty of things to think about when a new baby
will soon be joining the family. Everyone hopes it will be loved and cared for,
but beyond that every parent and family member has a special wish for that
child. Whether it’s something simple like promising to teach them how to bake
their Grandmother’s chocolate cake, or to take them swimming every Sunday, it’s
certainly nice to make a note of that treasured promise. Medela themselves have
pledged to support new families in the precious breastfeeding months.
With so much excitement when a new baby arrives, it’s easy
to lose sight of things you always imagined you would pass on. The pressures
and expectations new families face are enormous, and parents may be overwhelmed
by the wealth of decisions they need to make such as; what nappies to use,
feeding choices and later down the line what school to select? With these
on-going and important choices parents’ can easily forget about the little
things. Maybe they’d always dreamed of making a family tree with their child,
or going blackberry picking at their local farm. With this in mind Medela have
set up a dedicated microsite where parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles,
siblings and even godparents or family friends can make their individual and
personal promise to a child they love, however big or small!
A promise can be
absolutely anything, and best of all everyone who makes a pledge gets a lovely
personalised certificate to keep. Dad may promise he’ll be there when his
little one scores his first goal, or Mum might pledge to teach her little one
her native language. Whatever you pledge, it’s a lovely thing to be able to
share with a child when they are older, and you can even keep it in their baby
book. It’s also a brilliant way to let a
sibling bond with their little brother or sister. Of course you can pledge to
any baby or child whatever their age!
To celebrate the Make a Pledge campaign, Medela have created
a video that is sure to give everyone a warm fuzzy feeling! It shares the
thoughts of expectant parents and even a little sister talking about her dreams
for their new arrival, her pledge was to share her sweeties! You can watch it here:
So if you have children, are expecting a baby or just have a special little someone in your life make them a personal pledge at www.makeapledge.co.uk
I have been breastfeeding for more years than I care to remember. Most of the time I will just feed my baby in public, but there are occasions when I feel more comfortable with something to cover me up, especially when baby gets to that stage of being inquisitive and pulls away mid feed exposing a large part of your breast and nipple!
Freedom Babeis an online store for breastfeeding
accessories and other fantastic nursery products . The Freedom Babe breastfeeding
covers are designed to make life easier for new mothers breastfeeding whilst
out and about. As the name suggests, the covers give you the freedom to
breastfeed anywhere!
They also have for sale other fantastic tried and tested nursery
products that fit in with the premise of making life easier for new
parents including baby slings, dribble bibs, buggy essentials and bathtime!
Some Features and Benefits of the Breastfeeding Covers:
FREE stylish zip fabric bag now available with every cover.
Easy to put on with one hand.
Maintain eye contact with baby through secure semi-rigid
neckline.
Quickly and easily switch breasts without having to remove
cover.
100% cotton and machine washable.
One generous size - Approx 90cm across x 66cm down.
Covers tummy! No need for breastfeeding tops.
Can be used as a handy sun or wind shade.
Please see the product
information page for a full description of the Freedom Babe breastfeeding
cover and how to
use it.
The lovely Dawn at Freedom Babe has kindly given me a Spotty Apron to give away. All you have to do to win this apron, is head over to the Freedom Babe website and have a browse, then come back here and comment below which is your favourite product.
There is lots of hype around about this doll! What can I say, well in terms of baby doll it is quite a pretty doll, I have come across some really ugly ones! Why all the fuss ? Oh of course it has the word breast in its description, and as any breastfeeding mother knows, the word breastfeeding immediately causes uproar!!
If you are a breastfeeding mother you may be scowled at (not always)for feeding your baby in a public place, regardless of if you are showing no flesh whatsoever, you will be labelled the Breastapo by non breast feeding mothers, whether you care two hoots about the way they feed their baby!! Just for the record, I am a pro breastfeeding mother, who is a peer supporter helping other mums to breastfeed, but I never judge,or pass opinion, it is YOUR choice how you choose to feed your baby!
Anyway, back to the cute baby doll, this baby does not come with a bottle, like most of the others on the market. You do not hear breastfeeding mothers criticising and making dreadful remarks about any of these babies, but it appears it is OK for bottle feeders to do it about this one!!
Some of the comments that I have read regarding this doll really make me shudder, such words as creepy, gross, sexual are just plain wrong, it is a baby doll that makes a noise, just like any other, and it even teaches the child to burp the baby, just imagine an entire generation that has been taught from a young age how to wind a baby, the sales of colic related medication should see a downturn in 18 years time, when all of these toddlers are experts at burping a baby!
Do I like this baby doll ? Yes I do, will I be buying it for my daughter who is about to turn 4 ? No I shall not be Why ? because this doll is not something new, my children have been `feeding their' dolls since I can remember, both boys and girls have breastfed their babies, just by copying me, there is an average age gap of two and a half years between all of my children, therefore they are just at the mimicking stage as I have started a breastfeeding journey and their insitinct is to copy actions they see.
I am totally supportive of anything that makes breastfeeding normalised, but unfortunately anything that tries this, is immediately ridiculed with the breast vs formula debate, which will never be settled and everyone has their own opinion, therefore I could find myself going round in circles...FOREVER
As I have stated before I have spent four and a half years pregnant, and twelve years breastfeeding, that is an awful long time to find comfortable underwear!! I have never been known for a large chest, in fact the statement "any more than a handful is a waste" is one I have definitely used quite often in my late teens!
Until that is, I became pregnant, out of nowhere I actually had a decent sized chest, so it was the perfect excuse to go and buy some new Bras. Just because you are getting bigger and feeling heavier, doesn't mean you don't have to look good under your Maternity Clothes!
Also, when you have given birth and you are producing enough milk for the entire world population ( I know from experience) having a pretty, feminine Nursing Bra does make you feel like a woman, not just a Milk machine!! It may even be the reason we kept having so many children! He just found me too appealing in my underwear....
To begin with, I was extremely disappointed with the Maternity and Nursing Bras on offer, (although there are many more choices than when I began my breastfeeding journey nearly 15 years ago) so I started to investigate if any of the underwear companies did these type of bras, and I was pleased to find that they did, I have always loved Figleaves choice of underwear when not pregnant, so was extremely happy to discover that they do Maternity and Nursing Bras also.
After having six children, and still breastfeeding, some of these may well make it to my Christmas List, although I had better keep them covered up, as I do not want to find number seven appearing next year!!
this is a featured post as I DO love nice, girlie Nursing Bras.
I have spent four and a half years of my life pregnant, and throughout that time I LOVED browsing, and then purchasing Maternity Clothes, usually skinny jeans or leggings, teamed with a long top. I have been very fortunate that the inches have only ever gone to my tummy, therefore anything that accentuated my legs was a must!
My Maternity wardrobe was more stylish than my pre pregnancy one, as there are so many amazing Maternity fashions to choose from, and I was quite sad when I no longer needed them, however after each pregnancy I always gave my maternity clothes away, therefore being given the opportunity to purchase new ones, the next time around..
Throughout each pregnancy I have had at least one major event to attend, a wedding, or a Summer Ball and I have spent ages looking for the perfect dress to wear.
The Tiffany Rose website is perfect for that special occasion, it has a range of gorgeous special occasion clothing that will make any pregnant lady feel amazing for her event.
With a sense of style and occasion sewn into every garment, personalised
customer service and next day delivery, they offer you the chance to treat
yourself to a special outfit, stress free and with peace of mind.
Since its creation in 2003, the business has grown rapidly to become a trusted brand and favourite amongst pregnant women today.
The choice at Tiffany Rose is endless, I am so in love with the dresses, it almost (but not quite!) makes me wish I was pregnant to wear some of these lovely creations.
This is a featured post, I adore maternity clothing.
