Masochistic Mommy

Studies show that when a nursing mother has a ‘significant other’ who is educated about and supports her choice to breastfeed she is much more likely to be successful at it. For many mothers, this significant other is the baby’s father. What role can Daddy play? Let Dave, a first time dad, guide you through the breastfeeding journey from a man's perspective. Dave and his partner Lucy had  done a lot of reading about breastfeeding, and spoken at length about the benefits.  For them, it was a no-brainer that breastfeeding was the best for their baby. Dave had been told that his support as the father was instrumental in successful breastfeeding, but he didn't realise just how true that was, until he embarked on this epic journey...   The birth Our son's arrival into the World was a dramatic experience for me.  As a first-time Father, my job was primarily to drive the first-time Mother (Lucy) the 22 miles to the hospital in time for the midwives to do their thi...

You are about to read the story of a mother who got a shock when her baby was born with Prader Willi Syndrome. Routine ultrasounds had not detected this non-hereditary genetic condition which results from a problem with chromosome 15. The syndrome typically causes the child to suffer from low muscle tone with motor and cognitive developmental delays, short stature if not treated with growth hormone, and later, incomplete sexual development. Most children with PWS are floppy at birth with initial difficulties in feeding, but then in early childhood begin to show an insatiable appetite which can be life-threatening. Read on to discover why it IS possible to breastfeed a baby with PWS, albeit not without hardship. “Our third child was very much wanted and planned. After two boys, people would often ask if we were ‘trying for a girl’. We always replied that we just wanted a healthy baby, and when routine scans and tests showed that he (yes, another boy!) was, to their knowledge, healthy, w...

Since pre-history, mothers in need of human milk have relied on other mothers in their family and community with milk to spare and share. According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, the second-best feeding option, after breastfeeding, is breast milk expressed by a child’s own mother, followed by milk from a healthy wet-nurse or from a human-milk bank. Yet currently, demand by far outstrips supply, with not even a quarter being met. Furthermore, at $3–$6 an ounce, a week’s supply could cost as much as $750—something few parents can afford to pay even if banked milk were readily available. "Intent on giving their babies what every baby needs most, mothers are bypassing milk banks and going directly to the supplier—other breastfeeding mothers with milk to spare" ( Spangler 2011 ). So why the controversy behind wet nursing and milk sharing, and is it really more risky than formula feeding? The milk-sharing debate With the help of social media, mothers are increasingly ...

It’s a catch-22 situation. You discover that you have been incorrectly positioning your baby, and have learned how to correct it, but now it’s too painful to nurse. Your nipples are red raw and their wounds have turned into scaly crusty scabs. Every time your baby latches on, he rips the scabs off, acquiring a side-order of blood to accompany his meal. After being neglected by hospital staff, this week’s triumphant mom found herself in this dire state. Her nipple sores were so severe that they penetrated through several layers of skin, yet with nature dictating that her newborn would feed frequently, how could she get through this with her breastfeeding relationship (and nipples) intact? “ I intended to give birth to my son at home. He was about 2 weeks past his 'due date' and my pregnancy had been comfortable. When labor arrived, it was long - very long, and after three days we went to the hospital when I was given an epidural and pitocin. This was exactly what I was trying t...

Milk sharing is a persistent taboo in Western society. It’s a paradox of parenting: we gladly give cows’ milk to our infants, yet get queasy at the thought of donor human milk. Why is this? Trust could be an issue - some diseases can be transmitted via bodily fluids. But more often than not, mothers cite bonding as a core factor in their unease. When breast milk is shared, there is arguably a biological and physiological bond between the donor mother and the recipient baby. The donor is quite literally, giving of herself for the health and well-being of a child she did not even birth, herself. Much of modern society is not yet ready to accept the importance this natural exchange. The idea of accepting another's bodily fluid is offensive. How can a mother come to terms with such conflicting emotions while ultimately choosing to give their baby the natural start in life they deserve? Here is Joyln's story. “ After my water broke at 41 weeks, I wasn't having consistent contrac...