Masochistic Mommy

Recently, a study has found that women who struggle to breastfeed in the first two weeks after giving birth are more prone to postpartum depression . This finding, whilst hardly groundbreaking, gives scientific credence to what mothers have been saying for decades – we need more support and less sabotage, particularly in the early days. Young mothers are especially vulnerable to postpartum depression , as are those who did not plan their pregnancies . It would seem therefore that the odds were stacked against the young protagonist  in this story who unexpectedly fell pregnant in her teens. She was immediately launched into a battle against the very people that were under duty to care for her. Despite being sabotaged from every angle, she somehow managed to pull through, against all odds. Here, she explains how she did it: “ When I was 19, and I fell pregnant with my first child. Although I was married, the pregnancy was a surprise, to say the least. Induced without w...

I’ll be the first to admit it, breastmilk is low in iron (0.2–0.5 mg/L low to be precise). I’ll even concede that over the initial months of life, breastfed babies deplete their iron stores. In recent years, this fact has roused a smorgasbord of media outcry, spewing forth headlines such as: “ Six months of breastmilk alone is too long and could harm babies ” and “ Call for U-turn on when to wean ”. It has been a lactivist’s worst nightmare: apparently, evidence surfaced that was unavailable when the WHO made its 6 months exclusive breastfeeding recommendation – and this new evidence wasn’t good. It suggested that breastfed babies had a greater chance of iron deficiency anaemia, “known to be linked to irreversible adverse mental, motor or psychosocial outcomes” ( The Guardian 2011 ). Image stock photos of babies with pale complexions, sunken eyes and dry nails decorated the pages of news sites and blogs around the internet and beyond. Formula feeders lapped it up, hailing it as “go...

While nearly all mothers start breastfeeding their newborns, around half will quit after just a few weeks ( Pediatrics 2013 ). First time mothers are especially likely to quit. Formula companies know that the first few weeks of a baby’s life are crucial in terms of netting long-term consumers of their products. If they can seduce a mother during her vulnerable adjustment to new motherhood, it is likely they will have her custom for at least 12 months - and that’s a significant amount of wonga! This mother's story illustrates the vulnerability of new motherhood and the illicit temptations that can lie in a formula can. “I knew I was going to succeed at breastfeeding, simply because I had decided I would. Placenta previa and premature labor  I had a lot of problems in my pregnancy. I had very bad morning sickness, and then at 12 weeks, after a bleeding incident , I was diagnosed with placenta previa and put on pelvic rest. At 33 weeks I went into labor. I was one centimeter dilated ...

Have you procreated a child? Does that child ever get ill? Then by Jove, you've come to the right place! If your child displays symptoms of an illness but you are unsure what has caused them, this visual resource can help. The following collection of diagrams looks at different parts of the body and lists symptoms common to babies and children. Problems affecting the skin in general, such as rashes, are also included. Because it's impossible to give a definite medical diagnosis from only one or two symptoms, these diagrams instead help you to make an educated guess as to the possible cause (if your child has more than one symptom, look up the major one first). By clicking to this page, you've brought diagnostic information, quite literally, to your fingertips! Note: this resource is, of course, not designed to replace your physician's guidance, but rather, is an accessible complement to it. Bookmark or Pin this page for future reference.

Many babies are born with facial deformities. For instance, did you know that every year, one in every 800 babies born will have a cleft palate ( Cayuga Medical Center 2013 ). Often their mothers, understandably, need specialist support to enable them to breastfeed successfully. Yet as their scenario is atypical (being a 0.1% minority), such specialist support is hard to come by. Now, imagine that your baby is only 1 of 37 in the history of the world to be born with a specific facial deformity! That’s exactly what happened to the mother in this week’s story. Unbeknown to this mom, as her water-birth reached its climax and she lifted her brand new little one out of the pool, it was discovered her perfect baby girl had not developed a nose. How could this little girl ever manage to breastfeed with her mouth as her only airway? “It was the 14th of February. St. Valentines Day. I had just achieved the birth I had been dreaming of. A vaginal birth after 2 cesareans or VBA2C. A Valentines V...