Masochistic Mommy

After achieving four London 2012 Olympic gold medals – and a world record - Sarah Storey, British para-cyclist, embarked on her biggest adventure yet – motherhood. Sarah, who was born without a left hand, has kindly shared her breastfeeding journey with us, and boy is it epic! From travelling to the Palace whilst heavily pregnant to slotting gruelling training commitments into mammoth breastfeeding sessions, the surreal backdrop to Sarah’s story does not immune her from the common challenges we all share as nursing mothers. “I myself was breastfed for six months (in 1977 babies were allowed to drink cow’s milk at 6 months) and all my friends and family have breastfed. I don't personally see breastfeeding as a choice and everyone I know who was forced to stop has been devastated. I think we need to spread our maternity care more wisely and support mothers to breastfeed more practically because the health implications are far superior for babies who are breastfed the studies clearly...

Today I was enjoying a very informative episode of Peppa Pig – the one where Peppa and her pals are learning to ski and their teacher, Madame Gazelle, is a world champion... Anyway, I was having a great time and then, during the commercials, this crock of shit appeared: Before I even had a chance to recoil in horror, a Mary Poppins’esc woman’s voice announced giddily: “All the princesses of the kingdom want to go to the ball! When the music starts, if you're lucky, the prince will choose you to dance with him around the ball room.” Cue a live-action sequence of three simpering girls grinning like cannabis-addicts in a greenhouse. Everything in the ad is pink with a tinge of pastel thrown in. Glittery effects and cartoon graphics overlay the clip of the live-action girls, who are shown hunched over a pathetically under-sized plastic boardgame. The voiceover continues: “Who will he choose?” “Destiny has decided you’re the lucky one!” One of the simpering girls opens her mouth in mock...

Most young babies spit up occasionally due to the immaturity of their digestive systems. In fact, more than 50 percent of babies aged three months or younger have at least one episode of reflux per day. This rate peaks at 67 percent at four months old. Often times, when a mother quits breastfeeding, her baby’s reflux worsens . This is hardly surprising, considering that the composition of formula makes it harder to digest. For a lot of babies, the discomfort of reflux is part and parcel of their mother’s decision to quit breastfeeding, and they simply have to endure it. However, the mother in this week’s story was determined that her baby would not suffer any longer. She embarked upon a painstaking journey, using frequent pumping and a supplemental nursing system, to reawaken her breasts. “When I was pregnant I was very ambivalent about breastfeeding, I figured I’d give it a go and if it didn’t work out then that was okay, as formula was just as good. Most of my friends had experience...

Recently, a topic was posted on The Alpha Parent forum, asking the question: “Do married parents make better parents?” Predictably, a tussle ensued between the pro-marriage lobby and the cohabitors' club. So, what’s all the fuss about? Marriage is just a piece of paper, right? Wrong! In this post I’m going to argue why married parents are better parents, dispelling a few myths along the way. Two caveats before we begin:  Firstly, I’m not going to discuss the merits of single parenting vs couple parenting. That topic has been done to death with the overwhelming majority of research showing that two parents are better than one. Secondly, I’m not going to bring religion into this, there’ll be no reference to God. This gives credence to the fact that both religious and non-religious people are partial to marriage. So, why are people getting their panties firmly lodged up their asscracks and feeling compelled to defend their marital status (or lack of), particularly with regard to chi...

Tongue tie and allergies are relatively common in babies, affecting up to 10% of all infants. Interestingly, these conditions share some of the same symptoms, making diagnosis tricky. For instance, both tongue-tied babies and allergic babies tend to pull off the breast frequently, exhibit poor weight gain, are poor sleepers, often have green stools, and are more likely to suffer from colic and reflux. In fact, some academics maintain that untreated tongue tie can actually cause allergies because of digestive disruption. When the mother in the following story suspected tongue-tie, health professionals dismissed her concerns. Her baby then went on to develop Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy and Egg Allergy. Read how she maintained her breastfeeding relationship (and her sanity) throughout the drama. “I didn't breastfeed my first son. I’ll save the sob-story and give you the condensed version: traumatic birth, breast refusal, inconsistent advice, negative comments, no help from health car...