Masochistic Mommy

Journalist and best-selling author, Florence Williams, was prepared for the blood and pain of childbirth. She was less prepared however, for the blood and pain of breastfeeding. Here, she shares her story with The Alpha Parent. Her journey is as poetic as it is real, as heart-warming as it is painful. It is what inspired Florence to author her bestseller, and Winner of the 2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, " Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History ". With her characteristically blunt brand of honesty, Williams asks the question "How did humanity ever make it this far?" - what with yellow babies, nipple fissures, clogged ducts, milk fevers, and no ER. But, as we mamma-mammals know, the female body is a resiliently stubborn sod, and Williams' experience is certainly an ode to it... The Birth "I didn't bother to read the sections in the pregnancy books about breastfeeding. I was much more concerned with the pain and blood and gore of childbirth. I got st...

Experts now consider thyroid hormone one of the major ‘players’ in depression. Unfortunately, problems with the thyroid, which are more common in women, often go undiagnosed. Then, when a woman reaches her childbearing years, this can cause extra problems with fertility, pregnancy and lactation. For instance, did you know that thyroid hormones play an integral role in mammary function? During lactation, they aid in the regulation of both prolactin and oxytocin. Thus, excess thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) has been linked to inhibited letdown , for example. Depression and thyroid disorders are often quoted as reasons why moms quit breastfeeding. However, it doesn’t have to end that way, as this brave mother illustrates… “Back in 2009, I was very sick. The doctors diagnosed me with Graves Disease, an autoimmiune condition, and told me that I may not be able to have children . I wasn't even able to go on walks because my disease had started affecting my heart. To improve things, I h...

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...