Masochistic Mommy

Mother Nature is a hypocritical sod. Check this out: The raison d'etre of your existence is reproduction. So why then, does good ol’ Mother Nature muzzle our fertility while we’re lactating? And is there anything we can do to get pregnant without pulling the plug on breastfeeding? In this post I will answer both questions in turn. What gives me the confidence to speak about this issue? Firstly, I've been there (conceived under 6 month postpartum whilst exclusively breastfeeding), secondly, I've conducted a shed-load of academic research into breastfeeding fertility. A word of warning before we begin: As a result of reading this, you may find yourself up the duff, toot sweet. Want closely-spaced siblings? Dream of tandem-feeding? Read on! Aunt Flo takes a vacation While breastfeeding a lot of mothers notice that ‘shark week’ no longer occurs every month. Yet, as with many physiological happenings that appear idiotic, Mother Nature has a plan. You see, every time you bring yo...

Ta-da! I can finally unveil the cover of my new book. After much too-and-fro with the publisher’s design team, we have finally reached a compromise, and here it is: Now, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this dark and sinister cover would be better suited to a thriller novel rather than a breastfeeding guide – and that’s the point! Breast Intentions is NOT your average breastfeeding manual. The book takes you through the twisted world of mother-upon-mother manipulation, shining a spotlight upon the murkiest inner conflicts inherent within the maternal psyche.  The cover features a mother clutching her baby. What’s that expression in her eyes.. Concern? Resentment? Guilt? Malice? Well, that’s for you to decide. The mother clearly loves her baby as she holds him close to her bosom, yet there’s tension between the dyad, as well as tension within the mother herself. The cover taps into the postpartum taboo - that motherhood (particularly early motherhood) is not all gurgling babies a...

Did you know that your geographical location can contribute to your likelihood of breastfeeding success? Okay, well just pretend you didn't. Feign shock or something. The good folks over at  The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention have gone all Santa and written a list detailing which states are naughty and which are nice. Rather than bore you with it, I thought I'd show you this nifty interactive map, created by Rani Molla for The Wall Street Journal .  It showcases all the info for you lucky people: The first few days.. We all know how important those first few hours and days of a baby’s life are for establishing breastfeeding. Nursing your baby right away increases the likelihood that he will continue to breastfeed, and gives him colostrum which is uber rich in antibodies and essential nutrients. Moms also benefit from early breastfeeding through improved lactation and less loss of blood. What's not to like, people? Suffice to say, babies and moms should be room...

We’ve all heard the mantra “one bottle won’t hurt”. It’s the mating call of the disengaged health professional or well-meaning but ultimately misinformed relative. A study published last year even suggested that giving formula to babies can help relax mothers and increase the length of time they end up breastfeeding ( The Telegraph 2013 ). This was a huge pat on the back for supplementing mommas - and there are plenty of them about. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , one-quarter of the babies born in America in 2009 were supplemented with infant formula by two days of age, and by three months, this had increased to nearly two-thirds. With this bottle-centric backdrop it should come as no surprise that when I posted the following meme on Facebook, there was a lot of panties taking residence in buttcracksville: However, as I have explained previously ( here ), one bottle does in fact hurt. It can cause irrevocable damage to your baby’s immature digestive ...

‘Motherhood changes you forever’ - the cliché your own mother forewarned you. And she was right. Motherhood, and specifically breastfeeding - the most central physiological act of mothering during infancy, changes you because it literally alters your brain - structurally, functionally, and in many ways, irreversibly. I am about to explain how the act of nursing sets apart mothers who breastfeed from those who don’t – on a neurological scale. Breastfeeding mothers and their babies are attuned to each other on a deep biological level. In fact, a breastfeeding mother and her baby are sometimes referred to as a ‘dyad’ – two individuals so closely linked they are considered one unit. Her body nourishes him; his feeding determines her milk production. Scientists call this ‘limbic regulation’. It’s a remarkable natural phenomenon whereby the mother is neurologically and chemically in sync with her baby, and her baby to her. Michael Merzenich, the San Francisco University brain plasticity expe...

Question: What do the following people have to with breastfeeding? Rihanna, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Elton John, Tom Jones, Pavarotti, Katy Perry, Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Diana Ross, Cher, Kylie Minogue, Coldplay, The Spice Girls, JLS, One Direction. Answer: They have all graced the very same stage that will now be home to Europe’s largest conference on infant feeding: The Unicef Baby Friendly Initiative Conference. As you know, later this year I’ll begin working with Unicef on my PhD study of breast and formula fed babies. Over the last 18-months their convention organising committee visited my neck of the woods several times and on one occasion were even greeted by a flash mob of breastfeeding mamas. Paul Szomoru, head of business tourism at NewcastleGateshead, had a chortle. He said: “If there’s one thing the North East does well, it’s welcoming people!” Dude knows his shit.  This gig of a lifetime will take place at the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, 26-27 Nove...

Only 50% of women actually feel letdown. 1.   Feeling Letdown:  Fifty per cent of women will know the moment it happens, the other 50 per cent won’t ( Fredregill 2004 ). 2. Leaking Littles: Large breasts actually leak less than smaller breasts ( Fredregill 2004 ). 3. Righty FTW: Milk output is often greater from the right breast versus the left breast ( Riordan 2008 ), even though right-handed mothers instinctively use the right-hand to position the baby and breast, thereby making it easier to feed from the left breast. 4. Superior Sugars: Human milk gets more of its energy content from lactose than any other animal milk. Lactose gives your milk a sweet taste and won’t cause diarrhoea, as the processed sugars in formula often do. 5. Boner:  Weaning stimulates your body to increase bone density, meaning your post-lactation bones will be stronger than they would have been if you had never breastfed at all! Nifty. ( Williams 2013 ). 6. Camouflaged Cups: Cotton tops...