I was invited to an intimate ladies lunch. It sounded nice and lovely. In the city for a lunch all by myself, well with a baby so that was not that bad. However I was at the lunch to talk and to learn about the vagina. Or as some people might refer to as the front bottom, the vajayjay or their bits. I’m sure there is more slang to refer to this amazing body part.
The event was hosted by the charming and delightful Dr Ginni Mansberg and the great team from Vagisil, and also the darling Claire from Birds of Prey in Melbourne. The lunch was to learn about a topic that not many people discuss and to bring real world examples by having a frank discussion with other ladies over brilliantly yummy catered lunch.
I of course thought the lunch sounded fab, but I was rather hesitant in talking about the vagina. Why I thought? I am grown woman. I have now had three kids and of course as anyone can attest that during childbirth everyone seems to want to take a look at your vagina, and it is not something that you wince at like you once did before kids. I still don’t like all the doctors interest but you can understand it as the baby has to get out, and of course it is lovely vagina that gives it a helping hand – See an amazing body part!
My bubbles and lovely flowers at the lunch thanks to Vagisil.
I wondered how intimate this lunch would get? Would there be mirrors passed around so that I and others can look at our own vaginas? Would there be puppets of vaginas so that we can learn about where it all lives and how to care for this brilliant part of the body. I know that sounds very strange but I had no idea what the lunch would be and knew the topic was vaginas so it did get my brain racing.
Look how pretty the table was for our amazing lunch and great company. Thanks to Vagisil for the great event.
As I mentioned I was hesitant to attend, I thought for a long time. Why am I so worried? The vagina is not a bad thing. It is a marvel. Men and boys seem to be super proud of their penis so why shouldn’t girls and women be proud of their vaginas (Maybe there should be a proud vagina movement. If there is one already I had no idea). The more women talk to other women about what is normal and happening to them, the more they will understand it is okay.
In the end the lunch was nice. I met some lovely ladies, had amazing food in a fabulous location (It was at The Grounds in Alexandria, Sydney. If you have never been you will love the place. It was HUGE, a hidden little Mediterranean like farm in the middle of the city. They had farm animals for kids to look at and such an amazing amount of greenery.) All my concern over the topic of the lunch was not to be. It ended up with interesting conversation from Dr Ginni and then others joined in so we all learnt more. Very enjoyable!
Did you know?
“An astonishing 1.8 million Australian women suffer with vaginal dryness. That’s close to 1 in 4 of us.”
Take the quiz to learn more.
I too had to answer these questions while at my lovely lunch. I also learnt that I knew more about the vagina than I thought. Amaze yourself and see how much you already know.
How well do you know the vagina?
Take this quick quiz to learn more about the vagina. Questions are the same ones that I had on my ladies lunch with the lovely Dr Ginni Mansberg and the fabulous team from Vagisil.
The vagina should be acidic?
Yes
No
It’s normal to have a discharge from the vagina?
Yes
No
A smelly vaginal discharge means a STI
Yes
No
Nasty bugs thrive in a moist vagina
Yes
No
Douching is the best way to combat a stinky vagina
Yes
No
The best treatment for a dry vagina is washing with soap
Yes
No
You shouldn’t use hand or body lotion to moisturise the vagina
True
False
Only older women suffer with vaginal dryness
Yes
No
Vaginal dryness can be caused by performance anxiety, stress, menopause, hormonal imbalances, exercise, using perfumed soaps and body wash, wearing certain underwear can cause vaginal dryness.
Yes
No
Have you ever had a dry vagina?
Yes or No – This is a personal question that depends on you.
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For those who said yes, what do you think was the cause? (performance anxiety, stress, menopause, hormonal imbalances including breastfeeding, exercise, using perfumed soaps and body wash, wearing certain underwear)
It could be anyone one or a combination of all of the above.
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Have you ever had bad vaginal discharge?
Yes or No – This is your own personal answer again.
undefined
Australians are having as much sex as they would like.
Yes
No
Half of vaginal dryness sufferers don’t use any products to relieve their dryness
True
False
“A study found that of the 1.8 million women who suffer from dryness…
31% experience it more than once a week
17% experience it every 2 or 3 weeks
51% don’t use any product to treat it”
If you are one of these women that do get vaginal dryness then Vagisil has a solution for you. They have created a new product called Vagisil ProHydrate Plus Internal Hydrating Gel, this new product mimics a woman’s natural moisture and offers relief for up to three days. As you will see from the quiz, vaginal dryness does not have anything to do with age. It affects all ages. It could be as simple as stress, medicines that you are taking that throw off your internal pH levels, soaps, body washes, tight clothing, hormonal imbalances and menopause.
Vagisil have created some fabulous health videos which is a brilliant free resource. They feature Dr Adelaide Nardone who answers your questions about why pH matters, causes and also gives you helpful remedies.
This lunch really made me realise that I too was afraid of talking about the vagina. How do girls and women learn what is supposed to be normal if we never discuss it with our daughters, mums and friends. You can see from the statistics that there is a lot of women out there that are not talking about this issue.
A close up of the pretty flowers at the lunch.Dr Ginni Mansberg, Kimba from Kimba Likes and of course me at the lunch.
Be kind to you.
Make sure you talk to your friends, your doctor about any changes that you notice.
Don’t suffer in silence.
Don’t be in pain.
Live life well and if you need help get it.
Shelly Horton and Dr Ginni talk about all the things you are worried about.
“Additionally, research shows that vaginal dryness is most likely to affect women during sexual activity. Among the women studied …
76% experienced dryness during sexual activity
69% found dryness most bothersome during intimacy”
The yummy desserts at the lunch. I had to have all 3…. Yes naughty I know.
Do you discuss things with mates? Or family? If not are you more comfortable talking with your local doctor?
Have you noticed that there is a generational change with this topic? Maybe your older relatives will avoid any topic that has vagina in it and the younger ones are not bothered?
Let us know what has happened to you.
Thanks so much to Claire and Vagisil for the invite to this great event. I had a great time and learnt a lot. I hope you have as well.
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have been very busy dealing with our latest addition.
Our third child was born on the 7th of January, exactly on his due date. Yes how prompt is he. We had a little boy and his name is Alexander. The twins are super excited to be big sisters and to give him cuddles and help out.
Our latest family member Alexander was born exactly on his due date. How clever is he! Only 5% of babies do this. Maybe he will be a prompt person? You never know right?
Ever since I had my third child I have had no time. Yes you can probably relate if you have just had a baby. Up all night feeding, expressing breast milk and just trying to settle the baby. The house is a total mess, laundry needs sorting, folding and to be put away. Things need to be tidied, chucked out or just put away. The essentials are happening, we are clean, have food and all is well, although life is a bit of a mess at the moment while we adjust to another person and trying to get into a routine. This is especially true due to having two kids who are full of beans that don’t seem to remember not to run, jump and bounce everywhere. It is not helpful once you have finally got the baby to sleep. Plus school drop offs and pick ups and also after school activities makes it harder to keep a routine. I have just planned to have food for Alexander, change of clothes, nappies and be ready if he needs anything while we are out.
This is my little boy. It was taken exactly when he was 5 weeks old. He looks very grown up here and also to a bit cheeky. I love the fact that you can see what he might look like when he grows up but also to that he such a cute little baby, well if I do say so myself. I am bias, I’m his mummy so I am allowed to be.
Our latest addition is hard to settle after a feed. He did not latch on well to the breast. I did try breast feeding but he screamed the place down that he had not gotten enough milk. I thought all was good as he was asleep after these feeds and then attempted to put him to bed. Once tucked into bed he screamed the place down. He gave all the signs that he did not get enough and was indeed still hungry. Oh how could you be hungry???? You have just had some from each boob and now you are claiming you did not get enough! Oh well. I did more and more and that did not fix the issue.
Breast feeding was terribly painful and I thought it would get easier. The midwives said it was normal to have a bit of discomfort and you will get used to it. They came and saw how the baby was latching on and to see how I was dealing with the feeds. I did everything they said but due to the baby being fussy and getting into such a state he was angry and then very unsettled for feeding (It was like the baby was angry that the café or restaurant did not have his food ready at the time he requested. Terribly annoying when you have such bad service!) This is not the time to try and be putting him on the boob. I then got annoyed, angry and stressed and this was the same for the child. Not ideal.
I then came to the conclusion that I should just express my breast milk and feed the baby like I did with the twins. Our new little person seems much happier getting more milk in the bottle. He is still getting breastmilk and I am less stressed about feeding and he gets it when he needs it.
Expressing my breast milk while in hospital.
However due to him not latching on properly he hurt my nipples and this in turn made me get ill with mastitis. I left hospital to only be back one night and that one night I was up all night dealing with the baby. He feeds well when it is in the bottle but sucks in too much air and therefore holds a lot of wind. Trying to burp and wind a baby is tough when it goes on for over 4 hours!
Yes, it is stressful and exhausting. Then once you hit the 4 hour mark or less you are due for his next feed and you have to do it all over again. Plus add changing nappies for a child that screams like you are killing him while you try and get rid of the pooey nappy.
I have tried to write this post for days now and today he has been all over the place and very unsettled, so I have been adding to my post in stops and starts all day. He seems to like cuddles and wants to be with you. This is nice but when you have a house to look after, other kids and things to do it gets difficult. Maybe when he finally sleeps I can sleep too or get something else done. Lately I have been more focused on sleeping, hence why other things like house and blog have been unloved for a while.
As mentioned I was only home for a short time and that time I was hot and bothered with a fever, I also got extremely cold and had the worst headache I’ve ever had (I could not handle light and found it hard to see). I had temperatures that were 38.9 and an hour after having Panadol it came down to 39.6. So not much of an improvement. I felt terrible; very ill and like I had an extreme case of the flu or more like the walking dead. I called the hospital and they suggested I come in to be looked at. They agreed that I had mastitis and I ended up having antibiotics via an IV drip and stayed in hospital for another 3 days. Not fun, the IV antibiotics burnt when it went through my vein and made me have a very tender hand for the next week or so.
The cannula for the IV. I always hate having them done. Very painful.
I did mention to the hospital before I left that I was burning up and was feeling all hot. I was told it was my hormones and that it will all settle down soon. It was obviously the infection starting and it just got worse when I came home. One of the midwives at the hospital said that I did the right thing by coming back to the hospital as she said it only gets worse if not treated.
I was convinced that I would have the baby earlier than it coming exactly on my due date, which in fact only 5% of babies do. So he is terribly clever to have done that. Maybe he heard the doctors say when he was meant to come, so thought he would adhere to that date. Maybe he might be a prompt person and always on time. I have no idea, but it is weird he came exactly when predicted.
I was so over being pregnant. I was approaching my due date and still no baby! Any week over 34 and 2 days for me was overdue; I had the twins at this time and any time after this felt like an eternity.
As I said, I was ready for the baby to come and was trying to coax it out. Here are some of the things I tried:
I was doing squats
I was having raspberry leaf tea
I went walking and tried to be more active
I ate chilli
I even had talks to the baby in my belly and was telling it that it needed to come soon as I was over it all. It of course did not listen.
As many women who are in the last trimester of their pregnancy you get to the point where you just want it to be all over and done with. I did not want to have the birth and was a bit worried about all that due to the drama from the twin birth and was concerned that it might be repeated.
My pregnant belly. Taken on 2nd of January 2016. Little did I know that just 5 days later the baby would be born.
I could not bend over. I was having pains and could feel things starting to move in the right direction but no labor had started. Damn! How annoying.
The hospital was doing their standard freak out as they were telling me that if I don’t have the baby by 39 weeks or I go over my due date they would like to induce me. What the????(The hospital said that if I go too far over my due date that could be high risk and they are not equipped for this, so if this happens then I would need to go to Nepean to have the baby) I have had an uncomplicated pregnancy. It is one child and not two like last time. I am not high risk, I did not develop gestational diabetes and have remained active throughout. I have even only gained 8kgs during the whole pregnancy so that was something that was good news for me. Although I felt like it was a lot more and I was HUGE.
I woke up at 4am on the 6th of January and noticed that things were happening. Yes 4am seems to be the lucky or weird hour that things happen. When I was pregnant with the twins my waters broke at 4am so this was strange that it all started again at this time. This was the day that the twins were going to vacation care and I had to get their lunches ready and all organised so that we could drop them off. I could not go back to bed and ended up having painful contractions that were extremely painful and I found it hard to walk and do anything. I checked the internet to see what needed to happen before I went to the hospital. The sites that I visited said that if I cannot walk and talk during contractions and if they are coming more frequently, if I lost my mucus plug, if I am in pain and not coping and so on. I thought this was all the case so phoned the hospital.
I spoke to a midwife who then said that it sounded like things were progressing and if all of the above had happened then it might be wise to come in and get looked at. She also mentioned some other things like breathing and something about pillows and my back and hubby helping. I was finding it hard to concentrate due to the pains that kept on coming and going.
Once hubby was we dropped the kids off at vacation care and then went straight to the hospital. This was just after 9am and they gave me a once over. The midwife we saw said that I was only 1 and half centimetres dilated and that I was not ready. Damn! Why can’t the baby be ready! All that pain to only be slightly ready…..very annoying.
13th of January, not even a week old.
While at the hospital the midwife told us that if we had the baby before a certain time we could come to Katoomba Hospital. If we had it after 7pm that evening then we would need to go to Nepean as Katoomba during this 24 hour period did not have a Doctor on call for the maternity ward and therefore could not have births there during this period. What the???? I go to a hospital for all my maternity care and now I cannot have the baby at the hospital of choice. Hubby and midwife suggested maybe mind power can help make the baby not come in this 24 hour period. I told both of them that I don’t think this would happen, as my body was doing things and feeling like it would be soon.
The midwife said that the way I was presenting that it will all kick off at 7pm and therefore would need to go to Nepean. I thought no way. But this lady sees a lot of women so maybe she knows what she is talking about. I thought we will see.
Hubby and I had plans to have lunch with some of our close friends so we went to the local pub all while having contractions. We went to the shops and although it was very slow going for me due to the fact contractions made me seize up and it was like all my legs, lower back and pelvis was in a muscle spasm. I could not move while it was happening, and during this I could feel the head banging to go further down…. YES painful!
7pm comes and we are reading stories to the kids and tucking them in for bedtime. My contractions were super painful and getting closer together and it was harder to talk and to do anything. They were 5-6mins apart at this stage.
I think the midwife jinxed us, as she predicted the time and the fact that it would all happen. Damn now we have to go down the mountain to Nepean due to the local hospital not being able to have us there. I called the hospital and this was a hard phone call due to being in pain with contractions coming and going. They said that we cannot come there, and that they would call ahead to Nepean and we needed to leave now due to the time it takes to get down the mountain and the times of my contractions. Oh great………a trip down the mountain in a car while I am screaming and in pain.
Hubby and I are in the car and screaming down the mountain due to impending birth (well I was definitely screaming). During our trip a P plate driver decides we are trying to race him and he revs up his car and tries to get in our way. A learner driver nearly crashed into our car, a truck nearly collected us and people did not get out of lanes so that we could get there more quickly. During the trip I of course was screaming and yelling due to the pain and the pressure was getting intense in my pelvis due to the baby pressing and pushing with even more gusto. I did not want to have the baby on the side of the road, or in the car. I was just hoping we would get to the hospital in time.
When you were pregnant did the hospital of your choice close at the time of labor or was not available for whatever reason? Did you have to race to go somewhere else when labor hit? Let us know.
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A study in the UK shows that breastfed babies have a 24 percent better chance of climbing the social ladder. Yes an odd thing to study, climbing the social ladder. Basically the study shows that the babies who were breastfed had better outcomes, better education, and that led to of course a better social standing.
In the article from news.com.au, it mentions the following:
“In the 1958 group, 68 percent had been breastfed compared with only 36 percent in the 1970 group, said the study”
It amazes me that in 1958 only 68% were breastfed and then in the 1970’s only 36% were breastfed, that is a massive drop. I wonder what it would be like today. As you will see below it is obviously due to the convenience and popularity of formula that this happened, and also if you had issues with breastfeeding then formula would be the way to go and that is perfectly fine. I breastfed my twins for 95% of their food for five months and did formula in the evening due to trying to keep up and make more breast milk, it was hard, but I needed the break so took to using the formula in the evening. I was very pleased I could do it for so long and managed to have a little bit for their breakfast until a week before they were eight months, after that it dried up. No more breast milk, to my upset, but it was also to good as I was expressing so it was good to not be linked to the machine anymore.
If you are interested this baby food timeline is a great list of history and very informative. Formula and other ways to feed your child was happening long before the 1950’s and of course the 1970’s. One reason baby formula became more popular is possibly the fact that it was cheaper to purchase in the 1950’s so that allowed more mothers to feed their babies formula. In the 1970’s more improvements and the fact that hospitals gave free samples made more mothers want to use the product so it gained in popularity. If you would like to know more read more on the history of infant formula.
I know that many people cannot breastfeed, have issues, have had surgery and are just unable. The study is looking at if skin to skin contact all the time when you give the bottle to the baby does the same thing as feeding from the breast. I gave my girls mostly all breast milk and had to do it from bottles so I wonder if that is classed as bottle feeding or breast. I would say breast but you might get someone saying the baby is not having direct contact with its mother so it is not. At the end of the day I gave what I thought was the best start for my little girls. I also think that formula now days has gotten much better and if you are a parent who is doing it the formula way I think there is no need to judge or upset their decision even more. There are reasons why you do what you do and that is your role as a parent and not mine to judge you.
I do agree though that breast is best if you can, it has all the right things in it to give your little person the best start in life, even if you cannot do it for long, everything helps.
Do you think breast milk helps you climb the social ladder? Not sure if it has helped me, I was breast fed and I don’t believe that I have moved up from my station in life, although I have continued my education, creating and doing things to build things for me and the family. Maybe that is a part of it. Who knows? Or it just could be my DNA, or personality? Let us know what your thoughts are.
The woman in question had her other two older kids at the pool and she was feeding her 11 month old baby girl while she had her feet in the pool to keep cool from the heat. A staff member came up to her and told her that she had to stop feeding in the open.
The staff member offered alternatives such as going to a change room or putting a blanket over the baby. As it was a very hot day a blanket would not be appropriate and according to the article the baby pushes them off so it would not have worked. The older kids were happily playing in the pool and if like me you are the only adult to supervise; this would mean making the other kids get up and come into the change room with you so you can feed the baby. Not ideal at all.
Breastfeeding in public is legal and that should be that. In an article in the Sydney Morning Herald it discusses that asking women to leave or move while breastfeeding is still happening, although it is inhumane.
I think the lady in article, Liana Webster should have stayed there and refused to move. I would have. What would they have done, call the police? I do understand wanting to leave and being so upset that she just upped and went home. I can relate. It is not the same, but my local aquatic centre has stopped one of the sessions for the crèche, which means that days that I have the kids and a fitness class is on, I cannot go. I was in tears as I only got told after paying to go, to then find out that I was not able to do it due to no child care. (I got my money back thank god for that, but I am still very upset about it and left the centre in tears)
I am amazed that we are still so backwards in our thinking. We can look at the naked body, or a woman in a bikini but a woman feeding a baby is bad and considered something to cover up. I for one think that a mother feeding their child to be a great sight and a lovely image.
“In Australian Federal Law breastfeeding is a right, not a privilege.
Under the federal Sex Discrimination Act 1984 it is illegal in Australia to discriminate against a person either directly or indirectly on the grounds of breastfeeding. Direct discrimination happens when a person treats someone less favourably than another person. For example, it is discriminatory for a waiter to decline to serve a patron who is breastfeeding. Indirect discrimination happens when an apparently neutral condition has the effect of disadvantaging a particular group, in this case women who are breastfeeding. For example, an employer may impose a requirement on all employees that they must not make any breaks for set periods during the day under any circumstances. Such a condition would particularly disadvantage women who need to express milk” (https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bf-info/breastfeeding-and-law/legalright)
Organisations should follow the law and not create a climate that makes mothers want to leave, if any other patrons of the pool had an issue with it they should either move away or look away for the required time it takes to feed the baby. Why is it that the mother needs to relocate, why it can’t be the person who finds it offensive? I for one don’t think it is offensive but if you don’t want to be around it, leave. Why make the mother and the kids leave. She has every legal right to be there and so has everyone else, we just need to have a broader acceptance and understanding of others.
Has this happened to you when you were breastfeeding? What did you do? Send in your comments.
Michael Bloomberg the mayor of New York is demanding that hospitals in the area stop giving away free baby formula. Bloomberg and the hospitals want to promote breastfeeding with new mothers. I do believe that breast is best but some people due to medical reasons and non-medical reasons have issues with breast feeding.
In the article, “Call to hide formula to force more mums to breastfeed!” on Kidspot.com.au, states that mothers who want formula need to have a medical reason and will get a lecture from staff on the benefits of breastfeeding.
I do agree with the Kidspot article as not everyone can or does breastfeed, this pressure to do so, can cause more PND (Post Natal Depression) and the mother feeling like a failure. I for one had issues as my babies were so small they could not latch on correctly. I had to get a nipple thingy that goes over my nipple so the babies could suck correctly.
As I had twins, I never managed to do the dual breastfeed correctly and at home I expressed my breast milk till both girls were five months, and during that time I added formula for the night feeds. This break that formula gave me was great as it allowed me to make more milk. I expressed after each formula feed in the evening to show my body that I still needed to make more milk and also drank a pint of water after each feed. This helped me a great deal.
I don’t believe that you can dictate what a mother does, breast milk or formula. It should be up to the mother and her family. The initiative according to the article will start on the 3rd of September and 27 out of 40 hospitals will partake. It will be interesting to see what the outcome of this is.
Many comments from readers on the Kidspot article say that it is not much different to Australian hospitals and I tend to agree, I was told that I was not allowed to leave until my twins were gaining weight and were all on breast milk feeds, via actual breastfeeding. As I said before, I did not dual breastfeed and that left doing it one at a time. As a new mum you are already not getting any sleep, why make it less by feeding kids one at a time, feeding the babies together maximised the time I had to do things and for them and me sleeping. It also fostered a great routine for us, pity that routine has flown out the window, but as the twins are nearly four that is probably to be expected.
I would say that the hospitals here have a negative opinion of formula but when the twins were first born they went straight into intensive care, the nurses were ringing me to ask for breast milk, but I had no idea how to get breast milk, and I only just had them. I felt harassed and just upset about the whole situation. I eventually got colostrum but that was less than 5mls, it did get better each day but I was not making much in the early days.
The NICU (Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit) fed them formula as they needed to be fed, but they did not like it, I had no other option, although one of my twins decided she hated formula and was nil by mouth. All breast milk went to her and if extra was over it went to the other baby. You work with what you are faced with, as a new mother you have no idea if you can or can’t breast feed. This is something you think you can do until you find out you have issues. Why make things worse for new mums, give them options not hurdles.
In a post called “Breast v’s Bottle” I discuss how I felt in the early days about breast feeding with twins. It is very similar to this story but more about a father using bottle feeding to help out. This week is breast feeding week a time to increase awareness and celebrate, maybe this is why we are hearing more of these pro breast feeding stories. I do think breast is best, but it is up to the individual what ends up happening. You can plan to breast feed and not be able to. What are your thoughts? Were you able to breast feed? Did you supplement with formula at some stage or was it all breast milk? Send in your comments.
There is a lot of pressure on a new mum to breastfeed and many feel terrible if they cannot. There could be a number of reasons mothers cannot breastfeed, and I don’t think they should be judged because of it.
I for one found it difficult and twins made it even harder. After I had the girls I was pressured to have milk. I just had them and had no idea how to breastfeed. It was hard. I managed to express my milk but as I just had them I only got half a test tube and that would not feed a hungry baby. For me this was important to try as Lillian was on nil by mouth and not taking to the formula, however Julia found formula fine. I did manage to make more each day and every time I got some more I rushed it down to the NICU. However I do understand how upsetting this is to a new mum and how miserable you feel about not being able to give your baby what they need instantly.
I wanted to give the kid’s breast milk and was able to do this for about 5 months solidly. However, when I came home from hospital, the first weekend was terrible. I was so pleased to be home and not to be pregnant that I stopped drinking fluids. My milk was depleted as every 3 hours I was feeding and then expressing to feed again. I did try the dual hold to feed the girls without expressing my milk, although this ended up badly, Lillian always ended up not on properly and falling down the side of the lounge between pillows and cushions. Then I would lose Julia as well. I could not do it by myself and I had no help. So bottles with expressed milk it was. As my milk was not there on Sunday night I decided to make formula for the evening feeds to have my milk replenish. My husband asked if I had been drinking any water, and more fluids and I said no, I did not want to constantly go to the bathroom all the time. He said that this was my problem. So after that, every time I feed the girls, I drank a pint of water, and then expressed my milk again, and so it went. I was lucky to have a good supply until about 5 months and then it was only a little bit until the week before the girls were 8 months it dried up all together.
I must say that I wish I could have had 100% breast milk; however I worked with the situation. I had two hungry babies that wanted food all the time. I was not making enough and my body needed to rest to make more milk. I think what we did was the best for our situation.
So it was with great interest that I read Paul Chai’s article in the Sydney Morning Herald, about New Zealand footballer Piri Weepu, who fed his new born son with a bottle. (Piri was attacked for bottle feeding his child rather than using breast milk) I for one think it is just lovely to see a father want to be part of their child’s life. I really think the issue is up to the parents on whether they bottle feed or breast feed. Who knows what is in the bottle is breast milk, as it was mostly with us. I think the pictures of Piri with his baby are just lovely.
Why do organisations make people feel bad for what they are doing? Everyone knows breast is best, however what you do if you cannot provide this for whatever reasons. As long as the baby is healthy, developing on target, happy and hitting their milestones. There is not a problem.
Men who want to be part of this wonderful experience of feeding their child should be. The bonding that happens between father and child is great as well and should not just be for mother and baby. Having a partner, husband, father that is willing to help and to feed a baby gives the mother a much deserved break. Why is this so bad?
I say it does not matter what you decide as long the baby is healthy. What are your thoughts?
There is a lot of pressure on a new mum to breastfeed and many feel terrible if they cannot. There could be a number of reasons mothers cannot breastfeed, and I don’t think they should be judged because of it.
I for one found it difficult and twins made it even harder. After I had the girls I was pressured to have milk. I just had them and had no idea how to breastfeed. It was hard. I managed to express my milk but as I just had them I only got half a test tube and that would not feed a hungry baby. For me this was important to try as Lillian was on nil by mouth and not taking to the formula, however Julia found formula fine. I did manage to make more each day and every time I got some more I rushed it down to the NICU. However I do understand how upsetting this is to a new mum and how miserable you feel about not being able to give your baby what they need instantly.
I wanted to give the kid’s breast milk and was able to do this for about 5 months solidly. However, when I came home from hospital, the first weekend was terrible. I was so pleased to be home and not to be pregnant that I stopped drinking fluids. My milk was depleted as every 3 hours I was feeding and then expressing to feed again. I did try the dual hold to feed the girls without expressing my milk, although this ended up badly, Lillian always ended up not on properly and falling down the side of the lounge between pillows and cushions. Then I would lose Julia as well. I could not do it by myself and I had no help. So bottles with expressed milk it was. As my milk was not there on Sunday night I decided to make formula for the evening feeds to have my milk replenish. My husband asked if I had been drinking any water, and more fluids and I said no, I did not want to constantly go to the bathroom all the time. He said that this was my problem. So after that, every time I feed the girls, I drank a pint of water, and then expressed my milk again, and so it went. I was lucky to have a good supply until about 5 months and then it was only a little bit until the week before the girls were 8 months it dried up all together.
I must say that I wish I could have had 100% breast milk; however I worked with the situation. I had two hungry babies that wanted food all the time. I was not making enough and my body needed to rest to make more milk. I think what we did was the best for our situation.
So it was with great interest that I read Paul Chai’s article in the Sydney Morning Herald, about New Zealand footballer Piri Weepu, who fed his new born son with a bottle. (Piri was attacked for bottle feeding his child rather than using breast milk) I for one think it is just lovely to see a father want to be part of their child’s life. I really think the issue is up to the parents on whether they bottle feed or breast feed. Who knows what is in the bottle is breast milk, as it was mostly with us. I think the pictures of Piri with his baby are just lovely.
Why do organisations make people feel bad for what they are doing? Everyone knows breast is best, however what you do if you cannot provide this for whatever reasons. As long as the baby is healthy, developing on target, happy and hitting their milestones. There is not a problem.
Men who want to be part of this wonderful experience of feeding their child should be. The bonding that happens between father and child is great as well and should not just be for mother and baby. Having a partner, husband, father that is willing to help and to feed a baby gives the mother a much deserved break. Why is this so bad?
I say it does not matter what you decide as long the baby is healthy. What are your thoughts?
