#DailyBFTweet

You all know by now that I am an avid breastfeeding advocate and would love nothing more than every woman to be free to make an informed choice with regards to feeding their baby and to receive the help and support they deserve.

At the moment, formula companies and the myths surrounding breastfeeding are making this ideal impossible in the UK.  Practical and emotional support is also hit and miss depending on where you live and how good the health professionals you come in to contact with are with regards to their knowledge of breastfeeding.

In addition to supporting local women on my local maternity ward and at my local support group, I am trying to reach more and help bust the myths which stop women even consider breastfeeding without looking in to the full practical and health benefits.

Women and babies are being failed every day by the media, society and each other by the wide spread perpetuation of these myths.

This is why I am embarking on a mission to tweet a breastfeeding tip or fact every day from now on.  Please spread the word and see if we can get the message to as many people as possible.

Please follow me on @DailyBFTweet and share and retweet when you can…

#dailybftweet

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• A Confidence Boost (lifeloveandlivingwithboys.wordpress.com)

A Confidence Boost – Breastfeeding a Toddler

So, Pooh Bear is still breastfeeding at almost 16 months and I think we are going to try for the golden two year mark.  I say ‘golden’ since it is at least the age at which the World Health Organisation says you should aim to breastfeed to in the western world.

I have been wondering if we should be offering him more alternative drinks to my milk in a bid to encourage self-weaning.  He has water and juice throughout the day like his older brother and he has the very, very occasional couple of ounces of cow’s milk every now and then.  He rarely feeds in public as he’s too busy bombing around to snuggle up to Mummy but he does have a good feed at any support groups I attend.  I think this is because of the ‘Corrie Effect’ as I call it.  What, you’ve never heard of the ‘Corrie Effect’?

Cor-rie Eff-ect 1. When the phrase “I’ll make a brew” is uttered on Coronation Street thus making the viewer crave a cup of the good stuff themselves.

They’re always catching me with that and babies it seems are the same.  They see one breastfeeding and they all have to do it!

I have been feeling more and more nervous about having to feed him outside of the safety of the groups and our home in case we attract negative comments in public.  I’m not sure how I would react and I know it would upset and anger me if anything out of turn was said.  It would be one of those infuriating moments where you just sit there quiet and gobsmacked then think of a witty retort 3 hours later and forever play it over in your head torturing yourself.

Anyway, the point of this post was to say that I had two absolutely, genuinely lovely comments about me continuing to feed Pooh Bear.  Where all around you, breastfeeding is not seen as the normal way to feed your baby and god forbid you feed them much longer than six months, it was a real confidence boost and has spurred me on to continue as long as Pooh Bear wants.

We HAVE to keep reminding ourselves that they are only small for such a short time and it is no big sacrifice to keep going a bit longer.  There is always the risk of attracting negative comments but that is true of so many parenting issues.  And anyone who says Mums are selfish for continued breastfeeding really have NO clue what it is like to feed a toddler.  Mostly rewarding yet frustrating, tiring and sometimes painful (See my earlier post, Twiddles, Fidgets and a Kick in the Face)

I also feel it is important for people to see Pooh Bear feeding.  I would never have thought about feeding a toddler before I had children so by seeing toddlers feed in support groups especially, it is empowering other women to themselves feed as long as they and their children want and not how long society thinks is best.

I’m also pretty stubborn and if someone says I shouldn’t be doing something I want to blow a raspberry in their face and do it anyway.   Perhaps not the best reason to continue to breastfeed but since it’s not damaging anyone, and in fact has major health benefits for both of us, why not!

If you are feeding your toddler, why not put this fabulous logo in your side bar.  It was designed by Peaceful Parenting and was brought to my attention by More Than Milk on their facebook page.

If you are looking for some support with regards to continued breastfeeding there are some lovely bloggers and online support/information groups dishing out confidence and support in spades.

If you think breastfeeding ONE toddler is a challenge, you MUST pop over to Twinkle Mummy who is enjoying the trials and tribulations of feeding her twin boys Spud & Sprout

KellyMom

Lactivist - Facebook & Site

Dispelling Breastfeeding Myths - Facebook & Site

Circus Queen - Breastfeeding Beyond One is Not Just for Mum

Plus 2.4 - When Should Extended Breastfeeding End?

My Mummy’s Pennies - Breastfeeding, a Mother’s Choice

Breastfeeding in England – The Highs and Lows of Tandem Nursing

Analytical Armadillo - Facebook & Site

The Leaky Boob - Facebook & Site

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Hubby and Housework

When you’re pregnant with your first baby, the one thing no-one tells you is how much of your time will be taken up looking after this tiny human being you lovingly bought in to the world.

How you will cope with the housework once baby is born is absolutely the last thing on your mind when you have more important events like scans, shopping trips, a hospital bag to pack and antenatal classes to attend.  If you have supportive family, you will find that once your little one arrives, you will have plenty of help around the house and newborn babies don’t produce much mess.  These first few months pass in a blur and it isn’t long before it’s just you and hubby and tiny baby quickly develops into crawling babe then even better, marauding toddler!

This is when keeping on top of any sort of cleaning and tidying can get really difficult.  The amount of mess toddlers produce can be likened to the amount of weight ants can carry in relation to their body weight.  MASSIVE!

Just when you think you’ve got it cracked and tidied one room, you realise half the contents of said room have already been carried and dumped in the next room by your little darling.  If you have more than one child under 3, then good luck getting any cleaning done before bedtime, and then who wants to start cleaning the loo when it gets dark?  Surely if you’ve survived the last 12 hours with two toddlers you should be rewarding yourself with some tv, a relaxing read, a bath and copious amounts of tea/wine/gin (delete as applicable) and cake.

The first piece of advice I would give to new parents is to drastically lower your expectations when it comes to cleanliness.  There is no way you can adequately look after and interact with your child during the day AND keep a spotless house.

You can tidy as you go along but even that can be an unreachable goal.  When baby needs feeding or changing, you can’t ask them to wait until you’ve finished the dishes and mopped the floor, they need your attention immediately.

You will soon get used to only doing half a job.

The first instance you get ‘free’ time in the day, you prioritise feeding yourself, showering or more likely a quick wash in the sink, an important phone call to the doctor/dentist/tax office. Or just simply nipping to the loo.  Yes, once you have babies, you have to pencil loo trips in to your diary!

The most important person when it comes to helping out around the house is your partner.  They can make or break your mood and chipping in with the chores can surely only result in a happier marriage…

I was asked by Wriggly Rascals, an online parenting community, to write a guest post in response to a survey they are running asking ‘How Do I Get My Husband To Do More Housework’.

Mum of two (6mths and 3 yr old), Maeve has written in as her husband has always been extremely reluctant to give her help around the house.  Now Maeve is up in the night with the youngest and looks after the children all day she is finding it increasingly hard to keep on top of things.

It’s about time her hubby pulled his finger out!

You can read my Hubby and Housework article on the Wriggly Rascals Blog from today and I would love to hear your comments on my top tips.

How do you encourage your partner to help out or are you too at your wit’s end?

Volunteering – Give it a go!

Watching programmes like ‘The Secret Millionaire’ , I am in awe of the selfless people the millionaires meet who dedicate their lives to their local communities not wanting anything in return.  I always come away from watching that programme thinking I’ll probably volunteer when I’m old and grey and have more time.  If you’d have asked me 6 months ago if I would like to commit to volunteering whilst raising my young family, I’d have said “not today, thank you!”

Funny thing is, through attending my local breastfeeding support group, I am actually now giving some ‘spare’ time to others AND bringing my boys up. 

And I love it!

If I can squeeze it in to my scatty life then you can do it too. Find something you’re passionate about and enjoy reclaiming a little piece of yourself.  The best thing is, as a stay-at-home-mum, I am with the boys 24/7 so spending a couple of hours a week away from them really helps to appreciate them more.  I absolutely love coming home to their cheeky smiles.

Helping other Mums while I myself am immersed in the baby-stage is brilliant and really rewarding.  I was given ill informed, incorrect advice from a Health Professional when I was feeding Spud and it led to me weaning him before either of us were ready.  It is really lovely when you are able to help a Mum in their darkest hour or steer them towards the correct place for advice if you can’t physically make a difference.

Breastfeeding is completely normal and natural but can be very complicated, especially in the early days and I don’t know any Mums who haven’t needed any support at some point in their journey.  Support can range from tweaking position & attachment to just lending an ear and having a chat about poops, sleep-deprivation and wind!

If you are having difficulties feeding, please go along to a local support group. The health professionals who run the groups (or NCT lactation support workers) deal with breastfeeding issues every day. They really know their stuff and usually love a good chat so if you don’t have any questions or specific problems, go along and meet some new Mums. I have met all my ‘baby friends’ through my local support group in one way or another.

 

If you think you would like to volunteer but have no clue where to start, your local council should be able to help point you in the right direction. Alternatively, try these websites:

Do-It – Volunteering Made Easy

Volunteering England

DirectGov – How to Volunteer

 

Tummy Time and Interaction with PlayDuvet®

This morning, Pooh Bear and I went to ‘Tickle & Giggles’ at our local Children’s Centre.  This is the third week we’ve been but when I originally booked us on to the 5 week course, I had absolutely no clue what it entailed but judging by the name, it was going to be fun!

Turns out the course, for 4 – 18 mth olds, is all about the importance of Tummy time and how that helps with the development of their tummy, back and neck muscles.  This strengthening of their core muscles in turn helps with crawling, walking and also their speech.  Lying down with your baby Face-to-Face is important for speech and communication and it’s really lovely seeing their little faces react to you.  As current advice is for babies to sleep on their backs, 30 minutes of Tummy Time a day can help avoid Flat Head Syndrome.

For the hour we are in the room, we sit, lie, crawl, kneel and sing on half a dozen or so different mats and blankets – some thicker and more comfortable than others on the hard floor…

This is where I think they could really do with a…

 PlayDuvet^®

In a sentence, the PlayDuvet^® is simply that.

A duvet you can play on, well, a special duvet anyway…

The idea is, you buy the PlayDuvet and then fill it with a standard double duvet and it is a fabulous, large, soft play mat the whole family can enjoy.

Like a lot of families now-a-days, we have laminate floors downstairs and this can be a real problem when babies start to roll, crawl and even when they’re walking.  The PlayDuvet^® ensures a soft, safe (fully CE marked) warm landing and is great for all stages of development.

In addition to providing a play area, the PlayDuvet^® is covered in bright and contrasting colours, shapes, tags, and crinkly fabrics all designed to stimulate babies and children.

A real bugbear of mine with regards to products and toys for children is when they say ‘surface washable only’ on the label.  Who designs these products knowing the first thing children are going to do is slobber on, chew, put their mucky fingers all over and puke on said product???  The PlayDuvet^® has been thoughtfully designed and is as easy to clean as a normal duvet cover and you can also buy a waterproof cover to go between the PlayDuvet^® and the double duvet so you can give babies and toddlers nappy-free time without worrying about little puddles soaking the duvet.  You could have some water play on the mat or as Spud likes playing ‘Piplinks’ (Picnics), we could actually put water in his tea set and not worry about water going all over the floor.

The last point I am going to mention about the  is that it is fully portable and comes in it’s own drawstring bag so you can take it on holiday or round to a friends house.  This also makes it nice and compact to store, although I doubt you would put it away very often.

The PlayDuvet^® would be great for any children’s groups, children’s centres, childminders, parties, nurseries, schools, holiday homes and anywhere children and babies congregate to play.

I came across PlayDuvet^® on Twitter and Nic who runs the business has a young family and they, like many families today are just waiting for that big break which will see their business really take off and grow.  I know how strong the power of social networking can be and I would love if everyone who reads this post shares it with their followers on Twitter and friends on Facebook and spreads the word about PlayDuvet^®

 Please ‘like’ the PlayDuvet^® Facebook page and follow on Twitter.

 

 

 

 

Review Disclaimer:  I have not received any payment in return for this review.   It has been written out the goodness of my heart and I would love for it to be shared as this is a great product :)