BFBN Week Busting Babywise Myths: You can schedule your day with multiple children

Emily who blogs at Journey of Parenthood is talking today about how contrary to popular belief, you CAN be successful with keeping a baby on a schedule while still maintaing the schedules of older siblings. I agree with all her talking points, as her experience in making a schedule that fits ALL of the children's needs is very similar to my own. Head on over to her blog today to read in more detail!

www.journeyofparenthood.com

BFBN Week: Busting Babywise Myths - Cry it out. Or maybe don't

Probably what makes babywise a bit "controversial" is the idea that you have to let your baby cry. You have to ignore your baby while they scream and scream. Carrie over at Wiley Adventures is talking today about what the actual book says about crying - and what it truly does encourage, and what it does NOT encourage. Head on over to her blog and read more about crying it out, or maybe not crying it out at all...

Sticking to a Schedule Makes your Child More Flexible

Babywise Friendly Blog Network week continues, and today I have the opportunity to share right here on my blog about the myth that Babywise requires you to enslave yourself to your baby's rigid and unmovable schedule. Read below my experience as to why this is just not the case!

When my oldest daugther was 6 week old, I was so tired. What I lovingly refer to as the "honeymoon stage" of those newborn days had worn off and I was left with dark circles under both of my eyes. At this point, none of my close friends had begun the mothering journey yet, so I felt a little on my own and like I had to pioneer my way around motherhood. Somehow, I stumbled upon the book On Becoming Babywise authored by Dr. Gary Ezzo. I went to facebook to see if anyone I knew had any experience with the book. I was surprised by the reactions I was getting. I had a few people privately message me and tell me they had read the book and either liked it or disliked it, but I had a numnber of people try to lead me far from the principles of the book. Most of them would tell me what aspects of the philosophy they were not comfortable with. It didn't take me long to realize that while this book may work for some, for others it not only didn't work for (which is fine!) but they were passionate in their distate for what the book had to offer. If you do a quick google search for "Babywise" you will quickly see too, a lot of pushback, for a parenting book offering sleep to the tired family.

If you truly dig into the negative thoughts surrounding the book, you can easily assess that many of the people who are critical have yet to read the book all the way through, or they have not practiced/implemented the principles in their homes at all. So many speak without the true knowledge, and many more speak without real experience. You will not find me being critical of parenting styles in which I do not know much about or use in my home. It feels unfair to me to try to convince someone that one way is right when I have little know how regarding the practice.

 Today, I am talking specifically about having a consistent schedule (a tried and true babywise philosophy) will actually make your child more flexible when the routine must be interrupted. You don't have to hyper schedule to make Babywise work for your home. In fact, you begin slowly and build. This helps you to know what will work for your family's lifestyle and needs.

When you have your basic day to day living schedule working well for you and baby, baby knows what to expect for his day. There is a sweet, real security created that the baby learns to trust. His body will actually lull at the times where he is used to napping and his metabolism will gear up in times he is used to being fed. This works well for day to day living - but it also benefits greatly when things are a little out of sorts and the schedule is not going as usual. I have found that my baby's cried less when they were tired - even if they were not getting their nap like they were used too - because they knew it would eventually come. Their bodies were not in fight mode because they felt unceratin that they would not get the rest they wanted. This is true for hunger as well. If my child was used to eating prompltly at 11:30 am for lunch, but the trip to the grocery store took 30 minutes longer than anticipated, they were still able to roll with the punches because they had the security to not panic wondering if they would have a full belly again soon.

This is also true for things like daylight savings, or when travel disrupts the normal routine. They are able to bounce right back to the regularly scheduled program! If you spend time, creating for them a day that they can rest assured their needs will all be met, that becomes their normal and that will be their default if a reset is needed.

Over the course of 4 babywise baby's, I have become less and less stressed when the day doesn't go as planned. I have assurance that when life happens and hiccups arise, our family can easily and happily get back on the right tracks with minimal consequences.

So many view On Becoming Babywise philosophies as strict and rigid with no room for flexibility. Everyone has to succomb to the baby's scheduling needs. These have absolutley not been true for me, and even beyond that, the opposite has been my experience. The schedule works great for day to day living and the schedule actually allows my child to become flexible when needed. Babywise has been a gift to our entire family, 4 times over.

BFBN Week: Babywise Myths

This week is BFBN week! Everyday this week I will be posting an  a short recap of one of the ladies blog post with a link to their entire post on their personal website. Each of us will be touching on some of the push back that babywise sometimes recieves (especially online).  Today, Valerie is breaking down some myths about babywise and backing it up with the facts.

My first child was basically born back when dinosaurs roamed the earth so far as the Internet is concerned. The internet existed, but it wasn't on the top five list of places you would turn to for information. Because of that, my husband and I happily parented him, our Babywise baby, for two years before we even realized there was any sort of controversy surrounding Babywise.

Hop on over to Valeries blog to read the rest at The Babywise Mom and check back here all week where you will find links to all the ladies blogs and introductions to what they are talking about!

Insurrection: By Kadee Carter {A guest post}

This is so exciting! A sweet friend of mine in an author, and her latest book has been published and is now available for purchase. Today she is sharing on my blog all about her new book and even giving us a sneak peak into the life of the main character, Saylor. Enjoy her talent in writing below!

Life requires moxie. Yes? Spunk? Life takes a little fight, doesn’t it? A little fight not to laugh at the chaos, a little fight not to yell, a little fight to get out of bed at 3:00 AM, and a little fight every night to put away the latest novel and go to bed and start all over.

Life takes a lot of love, too. Love instigates a lot of the fight within me, as a mom. I began working on the Insurrection trilogy while earning my Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing, pregnant, working full-time as an office manager of a church. At that point in my life I began to understand the depths of what it takes to chase after dreams and shake up the stars. In the years since beginning this journey with Saylor, I’ve sat for hours hunkered over my laptop, chatted with hundreds of people, and even flown across the country to meet with publishers in order to make this adventure more than just a fun story I shared with my own girlfriends as we played in our backyards twenty years ago. When Saylor first appeared as a character to me, she was a boy, because when I played in my backyard, only boys had adventures. It’s time to change that, friends, because girls can rock a baseball bat, obstacle course, and beachside kiss just as good as the best of them.

We humans have to be, we moms have to be, stronger than we ever imagine, love ourselves in the process, and dig in when the ground seems to sink. We not only relish adventures, we create them.

And that’s the basis of Saylor’s story in my young adult science fiction trilogy, Insurrection.

Saylor had always been told she was a stain on the cloth of mankind. Escaping the girls’ home with her orphaned sisters Micah, Denise, and Patricia, the four find themselves enduring storms at sea and imprisoned on a mysterious Caribbean island. Separated from her sisters, Saylor must learn to fight for her life and theirs, enduring lonely nights, discovering dazzling beaches, and entangling in the secrets of a covert military base. Forced to trade her freedom for a contract with Alliance Military Group, Saylor develops her inner warrior. Wavering between terror and ecstasy, she faces an enemy who exposes her indispensable abilities. In order to rescue her sisters, impress the hunky Australian, and protect innocent lives on a global scale, she must master techniques of fighting an army created to destroy with a single, scorching touch – or die trying.

They wanted a warrior. They got one.

Join Saylor on this exciting, harrowing adventure in Volume One of Insurrection! Fight for family. Believe in yourself. Fulfill your purpose.

Available today on iTunes, Kindle, Nook, and wherever ebooks are sold. Check out www.kadeecarder.com for more information! And friend, remember, just like Saylor, you can be more than you ever imagined! You are indispensable. Go shake up the stars and grab of copy of Insurrection today.

By Kadee Carder

Saylor had always been told she was a stain on the cloth of mankind. Escaping the girls’ home with her orphan sisters Micah, Denise, and Patricia, the four find themselves enduring storms at sea and imprisoned on a mysterious Caribbean island. Separated from her sisters, Saylor must learn to fight for her life and theirs, enduring dark and strange noises, discovering dazzling beaches, and ensnared in the secrets of a covert military base. Forced to trade her freedom for a contract with Alliance Military Group, Saylor develops her inner warrior. Wavering between terror and ecstasy, she must face an enemy who exposes her indispensable abilities. In order to rescue her sisters, impress the hunky Australian, and protect innocent lives on a global scale, she must master techniques of fighting an army created to destroy with a single, scorching touch – or die trying.

They wanted a warrior. They got one.

Excerpt:

“Don’t tell me what you don’t want to do. The Commander wouldn’t have put you in this company if he thought you couldn’t do it. This is the ECB. We don’t waste people. We win. We defeat.” Logan spat out the words. “I’d prefer you to have several more weeks of training, but we have to deal with what we got.” He let a devious smile filter across his lips. “Use that moxie, kid.” Water dripped down his face, his blue eyes sparkling. Tense jaw, muscles rigid from neck to toe, I could almost see his skin rippling with adrenaline. A shiver fluttered down my spine. A loud, thunderous boom—not thunder, but the same crashing, familiar boom of destruction—cracked nearby. We sought out the source of the sound, deep in the beast’s lair, disguised in ivy and wooded terrain. “Be powerful,” he yelled over the ruckus, stepping closer and turning his face toward me. He scanned the area around us for unwanted observers, and then just inches from my face, he added, “Be strong. Be fearless. You are all those things. You’ve proven it before—now’s your time to shine.”

Author Bio:

Deep in the heart of Central Texas, Kadee Carder resides with her husband and two daughters. Carder earned a BA in Public Relations at Howard Payne University and an MFA in Creative Writing from National University. She teaches English courses on the university level and plans her schedule around coffee availability.

Writing and language have been her life-long pleasure, wordsmithery offering the ability to twist emotion in to sense and cosmos. When she’s not dancing around the living room with her daughters, she helps at church activities, creates encouraging blogs, and orders pizza like a boss.

Follow Kadee on social media:

Twitter: @kadeecbooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kadeecarderbooks/

Fight for family. Believe in yourself. Fulfill your purpose. Join Saylor on this exciting, harrowing adventure. See more at kadeecarder.com!

Purchase:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Insurrection-Kadee-Carder-ebook/dp/B01M8F5YZR/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476213385&sr=8-1&keywords=insurrection+kadee+carder#customerReviews

Nook/Barnes&Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/insurrection-kadee-carder/1123393886?ean=2940156756322

iTunes:

https://itun.es/us/5rqpfb.l

BFBN Week: Guest Post by Kimberly Cartwright - Keeping up a schedule through illness

When my kids are sick I try to stick to schedule as much as possible.  I know illness can be a time to toss the routine out the window.  This makes sense.  It is more important to focus on getting your kid well than keeping up a routine.  Sick babies need to sleep as much as they need, eat whatever they are able to keep down, and stay hydrated.  But for minor illnesses I find it helpful to maintain at least the bare bones of the schedule.  Here are some reasons why I try to stick to routine, even when my kids are sick.

1) Normal naps encourage more rest.  When you are sick you need plenty of rest.  For kids this means still going down for normal naps.  It can be nice to let them stay resting on the couch, but I have found that to be too distracting for solid napping.  A normal naptime and bedtime routine helps them transition to sleep, which will allow them to get more rest.  I do still wake my children up at wake times if needed.  Yes, I let naps run a little long and I let my kids sleep in if they are sick.  This just makes sense.  But I don't let it go too long.  Oversleeping too much can lead to them being undertired for their next nap or bedtime.  Then they wake up early or don't have as restful a sleep.  Then they are overtired, which makes sleep hard.  You see where I'm going with this.  Maintaining as much of a normal schedule as possible will actually helps my children get the important sleep they need when they are sick.

2) Normal meal times lets them eat what they are able.  Besides giving food when they ask for it, I offer meals and snacks at the same time.  A lot of eating rules go out the window when my kids are sick.  You have to feed kids what they can handle.  I never force my kids to eat when they are sick, but I have found that I sometimes need to offer up the food or they won't eat.  Small children and babies don't always have the words to explain they are hungry.  By sticking to normal meal and snack times I make sure I am remembering to offer up foods throughout the day and giving my child the chance to eat if they feel up to it.

3) Normal routine helps the whole family.  When I had just my son, it was easy to toss the schedule if I needed to.  Now that there are three kids it isn't quite as easy.  Keeping a fairly normal schedule allows me to meet the needs of all my kids, not just the sick one.  (Of course the sick kid gets priority.)  This plays into the first two points.  It is easier for the sick child to rest during normal nap times with normal background noise.  In addition it is easier for the sick child to rest and not feel like they are missing out on fun because they are the only ones napping, instead it is just like every other day.  Consistent meal and snack times may encourage a sick child to at eat at least a little bit if they are able when they see their siblings eating.  Consistent schedule also means that I can make sure the healthy kids are still having their needs met.  This helps keep the day running smoothly and helps hold the added stress of a sick kid at bay.  Everyone wins when mom isn't as stressed.

As for the rest of the schedule, well, that goes out the window when one of my little ones is sick.  We do lots of books, quiet activities, and snuggling on the couch.  So far I haven't gotten any complaints from the healthy kids about getting to snuggle and watch a little bonus tv to help their sick sibling feel better. ;)  With sick kids you have to do what is best for that child in that situation.  But for colds and other minor illnesses I have found sticking to the basics of the schedule helps them feel better and get healthy again.

-Kim

Kim is the mother of a three year old son and eight month old twins.  She blogs at teamcartwright.blogspot.com.

BFBN Week: Short Naps and the Colicky newborn

Its Babywise Friendly Blog Network Week, and this go around we are addressing issues that YOU babywise mama's asked to read more about! We polled the Babywise Mama's facebook group to get a feel for what topics you wanted to sort of "hash out" the most. Based on the feedback from the facebook group - we are talking about all things in regards to SHORT NAPS.

I am specifically touching on short naps with the colicky newborn. Ill start out by saying, if this applies to you and your newborn specifically, I am so sorry. I personally know the journey, and its memories are forever etched into my mama heart.

Kensington on day 4 of life. We had been home one night.

Newborns are tricky, no matter what disposition they are born with. They don't come with instruction manuals, and you have to get to know your baby to understand fully their cues - and that takes time. After the honeymoom of bringing home an new baby begins to fade away, and the extreme exhaustion takes its place things seem to get real and sometimes they get very difficult.

My 2nd daughter (out of 4) came into the world with an excellent set of lungs. I am certain to this day (she is now 5 years old) the entire hospital knew quickly of her arrival. Unless she was nursing, she was screaming. For the first week or so, we tried to deny the fear of colic setting in as our reality. Like I mentioned before, the honeymoon ended and we were left with a non-napping crying champion.

My 1st daugther was the text babywise baby dream child. So you can understand how my 2nd daugthers colic position left me feeling like I ran straight into a concrete wall at full force. I know how to teach a baby to sleep. I had done it with great success just 2 short years before. Her inability to nap had me baffled, feeling like a sure failure, and most of all humbled to know that I didn't have it all together. I later learned that this would be ok, and that in all things - I would never actually ever have it all together.

My textbook babywise baby trying to calm her very spirited sister, who should have been napping.

With a baby that was constantly crying, all I wanted was for her to get some good naps in. If she was going to spend her time awake wailing on and on, I needed for appropirate sleep to happen in the meantimes. It didn't happen. I read the book. I knew about the Eat/Wake/Sleep cycles. I know about sound machines, and swaddles, and appropriate wake time lengths. I knew it front and back, and yet I could not get her to sleep hardly at all -  and when she did - 45 minutes at a time was all that would happen. I was tired, emotionally drained from feeling like I couldn't calm my own baby, and frustrated. However, I did learn a few things from her newborn experience and wanted to share how we made it through, and eventually conquered the short napping problem.

Staying consistent is key
Doing all you can to keep on keeping on with an age-appropriate schedule even when they won't follow it ideally isstill teaching them what the day should look like. Eventually, they will succomb to the schedule you have provided for them and THAT will be their normal. The short napping won't turn into their normal unless you allow it too. If you can continue to feed them when they need to fed and provide the opportunity for sleep when its time for them to be sleeping they will follow suit.

Following the schedule was all I really knew to do for her, so even though it didnt seem to be working we tried to stick with it. By 12 weeks old, the colic was gradually getting better and so was her sleep. Then, by 16 weeks, she was sleeping through the night and was incredibly predictable with her napping.

We thought driving for a nap would help. I don't remember if it did, but we tried. She was 3 weeks old here.

Let sleep happen wherever it will happen
While I stayed on a consistent schedule with feedings and sleeping times, I allowed for sleep to happen wherever it WOULD happen. My daughter seemed to get longer naps in the swing. When you are in the throws of a colic newborn, you just survive. The swing certainly was one of our greatest survival tools and I had no shame in breaking that "rule" whatsoever. So, if the rock N play helps your colicky newborn sleep longer stretches pull that piece of baby equipment magic out and let it do its thing. Your baby and you will be so glad you did. If the baby will sleep on you best, go for it. These are habits that your baby can fully learn to ditch as soon as this difficult newborn stage passes.

Tag team it
Ask for someone to come help. Anyone. Your husband, mom, bestie, neighbor, anyone. A difficult newborn and a super tired mama is really a recipie for disaster and won't add up to anything helpful, so take short breaks and breathers. If the baby isn't cooperating with their naps and is crying instead ask for someone else to try and calm them. Take a minute or two, and lots of deep breaths, and do what moms do - try again and again and again.

Try it all
I tried every tip and trick that is on google to help my colicky newborn sleep. Not many worked great, but it gave me peace of mind to know I was trying my darndest to help her. We did everything from swaddling and singing to GIVING HER CATNIP AND FENNEL on the tip of her pacifier before sleep times. I am not kidding, I read on a babycenter baby board that it helped so nothing was going to stop me from trying. Do what you can that helps you feel like you are doing your best. Then, even if it doesnt work, still know you are doing a great job.

She was 5 weeks old here, and had been awake for 6 hours. Yes, 6 hours. A day I will never forget.

Rest assured, the tough time will pass. It doesn't last forever (it felt like 16 weeks was an eternity at the time) and things can and will turn around! Sleep will happen. Short naps will end and they will grow up to change the world, those non napping, extreme crying champs. They will change the world.

Potty Training ON THE GO {Guest Post} BFBN Week

Its Babywise Friendly Blogger Network week, and I am hosting Katrina from Mama's Organized Chaos on my blog today! She is talking all things potty training ON THE GO today. Read below for some great tips on getting out and about while trying to help your toddler master potty training! 

The time has come, the time is near! We'll be potty training for good with no more diapers before I know it! I just bought what I'm hoping is our last box of diapers (other than for overnights - obviously that might take a bit longer).

I realized just now that I am down to carrying a tiny, normal purse and that isn't going to work once we are going out and about in just underwear! I no longer bring a diaper bag in the car or into stores. I just haven't needed it. I do, however, have extra items in my car for the just in case moments. 

I haven't quite decided if we are going to use pull ups, training pants, or just plain old underwear and cross our fingers! LOL I will say, I am not looking forward to her having an accident in the middle of a store or restaurant! All I can do is be prepared, however. 

So, in an effort to be prepared, here's what I'm planning to have on hand:

- Change of clothes  (in addition to the spare we have in the car)

- Cloth diapers (prefolds) to clean up any messes that are made

- Wet bag for any soiled clothes (these were great for cloth diapering, and also work great for wet clothes from the beach or pool)

- Car seat liners (2 so we have a backup)

- Probably going to wear training pants for the first couple of weeks (these Gerber ones seem really nice)

We will not be bringing a portable potty with us, although if you are using one at home I'd recommend one on the go as well. Caroline has always used toilets and is now getting comfortable using public restrooms. It is often scary for her, but she's overcoming the fear. She's used them successfully for pooping and peeing several times now. So, I'm hoping to push forward with this and not take a step backwards to using a portable potty. 

Hoping this transition goes well for us. I will be on the lookout for restroom locations in all stores, and ready to run! haha I'll update everyone once we are to this point. As of now the plan is to start potty training full force in the next couple of weeks. Once we start we are going all in with no diapers during the day!

All of our potty training posts:

Start as you Mean to go on (5 months old)

My Daughter Refused to Poop in her Diaper (7 months old)

Caroline's First Trip

Potty Training Continued (11 months old)

Potty Training  (the plan)

Potty Training Update (17 months old)
The Potty Train is Still Going (18 months old)




This post is brought to you by Katrina Villegas at MamasOrganizedChaos. She has 1 daughter that is 1.5 years old!

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Anslee's 1st grade year

It is hard to believe that another year of school is in the books and all wrapped up! I remember when I was young, I thought the school year was a forever long eternity. Perspective is everything - because I can honestly say it goes by in blink!

Just like her kindergarten year, her first grade year was amazing. She really loves to learn new things and has been able to do just that. I could see growth in great strides in her from the beginning to the end of the school year.

What I noticed the most this year was how she grew so much socially. This was the year of friendship for Anslee. She grew so close to several little girls in her class. I have, up until this point, always been in charge of who my girls are "friends" (hello - my friends kiddos - via playdates) with. Not for Anslee as much anymore. She is beginning to learn how to meet people her age, in a place where I am not the main oversee-er, and dive into relationship with them. This is both terribly frightening and incredibly sweet to watch happen. I have watched her take the skills we have taught her in how to treat and relate to others and put it into real practice. While Tyler and I - and the family - still have the most influence over her, I can see the process begin where peers enter that circle. So my prayer in response to seeing this has been that 1. She be a light to her peers 2. That she can delight in her peers positive influence over her 3. That she recognize when the influence is not favorable and responsibly chose differently and love her friends through it.

The year started off very well. She has had nothing but cream of the crop teachers, and Mrs. Morton killed it teaching this year.

 Her first ever spelling test~

Anslee was Star Student of her class the 1st six weeks :)

Anslee and Kensington and Laynee got to go to their first ever high school football game with their daddy. They barely made it to half time, but it still counts! Go Lions!

Shortly into the 2nd six weeks, the 1st grade students went to a local pumpkin patch and nursery. She had a blast on this filed trip! There were more gourds than you could imagine!

They ended the semester with a fun Christmas party in the classroom, but I am on it - clearly- because I took no pictures during the party!

Anslee was able to celebrate her 7th birthday shortly after they came back to school for the 2nd semester. She brought pink cupcakes for her class to share.  Her and her precious friend Molly really never have any fun together - you can tell by the picture below.

The P.E. coach at our school goes all out for Jump Rope for Heart. The kids learn so much about heart health, healthy eating, and living a healthy overall lifestyle during JRFH! They also have so so so much fun.

Anslee was chosen at the 1st grade girl PE Star Student for the 3rd six weeks

We live in a small community, so traditions run big here. Our town hosts an annual Track and Field event for High School Students. Its known as the Bluebonnet Relays. The city invites elementary students chosen by their respective schools to participate, and Anslee got to run a 400 meter race this year! She came in like 3rd to last in the run that included 1st and 2nd graders from her school. She ran her heart out and wasn't even nervous!  Here she is - in action!

She had such a fun time running and I was so proud to cheer her on!

I helped with spring picture day and was able to snag a picture of these sweet friends before they took their class picture.

Another fun thing that the first grade students do is a market day. They study an economics unit in the spring where they learn about working on a product to sell, advertising, how to subtract the cost of supplies from what they make, and how to count money and give change. I think it is such a neat project they do, and the kids come up with the most creative things to sell! Anslee made several beaded bracelets. She worked for a full week putting them together before the official market day. She sold out of her bracelets before the end of the market! 

A friend of mine, Shantel, who has a son in the first grade also went above and beyond and helped the 1st grade teachers plan the most fun first grade end of year picnic!

Tyler helped cook up the hotdogs, and the little sisters came to see what all the fun was about! Pictured below is Bella Attaway, our treasured friend and neighbor, with Anslee at the picnic.

The kids had inflatable body vest to put on and bounce against each other in, oversized inflatable boxing gloves, and entire park to take over. They spent almost the entire day there - don't worry - we all slept well that night !

The last day of school came so quickly. One thing that surprised me last year with kindergarten was that the last day was more emotional for me than the first day was. I was sad to leave our teacher, proud of the progress that had been made, and nervous for what new expectations awaited us for the next school year. The same is to be said for this year! I am sad to leave our teacher, so proud of how far she came this year, and now looking forward to next year in 2nd grade.  We feel so blessed to have had such a lovely experience in our first two years in school. 

Anslee recieved a faithful attendance award at the end of the year. I think she only missed two days this year due to illness, so she was typically present.

I was also proud that Anslee recieved a citizenship awared. This award means a lot to me as a parent, as it means that she is treating others with kindness and respect - and tending to her responsibilities at school. 

A last picture of these girls who have really made the year of friendship for Anslee

And another year gone by! She finished making all A's all year (except the first six weeks where every 1st grader is being evaluated for reading levels so all students receive an 80 in reading that first six weeks). 

We are excited for Kensington to join Anslee at school next year full time. I sure hope that Anslee will watch out for her sister and always be a warm smile when they pass each other in the hallways! Here they are, my two school girls (getting a 7 year and 5 year check up at the time)

Emily - Guest Post on Having a Successful Breastfeeding Experience

Emily over at The Journey of Parenthood has some excellent tips for making a successful nursing experience be YOURS! She has awesome perspective and has great insight for those mamas who are wanting to reach their breasfeeding goals. I am so excited that she is guest blogging here today about this - as it is a hot topic in motherhood! Check her out below!

Tips for Successful Breastfeeding Experience

There are many areas of parenting that are debatable. We all have our own opinions and ideas about what is "best" and many times those ideas may clash with what others believe is "best" for their children. One of the few parenting choices that is not debatable is regarding breastfeeding. Everyone knows that breast milk is the BEST nutrition for our babies. Even formula companies compete with each other to see who can be the "closest thing to breast milk."

While we all know breast milk is the best source of nutrition, we all have to make the personal choice whether or not to breastfeed. I know many, many mothers choose not to nurse their babies and this isn't a post to make anyone feel guilt over that choice. Instead, this is a post to encourage those who do want to breastfeed and to share my personal experiences and what helped me to be successful with it when nursing my children. I also know there are mother's out there (I have a few friends who fit in this group) who want very badly to breastfeed and try to breastfeed but they truly aren't able to. I am not making some blanket statement that everyone can breastfeed so I hope no offense is taken from this post...the purpose here is to help and encourage!

When I was pregnant with my first child I wasn't sure what kind of mom I would be. The idea of nursing kinda bugged me and I didn't know if I even wanted to to it. Yet the more I learned about the benefits of breast milk for my baby, the more passionate about it I became. I nursed my son exclusively for nine months and he had a mixture of breast milk and formula until a year old. With my daughter I was very confident in my nursing abilities and nursed her exclusively until 11 months when I started to introduce whole milk into her diet then fully weaned her at 13 months. 

If you're pregnant and considering breastfeeding, here are some things I have learned that can help you be successful, and NONE of them have to do with the actually nursing process itself!

1. Pretend Formula Doesn't Exist: You know that years ago moms didn't have any other option. Nursing was the ONLY method available. It may sound silly but if you pretend like there ISN'T any other option out there, then you are more likely to be successful in nursing, because you simply aren't going to consider anything else!

2. Buy a top of the line Breast Pump and OPEN it: I bought a Medela Freestyle Breast Pump when I was pregnant with my son. That junk ain't cheap. We spent well over $300 on it. I was hesitant to open it. What if I couldn't nurse? What if I didn't want to? What if I gave up? My husband told me to open it because knowing we couldn't return it would be a BIG motivator to keep on nursing, no matter what!

3. Don't buy ANY Formula: Keep your house formula free. Throw out those samples you get in the mail. Turn down offers from people who are getting rid of their left over cans. During times when you feel like throwing in the towel it will not be EASY to give up. It will require a trip to the store to buy the formula and by the time you actually go get it you will probably just decide to continue nursing :)

4. Know that you CAN do it: I think most new moms, like myself, worry we won't be able to breastfeed. It was my #1 fear when I became a mom for the first time. My husband actually asked during our breastfeeding basics class at the hospital about how many women really cannot breastfeed at all. The lactation specialist said that with the right attitude and motivation, pretty much everyone CAN do it! 

5. Share Your Goals: Husband support is SO critical. Without Zach being there, helping me, supporting me, encouraging me, and even giving me some "tough love" in the early days of breastfeeding I truly do not think I would have been successful with it. As mothers we tend to have our first concern be for our children. Our husbands tend to have their first concerns be about US. So when we struggle with nursing and feel like giving in, they just naturally want to help us and make our lives easier. They can't understand what we are going through with nursing and many husbands will suggest quitting because they think it's what will be best for us. Share your goals with your husband. He needs to be your biggest cheerleader!!!

6. Know it WILL be Hard: I personally believe the #1 reason so many women don't try or stop nursing early on is because we feel like we are failing when it is harder than we expect it to be. The media tends to paint this pretty picture of nursing...it's supposed to come "naturally" and it should never hurt etc, etc, etc. As a new mom everything is scary. You're thrown into this entirely new situation and have a little life depending on YOU. When nursing does hurt, or it doesn't come naturally, we freak out. We automatically feel like we are failing at our most important job as a parent, feeding our baby! We take it personally, like something is wrong with US and then we end up quitting because it gives us one less thing to worry about. I know because I've been there. I couldn't for the life of me get my baby to latch properly. It hurt. I bled. I cried and cried during feedings for awhile. I've had mastitis, three times. I kept going through it all and guess what? The hard phase passes. It gets EASIER. Not just that, but it gets ENJOYABLE. There is nothing better than nursing a sweet baby and sharing that close bond together! I truly believe if new moms went into the nursing experience being prepared for it to be a little difficult and knowing that there will be struggles that more moms would tough it out. Just always, always remind yourself that the hard days will be over soon and that it is going to be worth it!!!

7. Have a Goal, But Take it One Feeding at a Time: With my son my goal was to nurse him for three months. Once I got there, my goal became six months. Once I got there, my goal became nine months. With my daughter, my goal was a year and I went beyond that as well. I think having a long term goal is great! However, it can also make you feel exhausted. On those tough days it can feel discouraging to think "omg, I have another year of this?" During those times it's so important to just take it one feeding at a time. Get through that feeding and then have the goal of getting through the next. I had a close friend of mine who felt discouraged and frustrated with nursing but she kept going one feeding at a time and nursed much longer than when she initially wanted to stop. Every little drop of breast milk is SO good for your baby so even "one more feeding" is better than quitting!

While I am no breastfeeding expert by any means, I know that my personal success with nursing had more to do with my MIND than with my BODY. I truly believe that if moms who want to nurse go into it with these things on their mind, then they WILL be successful in it! Whether your goal is a week, a month, or a year you CAN do it and you will be so thankful you did :) 

Other breastfeeding mamas...do you agree with my tips? Have some of your own? Please share!