The Funny Thing about Babies

I'm not one of these to post personal things on the internet, so I'm not going to make excuses as to why I haven't posted in a while. What I will say is that I've lost my camera so you'll have to wait to see Vienna's birthday jelly (well, jelly might be the wrong word...!).

I start training on Tuesday to become a peer supporter. For those of you who don't know what that is (and I'm not trying to sound patronising but I didn't until I met one), it's a mum who breastfed her children for at least 6 months and then goes on to help other mums with their feeding experiences. I had a meeting about it on Friday and it got me thinking about HOW heated discussions about infant feeding can get. Not that I need reminding of that.

If you breastfeed you spend your time fighting people who think it's for posh people or who say it's "unnatural" and who don't want a baby "hanging off their boob". You spend your time fighting your pain receptors when the latch is poor, the baby has a tongue tie or is teething, you get thrush, you get mastitis or they just plain chew. Then when people say you should stop because of all that. You pretend you can't see that people are trying not to look when you feed in weird places (like on the bus and walking through Wilkinson's... yes, I'm talking from personal experience here) or that little old women trying to look doesn't strike you as just a tiny bit odd.
If you formula feed you spend your time fighting lactivists who will loudly proclaim you are actively harming your child by forcing this cack down their throat. You fight your body which tells you that 4am is NOT a good time to be patiently standing for 6-8 minutes while the bottle is warming. People don't give you as many dirty looks, but if you have a lactivist family you will never hear the end of it.

THEN after all that we get onto 'weaning' (because it's feeding now):
Is my baby hungry or is she just sucking her fists?
Do I wait til 6 months?
Do I use BLW or spoonfeed?
What do I feed him?
Should I worry about raw eggs, and salt content, and fat, and red meat, and chicken, and sugar?
Do they need 5 a day?

It's just ENDLESS. God I hope training goes ok. Feeding is SO stressful and I want to do something to ease someone else's stress, I really do. I'm quite a liberal breastfeeder. I think saying "breast is best" like some crazy mantra without explaining why does more harm than good, I think if you want to feed your baby formula then it doesn't make you an evil mother and I think babies would be a lot happier if their mums didn't judge each other.

Prop-feeders aside. I do judge you. Sorry.


By the way, a lactivist is a lactating activist- someone that's very pro-breastfeeding.

Mums of the World- Eat Cake!

I've taken a break voluntarily this time. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow because I've got a lot of updates and I'm going to spread them out over this week so it looks like I've been busier than I actually have (not that that is humanly possible...). First I want to say something that after 4 years of insecurity and having something the size of a cat force its way out of my previously solid innards (think about it, it's true) I have finally come to realise.


Dear Mums of the World (Or Indeed Any Other Person Who Needs It),

I'm not trying to sound like a cliche, and I know that no matter how much I tell you this, you need to realise it yourself.

There are people poorer than you.
Uglier than you.
Fatter than you.
With saggier boobs than you. And more cellulite.

They have worse jobs than you.
They have crappier houses than you.
And their cars always make irritating noises that cost far more than yours to fix.

But they still have husbands, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, children and parents that love them, and something to look forward to at the end of the day. Why?

Because they are lovely, wonderful people. So are you. And don't you dare ever forget it. If you want that extra piece of cake have it. If you want to lose 4 stone and become a lingerie model do it. It's your life. And that's ok- you will be ok.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to sit in my scruffs and eat my curry even though it is past my bedtime.
Care to join?

All my love,
Katherine.

Poorly Tummies, Here...

Today we are having cheese on toast for tea with baby carrots, sweetcorn, beans and mangetout because Mummy is feeling very poorly and, to be honest, cannot be bothered to braise mutton or fillet fish (not that I would anyway). Good thing I will never ever have to use the phrase "here comes the aeroplane!" because frankly I don't know how people with fussy children have the energy. Vienna's quite happily munching on a bean at the minute, so I thought seeing as I've finished mine, this would be a good time to talk a bit more about why she eats the way she does.

By the way, the weather is really nice today. Thought I'd mention.

As you might have guessed, I have a massive thing about "baby" food. The problem I have is that I can't eat it (well I can but I'd rather eat glass to be honest) so if I bought it out of a jar I'd spend on average 80p per meal for something that will get smooshed everywhere except in my daughter's mouth.  I'm not good at maths but that works out to be... a lot. And I'd have to do separate meals for her and us which takes time I don't have. When I was pregnant I said I'd just blend up proper food that we'd cooked and give her that, but then she started teething fairly early and the lady who runs my baby groups suggested baby-led feeding.

Don't get me wrong, I know I talk a bit posh and I know the difference between a quince spoon and a soup spoon (and I know what quince is) but I'm not one of those posh mums with a fancy new travel system, all the latest gadgets and high-tech toys, and a wardrobe full of Maman Jo Bebe. And I don't think I'm an "attachment" parent either because I don't actually know what one of those is.

I just like the idea that if you give your baby whole solid food then it makes mealtime more fun (because they eat the same food as you so they get to join in), helps their speech and hand-eye coordination, reduces the chances of them being obese as a child, makes them 10 times less likely to choke, helps with teething (not in our case...) and encourages them to make choices and preferences. And it works out cheaper. Win-win.

Well, hello!

Right, it's midnight so I'll make this brief. My name is Katherine. I do not have an unlimited supply of time to spend on honing gourmet, cordon bleu meals. I do not have a disposable income to spend on tiny pots of baby food. I also do not know how to use blogspot.

What I DO have, after 10 months of breastfeeding a tongue-tie baby and then standing firm on baby-led feeding, is a rather dogged "keep calm and carry on" approach to life, a new-found love of cooking, and a need to feed my daughter proper healthy food that I would be prepared to eat as well.

Brace yourselves, people!