August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. Having neither ever breastfed nor been breastfed, I'm generally respectful of, but unimpressed by, the hyperbole about Mother's Milk. I don't dispute the benefits of nursing, but I don't buy into the propaganda that those benefits are only available through the bare breast.
Bonding and attachment - My bottle-fed daughter and I couldn't be any closer if we shared the same skin. Every feeding was intimate and breathtaking, with our eyes locked on each other and her tiny hand clutching my hair. Now and then her rosebud mouth would pause mid-suck to grin up at me, and I would think, "This may be the moment my heart finally bursts."
My son, currently on the bottle, is happy, confident, attached, easy-going, and delightful. His feedings take much longer than his sisters, because he grins and giggles so much he forgets to suck. Nice "problem" to have.
Immunity - My daughter has always been healthy as an ox. She has never had an ear infection, never had a serious illness, and has far fewer colds than most kids I know. Her immune system is strong, her hair and skin are vibrant, she has a fantastic appetite and boundless energy. My son is in excellent health, strong, and thriving.
Nutrition - Our pediatrician (and father of four) has no problem with the nutritional particulars of the formula we use. Good enough for me.
It's become rather fashionable for adoptive mothers (and, I'm sorry to say, some fathers) to breastfeed, and I just don't get it. Why pump and massage and pop pills... when it's most likely that even if you can produce some milk it won't be enough to meet the baby's needs? Do people really believe that bottle-feeding is significantly inferior for both baby and mother (father)?
Am I over-thinking if I suggest that if you're that driven to breastfeed maybe you're not as OK with adopting as you thought you were? Maybe you're feeding something inside you, rather than your baby.
I don't mean to sound insensitive. Gosh knows there's too much badgering on both sides of the breastfeeding issue, and I'm not looking to start any fights. Maybe I'm ignorant about it because as I said at the beginning of this post, I have zero personal experience with nursing.
Or maybe I just don't get it because I just don't get it. Hey, I think people drinking cow's milk is creepy, so I know I've got skews in my perspective.
What is your experience with this? I'd like to know what you think.
Sally Bacchetta
The Adoptive Parent
My Google Profile+
Sally Bacchetta's YouTube Channel
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
One Lovely Blog Award!
What a thrill to find that Deb at Waiting on Life Part Two has awarded me the "One Lovely Blog Award". I'm truly honored to be chosen by her for the award. Thank you, Deb!
The rules of the "One Lovely Blog Award" are: Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15* other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
Below is a list of blogs I think deserve the "One Lovely Blog Award". They are adoptive parents, adoptees, birth mothers/first mothers, prospectives, and touched by adoption only peripherally, but all of these blogs, and the bloggers who blog them, feed something inside me.
A Mommy-In-Waiting - abundant hope
Birth Mother, First Mother Forum - a valuable, challenging, education
Bloggin...INSTYLE! - Michelle is like a tall glass of cool water on a sweltering day
Cake Wrecks - what can I say?
emily the hopeless - no caps, great pics, and rampant randomness. it's all there.
From The Mind of a BMom - for perspective
If It Takes a Whole Life - because I've built my family through adoption, I grew up in a century+ old house, and I've thrown in the towel on the sanity thing!
I'm a Smart One - yes, she is. And sassy as they come.
Life of Mom... After Loss to Adoption! - sometimes painful, always illuminating, indomitable spirit. Definitely start at her beginning.
Love You Already - I, too, journaled to our "Someday Babies"
Mommy Monsters - witty, well-crafted, and so flippin' relevant
1000 Awesome Things - for mindful living
O Solo Mama - confident, with reason to be
Phffft! - not a blog, but a gifted writer, exceptional being, and cherished friend
Quest for a Lifetime - honest and interesting
This Woman's Work - informative, challenging, well-written
Thanks Deb, for the award! And thanks to my awardees for being there!
Craft your day,
Sally
Sally Bacchetta
The Adoptive Parent
My Google Profile+
Sally Bacchetta's YouTube Channel
The rules of the "One Lovely Blog Award" are: Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15* other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
Below is a list of blogs I think deserve the "One Lovely Blog Award". They are adoptive parents, adoptees, birth mothers/first mothers, prospectives, and touched by adoption only peripherally, but all of these blogs, and the bloggers who blog them, feed something inside me.
A Mommy-In-Waiting - abundant hope
Birth Mother, First Mother Forum - a valuable, challenging, education
Bloggin...INSTYLE! - Michelle is like a tall glass of cool water on a sweltering day
Cake Wrecks - what can I say?
emily the hopeless - no caps, great pics, and rampant randomness. it's all there.
From The Mind of a BMom - for perspective
If It Takes a Whole Life - because I've built my family through adoption, I grew up in a century+ old house, and I've thrown in the towel on the sanity thing!
I'm a Smart One - yes, she is. And sassy as they come.
Life of Mom... After Loss to Adoption! - sometimes painful, always illuminating, indomitable spirit. Definitely start at her beginning.
Love You Already - I, too, journaled to our "Someday Babies"
Mommy Monsters - witty, well-crafted, and so flippin' relevant
1000 Awesome Things - for mindful living
O Solo Mama - confident, with reason to be
Phffft! - not a blog, but a gifted writer, exceptional being, and cherished friend
Quest for a Lifetime - honest and interesting
This Woman's Work - informative, challenging, well-written
Thanks Deb, for the award! And thanks to my awardees for being there!
Craft your day,
Sally
Sally Bacchetta
The Adoptive Parent
My Google Profile+
Sally Bacchetta's YouTube Channel
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