Roaring Mama

02/09/2019

Happy Labor Day 😬😂

14/08/2019

Raising the bar 🦇

FLYING MOM

Flying fox nursing her pup in flight. Image by Doug Gimesy Photography

05/08/2019

The poster below is a perfect example of anti-breastfeeding "information". This notion that you can't eat certain foods when breastfeeding is not based in science. Let's look at some of the information.

First of all let's look at foods that "okay" for breastfeeding mothers. Nothing really wrong with what they say except that you don't have to take in calcium to make milk with calcium. But the real problem is that this is a diet for people who are relatively affluent. Many mothers could not afford to eat such a diet and thus be frightened into formula feeding, which, I should emphasize is actually more expensive that the foods mentioned here. This is a stratagem used by formula companies. A prime example a few years ago was a campaign by one formula company in Brazil, supported by the Brazilian pediatric society, saying that your breastfed baby eats what you eat. Posters were widely distributed showing a baby suckling at a breast that looks like a doughnut, or looks like a hamburger.

What about the panels of foods "to avoid".

1. Sugary foods. The poster says in this section to avoid fatty foods and salty foods as well as sugary foods. We all should try to keep our sugar, salt and fat intake at a reasonable level. But to imply that if you eat a lot of sugar your baby has an increased risk of obesity is just plain wrong. Breastmilk, in fact, does not change much in response to what you eat. It changes from morning to evening, from day to day, from month 1 to month 6, and later, but not because of what you eat. But if you eat a lot of sugar, your milk will have the same amount of sugar as if you ate no sugar at all.

2. "You might find that just a dash of pepper is enough to make your baby irritated and fussy for hours". This is pure fantasy. There is no evidence for this being true. And it is unlikely that anything in pepper or other spices would get into the milk in quantities that would bother the baby.

3. Citrus fruits? "Certain compounds" are supposed to the irritating to the baby´s gut. Oh, please! If these "certain compounds got into the milk would they not be irritating to the breast or ni**le?

4. Caffeine? Babies do not excrete caffeine as rapidly as adults true, but so little gets into the milk that a cup or two of coffee will not bother the baby. Caffeine is given to premature babies as a treatment and nobody worries about how they might excrete caffeine. It's not right to deprive breastfeeding mothers from drinking coffee and tea in reasonable amounts. This poster eliminates much of what mothers like to eat.

5. Processed foods? Not a great choice for anyone, this is not specific to breastfeeding mothers. But just as above, the preservatives will not get into the milk in any significant quantities.

6. Garlic? Are they insane? Garlic does not bother babies. This is prejudice against people who eat garlic. Most of the world loves garlic and eat it when the baby breastfeeds without harm to anyone.

7. No peppermint, fennel, parsley, or chamomile? There is no evidence for this to show that the way people typically eat these can reach therapeutic levels.

8. Alcohol, no level of alcohol in the milk is safe for the breastfed baby? Except that almost no alcohol gets into the milk. See this article http://ibconline.ca/maternal-medications/. Alcohol is discussed near the end of the article, but it's worth reading the whole thing.

This poster is an appalling attempt to frighten women out of breastfeeding and enjoying what they like to eat. These restrictions on what breastfeeding mothers can eat have been debunked decades ago. Let's encourage good nutrition for everyone, and let's stop haranguing breastfeeding mothers into stopping breastfeeding by worrying them about their diets.

You can find a more about how to prevent problems with breastfeeding, including preventing fussiness, "colic", "reflux" "allergy to something in the mother's milk" and much more in my ebook called Breastfeeding: Empowering Parents: www.ibconline.ca/ebook

05/06/2019

Don’t drape a blanket over your stroller on hot days! You’ll turn it into an oven.

Everyone knows leaving children in hot cars is a big no-no, even for a few minutes. But as temperatures continue to blast us this summer, a common stroller mistake could also be putting babies at risk. Covering a stroller with a blanket to shield your baby from the sun – even if it's with a very.....

25/05/2019

14/05/2019

“As those US obstetricians attending the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) responded to their UK counterpart’s ridicule of Meghan Markle’s birth plans with “raucous laughter”, […] in such lovely juxtaposition, there was Prince Harry, a new father looking a little tired, with that so typical expression we see on the partner’s face who has just witnessed not just the birth of their child, but the transformation of the mother of that child as she internalizes the power of birth. His words in the announcement of the birth showed that he, unlike those laughing obstetricians, got it: “How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension”.”

When mainstream media reported that a pregnant person had become “the laughing stock of a group of top US obstetricians”, what they didn’t understand was that they were witnessing an attitude that is foundational to the behaviors identified as obstetric violence.

12/05/2019

Happy Mother’s Day ❤️

Le sigh. ♥️

10/05/2019

👏👏👏

02/05/2019

23/03/2019

21/03/2019

A labor of love, indeed🤰🏼💞

15/02/2019

The poem breastfed babies can’t say but feel with all their hearts ♥️

Happy Valentine's Day ❤⚘🍫

08/02/2019

Alina is THE BOMB. I wish I knew her when my kids were babies. If your little ones struggle with sleep, contact her! She's the best

07/02/2019

🤯

What would you think if you were told that your baby is part of your body? Literally. Or that you are actually part of your baby’s body? Yes, literally. As much as it sounds more of an emotional expression of love between the mother and her baby, some of the cells that contain all our genetic info...

07/02/2019

Tip for the moms who are up nursing/pumping throughout the night:
If you need some light so you can see what you are doing, use a red night light or a red light bulb for your side table lamp. It will help maintain your melatonin levels and it will be less stimulating for your baby. Red light helps both Mom and Baby return to sleep faster 😴

P.S. I love these gummy bear night lights. They are cute and wireless, you can move them with you around the house 🐻

05/02/2019

The best 😍

29/01/2019

Sharing is caring 🤷‍♀️

29/01/2019

Yes! A mother is born with each baby. Support her as she grows again.

26/01/2019

💣 💣

We've all been there

26/01/2019

These are great anytime, but especially in labor ❤️

21/01/2019

A great visual to explain a membrane sweep.
As a side note: vaginal exams are ok if you want them and know why they’re happening. It’s up to YOU

15/01/2019

Man says if he sleeps only 5 hours a night for one week and survives, he's accomplished a great feat. Moms everywhere are like hahahaha, sure bruh.

11/01/2019

"My cervix is softening, opening, and unfolding. My cervix is melting away, allowing my baby to come down and out. My cervix is on no rigid timeline, I give my body what it needs to birth this baby."

31/12/2018

Did you know full term has changed from 37 weeks to 39-41 weeks? Your baby's Lung, Brain and liver continues to develop in the womb weeks 37-39.

21/12/2018

PSA! For those of you nursing and traveling this holiday season, here are some tips!

20/12/2018

🤐

19/12/2018

The comments 😂🤣

Rachel McAdams wore Versace and a breast pump for her new magazine cover—see all the images from her shoot here: http://wwwear.me/XGd62K2

17/12/2018

Moms often worry that having a C section may impact the health of their baby. New evidence suggests that breastfeeding helps!

"full-term babies born by C-section who were breast-fed for at least 4 weeks were found to have a similar gut bacteria composition to vaginally born babies by 8 weeks of age"

Check out the full article, including the link to the paper, here: http://apc.ucc.ie/breast-feeding-particularly-important-babies-born-c-section/

12/12/2018

Truer words were never spoken ❤️😭