Thursday 7 October 2010

Bullied.

I just read Single Dad Laughing's post about being bullied http://www.danoah.com/2010/10/memoirs-of-bullied-kid.html and I thought I would share my response to his post on here:

I was bullied at school. It was unforgiving, unrelenting. And when I grew up the first thing I did was get the hell away from the area and get some 'therapy' as soon as I could afford it.
Many years later I returned home and while my dad did some work on my car I took the bus into town. When I got on the bus the only seat left was next to the girl who had been pretty much the ringleader of my bullies. "You know what", I thought "you are not going to scare me any more" and I sat down next to her. It was one of the best things I have ever done.
She recognised me and she said sorry. I sat there in something close to disbelief while she poured her heart out about what she'd done and why she'd done it. Twenty minutes on that bus changed my life, I realised I wasn't the sad one, I wasn't the weak or ugly or any of those things they made me believe and I certainly wasn't one of life's victims but she was.
I see her now from time to time. I ask how her kids are, she asks about mine, we don't bring up the past. And I always come away feeling uncomfortable, life dealt her a really really rough hand. I wish there had been someone who really could have been there for her the way my family were for me.
And something else I really wish? That every bullied kid could get their twenty minutes on a bus too.

Wednesday 6 October 2010

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Opps - I did it again!

http://www.lactivist.net/?p=1979


This picture did make me laugh, but when I ‘liked’ it on Facebook some of my friends got quite upset. I understand that breastfeeding can be a very emotive issue, I myself get very upset when I think others are being critical of my little one’s extended nursing but should my friends understand that this is just a reflection of my sense of humour (and if they are going to be friends on facebook accept that they will see this sort of thing from time to time) or do they have a point? Is a group of breastfeeding mums laughing at a bottle of formula called Eveil, well evil? Are we hurting the people we should be reaching out to or should we all just get thicker skins?

A good morning

I'm feeling happy. Why? Just done my good deed for the day!
I went round to the house of a local mum who's just had a new baby. She is a very special baby, apart from being a beautiful and treasured child she has Prader Willi Syndrome (if you'd like to know more about PWS please have a look at the website of the PWS association for the UK http://www.pwsa.co.uk/main.php ). Baby is nearly 4 weeks old and has just come home from hospital with her new diagnosis. She is a very floppy baby and is slow to respond to stimulus, she's also being fed by a tube through her nose and into her tummy.
Her parents are lovely people and are determined to give her the best possible care. Her mum is pumping away to provide breastmilk and wants to give breastfeeding a go (PWS babies are not normally successful at either breast or bottle, generally they go from tubes to cup feeding and then straight into weaning but we will try). The NHS do not provide  breast pumps in this area, you have to hire them privately so I'm feeling very pleased that I've managed to find her a free dual line electric pump from someone who was giving theirs away and we found someone who could supply a brand new collection set (second hand pumps are fine but you should always buy new breastcups and bottles). So the milk collection is working well and I'm reading up on how to teach baby to latch.
I've also given them one of my baby slings. It's very tempting to pop PWS babies into their cot or chair and get on with looking after the rest of the family while they just lie there, after all they don't do much or make much noise but carrying baby around in a sling will help her to be more stimulated. The sight and smell or mum as well as all the noises she makes are very stimulating for any baby from such close quarters but for PWS babies they are essential in helping them build their neural connections and improve their muscle tone. It's also a very comforting place for baby to be. The sling I've lent them is the Totsbots papoozle (http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl;jsessionid=GyHDMrqCYpLJnn2GxFLWH1hKspc192ZyvYsQptXJ7rmnQTy3d1MByy6TwmpnLvp26HShnMNLxPyK1GJqwTM1K3HvLC53QYVCnbV7TwFbFhPG0MZmQCyFqpdQjz1hpSfj!1102953741?c=427532&sc=7&category=3361)  because it keeps baby upright in a heart-to-heart position and can be easily adapted to support baby's neck and head, it's very 'kangaroo care'. 
Then I helped them sort out the carseat too. Not bad for a morning's volunteering.



PS. sorry about the long links, I'll have to work out how to sort that!

Sunday 3 October 2010

So this is it?

Always been tempted to do one of these things.
I suspect it will start off as a way for me to rant and end up with me running out of things to rant about!
Of course i have to make the decision whether to tell anyone about it - if I don't then what's the point of it, if I do then I'll have to not rant about them! Perhaps it's better to establish myself and then make that decision!

Anyway that was boring, what things really interest me? Breastfeeding, I'm passionate about it (hence the title of the blog really!) I LOVE breastfeeding my little ones. I think it's been one of the most wonderful things being a mum has brought me (appart from the two little ones, obviously!) and I've found the stuff I've learned about breastfeeding and breastmilk simply fascinating and I really want to spread the word. That, I guess is the main reason for this blog.
What else, well all things in the field of fertility. We had to use assisted reproduction to make our family and I've found myself on various fertility groups and writing countless letters on the topic.
Parenting. Mostly attachment parenting (well it helps so much with the breastfeeding). I love reading other peoples ideas on it and sharing that information around.
Real nappies. Yes I am a fluff addict. I have around 100 nappies in my collection of various brands. I can't imagine why people wouldn't want to use them!
Left wing, feminist and eco-politics. According to my dad I married a "trendy-wendy-lefty-wefty-beardy-weirdy"! I did and he's fantastic. I suspect the whole village think we are a bit weird like that.
Science. Before my darling husband (here after DH) and the kids came along science was my life. It is still my life raft. It's what I look to for help to keep my head above the water when I feel like life is drowning me, I look for the science to help me sort it.
And somewhere inside all of that I still find time to read fiction and listen to music. Most listened to band - New Model Army. Most read author, probably Terry Pratchett.
Think that covers it for now.