Want something better than "What To Expect"?....

The Other Baby Book

"This ain't your mama's baby book"

Seriously, this book is so unlike the average books you will find touted by friends and family. In fact, the first thing you encounter upon reading this book is a poem about holding your baby all the time...

They told me babies should not be held:

It would spoil them and make them cry.

I wished to do what is best for them,

And the years went swiftly by.

Now empty are my yearning arms;

No more that thrill sublime.

If I had my babies back again,

I'd hold them all the time!

~Unknown Mama

See? How many books do you see advocating holding babies instead of training them? 

Next up is an introduction to the book and its ideas and values along with explaining how it's set up. There is also an introduction to the authors. Once the "nice to meet you's" and "how do you do's" are out of the way, the book moves into: BIRTH!!! Pushing, prepping, locations and more...it goes over many options and strategies. They cover a LOT of info and leave out the scare tactics. From birth, it moves fluidly into info on things involving the baby, like: eye drops, cord clamping, skin to skin and so on. After each chapter, they even provide you with a list of various other books to check into for even more in-depth learning. Each chapter also includes quotes from real moms,  from the authors and helpful info from doctors and experts. 

Would you believe it also includes info on vaccines, circumcision, co-sleeping/bed-sharing, CIO, bathing, baby wearing, baby led solids, elimination communication and  cloth diapering...? See what I mean about being different?

I should also add that while it IS geared toward the more natural side of parenting, it does cover the other side a little as well and gives options and info. Which wasn't necessary as they are providing info for this side of things where there aren't as many informational books. IF you are truly wanting other info, you can read one of the million usual books on the book store shelf. 

This would make a GREAT gift for an expecting mom. If you know one, do her a favor and get her this book and hope she chooses to read this over the popular ones she is sure to be bombarded with. 

If you care to connect with the authors of this book feel free to follow these links:

website: www.theotherbabybook.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheOtherBabyBook

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/OtherBabyBook

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/otherbabybook

This post is stop #8 on "The Other Baby Book Virtual Book Tour"

Click HERE to visit the virtual book tour line up!!!

Why no one breastfeeds anymore...

 

     I happen to have "liked" many parenting, breast feeding and birth pages on Facebook.  One thing I have noticed about ALL of them is that despite posting daily about normal behavior in babies, especially breastfed ones, about how to successfully breastfeed, and more,  at least once a day and sometimes as much as every hour a mom asks the page a question that baffles me. 


"My baby wants to eat every hour or two at night and I need sleep. Why is she doing this and how can I stop it"


"My baby is using me as a pacifier. What can I do?"


"My baby nurses once a day and I give him LOTS of solids and water and juice and bottles of formula while I am at work. My supply seems to be dwindling, how can I get it back up?"


"My baby is 2 days old and not acting satisfied after nursing, so, I let him nurse for a minute and then give him a bottle of formula. How can I get him to nurse more?"


These are just some of the questions I have seen and they all can let me know a few things about modern society that help me to know exactly why hardly anyone breastfeeds or why they quit early if they do.


 We are under the impression that a baby should eat quickly and remain satisfied for hours after a feed(like the modern formula fed counterpart), we believe that babies should go to sleep immediately once placed in a crib and should sleep soundly for most of the night(8 hours is good, but 12 hours is best), we believe that sucking beyond feeding and for comfort is for pacifiers only because breast aren't pacifiers(even though pacifiers ARE breast substitutes for when the breast isn't available to be suckled), we are under the impression that breastmilk isn't supply and demand and should turn on and off like like a faucet(even doctors and nurses don't seem to get this one).....


Then, you add in the fact that "breastfeeding is a private thing reserved for mom and baby alone and hidden from view of the world.", that daddies "absolutely CANNOT ever, ever bond with baby unless he gets to bottle feed at least a million times.", that " breasts are sexual ONLY and only for your husband to touch because a baby touching them is child porn and exposing he child to sex.", that "breastfeeding is GROSS and that formula is WAY easier and full of SO MANY vitamins and minerals that breastmilk doesn't have"., and "everyone and their mom and sister and grandma and best friends and dog had formula and are JUST FINE even though they all have breast cancer, hypertension, strokes, diabetes, asthma....and so on." .....


Every ad you see has a bottle fed baby, every show you watch has a bottle fed baby, every family you see in town is bottle feeding their baby in public, every doll you own has a bottle, every book you read has a bottle fed baby...


Your mom keeps telling you that baby isn't satisfied if he wants to eat every 2 hours and you should formula feed, your grandma thinks it's gross and tells you to formula feed, your hubby doesn't want you to nurse in front of ANYONE and wants you to formula feed, the doc thinks baby is a little lighter than average and wants you to formula feed, your best friends baby was formula fed and slept all night from day one(she also allowed baby to scream until it passed out from day one)...


So...If you have believed these things, saw these things, heard these things and were told these things....


It's no wonder we all quit. How could you not? It's just failure waiting to happen and IF, IF you happened to nurse beyond the first day, week, month or year...you deserve a standing ovation.  Think of everything you overcame. The obstacles are MANY. The help is few.


How can we counteract ALL this that is SO against breastfeeding? Can you think of some ways?

Gallery Of Extended Rear Facing Kids (Our Attempt At Making ERF The Norm)

Extended Rear Facing, meaning longer than one year old IS safer (http://themominformed.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-much-proof-do-you-need-and-how-much.html)


As of right now, the law here in the US states that you must keep your child rear facing until at LEAST One year old AND 20lbs. It does not say that you cannot rear face past One and past 20lbs. There is NO law that says they HAVE to turn forward at age one or 20lbs. That means the at One year old AND 20lbs, you child is at the BARE MINIMUM age and weight that they can be turned, it in no way means they must be turned. In fact, the AAP says that it is best if you can keep them until age 2 at the very least. 


Despite this, I still see TOO many parents turning kids early, or at one because they think it is the law, or because they think their kid under age one is "too long"/"too big" to rear face any longer. So, I wanted to create this posting to show OLDER and BIGGER kids rear facing and prove to the world that MOST kids CAN comfortably rear face way longer than everyone seems to think.


If you would like to add your child or know someone that would like to add theirs, please send the pictures and all info about the child's height, torso length, weight, age and carseat make/model/brand if possible to themominformed@gmail.com . 

Lorelei (10 months, 20lbs, 29 inches) and Eliza (3 years, 28lbs and 36 inches) 

rocking the Graco My Ride 65.~Nyssa

Morgan at 18 months old 24lbs 33in RF in a Graco MyRide

A few days after her second birthday. She is 30lbs 36in tall and still RF in the Graco MyRide

Riley Marie, 19 months!

Nathan, age 30 months, 30 lbs and 32 inches tall, 

rearfacing in a 2007 model Britax Boulevard

The next two pictures Nathan is 3 years 7 months, 38 lbs and 38 inches, 

Naomi is 13 months, 20 lbs and 28 inches, both rear facing in Radian XTSLs. 

Nathan is now 5 and forward facing, but Naomi is nearly 3 and 

still rearfacing as is her 1 year old sister Natalie

2.5 year old, Andrew, RFing in his Graco MyRide 65, 

enjoying a drink after playing hard at the park! 

He was 26.5 lbs in this picture, 34 inches tall. 

He's still rear-facing now at 28lbs and 36 inches tall. :)

Here's Grant! He's just over 12 months and 

just over 20lbs with NO plans to turn around! 

Pictured here loving his Diono Radian and all of its legroom!

Lyrik, 19 months old, in a my ride 65.  

The other seat is a britax frontier 85 

5 point harness for my 5 1/2 year old

Here are my RF pictures, my son stayed RF until he was 3yo and 35lb
and 37 inches long,
The picture at the Orange car show how you can have RF children in an
extremely small car, it is a Kia Rio, Plenty of room for mom and dad
too, he is 2.5 years old and 30lb there, the last picture he is
2years 9 months old and 32lb, the first picture he is 1year 4 months
old and probably 26lb

River is 2 years 8 months and 26 lbs and still rear-facing. 

She wears 3T clothes so she is pretty tall. 

Seth is 5 yrs 4 months and in a 5-point harness. 

He is 35lbs and wears 5T clothes so he is smaller. ;)

Justis RF at age 4. He is now 4 yrs 5 mos old and still RF

 3yr old, 32lbs, and 5 month old 17 lbs. RFing in Radians