Chandler, Arizona
Sweet Pea ​Births
Sweet Pea ​Births
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
Blog
Breastfeeding: A Family Affair
Posted on August 1, 2014 at 4:42 PM |
We are 100 months into our breastfeeding journey – as a
family. I say family because Coach Bruss has been an integral part of my
success at breastfeeding. He was there
encouraging me and thanking me for my commitment to breastfeed in the first
weeks when it hurt so much that I cried every time Puma nursed. He supported my choice to try and breastfeed
through a pregnancy – the first time it didn’t work out; the second time it
did. He was 100% behind my choice to
tandem nurse a toddler and a newborn, and then two toddlers when weaning didn’t
happen as we expected. Now we are down
to one nursling, and his unwavering support is the same today as it was when we
started this journey on January 25, 2005.
I’ve shared this before HERE; sharing it again today on the kick off of World Breastfeeding Week 2014 because
our family believes in BREASTFEEDING:
A Winning Goal - For Life! A Father’s perspective on breastfeeding: Bruss Bowman, AAHC There are countless choices that you and your partner are
faced with when deciding to start a family. Like a lot of fathers I was
excited to start a family and like most fathers I had a minimal understanding
of what was required in the process of pregnancy, labor, delivery and caring
for baby in the first years of life. Throughout the process of all our children’s pregnancies,
labor/delivery and first years I have been open to most ideas with the
overarching goal of doing what is best for the health and well being of
Krystyna and our children. During our first pregnancy Krystyna and I attended Bradley
Method® birth classes. In addition to a comprehensive pregnancy/birth
education, Bradley™ also has teaching curriculum for breastfeeding.
Furthermore, Bradley™ encourages its students to get involved in their
local chapter of the La Leche League breastfeeding groups. Bradley™ was my first real exposure to an in-depth knowledge
of the countless benefits of breast-feeding for Mom and baby. I strongly
encourage the Dads reading this to spend some time on the Internet researching
the many benefits. You don’t have to spend much time reading to become an
advocate for breastfeeding. The benefits that stood out for me were: 1. Health of Mom:
2. Health of baby
I made a conscious decision to do everything I could to
support her in her strong desire to breastfeed our children while attending the
Bradley™ classes for our first child and learning about the benefits. What does support of the Dad mean? Come to find out
this support came in many ways, some obvious and some not so obvious. The obvious support is taking care of all the little details
around the house and making sure Mom has everything she needs so that she can
give her full attention to baby. Especially in those first days and weeks
Mom will be recovering from labor and delivery and the new baby will consume
most of her waking time. Dads you need to make sure that the home
environment is running as smooth as possible and that you are making sure that
Mom is hydrated and well fed, 24 X 7. Some joke that breast-feeding is great for Dads, especially
in the middle of the night, that Dads get to sleep. Well, supporting Mom means making sure that
if there’s something that Mom needs done whether food/drink, something that Mom
needs for comfort or taking care of anything in the household, even if it’s in
the middle of the night, then you need to get up and do those things with
*enthusiasm*. The not so obvious support of Dad means understanding (or
learning) that breastfeeding for first time Moms is new, it might be scary, it
might hurt (a lot), it might be very difficult or not work at all. So
your spouse may need your support if any or all of those things happen.
You need to be there for her as she progresses through the learning
curve. Support her if she wants to attend La Leche League meetings or
talk to lactation consultants or other Mom’s groups. The more you
actively support Mom during these initial days and weeks the more likely that
Mom will stick with breastfeeding to her great benefit and the baby’s.
The last area of Dad’s providing support that I found was
breastfeeding in public. This process is something else that has its own
learning curve and Mom may also have varying degrees of modesty issues.
Helping Mom through the learning curve, staying close to her as she feeds
your child will help give her the support she needs to overcome any issues she
may have with public breastfeeding. In short my Dad’s perspective based on our experience and
learning is that breastfeeding is VERY beneficial to Mom and baby. As
such it’s my role as father to do everything I can to support Mom as she
breastfeeds our children. This is *especially* important for the first
baby as Mom is learning this new skill. How has breastfeeding been a family affair for you? Please leave us a comment - it will be moderated and
posted. More posts about Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding Cafe Blog Carnival Breastfeeding Awareness Month Black Breastfeeding Week Disclaimer: It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
Categories: Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Awareness Month, Breastfeeding in Public, Breastfeeding support
Post a Comment
Oops!
The words you entered did not match the given text. Please try again.
0 Comments
Loading...
Categories
- Why we chose the Bradley Method� childbirth classes (14)
- Birth center (34)
- Birth Centers Phoenix AZ area (8)
- Birth place options (36)
- Bradley Method� outcome (44)
- Managing or coping with natural labor (33)
- natural labor coping mechanisms (35)
- Natural labor coping techniques (35)
- Pain management (23)
- Pain management natural labor (18)
- The Bradley Method� pain management (19)
- First stage labor (29)
- Birth plans (72)
- The Bradley Method® (68)
- Birth Story (33)
- Bradley Method® birth story (16)
- Birth Circle (9)
- Midwife (36)
- Midwifery Care (32)
- Cesarean Birth (35)
- Cesarean Surgery (27)
- Doulas (50)
- Second Stage Labor (21)
- Acupuncture (5)
- Parenting (63)
- Use of vacuum extraction (1)
- Breastfeeding (232)
- Chiropractic Care (10)
- Webster Protocol (3)
- Breastfeeding support (154)
- Information Center (101)
- The Bradley Method® classes (57)
- Placenta Encapsulation (11)
- Postpartum Depression (31)
- Breech presentation (8)
- Breech turning techniques (6)
- ECV (6)
- External Cephalic Version (6)
- Infections and Pregnancy (7)
- Bradley� Coaches (47)
- Coach's Corner (14)
- Coaches (47)
- Coaching (39)
- Exercise (18)
- Modern Mommy Boutique (10)
- Nursing and Maternity Bras (4)
- Transition (11)
- Postpartum Plan (29)
- Grief Counseling and Support Services (3)
- Miscarriage or Stillbirth (8)
- Pregnancy Loss (4)
- Variations and Complications (17)
- Going to your birthplace (9)
- Homebirth (58)
- Hospital Birth (57)
- Informed Consent (29)
- Patient Bill of Rights (2)
- Dehydration and Pregnancy (5)
- Fluid Retention (3)
- Heat Comfort Measures (7)
- Hyperthermia and Pregnancy (2)
- Pre-term Labor (4)
- Swelling in Pregnancy (2)
- Full term (9)
- Past due date (6)
- Postdate (7)
- Postmature baby (2)
- Crying (8)
- Newborn Care (23)
- Fussy baby (11)
- Support Groups (17)
- Pregnancy (69)
- Avoiding harmful substances (32)
- Toxins, pesticides, chemicals and pregnancy (18)
- Starting Solids (14)
- Drinking during labor (11)
- Eating during labor (12)
- NPO (2)
- Nutrition (37)
- Due Date (9)
- Planning for Baby (34)
- Child Spacing (3)
- Sibling Preparation for Newborn Arrival (9)
- Breastfeeding 101 (24)
- Debbie Gillespie, IBCLC, RLC (8)
- Circumcision (2)
- Lactivist (3)
- In Their Own Words (36)
- NIP (25)
- Nursing In Public (28)
- Childcare (17)
- Infant Classes (5)
- Photographer (5)
- Epidural (15)
- Depression (12)
- Allergies (3)
- Dairy Allergy (2)
- Breast Pumps (19)
- Postpartum Doula (11)
- Jaundice (2)
- Newborn jaundice (1)
- RSV (4)
- Postpartum (55)
- Labor Marathon (20)
- Labor Sprint (17)
- Belly Cast (2)
- Maternity Keepsake (1)
- Natural birth (34)
- Obstetrical Care (16)
- Engorgement (2)
- Uterine Rupture (3)
- Berman's Law (1)
- Back Labor (3)
- Healing (8)
- Hearing Screen (1)
- Perineum (4)
- Herbalist (2)
- Tandem Nursing (5)
- Breastfeeding Challenges (91)
- Tongue Tie (2)
- Tongue Tie Procedure (2)
- Bradley Day Family Picnic (5)
- Cephalo-Pelvic Disproportion (3)
- CPD (3)
- Failure to Progress (10)
- Fetal Distress (2)
- FTP (5)
- Pain (4)
- Prolonged Labor (3)
- Baby games (4)
- Playing with baby (5)
- Sensory games (2)
- Cesarean Support Group (16)
- Baby blues (8)
- NAP (5)
- Natural Alignment Plateau (6)
- Baby-led weaning (2)
- BLW (2)
- Comfort Measures (15)
- Flower Essences (4)
- Relaxation practice (4)
- First Foods for baby (2)
- Babywearing (21)
- Nursing (31)
- Sling (2)
- Soft-structured carrier (1)
- Wrap (2)
- Weaning (2)
- Co Sleeping (6)
- Family Bed (6)
- Relaxation (6)
- Meet the Doula (24)
- Bradley Method® (37)
- Bradley Method® for next baby (4)
- Bradley Method® for second pregnancy (5)
- Bradley™ classes and the next baby (4)
- Bradley™ classes for next pregnancy (3)
- Bradley™ classes for second pregnancy (3)
- Next baby (5)
- Next pregnancy (7)
- Repeat Bradley™ classes (1)
- Bedtime Routine (5)
- Children's Books (3)
- Breast Pumps and Workplace (10)
- Breastfeeding in Public (37)
- Communication (8)
- Labor Support (25)
- Amniotomy (5)
- AROM (6)
- Artifical Rupture of Membranes (5)
- Bag of Waters (5)
- Premature Ruptture of Membranes (4)
- PROM (4)
- ROM (4)
- Rupture of Membranes (4)
- La Leche League (8)
- Nursing Strike (2)
- Galactogogues (1)
- Increase Breastmilk (2)
- Milk Supply (2)
- CIO (4)
- Cry It Out (4)
- Teething (1)
- Hyperemesis Gravidarum (1)
- Morning Sickness (3)
- Nausea (2)
- Eclampsia (1)
- Healthy, Low-Risk (16)
- Pre-eclampsia (5)
- Rights for Homebirth (6)
- Traditions (2)
- Midwifery Scope of Practice Committee (5)
- Scavenger Hunt (1)
- Sweet Pea Births (5)
- Cassandra Okamoto (6)
- Mommy-Con (9)
- Phoenix Mommy-Con Mini (2)
- Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (18)
- Vaginal Birth After Multiple Cesareans (10)
- VBAC (21)
- Monitrice (1)
- Baby Concierge (4)
- First Birthday (1)
- Oxytocin (2)
- Warning Labels (3)
- Inside Look (19)
- Induction (12)
- Induction of Labor (8)
- Labor Induction (11)
- Episiotomy (3)
- Info Sheet (22)
- Information Sheet (22)
- Augmentation (4)
- Labor Augmentation (9)
- Cord Clamping (2)
- Delayed Cord Clamping (2)
- Immediate Cord Clamping (2)
- Birth Mantra (19)
- Rally to Improve Birth (4)
- Eye Drops (1)
- Eye Ointment (1)
- Eye Prophylaxis (1)
- Neonatal Eye Drops (1)
- Neonatal Eye Ointment (1)
- Neonatal Eye Prophylaxis (1)
- Wordless Wednesday (37)
- Big Latch On (1)
- Blog Carnival (3)
- IBCLC (11)
- Lactation Consult (3)
- Lactation Consultation (3)
- WBW2013 (1)
- World Breastfeeding Week (51)
- Thoughtful Thursday (3)
- Family Fun (18)
- Weekend Activities (1)
- Upcoming Events (81)
- Breastfeeding Awareness Month (76)
- Sleep Sharing (1)
- Newborn (12)
- Newborn Procedures (3)
- Preemies (4)
- Twins (1)
- Vitamin K (1)
- Vaccines (3)
- Fertility (10)
- Premature Baby (4)
- Babymoon (4)
- Green Nursery (4)
- Gowning (1)
- Affirmation (20)
- Birth News (5)
- First Trimester (1)
- Membranes (3)
- Stripping Membranes (2)
- Sweeping Membranes (2)
- Fear-Tension-Pain Cycle (2)
- Third Trimester (2)
- Baby (26)
- Infant Care (9)
- Contest (1)
- Family Fest (9)
- Giveaway (1)
- Birth (33)
- Nursery (3)
- Bradley® Dads (3)
- Mantra (8)
- Waterbirth (3)
- Essential Oils (1)
- Gestational Diabetes (1)
- Q&A with SPB (23)
- NICU (3)
- Placenta (4)
- Birth Story Listening (1)
- Meditation (3)
- Birthing From Within (3)
- Ask the Doula (1)
- Monday Mantra (4)
/
Oops!
Oops, you forgot something.