How many great moms are out there? I have met many great moms through my blog. Many who share my convictions on nutrition and holistic approches. However, there are many people out there who do not share these same veiws. In fact I deal with them daily. Now breastfeeding moms have gotten a bad rap it seems for pushing their veiws on others (breastfeeding is not the only issue here), but I have experienceed the exact oposite. The breastfeeding moms (myself included) just want to feel that they are supported and encouraged just as much as any mom. I have faced a lot of opposition to the way that I feed my child. Some from those that formula feed, some from public workers, and some from my family. This has puzzled and hurt me. I DO NOT push my views on others and tell them that formula feeding or giving their kids this or that is bad and wrong.To each his own, if it works for you GREAT!If something else works for me GREAT! I just feel that there is alot of backlash comming at me for the way that I have choosen to feed my baby. (I am venting here if you didnt notice). I have followed ALL the reccommendations, breastmilk until they are 6 months old, some solids 7-9 months, most solids by 9-12 months. My child is healthy, by healthy I mean that he is within the normal weight range, he is not showing any signs of nurtitional deficiency, which are:
Hair: brittle, dry, wirelike
Skin: wrinkled & losse, eaily buised, pale
Eyes: dull lusterless, bloodshot
Lips:Fissures at corners, heal poorly
There are several reasons why I am posting about this topic, one is because I have heard of this happening to others, two because it has personally happend to me, and three because it is easy to give into cultural pressures. We are an overwieght nation. I encourage moms to rethink the way that we have been doing things nutritionally because something isnt working right when we have diabetes, heart conditions, and a generation that will NOT out live their parents. Somethings got to give. So if their are moms who want to try something different than what has been the norm, like feeding are children strickly vegatables, meats, fruits and whole grains, and not junk food or sweets, we may be in for a health revolution. I guess society can thank us great moms later.
Here is a clip of my healthy child. Enjoy.
Me & My Little Noah
I Heart Babywearing!
About Me
- Elaine
- I am a 26 year old, wife to a wonderful husband,and mom of two sweet boys.
6 comments:
hey elaine! havent heard from you in a while and saw you hadn't posted in a while either, i wondered what happened to ya. glad to see you're alive :)
omg i cant believe how big noah has gotten. in the video clip he is like almost running, lol! i didnt think it has been that long since i saw him... just goes to show how quick they grow up!
anyways, i know you're busy and i'm sorry for sending out a ton of emails. just respond whenever you have time! TTYL
Elaine, I can remember so many people giving me advice when I had Dawson (some were family, some friends and church people). My sister told me this would happen. I just took the advice I liked and used it and discarded the rest (though I was offended at times, and still am). I have learned there is no "perfection" in parenting. I always wanted to be a perfect parent to please God, and then I learned it was not possible. Dawson was a thin baby because he moved all the time. The doctor told me to feed him as much as he wanted (quality food of course) and on demand, because he needed more calories than most children. He was often at the lower part of the weight chart his first few years (everything else was above normal), so I took that seriously and followed his advice. My kids have been healthy overall, and I think cooking at home and good hygiene (ex: handwashing) helps a lot. Be careful that you don't overanalize your parenting, (or read too many books) it will drive you nuts (it did me)! Just enjoy life with Noah and follow your heart. You are a good mom!
Hi Elaine,
its been forever since Ive commented on your blog but i thought id comment tonight since I got a few minutes..
I think people sometimes will say things to us that are meant as true concern and love... but to us (the mothers) it can come across as an attack.
Im sure whoever in your family or friends commented on how you feed your child is doing it out of real love and concern and thats it. I am sure their motive isnt to hurt you or your precious baby.
I agree that many parents over feed their children... giving them to much junk food or letting them sit around and play video games all day with no physical activity. I see this so much in our teens especially.
The thing is with a baby I dont really think you can do this as long as you dont do crazy things like feed them 6 oz of pepsi in their bottle or fried chicken and jo jo's with each meal.
Ive seen those shows like Maury where they have these moms who give their kids junk non stop and because of it their babies are 45 lbs at one year old.
I dont think that is healthy.
BUT! I think as long as you feed them 3 meals a day and maybe 1 or 2 snacks.. plus their breastmilk or milk inbetween then thats fine.
Taite is just over 1 and I can honestly say he eats more than my 3 year old.
The funny thing is when Caleb was this age he ate more than he does now. With age Calebs eaten less and less and has gotten VERY picky. I think this is normal because my mom told me I was exactly the same as Caleb.
Taite though can pack away food like its no ones business. Its so fun to watch him eat. He just loves it.
I know being a 1st time mom we have a lot more worries than 2nd time moms. Trust me i was there just a few years ago w/ Caleb. Im much more relaxed with Taite.
But let me just share from personal experience a baby wont over eat unless you push them to over eat and feed them wrongly.
When we sit down to eat with Taite we give him a small portion (like a cup full) of food. He eats it and if he fusses for more we normally give him a little bit more. I think if a baby still acts hungry and we dont think their to stuffed then there is no harm. You can look at a baby and tell when they've eaten to much. My husband calls it "Swelling up like a tic" haha.
Babies are so active that they need food for energy. Taite runs non stop and is actually a very lean and thin baby, in my opinion. Compared to how Caleb was at his age he is very skinny. Just so you know Caleb weighed like 25-28lbs when he was Taites age. HE WAS HUGE!!!
Taite weighs 24 lbs now. He turned 1 on Dec 18th.
The other day we had a potlock at church and Taite at a good 1/2 cup of spaghetti, half cup of greenbeans (one of his fav!), a spoonful or so of beef stew and a couple nibbles of my brownie and he was happy as a lark!
Thats not his normal intake but to let your child eat a good hardy meal once and a while wont kill him.
Most breakfast meals Taite will eat 1 egg scrambled.
Lunches his fav. thing is cooked veggies (about 1 cup full).
Some lunches tho he will eat an entire turkey hot dog. One day he almost ate 2!
It varies.
I feel like im on a tangent here :-) and may not make any sense..
I just want to let you know that no one is meaning to judge you are as a mother or critique your son.
But you got to relax some days and realize that your lil man will have a few cookies in his life ;-) and I promise he'll be fine.
We dont eat many snacks. I buy a lot of natural foods and limit Calebs sugar (hes on a special low sugar diet right now).. so our snacks consist of low-fat cheese string, crackers, raisins, and maybe the occasional cookie. Thats really about it.
I treat them with chocolate some days.
Im not trying to tell you what to do.. like you said each mom can do things the way they feel is best.
As long as Noah stays active. Eats healthy (with an occasional cookie, COME ON I love them 2 hehe) and drinks lots of water he will be fine as a grown man.
Obesiety is a huge problem in this country and I think can be control with love and teaching your children what is good for their bodies... but as a child we shouldnt be to controlling I think.
Hope that helps. From one young mom to another!
Ow and if you are curious Caleb is 3 1/2 and weighs 40 pounds now. He is also well over 3 foot tall and VERY lean. Hes a healthy strong and active toddler. So his chubby stage as a baby didnt cause him to be overweighs as a toddler :-) he was my lil sumo hehe.
forgive typos!
and wow my comment was like a short novel LOL
Andrea,
Thanks for posting first of all. I respect your input and opinions. I love that you have many of the same ideas that I have about parenting & that we have little guys about the same age! It is fun to see the similarities.
I guess I need to clearify. I am getting more opposition to how MUCH I feed Noah, and when to introduce foods to him(for example someone wanted me to give him regular milk before he was 9 months old!)Some of this is comming from people who have kids and others who do not.
I feed Noah on demand, as much as he wants, and actually he does eat alot. Like you said three meals a day plus 2-3 snacks.
You were saying some of the meals that Taite eats, and Noah loves many of the same things, and eats just about as much. Although Noah is more of a breakfast kid (He eats whole packs of oatmeal, eggs, and banana's like they are going out of style). I guess what I was trying to say is that many people think that I don't feed him enough because he is thin.
My husband is very thin, and has been his whole life. He has a BMI of like 19. I was also very thin for my age.
Like you said you can't overfeed a baby... I cant force Noah to eat, I can only offer as much as possible.
As far as the cookies go, he has had some, but I do want to limit them because he needs every calorie he eats to be used as fuel because he is sooo active. So I try to feed him something healthy if he is hungry.
Also Noah knows the sign for EAT and MILK. So I can tell when he want to eat.
I guess what I am trying to say is that what I have been experiencing is like... If someone told you that having Caleb on a low sugar diet was ridiculus and that every kid needs some sweets, it is part of being a kid. He looks a little thin anyways... When I try to explaing that "I have read this or that in a book", or that "he has special needs because of" , or "the DR. said"....I get "well you cant believe everything you read, and "so-and-so did this and their kids are fine".
I think that everyperson needs to take some constructive criticism and I am sure that they are trying to help, it is just frustrating when people yell at me I guess. Some of which dont even have children themselves!
I would definalty take some advise and mom wisdom from other people. And I thank you for the advise that you gave about relaxing a bit and looking at it from the perspective that they are just trying to help.
Thank You
P.S. It is ok, my response was a novel too!
19 bmi wow! ur hubby is skinny HAHA. Thats like my BMI.. He'll be thankful he has that fast metabolism when he hits 40 I hear :-D
Im sure you are doing just fine feeding Noah. Just take things with a grain of salt, you got 2.
And remember people just love you :-)
I gave whole milk to Taite at 9 months I think.. not on purpose tho.. he found Calebs sippy cup and went to town on it. Funny thing is I cant even get him to drink from a sippy now! He was fine drinking that cup though it wasnt really a need for stress :-)
Ow and let me tell you... I get a lot of people rolling the eyes and looking at me weird when I tell them Calebs diet.
One lady at church when she found out I didnt keep candy in the house for Caleb she drops off this HUGE glass candy dish full of candy HAHA. I could of taken offence to that but you know she was just being sweet I think in her own way.. and I actually like the candy dish :-)
Its a nice treat spot for Caleb when he has been good.
Any how.
Just remember your family loves you... and although words may not feel good at some times.. they are always from love despite how we may like what they say :-)
Trust me ive been in your shoes many times... Travis' dad is one of the worst when Im around him with the kids.. drives me nuts!
But I just pray the Lord helps me to be meek... and peaceful during those harder times.
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