WFMW: Parenting Advice Edition -- Don't Watch the Clock; Watch the Baby!

It started as breastfeeding advice that I heard in a La Leche League meeting. "Don't watch the clock; watch the baby." Great advice for nursing to make sure you establish a good milk supply and meet your baby's ever-changing needs rather than putting your child on a rigid schedule. It also seems to work well beyond nursing -- sleep, solids, potty-training, weaning, new experiences. As a classic Type A personality, I like to be in control. I like to PLAN. I like to read the latest research to support my choices. That's all great, but it all has to come down to what *my child* is ready for. Are bedtimes or naptimes becoming challenging? Perhaps her sleep needs have changed and it's time to reevaluate our routine. How do I know she's ready for solids? Is she showing signs of potty readiness? Should I put her in a playschool program or keep her at home with me? No book can have all the right answers for every child. As parents, we have to watch our babies, know our babies, and read the signs from our babies (however old those babies) to know what they need.

Watch the baby.

That's the advice that has WORKED FOR ME. I hope it works for you, too.

For more Works for Me Wednesday Ideas -- specifically "parenting advice" ideas, this week's theme, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

Normalizing the Natural

After Caroline was born, when nursing consumed much of my time and thoughts, (as if it doesn't now!) I was surprised at how often nursing was mentioned in the fiction I was reading and on television. Was it always there and I just didn't notice? A discussion came up recently on a listserv for breastfeeding counselors to which I subscribe, lamenting the lack of breastfeeding in fiction. The other list readers and I compiled this list of books that do have breastfeeding characters. When you put together a care package for a new mom, be sure to include oatmeal cookies and one of these novels. :-)

Books I've read:
So, What do you do all day? by Amy Scheibe
Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Life Studies by Susan Vreeland
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maquire
The Lucky Ones: A Novel by Rachel Cusk
Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott

Books others mentioned:
Ten Big Ones, Janet Evanovich
Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
The Wandering Hill, Larry McMurty
The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
Into the Forest, Jean Hegland
The Summer of my Amazing Luck, Miriam Toews
The Singer from the Sea, Sherri Tepper
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Lives touched by Breastfeeding ed by Boas, Hazell, and Casey
Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea


Series that include breastfeeding as a given for their characters:
Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel
The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Skye O'Malley by Beatrice Small
Royal Diaries (young adult)
American Girl (young adult)

Authors who often included breastfeeding as the norm:
Nora Roberts
Danielle Steele
Catherine Asaro
Julian May
Teri Levitson
Susan Elizabeth Phillips

**I have not read all of these books myself. This list is a collaborative effort. If you have books to add, please email me or leave a comment. I'll edit to add them!

Works for Me Wednesday -- Toddler Nutrition

Toddlers aren't the best eaters. Most moms worry about their kids' nutrition. I don't stress over how many veggies my daughter eats or fight to get a lead-laden vitamin in her daily because I know she is getting a good dose of the nutrition she needs from mommy's milk.

(from Kelly Mom)

• In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL (that's about 15 ounces) of breastmilk provides:
  • 29% of energy requirements
  • 43% of protein requirements
  • 36% of calcium requirements
  • 75% of vitamin A requirements
  • 76% of folate requirements
  • 94% of vitamin B₁₂ requirements
  • 60% of vitamin C requirements
  -- Dewey 2001

This nutritionally-sound milk also protects my daughter from the germ-y world. She gets my immunities through my milk, and since she and I are usually together, we are exposed to the same things. Since a human's immune system isn't fully developed until two years of age, nursing is the best thing I can do to keep my daughter healthy now. The health benefits she gets now will continue with her for the rest of her life.

for scholarly research about the nutritional benefits of extended nursing, search Google Scholar.
for breastfeeding support and information, contact La Leche League.
I'm sure I'll be posting more about toddler nursing in the coming weeks and months, so check back here, too!
For more Works For Me Wednesday tips, visit Rocks in My Dryer.