Why Breastfeeding is AWESOME!

First off, I am a huge breastfeeding advocate, and I believe that the benefits to both mama and baby are too numerous, rewarding, and beneficial to not be taken advantage of. That being said, I would also like to let those out there who will think I am just spouting 'breast is best' facts while turning down my nose at those who choose not to or cannot breastfeed; that I did breastfeed the twins but not exclusively, and for the past 3 -4 months they have been exclusively formula fed. So I know both sides of the spectrum and still would choose breastfeeding all the way and, wish I would've been able to breastfeed the boys exclusively till their first birthday.                                                           

       

     

The bond you feel between you and your little(s) is incredible

I absolutely loved the bond I had with my little guys when I breastfed. The looks that they would give me as if I was the best thing they ever laid eyes on, how they would touch my face as if to tell me thank you for feeding them, and the way they would drift off to sleep bellies full and satisfied. I will always cherish the memories of naked babies on my chest after breastfeeding.

Making bottles in the middle of the night adds to the exhaustion

A baby is synonymous with sleep deprivation, but add in two babies who are on opposite schedules, making a billion different bottles a night, and that is the recipe for an episode of "Snapped". I made formula bottles at night because I was worried, as most new moms are, that my babies weren't getting 'enough' milk from me, and I also thought that would keep them fuller longer (HA!). Well one night with the help of my love, who was my personal lactation consultant, I began to breastfeed at night and I got WAY more sleep than I did making all of those formula bottles. Think about it, popping your boob out your shirt while still in bed, or getting out of bed, finding a bottle, cleaning it if it isn't clean, measuring water and formula, and then heating bottle up. I choose boob alllll the way. 

Formula diapers stink

Nuff said. Please read my vent on the stink here.  Breastfeeding poop is cute and smells like a baby, even half breastfeeding half formula poop smells decent, but pure formula poop smells like your cute little baby is living a double life of a burger eating, beer chugging, hostess holding, truck driver who poops once a year. The smell is God awful.

Formula is expensive

The amount of money my love and I have spent on formula would have made a very cushy savings account for the boys future. Breast milk is free liquid gold.

Breastfeeding makes you feel like superwoman

When my milk came in after the twins, and I got over the excruciating pain of engorgement, there was no greater pride or joy I felt than being able to nourish my boys with my body; the same body that had grown and nourished them for the 36 weeks they lived inside my body. If I could have donned a cape that said 'breastfeeding supastah', I would have.


No matter how your baby is fed take time to give your little(s) and extra cuddle or two or three because they grow up way too fast.

11 Months Already!

My boys are 11 months today, and I cannot believe how fast the times has flown. It seems as if only yesterday the only indication that I had that they existed was the positive little pink sign on the 4 million pregnancy tests that I had peed on, and now they are great big boys.

Great big boys who are walking, and eating big people food, and making more messes than mommy can clean up. 

Great big boys who fight, and wrestle, and can say 'mama' and 'dada' and 'hi', and who scream and sing and cry.

this is what 11 months looks like

Great big boys who are kind, and loving, and observant.

Great big boys who give hugs and kisses, and want to be hugged and kissed.

Great big boys who love to laugh, and make others laugh.

Great big boys who warm mommy and daddy's heart, and fill them with more love than they ever knew that they could carry.

I am so thankful for these past 11 months and I am counting down the days to my boys big 1st birthday. I love my little monkey boys.

Why So Mean Mama?

So, in the beginning of my mommy journey (pregnancy),  I spent an unhealthy amount of time on the internet, mostly Google. I Googled every little ache and pain I felt, my crazy emotions and food aversions. I also was constantly on the look out for other moms who were pregnant at the same time as me, because it helped me to know that I wasn't alone, and that there was someone, somewhere out there in this big huge world, that would 'get' me. 

Enter mommy forums. I stumbled upon a couple of parenting and mothering forums such as thebump.com and babycenter.com and immediately signed up. Finally I was going to have a place where I could vent, ask questions, get advice and bond with other women over the miracle of life, and the crazy things that these miracles did to our bodies.  What I didn't realize is that my little idealistic bubble of a community of women brought together by the common thread of being/becoming mothers was going to be popped; violently, viciously, and continuously. 

news.lalate.com

The women on these message boards were unhelpful, unsupportive, and just plain mean. First time moms, with normal first time mom questions and concerns, were told to "suck it up" or "quit whining", and moms who just wanted to vent about whatever was bothering them, were immediately ganged up on by other women if their vent wasn't deemed 'valid' by the majority. These women would float around the message boards looking to devour the next innocent victim who thought she was joining a community. I noticed that the word 'snarky' was used by a lot of these women and it was deemed acceptable to be 'snarky' or to respond to others in a 'snarky' manner.  The word 'snarky' is synonymous with the word 'bitchy' and these words can easily replace each other within sentences. 

This being said I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was to have encountered the things that I encountered on these message boards, I mean what kind of behavior should I have really expected from women that think it is ok to be 'snarky' for fun? I am one of those people who believe in encouraging, uplifting, and speaking life into others, and in no way do I find it ok to bully, belittle, or talk down to anyone for the heck of it. So, disappointed I left the mommy forum world, for what I thought was for good, until I stumbled upon mothering.com and it was a breath of fresh air. 

It was open, honest, and supportive. A community of women who uplifted and encouraged others without intentionally putting others down. I wish there was more women out there who promoted positivity in every form, who encouraged the growth and watering of others souls. After all what you put in is what you get out, in every aspect of your life. 

So does that mean if you're a snarky mom that puts out snark, you will have snarky kids? Just a thought.