I had just given birth to my second son in my living room in a pool of water. I was being escorted down my hallway by my midwives. It was surreal having gone through the most intense experience of my life right here in my home with my own belongings. As I entered my bedroom the first thing I noticed was that they had taken my pregnancy pillow and curled it up at the head of my bed for me to rest on. I was already in awe of these women who had just given me the greatest gift another person could give me and now I was sure they were geniuses. I was in such a vulnerable place; just the small tweak in my environment made a huge impression. [Read more…]
I Need Your Help
I have thought long and hard about what The Badass Breastfeeder has become. I have come to accept that with the addition of Exley to my family I will need to prioritize my time more than ever. I want to pull out the few aspects of The Badass Breastfeeder that are most unique and helpful and focus on those. But what are those? I can say what they are for me: my blog sharing what I learn about myself and parenting along the way and the Facebook page where I share pics, articles, blogs, etc. that support my parenting values. But I’m not just doing this for me anymore. I need you. And I figure who better to ask than the very people I need on my mission to normalize gentle parenting and breastfeeding. Would you mind answering a few questions? [Read more…]
Technology That Prevents Death
There has been a lot of chatter on the internet lately about children being forgotten in car seats. My initial reaction is always to fiercely judge a person. “How in the world can you forget your child?” “How disconnected from life can a person really be?” “You must have serious issues to forget your own child.” [Read more…]
Daddy Made Diapers Cloth Diaper Review
This is a review of 2 pocket cloth diapers made by Daddy Made Diapers out of Belding, MI.
I was initially impressed that a man was making these diapers. I typically hear of women making diapers. It doesn’t really matter to me who makes the diaper as long as the diaper is well made, but I thought it was pretty cool nonetheless. [Read more…]
A review of Smartphone App “Breastfeeding Solutions”
When I had Jack and began to have major struggles with breastfeeding I took to the internet. Google became something that I resorted to day and night. My problem was that I had no idea what I was struggling with. I had read a few chapters in various parenting books about breastfeeding before he was born. I heard it was hard; OK, I can do hard things. I heard you need to relax; yeah, sure, what’s new. I heard things like refuse formula, don’t allow pacifiers, do skin to skin, etc. But when I was faced with the reality of my birthing experience–induction, epidural, exhaustion, episiotomy–I fell victim to nurses and doctors telling me that my son was starving, that I needed to give formula, that my milk supply would be fine. It wasn’t long before Jack wouldn’t latch, my supply was plummeting and I was terrified every moment of every day that I was failing. So when I desperately took to the internet I had no idea what I was looking for. I didn’t know what reputable resources were or not. What was good information or bad information? There is a ton of information out there that will make a troubled breastfeeding relationship much worse!
Review of gDiapers by The Badass!
When Jack was about 6 months old we went cloth. I was not at all that Mom who knew what she was going to do before her child was born. We used Target generic brand disposable diapers until I had spent enough time tapping into the “crunchy” side of my new self that I decided that I didn’t want those chemicals on his wiener. I want grandkids for crying out loud! I bought the cheapest cloth diapers I could find. I think they were made in China. Not long after I got them the elastic started to weaken and now they sag and his pee leaks out down his leg. His gDiaper is snug and it doesn’t leak. EVEN AT NIGHT!
The transition to cloth was smooth since I knew this is what I wanted, but, man, it is really is a lot of laundry! [Read more…]
Notes from a Lousy Photographer (MommyCon Los Angeles, 2013)
By Josh Wilker
In my defense, it’s not very easy to take good pictures or videos while holding a wriggling human megaphone.
“Too youd!” yelled this human megaphone, also known as my two-year-old son, Jack. I was aiming my phone at his mom. You can’t tell in the resulting blurry photo, but Abby was up on a stage at the Los Angeles Convention Center, speaking through a microphone to a large room full of mothers and babies (and a few stunned fathers). Jack was right, it was pretty youd. The sound hit me as a good thing, the wide, warm buzz of people coming together, but Jack disagreed.
“Go! This! Way!” he yelled. He spiked each syllable with a jerking full-body wiggle in the direction of the closest exit. (He views me primarily as a mule he can steer with his wiggles.) I tried to stand my ground for a moment and took a four-second video of my sneakers.
“What is that thing Jack is standing on?”
There are a ton of frequently asked questions at The Badass Breastfeeder, but one of the most common ones lately is “what is that thing Jack is standing on?”
I figured if that many people were asking then I should just tell you all about it! It is called a Learning Tower. [Read more…]
A Book Review of Sage Parenting: Where Nature Meets Nurture
Sage Parenting: Where Nature Meets Nurture by Rachel Rainbolt, MA could have drastically changed how I prepared for motherhood. When I became pregnant I read What to Expect When You’re Expecting like it was the holy bible for pregnant mothers. Each month I read the corresponding chapter about 12 times. I enjoyed reading about my baby. I didn’t know that there was a whole world of parenting books out there and when I gave birth to Jack, while I spent the whole pregnancy following his growth, I wasn’t at all prepared to be his mother. I wasn’t even prepared for birth or the decisions made immediately after birth. [Read more…]
