Parenting magazine NSFW?

At least now I know what A-T-M means.   :-\

 

dools --
I'll assume the sash bearing that moniker is in the mail...

 

3 years old is a bit long in the tooth to be breastfeeding. Kids should be able to handle hot dogs, cheez doodles and Count Chocula by then.

 

An educational thread all around. And Mr. A-T-M on Mauer, I got your sash right here.

 

"Why can't they just pump and put it in a bottle for later?"

Good question.

For some babies, it's not that easy.  There's something called "nipple confusion."  Once the baby takes the bottle, it might have trouble latching back onto the breast.  Major concern for moms.

Not all babies have this problem.  Some do.

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With all due respect to the men around here...

When a guy has to "hold his pee" or avoid exposing his balls when they heat up.... Who's inconvenienced?  A big, strong man.

When a baby has to hold off on a feeding, who's inconvenienced?  A sweet little child who can't take care of itself.

C'mon men - be a man.

 

My ex-wife did exactly that, because my son didn't like to breast feed. That being said, if had wanted to, I would have verbally thrashed anyone who was negative toward her for doing so in a discreet way in public.

Something odd, and maybe someone else can back me up on it, but I remember my ex-wife saying when she heard my son cry, it would actually trigger something in her body and make her start to lactate, kind of a primal response. If that's the case, the need to alleviate that lactation pressure can be pretty intense.

 

One of my high school friends was still breastfeeding her son when he was 3 1/2.  I swear that one time, he ate some tortilla chips and then asked for (and got) her breast.  It actually was very disturbing.

 

Pretty much synonyms, actually.

 

By that argument, when my bottomless son escaped from me while trying to put on a diaper or underwear, it should be illegal, right?

 

As usual, the breastfeeding debate requires understanding and compromise from both sides, and thus, it turns into yet another shitfest.

We had a baby five months ago, and my wife, turns out, is a world-champion breastfeeder. I'm thrilled. It's better for our son, and it's easier than sterilizing bottles and pouring corporate goop down little Charley's throat.

Now, here's the thing: When Charley's hungry, he's hungry. There's no getting around it. There's no asking him to wait a few minutes. When he wants the tit, he wants the tit. And believe me, you get more dirty looks when your kid is screaming than if you were jerking off into a deep fryer. And yes, I say that with some authority.

So, when my wife needs to feed him, she needs to feed him. Sometimes that happens when we're out of our house.

In that case, my wife tries to find a private, quiet place. She's more comfortable, and so is everybody else.

Failing that, we carry a blanket that we can drape over Charley and the boob during the chow-down. Walking by, you'd think only that my wife is wearing a sling, or, perhaps, matronly and dressed in a judicial robe. You'd really have to stop and stare to know she's breastfeeding.

I'm not sure why the issue is any more complicated than that. Those of you without children, please understand that babies need to eat, they aren't patient about it, and parents with young children sometimes like to go outside. Breastfeeding mothers need to understand that some people don't like to see their boobie buffet and do their best to be discreet about it.

As for Lugnuts and the maternity leave question, the six-week thing boggles my mind. In Canada, maternity leave is a year, and even then, mothers are distraught at leaving their kids in someone else's care. The six-week deal is downright inhumane. And not to put too fine a point on it, but I really believe that longer maternity leave -- more time for children to be in the care of their mothers -- would alleviate a lot of larger, later societal ills.

But first, let's watch another episode of Deal Or No Deal.

 

God bless you Rosie.