I know that when I see on Facebook "back to my pre-pregnancy weight", "baby sleeps through the night", "breast/bottle feeding" etc etc....I cringe.
As a mum of three girls, with my youngest being 5 months, I have survived MANY sleepless nights not to mention many weight fluctuations.
The weird thing about the whole sleeping through the night concept, is everyone has a different opinion on what that means....personally to me I think sleeping through is from 7pm til around 6-7am. You may think of it as something entirely different, and that's not right, or wrong. My firstborn daughter never slept through the night until 9 months of age and that was a once off. She more regularly slept through from about 18 months. My second born was great initially and then from about 9 months til just over 3 she drove me absolutely crazy waking multiple times a night. Miss 5 months, is also reminding us of how to survive on no sleep but as I say to myself every morning, "today is a new day" and I approach the day fresh without cursing about all the times I got up last night.
Then there is the whole other debarcle on "are you feeding your baby?", well of course I am otherwise I don't think it would be surviving, oh you mean am I breastfeeding?, is that really any business or concern of yours?
People who say or comment on this must have their answers ready to go, so if you reply yes, do you get the "Well done, it's best for baby" response and what if you say no, bubs is on the bottle...is the typical response then "breastfeeding isn't for everyone".....some people choose to breastfeed and some choose not to. I think you should do what feels right for you and when it feels right. If you lined up thirty Year 1 students, you could not pick which child was breast or bottle fed, there is no way anyone could!
Oh....and don't forget when you start your baby on solids, that's a whole other issue....."when are you starting them on solids?" will be one question which will also lead to a brain overload of information, comments and questions. People will comment, "its too early", "you better hurry up", "they will sleep better", "don't give fruit first as it will give them a sweet tooth", remember to watch out for allergies". Then the BIGGEST judgement "are you making your own baby food?" Surely you wouldn't dare give your child jar food. OMG. Seriously.....what would happen......do you honestly think anyone would notice! Baby food sure has come a LONG way since the 70's and 80's. With products out there like Rafferty's Garden (http://www.raffertysgarden.com) and so much information available on the internet, you have so many options available to you. You can get full ingredients listings on all products, not to mention you can buy organic JAR baby food! If you choose to make your own food, you can find unlimited recipe ideas on the net. Just google, "Baby Food Recipes" and find what you like. If you are actually worried about what people think but opt for jar food, tip the jar food into a plastic container!! Please tell me if anyone notices, because I assure you they won't!
One BIG tip - do what you want and what feels right for you and your baby. Block out any judgemental comments or negativity. YOU are doing the BEST job for your baby and being the BEST MUM you can be!
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