I figure that while my baby is cute and will likely do lots of fun and funny things that I can write about here, it might also be helpful to pass on the things I have found helpful in the actual parenting of her. So I'm going to start with a subject that is at the forefront of my mind right now...breastfeeding. It's making a "comeback" as of late, with all the studies that show such things as healthier babies, lower risk of obesity in later life, higher IQ, as well as the benefits for mom with the increased weight loss, lower risk of breast and other types of female specific cancers, not to mention the increased bond with the baby...
With all that on the pro list, what could possibly be stacked on the con side to make people opt not to do it? It's hard. You wouldn't think it would be. After all how long has formula been around? What did babies do for the thousands of years before bottles and Similac? Well, it's possible they starved! Sometimes breast feeding just doesn't work, for whatever reason, and even when it works fabulously (like thankfully, in my case) it's hard.
If you are interested in learning more about the "real deal" on breastfeeding, I recommend Andy Steiner's book "Spilled Milk". She does a great job of being honest about breastfeeding, the good, the bad and the ugly. Unlike most breastfeeding books I didn't get the sense that I was a horrible mother if I opted to go the bottle route. Sure breastfeeding is shown as the best option, but she's realisitc about the fact it's not the only. So if you are curious about the day to day of breastfeeding and are trying to make that choice for yourself, this would likely be a helpful read. It's not a how to manual, and may be a book best checked out of your local library, since reading through once is probably all you'll need. My copy is going to my library, now that I'm done with it...I hope you find it as helpful as I did.
