Tag Archives: parenting

How Dads Can Play an Important Role in Breastfeeding and a Giveaway

06/15/2014 R.C. Liley 9 Comments

Happy Father’s Day to all of you awesome dads out there! These two girls make me a happy father/husband every day!

Yep, I’m one proud and lucky guy, and I’m elated to be celebrating this day for the first time! Avery also turns 7 months old today; she’s past the half year mark!

I finally get to find out what my wife has been keeping me from in our front room for the past month. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you soon.

Besides having two beautiful girls in my life, I’m proud of the fact that Going Mom chooses to only breastfeed Avery and will never consider formula. I understand some situations where it’s not possible, but just giving up isn’t a good reason or fair to babies.

No doubt, breastfeeding, from what I’ve seen and heard, is no walk in the park and has many hurdles to get past, but it’s not impossible. Going Mom is one of many mothers who deal with the #boobissues on a daily basis, and I do my best to support her however I can.

In honor of Father’s Day, Medela shared with me that they have collaborated with Kuroji Patrick, one of Medela’s 2013 Breastfeeding Hall of Excellence inductees, to create a list of tips for dads to get and stay involved with the breastfeeding journey.

We take pride in raising our daughter with the best nutrition from Mother Nature, and I hope this list will held dads support their partners and be an advocate for breastfeeding.

Daddies and Breastfeeding: Ways to Stay Involved

Before the Baby Comes

Be supportive of your partner’s decision to breastfeed by understanding the benefits of breastmilk.

Help your partner find information on what breastpump your insurance will cover. The Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to provide equipment and support with no co-pay, but the actual pump provided will vary from company to company.

Join your partner in preparing for the experience of breastfeeding by taking a course that will provide you both with the information you’ll need to know.

Seek out other fathers who have supported their partners while Breastfeeding to gain real world advice.

At the Hospital

At the hospital, be an advocate for your partner. Make sure the staff knows that she wants to breastfeed and that formula should not be given to the baby without consent.

Find the lactation consultant if mom is struggling. Many hospitals have one on staff, and early intervention and support from a professional is crucial, particularly for first-time moms.

Ask the hospital staff about local breastfeeding support groups for after your family goes home. Peer encouragement is helpful, and it’s an excuse for mom and baby to get out of the house.

At Home

In addition to making sure your partner has what she needs while she heals from childbirth, you can help the breastfeeding transition to home by making sure she is comfortable while nursing—by bringing her pillows, foot rest, water, etc.
It doesn’t sound glamorous, but diaper changes are a great way for you to get involved in baby care. In addition to giving your partner a break, it’s a chance for you and your baby to start practicing conversation skills by making eye contact, cooing noises and engaging your baby with changing facial expressions.
If your partner starts pumping, you’ll have a chance to bond with your baby over a bottle and give your partner a break. You can further help your partner by washing and sterilizing pump parts and bottles.
Be your partner’s biggest cheerleader. Breastfeeding can be frustrating and difficult in the beginning, but you can provide moral support by acknowledging the difficulty of nursing and offering to find a professional to help, such as lactation consultant (which should be covered by your insurance). And remind your partner of why she wanted to breastfeed in the first place!

I have been utilizing tips like these since Avery’s birth and know I have a stronger bond with my daughter and wife as a result. The benefits of breastfeeding are powerful and I’d hope any parent would want only the best for their children.

Medela’s online education course, Breastfeeding University, costs a reasonable $25 and offers you priceless information, but they have agreed to allow me to offer 3 readers free access codes to the course! This would be perfect for the expecting couple to complete together or any couple looking to add to their breastfeeding knowledge database.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below telling me about your experience or plans with breastfeeding. I will randomly select 3 commenters to receive access codes to use to take the course for free. Contest ends next Friday, June 20th.

This giveaway has ended, but don’t worry, I’ll have plenty of other opportunities to win great prizes in the future!

Thanks to everyone who read and commented on this post, it’s something I am deeply passionate about. The three winners are Maggie, Ashley, and Stacy. Congrats and I have sent an e-mail for your code!

Hope everyone has a great day! Treat the dad in your life extra nice today! 🙂

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this post and all views are strictly my own.

Avery Talk

“My Dad’s Boobs are Worthless” and Other Random Musings from a Baby

05/02/2014 R.C. Liley 3 Comments

Yes, you read that right, babies, my dad’s boobs serve no purpose other than to confuse and annoy me!

Every night after my bath, mommy sits down with me and I have no issues with feeding until I go to sleep. Then, when I wake up and cry for more food, mommy will be there to give me what I want; milk! I can just eat until I’m so full all I want to do is sleep.

But, sometimes daddy comes in, sits in the same chair using the same Boppy as mommy and when I go for “the milk source”, I only end up disappointed!

So babies, if your dad grabs you when you’re hungry, save yourself the trouble and wait for some external feeding source. My mom and dad call it a bottle. Here, look at this mug and remember the word next time you are about to go for your dad’s boobs.

What really wets my diaper is that daddy carries me around with his shirt off as if to tease me with his useless nippies. I remember one time, during the day he did this and I thought I’d go for a snack and wound up with hair instead. I was beyond annoyed and didn’t even want to smile for the camera.

Oh yeah, and your daddy may not be the only guy who holds you, so beware. This other guy, they call him my Uncle Preston, held me a few times and, well, he just looked confused himself. I let him know I was not here just to be held!

Then he found my tickle spot and I couldn’t help but laugh. Crap, I broke!

So now I know better than to try getting milk from any guy unless they have a bottle. If you find yourself in a guy’s arms when hungry, just act uninterested until your mommy gets you. I learned this at Easter; sorry, Papa.

Speaking of Easter, I actually have a few things to reflect on from April. Let’s see, where to begin…

My dad seems to enjoy mowing the lawn with his Fiskars reel mower while wearing me in the Onya. I hear him talk about how I just fall asleep while he goes across the yard, but it would be a whole lot better if he didn’t always stop to take pictures of himself with the mower. It’s annoying and I don’t want other babies to see me with my rattle turtle socks!

Strollers, ugh, stroller; when he’s not wearing me he’s running with me in the stroller. This past month has had some nice weather and we went on several runs, but he always used the annoying weather shield to “protect me from dirt.” How about giving me fresh air, dad?! That would be nice and not leave me so unimpressed at the end.

Luckily, mommy set dad straight and he no longer uses the shield. Ha ha ha, it sure was funny to see mommy prove him wrong!

I’ve really been enjoying my time with G-Ma lately, I’m not sure why I used to cry when she visited. Maybe her big, shiny hair scared me, but now I just see it as something fun to pull.

Apparently there’s more to the world than the same loop around our neighborhood and grocery stores. Daddy took me to what he called trails and we saw a lot of green plants and even a river. But seriously dad, how about not making the sun shoot directly in my eyes next time we do a selfie?

Oh yeah, we also saw a character named Bart Simpson while on the trails. Daddy filled me in on The Simpsons and told me some adult babies were coloring where they weren’t allowed.

I’ve grown tired of the chair to my swing and it took forever for mom and dad to get the hint that I was uncomfortable. I just had to exaggerate a little.

My jumper is okay for a while, but I’d prefer not to have a camera shoved in my face when I’m hard at work! Hear that, dad?!

Again, with the camera, just because I turn another month doesn’t mean I turn into some clay model you can put in different poses.

And the bear, ohhhh the bear. I tried whispering to him to help me escape and he was just like dad’s boobs; useless!

Next time, bear, you’re head is mine!

Speaking of models, mommy took a few photos of me when I was on the bed and I must say, I’m pretty cute. Check out my side profile.

Okay, and one more of my awesome, happy face….

I can move anywhere I want to in my crib now, but I always go to the same corner when sleeping at night. Mom and dad try to face me the other way, but I’m smart, I just turn around and go right to my spot. Hey, it’s just who I am!

Playtime is starting to be more fun, but I wish daddy didn’t look so awkward when tickling me.

Even rings have become appealing to me now. There are several colors but daddy always shows me the blue one.

I’ve really been trying to get to the rings when they are out of reach, but so far, rolling doesn’t help the situation. If only there were some other way to get at things in front of you…hmmm

Daddy always brings me to work out with him, but I’m never impressed. Sometimes, I question if he even does anything when he always stops and takes pictures of me. No smiles for you, dad, until you’re finished!

I do like it better being in my Mamas & Papas chair when he’s in the garage though. Points to dad for finally catching on!

And last but never least, thank you, mommy, for being there for me at night when I’m hungry. We all know dad has nothing good and I just love being held by you more anyway.

So those are my thoughts on April; I learned a few things and can’t wait to learn more. For starters, figuring out these Skwish Stix would be nice.

Well babies of the world, until next time, keep my reflections and warnings in mind as you go about learning how to make the most of life. Oh, and, I think I got the Chinese baby look down. Here, tell me if I’m doing it right!

I linked this post with link parties being hosted by the parenting blogs listed below. Check them out for posts by other wonderful parents who have great info and fun to share!