BF-ing an adopted baby

I love how I trip up on these things. Its like when you go to Wikipedia, start at Walt Disney and end up at Quantum Physics. Ah, the internet, its a beautiful thing!

My path to finding this information is funny, but useless for those of you who continue on so the normally verbose me will pass that part of the story and get to the meat of the story. Who knew you could breastfeed an adopted baby?!?!?! I tumbled on this Dr. Newman article. Being adopted, I had to read on. What a brilliant and beautiful gift beyond the initial adoption that the adopted mother is giving her child. what dedication, what love.....

Now here is where the new found LACTIVIST* in me comes out.....well, what are the feelings on this in the adoption agency world - do they advocate it? do they educate their potential adoptive mothers about this? I wonder if adoptive mothers even realize that they can breastfeed, or do they just never even think that's a possibility and just run with the formula? hmmm.....do I feel a new crusade coming on? damnit, I wish it wasn't NYE, I'd call the adoption agency I came from and ask.

LACTIVIST - someone who positively promotes the beautiful act of breastfeeding, but does not look down on those who have tried unsuccessfully, or where breastfeeding detracts from the mother-child bond

The term "gross"

This comes up all the time on pregnancy and mommy boards - whether or not to circumcise your son....Its a heated debate, people get defensive, its usually not pretty. Sometimes, people don't mean to be, but they are insulting. This happened today when someone said an uncircumcised penis is "gross". How can something that is natural be "gross"? how can anything about a newborn be "gross"? I think people get offended when these types of descriptions are slung around because there is the connotation that being uncircumcised is unhygienic, despite medical boards saying this is false. It goes the other way too, when anti-circ moms accuse circ mom's of child torture and mutilation. Can't we all be a little kinder? How about the term "different"? How about respecting each others choices, with the caveat that the respect is earned by making INFORMED decisions....

baby lead weaning?

well, for all the research I have done on BF-ing, attachment parenting, and the like, solid foods have probably had the least amount of erin-overthetop-hoursongoogle - research that I usually like to do with any decision regarding C$, especially a medical one like food. But alas, he just got hungry and I went for it with a little information and the best of intentions. I felt extra good when my homemade purees were gobbled up with glee. Cue sparkling sunshine glow, and me basking in my glory. We have been doing the purees for a month now and I thought he was doing pretty good. Up until yesterday, here was our list of purees he had tried

bananas, avocados, pears, apples, cantaloupe, and turkey soup

Well then, I tripped upon a blog via Kellymom and it talked about Baby Led Weaning. I had always thought BLW was letting the little one decide when to stop nursing, something I already intended to do to the shegrin of just about everyone I know over 40. Nope, wrongo! BLW is a self feeding plan that encourages a baby to feed themselves. Offer solid foods in the size of french fries, and let baby at it (under watchful eyes in case of gagging, of course).
http://forum.babyledweaning.com/index.php

Wow, this seemed neat. I didn't have enough time to do full research last night, but ha, to hell with it, I was bound and determined to try it on Chase when I got home. I shared my newfound knowledge (little of it that I had) with Phil, who like any good father worried about his child's safety, told me I was nuts and was pretty against me doing it! Well, not that I don't respect my hubby, I do, but shouldn't we let Chase tell us if we are nuts? I cut spears of cantaloupe, and made Phil gum it with his lips, showing him how soft and hopefully safe it was for Chase. And......we let Chase have at it. Well, wouldn't you know, the kid got it! He totally got it and was happy trying to figure out how to feed himself. Unfortunately the cantaloupe was pretty squishy and so its wasn't as successful actually getting into the belly, but he got the whole concept. I was oh so proud.

Sometimes he surprises me.

I love my husband. He's funny, goofy, and I am the only person on the planet that "gets" him. He's not the soft mushy type, so when he gives up the goods, its a special rare occasion I get to savor it and relish in it for a few days.

Saturday - "I wish I could tell my friends to just settle down and get on with their lives. They have no clue how awesome being a dad is."

Sunday - "I want him to stay little like this forever. Ok, maybe on the verge of walking and saying a few words, but little.....forever."

Merry Christmas