Breastfeeding Debate? Again? What Is There To Debate?!

Excuse the misspellings, but I just wanted to share with you all my comment to a post regarding the latest article going around about a mother breastfeeding her daughter at the age of 5. I was in the minority with my views. Sadly it's the mindset of majority of people in our society. Damnit ya'll! We have to do better!

"I see nothing wrong at all. Personally would i breastfeed my 5yr old for everyone to see? No. But in the privacy of my home it would be a go. i breast fed my youngest til she was 3 (most of it was comfort nursing by that age and no simply expressing milk into a cup would not do. Sucking at the breast provided a sort of soothing that would calm her fits, restlessness, and sickness)... she weaned herself, but i would have continued if she wanted to. i hate the stigma attached to breastfeeding. Our milk does not lose any nutrition or use when a child hits a certain age. It purposefully changes it's properties to accommodate a growing child. It's neither demented nor sexual. i dedicate my work to encouraging and supporting breastfeeding mothers of color... a demographic who suffers the lowest rates of breastfeeding. And i know many who wants to breastfeed as long as they can whether the age be 1, 2, 3, or 5, but stops early or don't do it for as long as they could or want because of uninformed backlash. 'They're too old. If they can ask for it they don't need it. If they can chew and swallow the they need to be weaned.' etc. It should be encouraged rather than shunned. Maybe not the same scenario as this person in the pic because her demographic has the highest rates of breastfeeding and support. But that doesn't negate the positive attributes of extended breastfeeding."

Here's the article: http://www.kpho.com/story/25345687/breastfeeding-mom-still-feeds-daughter-at-age-5

Let's stop demonizing and sexualizing a mother and child's choice to continue breastfeeding beyond the societal norm.

Share Your Doula Story!

It's always encouraging to hear from your peers the  positive experiences of allowing a doula to be a part of such an intimate journey.

I want to highlight those experiences.

There will also be a prize involved.

All you have to do is submit your story to jcherise1@gmail.com by 3pm tomorrow. The first to submission will receive a prize.

Please don't let the fact that there will only be one recipient deter you from submitting your experiences. I plan to publish all submissions to serve as encouragement for those who have not experienced having one.

I look forward to reading your stories!

So what is a doula???

Some people may confuse the role of a doula with one of a midwife. Although some of their duties overlap each other, they have very distinct roles. A midwife provides medical care. A doula, on the other hand, will provide non-medical care in the form of education and emotional support to not only the mother, but anyone else involved in her pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
A lot of doulas come from many different backgrounds. Some are currently medical providers. They may be stay at home mothers. Some may not even be a parent. What's most important is their ability to provide specialized comfort, encouragement, and support to the mother.

Through this specialized care, doulas greatly reduce the possibilities of:
*Cesareans
*Infant mortality
*Pain medication

A doula is never there to take the place of a spouse or medical provider.

A doula works to encourage, reassure, and inform.

Are you interested in hiring a doula and worried about the cost?

Some hospitals, birth centers and independent doula businesses even offer low cost and/or pro bono services to mothers.

Including a doula in your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum does not have to be unaffordable.

Happy World Doula Week!

World Doula Week

Beginning today until the 28th of March the world will celebrate the hard work and dedication of doulas and birthworkers alike.

In honor of this week I will post "Did You Know" facts, hold a few contests and highlight wonderful doulas doing great things!

Here are the rules to the contests:

*The first person to email me (my email is jcherise1@gmail.com) with the correct answer to the challenge will win a prize.
*Prizes are not revealed but they will be guaranteed useful!
*Those who win will not be eligible to participate in future contests during the week (just want to keep it fair!)
*Upon winning I will communicate with you via email to gather information in order to ship your prize to you in a timely manner. So be sure to check your email!


And don't forget to tell a doula that you appreciate them!

Be back in a few!

Good Music Sunday

From time to time I like to share music that I enjoy. I love this song. Hope you all enjoy it too. With the time change that just happened I know that some of us need a little extra motivation to keep from hitting the snooze button again. This song will do just that. Not only will you fully wake up. I gaurantee you'll be dancing :)

Happy Sunday!

International Women's Day

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!!

 

 

"Be not ashamed women, … You are the gates of the body, and you are the gates of the soul." -Walt Whitman

 

I wanted to dedicate this post to the amazing mothers, daughters, nieces, aunts, grandmothers, and all women <3

HAPPY! :)

I just wanted to share some feel good music with you!

Happy Saturday!!!