So I was wondering why Tomomi would bother with the stress of being tied down to a baby and later pass on the frustration to me. Even when I gave Tomomi some time off and committed to staying home at least 2-3 hours on every weekend afternoons (Of course I am home longer, but this is a commitment that any appointments are not booked during those times), Tomomi has to rush back home to feed Haruka. So I could not understand why the breast pump that I got for Tomomi was not used. Thats simply not the whole purpose of breastfeeding. Its not just about providing brain-building nutrients that would keep the baby smart and healthy for the rest of her life, but its about feeding with love and respect, to allow baby to understand mummy, as well as mummy to read the baby's body languages and understand her needs. Attachment parenting proponents advise that even if the bottle and breast pump are used, the mother can hold the baby and position the bottle alongside the breast, maintaining eye contact and talk lovingly to the baby. This practice is best kept for at least a year according to the American Academy of Pediatrics since only 20% of Americans breastfeed after 6 months. Its hard work but if it can instil love and respect in return from my children in the future, its a good investment of time and effort. 2 Timothy 3:2, in the end times, children will be disobedient to their parents. I guess that the society today that encourages independence, selfish desire to win at all cost in the midst of increasing globalization, as well increasing divorce rates do not help. But we as loving parents can do the best we can, and if the loving has its highest and best effect while the child is young, its a good economic investment. Anyway, daddies only need to encourage mummy, so be patient and supportive even if it seems silly at times.
4 comments :
Oh, its not at all silly. The baby is definitely more efficient than the pump so using the pump instead is silly unless absolutely necessary of course.
Anyway, this is a great post. The father's involvement and support is really crucial in breastfeeding success. Kuddoes to you and thanks for visiting my blog btw.
What is silly to many parents would be why you would want to get stressed and not be able to enjoy a stroll out by yourself but be tied down to your baby. Then, later be grumbling or passing the stress down to hubby or others. Well, I thought the same as well at first. Then, I read about attachment parenting and the point that these acts do make a difference. As I see my baby each day, I realized Haruka is indeed a happier baby with such sacrifices.
Well, as much as I can agree on what you say about breastfeeding, have you thought about how you, as a father, could establish a strong bond with your daughter by feeding her with milk from her Mom ?
Don't you think it is equally important that your child feels secure and loved in your arms as well ?
Hey Emmanuel, thanks for visiting my site. Your site is neat too with all the memorable photos of Japan life. I ought to do that too. You have a very good point, though what was daddy's role for many centuries before the baby bottle was created? I think daddy needs to find all opportunities to embrace baby as much as possible and if mummy is using the pump and transfering to a bottle or is feeding the baby with formula milk, then daddy needs to feed baby with the bottle whenever possible. And according to Attachment Parenting, the way to do it is with gentleness and placing it at the same level of the breast. But, there are other ways a daddy can embrace the baby such as before sleeping or when taking baby out for a walk. But, mummy bonding through breastfeeding is the best.
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