breastfeeding, motherhood, parenting Natasha Chiam breastfeeding, motherhood, parenting Natasha Chiam

Coming clean...

It has come to my attention that people may think that I only do things a certain way. That I am all natural, all attachment parent, all breastfeeding, all babywearing, ALL THE TIME. I am here to set the record straight.

First of all, my births were not strictly speaking all that 'natural'. I was induced for both with Cervidil. Once out of necessity and to save both of us, and the other because my OB was on call that day and I was SO DONE with being pregnant. Yup, that's right. I ASKED for it!

I chose to breastfeed both my kids. Doing so with my son was NOT an easy thing to do (my boobs were twice the size of the poor kid's head)! I also can't stand NOT doing something well and so I persevered. Through a preemie birth, use of a nipple shield, crying every night for three months (both of us) and worry every day and over every ounce that he gained or lost. I did it for him, and I did it for me too (I am crazy stubborn like that and just not a quitter!). The plan was to continue nursing for at least 6 months, but the funny and perhaps ironic thing about our eventual 3 year breastfeeding relationship (yes, even throughout my whole second pregnancy) is that it took that first 6 months to actually 'get it right'.

Breastfeeding my daughter was relatively easy. She was latched on within 45 minutes of her birth and has been a veritable breastfeeding star since then. My boobs on the other hand, not so much the stars. They decided to plug up, multiple times, and then get infections, multiple times. This shit hurts people. But again, I am NOT a quitter! I am also an egalitarian-type parent and was not about to give my daughter any less of a nursing relationship than I had given my son. So we pushed through and here we are today on the brink of her third birthday.

I try very hard every day to practice gentle discipline. Some days I am able to control MY feelings and reactions to my kids' misbehaving, some days I am not. And yes, (please don't all gasp at once) I have smacked my kids in the heat of the moment. Moments that I am not proud of, but moments that do exist. Moments that let me know that it is time to reset myself and that I am the one who desperately needs a time-out. Did I mention that I am re-reading my favourite discipline book again?

I buy organic and local as much as I can. I do so for a few reasons. I buy organic products (groceries specifically), because I believe there are real health consequences to the alternatives. That being said, some organic products are just beyond what I am willing and able to pay and so I will find the next best thing. I buy local because I am also a somewhat 'local' business and I know what it means to me when, even though there may be a cheaper option from a giant chain store somewhere, a customer decides to buy from me and sees the value in doing so. I want to support our local economy and the many extremely talented entrepreneurs that work and live right here in my own city, province and country.

I am a very lucky person. I have a partner who trained hard for a lot of years and works hard to provide for his family. We are able to exist very comfortably as a single income family and I am able to be the "stay-at-home" parent. This was not our initial intention. I loved my career and fully intended on returning to it after my maternity leave. I was a pharmaceutical sales representative with one of the biggest pharma companies in the world and I was the farthest thing from a Natural Urban Mama. Then I got pregnant (totally planned by the way) and then it got complicated...

...and then we had a baby. And with him all that we knew or thought we knew went out the door. We were bombarded with a whole new set of life lessons, instructions, and a sort-of paradigm shift in our thoughts about the world we live in and the world we were about to raise our child in. And all of these new thoughts left us with a very strong desire to make that world a better place.

I am not a parenting expert, I am a parent. Everything that I know I have learned on the job. I have made mistakes, I will very likely make many more. I have made selfless decisions as a parent and I have made selfish decisions too. I am a work in progress.

I read, I learn, I research and I advocate for the parenting practices that have been extremely beneficial to my family and those at I think provide the best start for all babies and families. My opinions are mine alone, and you are free to take what you can from them, leave what doesn't work for you and apply these to your own life as you see fit. My aim is to educate others and provide information and support for new moms and parents of all walks of life.

But know this. I own my own choices, my opinions, my mistakes and my triumphs. No one ever said this parenting gig was going to be easy, and as Yoda says...

"Do or do not, there is no try!"

Natasha~

 It's not only children who grow.  Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself.

~Joyce Maynard

 

 

 

 

 

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Word of the Day: Eco-Breastfeeding

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival! This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about the environment and breastfeeding. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!

My boobs are green!

Yup. There it is. I said it.

Breastfeeding is the way to 'go green' as a new parent! No fancy packaging, no preservatives, 100% organic, completely biodegradable and also a very sustainable and renewable environmental choice! Kermit had it all wrong. It is SO easy being green! (And by easy, I mean really, really hard sometimes!!)

In all seriousness, today's post is about the environment and whether or not it is or was something that I considered when deciding to breastfeed. To be completely honest, no, it was not a major factor in my decision-making. I had a 3.5 pound premature baby, he needed all the advantages he could get and my colostrum and then breastmilk were the magic potions that made him better, bigger and stronger each and every day until we could bring him home from the hospital. And then every day after that for three full years!

Was it nice that I did not have the hassle of buying a whole cupboard full of bottle feeding paraphernalia? Yes. Did I miss out on having to choose the best brand with the right combination of synthetic nutrients from the HUGE section of highly packaged, incessantly marketed and ever-present baby formula at the grocery store? Hell, NO. Did I save some money on water because I did not have to boil it, use it for washing bottles and nipples three times a day and whatever else is needed to ensure that my baby's food was made 'just right"? Perhaps.

There are so many reasons that mothers choose to breastfeed their children, just like there are also many reasons why some women choose to use artificial milks to feed their children. I think that the environmental impact of breastfeeding is kind of like the gravy on top of a really nice piece of turkey breast (hee hee!) and mashed potatoes. It's a bonus! Yes, it makes everything taste a little bit better, but is not the main reason for eating the meal.

That being said, breastfeeding is actually quite environmentally friendly (see all the reasons above) and next time someone asks you about it or questions your decision to breastfeed, you can just say that you are not only doing your part for your child, but for all the future generations of children on our dear Mother Earth!!

I love being green!

Natasha~

When green is all there is to be It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful And I think it's what I want to be

~Kermit the Frog

Here are more posts by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

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These are a few of my favourite things... Day THREE: Serben Free Range

"Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels...

Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles"

~ Maria, The Sound of Music

Food, food, food!!  'Tis the season people!  Christmas parties, Christmas dinners, baking, cooking, roasting, basting.....and on and on it goes.  But do you ever stop to think about where exactly all that food you are consuming is coming from?  Where does Mrs. Butterball get all those turkeys that are pre-buttered, pre-stuffed and dare I say it pre-packaged?  How many Christmas hams are going in the oven this year and do you know how those hams came to be or where they are from?  I think about these things a lot....

About a year ago I met a lovely man named Jered Serben.  He is a fourth generation farmer.  He raises pigs, chickens, turkeys and lamb.  I told him how I could not handle the smell of pork anymore and was wondering why.  And then he told me about how most pork is farmed and brought to the shelves at your local supermarket.  It is really not a pretty picture (these places are called piggeries, think factory for pigs!) and it explains a lot.

NOT a Free-Range farm!

 

He challenged me to try his pork and taste (smell?) the difference.  I did and I am SO glad!  Because I really do like pork and bacon and ham and bacon and sausages and bacon. (Wait, did I say that already?)  Needless to say, one tenderloin later, I was a complete convert and I no longer buy pork products from the grocery store.

Serben Free Range is a family-owned, fourth generation farm, near Smoky Lake, Alberta (about an hour northeast of Edmonton). They supply free-range meat to Edmonton and surrounding areas. In their own words:

We produce free-range pork, lamb, turkey and chicken.  We also supply pastured, grass-fed beef. No hormones, antibiotics or additives are used, and animals are free to roam. We raise our poultry only through the summer, as we like them to be out in the grass and sunshine, not inside a barn.

If you live in Edmonton or surrounding areas, and are looking for local, farm-fresh, free-range meat from humanely-raised animals, you can purchase online, or contact us for delivery options. We can deliver your product to your home (Mondays 5-8 p.m), or you can pick it up at some of the various city and surrounding area Farmer's Market's (see website for updates).

I received another delivery a few weeks ago from Serben Free Range and have since had another fabulous pork tenderloin, some very delicious pork chops that I simply pan-fried with Greek spices and we had the bacon this weekend (you SERIOUSLY have to try the bacon!!).  I also have a huge free-range chicken just waiting for the right night to be cooked and some of these amazing sausages that I think I might break out this weekend.

Actual sausages from Serben Free Range. Mmmm....Good!

 

Jered and his girlfriend Julia are forging ahead with Serben Free Range and are looking at getting some if not all of their products Certified Organic as well.  I am also looking forward to tasting some of their garden produce next year!  In the mean time, I believe that buying from our local farmers is very important and I like knowing exactly where my food is coming from.  And I also appreciate the farmers, like Jered and Julia, that strive to use natural, sustainable farming practices.

Serben Free Range farm in the winter
Pigs.... well, being pigs!!

 

They have a very user-friendly online ordering system on the Serben Free Range website and you simply have to click on your favourite products and pay via Paypal (credit card) or cash/cheque and choose either to have your items delivered right to your door, or you can pick them up at the local farmers markets on Saturdays (St. Albert and City Centre Markets until December 18, 2010).

Serben Free Range is offering Natural Urban Mamas fans and friends
FREE Delivery on all orders over $50.00.

Please mention Natural Urban Mamas in the Additional Comments section of the online check-out system at www.serbenfreerange.com.

Now go get yourself some bacon and a Christmas ham too!

Cheers,

Natasha~
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