In the February issue of "BabyTalk," there's a guide to the first 100 days of your baby's life. Once again, I'm told not to watch TV while feeding my baby.
"During those early weeks, you'll likely be feeding six to eight times a day whether by breast or bottle. Don't be tempted to fill it by streaming a season's worth of Glee or texting your BFF. Christine Wood M.D., a pediatrician and certified lactation educator from Encinitas, California, urges parents to take advantage of feeding time to bond with their babies."
The article goes on to quote a mother who says, "I realized I was the luckiest person in the family because I was the one who got to spend the most one-on-one time with him, gazing into his eyes."
Let me get this straight, the article tells me I'll feed my newborn six to eight times a day. In reality, Milo ate every two hours. So ... 12 times a day, multiplied by 20 to 45 minutes for each feeding ... doing the math ... I was supposed to spend upwards of nine hours a day "gazing into his eyes"? When his eyes were closed 90 percent of the time (at least).
Unfortunately, I don't remember where I saw this, but I have read that looking directly into your baby's eyes during those middle of the night feedings is akin to giving him a jolt of caffeine, conflicting with the above advice.
I know this is just one more way to pile on the Mommy Guilt. I'll freely admit I have a TV addiction. And yes, I worry that Milo gets too much (he points his toy remote at the TV and presses buttons). But I also know that I spend lots of time playing with him, reading to him, cuddling him and bonding with him. I think the simple act of breastfeeding is the greatest bonding act I could perform. It's kind of hard not to bond when another human is literally attached to you.
I don't watch as much TV while breastfeeding now because Milo is more attuned to it. (Buffy theme song?! Let me see!) But when he drifts off for a nap, you better believe I'm streaming reruns.
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| It's hard not to gaze into those eyes. But nine hours a day? Please. |
as they're babies, we are supposed to gaze lovingly into their eyes, speak to them and cuddle them. they're school-aged, we are supposed to sit down together for family meals and communicate with one another about our days, our hopes, our futures. they start dating and ask a girl out for coffee, then to dinner, privately or, when it's serious, with the family. as they have families of their own, and age, we strengthen our connections with uncomfortable gatherings often surrounding a holiday meal- Thanksgiving, Passover, Christmas. there is death, we get together and mourn over buffets of deli salads and cold cuts.
ReplyDeleteisn't bonding while we are gorging our faces all we ever do? do we need a certified lactation doctor of anything to tell us to do what we will do for the rest of our lives, regardless of their studies? sometimes it seems we need food to have an excuse for emotional connection. i can't wait until some pediatric doctoral study bellies up to our obesity issues and tells us all this food bonding is great, but all along we should have been bonding over yoga or mountain climbing. oops.
you and baby daddy are defining for that boy what love is. not even nine hours a day of mouth on boob time can compete with that.
rant over. xoxo
Well put, Melissa. Seems that something will always contradict what were previously told.
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