You Don’t Need A Nursery

You don’t need a nursery
Much less one with a theme
It’s not safaris or seasides
But of boobs babies dream

You don’t need a cot
With sheets pink or blue
Babies sleep best
When they’re right next to you

You don’t need new gadgets
To amuse and distract
Just your skin touching theirs
Can work magic in fact.

You don’t need a pram
To get baby around
Slings keep baby happy
When they don’t want put down.

You don’t need a schedule
For naptimes and feeds
Babies have their own rhythms
That change with their needs.

You don’t need to sleep train
Sleeping isn’t a sport
Babies need to feel safe
And mums need support.

You don’t need to wean
Because it’s what “they say”
Nurse as long as you want to
They all wean one day.

You don’t need to sign up
To all the groups and the classes
Babies don’t care about trends
Or keeping up with the masses.

You don’t need to love it all
We all struggle sometimes
You’re not alone in wishing
For earlier bedtimes.

So don’t stress about a nursery
Or all that fancy baby stuff
Baby only needs you
And you are more than enough.

Yes some will love all the extras
Everyone’s different it’s true
And I’m thankful for our choices
‘Cos circumstances vary too.

But it’s OK to ignore all the chatter
Of society imparting it’s views
No one knows your baby better
Trust yourself, you get to choose.

So don’t give in to peer pressure
They can’t know what you “should” do
Whether basic or all bells and whistles
It’s your journey, you get to do you.

What Will I Remember?

What will I remember, what things will come to mind
When I think about breastfeeding years on down the line
Will I remember the hours spent with you at my breast
The imprint on my arm from where your ear pressed
Will I remember the pain of those first newborn latches
And how cute baby nails left razor like scratches
Will I remember your hands searching for something to twiddle
And how feeds blurred together with no start, end or middle
Will I remember milk-drunk smiles and limbs gone limp
How your face lit up if you even caught a glimpse
Of my bra and how you knew the sound of the click
Meant nursies were coming and how you’d wave and kick

Will I remember the nights you never unlatched
And the neighbours and postmen we unintentionally flashed
Will I remember when everything was covered in spit up
And muslin cloths lay about to catch every hiccup
How milk leaked through my clothes and pooled in the sheets
And when meals, rest and showers were coveted treats
Will I remember how you looked in my arms as you slept
When I wondered what secrets your milky dreams kept
Will I remember your smell and how soft your skin felt
How feeding you made us both seem to melt
High on hormones, falling in love, and asleep

Will I remember all the times you just wouldn’t sleep
And I’d walk you and rock you and find strength somewhere deep
Will I remember the nerves from our first feeds in public
And when every conversation returned to the subject
Of babies and boobs and how we felt far from perfect
Will I remember when I dropped my phone on your head
And the crumbs in your hair ‘cos we both needed fed
Will I remember the milestones, and all the wild places
From beaches and forests, to pools, planes and staircases
Birthdays and holidays, celebrations and sick days
And those times you’d only feed upside down or sideways

Will I remember how feeding you made me feel proud
How, in moments of bliss, we were on the ninth cloud
Will I remember too, feeling trapped and touched out
Overwhelmed, overburdened, full of worry and doubt
Will I remember how every stage passed like the last
And how days that went slowly changed to years that went fast
How you giggled when milk got sprayed in your face
And how eventually you weaned, slowly, at your own pace
I want to remember how it all made me feel
The joy and the struggles and the mundane inbetween
I want to keep all the memories that made my heart sing
When I look back… I want to remember everything.

Cuddle Them

Cuddle them while you pace the floor
Cuddle them though your back hurts sore
Cuddle them when they’re clingy and hot
Cuddle them more when you’re frazzled and fraught
Cuddle them as they nurse from left to right
Cuddle them to sleep and all through the night
Cuddle them while you binge your favourite TV
Cuddle them close as you drink your cold tea
Cuddle them in a sling as you go about your day
Cuddle them at the cafe, park or soft play
Cuddle them when you don’t know what else to try
Cuddle them while one or both of you cry
Cuddle them so they’re never afraid or alone
Cuddle them because you’re their safe place, their home
Cuddle them ‘cos it’s what your heart needs too
Cuddle them now so they learn what to do
Cuddle them as long as they’ll allow you to,
And someday when they’re grown,
They’ll cuddle you.

Silver Boobies

Congratulations Mama on getting to month 6!
For fueling all baby’s rolls, giggles and tricks,
With milk tailor made and lovingly fed,
Through good times and tough, you’ve come out ahead,
‘Cos half a year breastfeeding, means you’re not newbies,
And earns you the coveted “Silver Boobies”!

It’s no mean feat and no small thing,
All the love and protection and joy it can bring,
To nurse your baby, watch them thrive and grow.
Just think that first feed was 6 months ago!
So be proud and celebrate what you’ve done,
And look forward to new messy mealtime fun!

You’ve learned so much on this journey together,
And if you choose to continue it only gets better,
‘Cos the gift of breastfeeding is something to treasure.
With memories you’ll cherish forever and ever.

Breastmilk

Breastmilk

Some say it’s nature’s “Liquid Gold”,
A gift more precious than anything sold.

Some say it forms a bond like no other,
Of connection and trust between baby and mother.

Some say the milk babies get from their mamas,
Is the super food you can make in your pyjamas.

Some say it’s unique and cannot be matched,
Its secrets imparted when baby is latched.

Some say, from Hera’s breast, the spray,
Formed what we still call, The Milky Way.

Some say it’s a powerful healing elixir,
A mysterious, milky, all around fixer.

Maybe it’s a little of all of the above,
Or maybe it’s simply Liquid LOVE.

Ready

Ready.  (a self weaning poem)

                       For Tessa.

She wraps her limbs around me still,
And nuzzles in her curly head.
But now she doesn’t ask to nurse,
“Mummy cuddles” do the job instead.
~
She still needs kisses on a graze,
Held through tears ’til she feels better,
But now she doesn’t need to nurse,
She’s ready, I’m not sure I’ll be ever.
~
She’s still my extraordinary baby girl,
And our bond just couldn’t be stronger.
I let her lead, the choice was hers,
Nursies aren’t needed any longer.
~
She’s older now and confident,
I’m so proud to watch her grow.
And grateful to have had a journey so rich,
That it hurts this much to let go…

 

They Say…

~

They say “it’s rude to breastfeed when you’re out and about”

They say “let them in bed an’ you’ll not get ’em out” .

They say “it’s not safe, they need their own cot”.

They say “your milk will dry up more likely than not”.

They say “babies need to learn to sleep on their own”.

They say “put them down,’cos it’s well known”

“You’ll be making a rod for your own back”.

They say “your baby’s sleep schedule is way off track”.

~

They say “there’s no need to be a martyr”.

They say “if you spoil him it’ll be harder”.

They say “formula now is just as good,

Sure soon he’ll be ready for some ‘real’ food”.

The say “surely he can’t be hungry again”?

They say “if you don’t stop nursing now, then when”?

They say “he’s too old and it’s getting weird”

“You don’t want to be breastfeeding when he has a beard.”

~

They ask “does she sleep? and “is she good?”

“Do she have a routine? She really should.”

They ask “Does she eat three meals a day?

“Does she fuss? Does she follow sleep-feed- play”?

They say “baby’s too big, your boobs are too small”

“You’ll not make enough milk to fill her at all”

They say “It’s colic, it’s reflux, it’s her teeth or her ears”.

“Do this. Give her that. Here’s a cure for her tears”.

~

Please! Enough is enough, we need to stop it,

Call out the nonsense, follow the profit.

Let’s say the right things and ask the right questions.

And if you’re unsure, here’s a few suggestions.

Smile and tell mum that she’s doing great.

Remember her choices aren’t up for debate.

Trust that she knows her own baby best,

And co-sleeping mums actually get the most rest.

~

Ask how mum’s coping with frequent night feeding.

Reassure her it’s normal, celebrate her succeeding.

Don’t judge if her toddler is still breastfeeding.

Your opinion isn’t something she’s wanting or needing.

Say you can’t hold or cuddle them enough.

Explain how it all passes the good and the rough.

Normalise growth spurts and development leaps,

Agree you can’t always sleep when baby sleeps.

~

Ask “how can I help, what can I do?”

Encourage and support her to see her plans through.

Let her complain, listen without trying to fix it.

Make her a cuppa and bring her a biscuit.

Spread word far ‘n wide of normal baby behaviour,

‘Till it’s commonly known by the world and its neighbour.

End the damaging cycle of misinformation,

Check out the evidence, value lactation!

~

Help empower all mothers, offer peace of mind,

And if you’re ever in doubt… Just remember, be kind.

Milky Valentine

 

Lying cosy in my arms, eyes gazing into mine,

Love flowing from my breast as peacefully you dine,

On milk made from kisses, Mother Nature’s sweet design.

Connecting in these moments, hearts and souls align.

Blissfully I fall in love with my Milky Valentine.

~     ~

~~~

~

Golden Boobies

 

You’ve really done it Mama!

Your nursling just turned one!

You’ve breastfed your baby,

For one full trip around the sun!

It’s really quite amazing.

Would you ever have believed,

In those crazy, hazy first few weeks,

Just what you’ve now achieved?

‘Cos you’ve earned your

GOLDEN BOOBIES!

For making it to a year.

Congratulations, celebrate!

Maybe even shed a happy tear.

‘Cos we know it wasn’t easy,

You were determined and so strong.

But the rewards are truly special,

With effects that are lifelong.

So enjoy this awesome milestone,

With milky snuggles, cake and more,

Knowing your baby’s one of the lucky few,

Whatever next year has in store!

“Fed Is Best”

~

“Fed Is Best”

“Fed is best” you say, but see, I have to disagree.
I’m calling BS on that crap, so listen up and see.
First thing’s first let’s clarify, all babies need to be fed.
Fed is the absolute minimum or else they end up dead…

So is breast best? Well no again, I’m sorry to confuse,
But humans feeding humans isn’t extra, best or news.
Now that’s clear remember, all mums are free to choose,
But when the facts are bought and sold for profit we all lose.

Breastfeeding is unique and there’s really nothing like it.
Formula has its place of course, I’m not here to deny it.
Information is the key to this, open, honest, black and white.
So let’s get real, fund real support, stop saying it’s alright.

‘Cos fed is NOT best! Never was and now that we know better,
It’s not mothers but our governments who should be under pressure.
If nothing else remember this; INFORMED is always best.
The choice is yours, when you’re informed of risks and all the rest.

Informed is best, breast’s the norm and fed is fundamental.
How you feel is personal but facts are not judgemental.