mommy for president

Nurse your baby to sleep! Never nurse your baby to sleep!

A paci will save your life! On your life, don’t you dare use a paci!

Cry it out! Don't traumatize your baby!

Wear your child to promote bonding! Don’t wear your child to promote independence!

Disposables! Cloth!

Breastmilk! Formula!

Back! Tummy!

Hyperscheduling! Demand feeding!

Family bed! Baby bed!

Okay... You get the point.

One of the first things I learned when I became pregnant with my first child is that there is an expert opinion on everything related to babies and parenthood… Not only does every parenting issue have a “right” and “wrong”, but there are plenty of experts to back these claims up!

And these don’t seem to be just preferences… these are outright carved in stone! We’re talking Right with a capital “R” and Wrong with a capital “W”. (Totally reminds me of American politics you’ve gotta pick a side folks!)

But yeah, for a first time mom it can be absolutely overwhelming. You read one book, and that’s it – you’re convinced. That is, until you read the other side which is equally convincing. It can be not only overwhelming, but frustrating and discouraging when you’re longing desperately to know what’s best for your child.

There’s an old proverb that says, “The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him” (Pr 18:17). Hmmmm, sounds about right to me.

So I’ve realized that not only are there “expert” opinions on everything… but I’m also learning how to listen to both sides and filter them through my own intuition.

Because you know the absolute most important thing that I’ve quickly learned so far?

I’ve learned that I’m the only one that knows what’s best for my child. (Well, let’s include my dear husband in that category.) Ok, so make that: I’ve learned that my husband and I know what’s best for our child.

I confess, I’m still reading books on babies and parenting and all the rest of it. I’m still searching blogs and websites. I’m still chatting with my mommy-friends on facebook and by email and at my mum’s group. And yet now I’m doing it with a different perspective. I’m doing it as a mommy who knows that I know best.

So… there will be no picking sides for me; no fighting across the aisle. (Let’s leave politics out of parenting!) Every mom needs to find what works for her little one, for her, and for her family.

And that’s it! I’ve decided to form my own “party” in which I am the chief expert. Yes, in my parenting party, I am the President... President Mommy.

If you enjoy The Mommyhood Memos, please vote for me: 

(You are allowed to vote for me once per day.)

mom-friendly tech: muddled mommy needs help

When Levi was first born, trying to remember the details of when he last ate, for how long, which boob had been out... well, it all just felt completely overwhelming. Add to that, trying to recall when he last slept... and woke up… Let’s just say I was completely confused.

To make matters even more complicated, when your bub is first born the doc says to keep track of how many wees and poos they have in a day so you’ll know if the feeding is going well and your milk supply is on track.

Because I was also trying to keep tabs of when I last had what pain reliever (as I recovered from my C-Section), it was all just too much information for this muddled mommy brain to hold and process.

I tried writing it all down in a notebook, but that was hard to keep up for whatever reason, and I kept forgetting things and getting more frustrated trying to “back-log” things. As I sat there aggravated one afternoon thinking that there must be a better way... my eyes wandered to my husband’s iPhone.

Now, you have to understand that he uses that phone for everything you can imagine – not just the basics like calls, texts, and emails – but also things like storing recipes, doing conversions, tracking weather patterns, and playing bowling. (Several times I’ve heard those pins being knocked over from behind the locked bathroom door... I’ve finally discovered why he takes so long in the loo: he’s bowling! Or fishing or playing golf... But, I digress. Focus Mommy!)

Ok, so I was looking at his phone and I thought, if my husband can use that thing as a leveller when he’s installing shelves (yeah, there’s actually an ap for that!) then surely I could use it for something as practical as tracking my baby’s essentials.

I don’t have an iPhone (yes, I covet), but I do have an iTouch, which I love (more about mommy’s little friend the iTouch in another post). So I searched and found a free ap that did the trick: EatSleepLite

It tracks when you feed, for how long, which breast you feed from (and/or what order), when naps and sleeps start and end, and when and how many diapers you change (and what kind – wet or dirty or both). You can look at your results daily or filter it to get summaries of just one category. It was everything I needed, and it was much more fun (and quick) than trying to log things in a notebook. Perfect.

Although I’ve got the hang of things now and don’t use it anymore, it was so helpful to me during my first 8 weeks of learning how to care for bubsy (while my muddled mommy brain slowly cleared up a little... a very little).

So, for all those new mommies of newborns out there, if you have an iPhone or an iTouch, check it out! You’ll love it!