To the Canadian blog stalkers who think they know it all...

It seems that the last post has ruffled the feathers of some know-it-all moms up in Canada. Someone has even posted the blog link to a forum and tried to chorale the troops to lambast me for....uh....being a good mom???

They've left anonymous comments (oh yeah, they are cowardly moms, too!) saying that by *only* feeding him 4 or 5 times a day is neglect, and that instead of "worrying" about him sleeping through the night, I should cherish the time with him and that feeding him that much at a time isn't good for him, and so on and so forth.

Let me start off with a few questions. Forum-dwellers like questions, right? Is it good to let your baby go hungry? Is it good to let your baby be fussy all day long because he didn't get enough to eat? No. It's not. And that is what he had been for about 10 days at the end of his first month. He wasn't getting enough of my breastmilk at a time due to low supply, and we were capping him at 3 oz of formula when we supplemented, because anything more SEEMED to be too much. 

We called the doctor. You know, those people who have actual degrees in this stuff? And she said to increase him to 4 oz and then in a few weeks, when he seemed hungrier again, to increase to 5 oz and so forth. 

I honestly had been worried that we could overfeed him. I thought he was just a little piggy who would never stop eating when he was full, like some adults tend to do. So we cut him off at those amounts. 

He had been sleeping, at that time, from 10 or 11 p.m. to 5 or 6 a.m. He never really needed a night feeding. (Mostly because while we were supplementing, we would do formula as his last feeding, which lasts way longer than breastmilk in their bodies. This is a sound decision, and I'm very thankful we did that, judge me all you want.)

At 8 weeks, he was starting to be fussy again, and started waking up at weird times in the night because he was hungry. Now, the Canadian naysayers might be on board with just allowing him to now change the routine we had established. Babies call the shots, right? To an extent. But at what sacrifice? The British Columbian Domestic Engineers probably encourage letting their babies just snack, rather than consume an actual meal, like humans should do. Those same diaper-bag divas also most likely are judging me for no longer breastfeeding him, and for putting him in daycare. If they hand me a BAD MOM sticker for those decisions, then I shall put it on their own backs when they turn around because I am sure I have a few of my own opinions on their decisions. 

There are a variety ways to sleep train. And while the most often textbook age to start the process is 3 months, any reputable source will also say that every baby is different and some are ready before others. Weston was ready because he was needing more food at a time. By NOT neglecting his needs, he would eat more and naturally lengthen the amount of time between feedings. And after researching the various sleep training methods (cry it out, no tears, etc...) we realized we didn't really need to practice one of those controversial approaches if we merely fed him a bit more. So based on the book I linked to in the last post (which is backed by lots of moms and lots of docs), we gradually increased his feedings... to 5.5 oz, then 6 oz each time, then 7 oz each time... during the day. Sometimes, he pushes the bottle away before then. We don't force it down his throat. He basically eats till he doesn't want to eat. (and we burp him lots!!) And the night one, before bed, he would eat until he pushed the bottle away...and that ranges from 7 to 9, a few times 10. 

We have hardly had to TRY to get him to sleep during the night. All we've done is establish a routine, and answers his hunger cries. He is no longer fussy during the day unless he's tired. He no longer screams with hunger at 2.5 hour marks. He is one of the happiest babies I know at this age. And same with his parents. ;)

Oh, and did I forget to mention, when I talked this over with my pediatrician, she gave me a HIGH FIVE for the success we're having? So wait, I'm saying that a doctor approves of this neglectful approach? How can that be if a bunch of meddling mothers in the country north of us are riled up about it and thinking their two cents are worth four? 

(By the way, I think the hot-headed mamas need to spend a bit more time with THEIR kids and stop pointing fingers at me because I can see the number of hits the blog is getting from their IP addresses, and let's just say...they are obsessed.... for hours at a time. How is THAT not neglecting their own lives?)

And to the maternal unit who said I need to cherish these times instead of...doing what I'm doing... that's the dumbest thing I've heard yet. I think I am cherishing them more than a few moms I know because I'm actually getting 6 hours of sleep a night. And I look forward to picking him up from daycare and don't get burned out and want to hand him off to the first human who walks through my door. I miss him terribly and wish we made enough money so I wouldn't have to work, but not everyone is as lucky as that. 

My baby is happy and well-fed and wonderful and amazing and well-documented with photos and warm and fuzzy and delicious to the eyes and nose. He is pooping healthily. He is gaining weight and at a good rate. He is physically developing a bit more each day. And he is a baby who has a mom and dad who love him enough to research before they make a decision, and to know that all parenting styles differ, but the one we choose is the right one for us. 

So back off, you chicks from British Columbia. Tell the sniveling mommies in your forum to spend less time bitching about other hardworking, amazing moms they don't even know and maybe spend a bit more time doing something crafty they learn on Pinterest in all this spare time they seem to have.  After all, creating homemade playdough or scrabble-tile coasters is far more attractive to your own children than being a judgmental self-righteous intruder to another's.