If I Had the Cure

This idea has been settling in my mind for quite some time now. I wasn't sure how to start it, where I would go, or how I would even conclude it but I'm just going to let it flow like word vomit and hope for the best.

I watched a documentary once about families who also dealt with Autism. I can't pin point exactly why I was watching it, probably for college, but something really stuck out to me that made me think hard. This was probably close to a year ago now and the thought is still growing in my brain and I go back to it from time to time.

So I was watching the documentary, probably with tears already in my eyes, and a mother came up on the camera that was speaking about her sons condition. Suddenly, the interviewer asked the mother, "If you could give him a pill to cure his Autism, would you?". In that moment I saw the look on her face and I knew as a fellow special needs parent we both felt exactly the same as that question processed in our minds. I was completely thrown off.

Anyone else who is probably reading this that doesn't have a child with special needs may have yelled, "DUH!". And if I'm being honest, that ended up to be my reaction as well....thing is though, it wasn't my first, and I could tell it wasn't this mothers as well. You have to realize that being a special needs parent, this is all we know, especially if they were your first born. We didn't go into this journey ever expecting a cure or ever having a child that could be different than what God has given us. I'm still growing and learning how to be a parent to a child who's developmentally "typical". There's things going on with my daughter that I'm not used to because I never had to worry about Camden getting into everything or just being outgoing and adventurous.

It's a weird concept to try and explain really, and I hope other parents out there get this. Or maybe I'm just insane, I wouldn't doubt that. I whole heartedly believe though that my sons Autism diagnosis doesn't define him but it does add quirks to who he is. I fell in love with a beautiful blonde haired boy who flapped his hands when he was excited. I fell in love with the boy who can't speak very well but when he tries its the most amazing and adorable thing ever. I fell in love with the boy who walked in patterns outside instead of playing with toys with the rest of the kids. I fell in love with the boy who isn't very social but tries his best to say hello and be polite to others. I fell in love with the boy that doesn't like affection so when he gives it to me it makes my heart explode. I fell in love with a little boy that isn't like a lot of little boys.

Don't get me wrong, those things break my heart too and make it shatter time and time again. It's so incredibly hard to watch other children that are the same age as him and see the differences. As the years go by I see the differences like a warning sign popped up on your computer that just wont go away. It hurts.

But the thought though, of giving my son a pill that completely changes all of who he is makes me cringe a little. Life as we know it wouldn't be the same. Not even close and neither would my son. He isn't critically ill, dying or in extreme discomfort and pain. Camden doesn't have a life threatening illness that prevents him from living life, he has a social disorder. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a social disorder meaning deep down he is just like anyone else, he just has a hard time communicating and relating with others. A lot of people are misinformed about that.

When it comes down to it, I absolutely couldn't be selfish. I would most definitely give Camden the cure for Autism because I'm his mother and I want the absolute best outcome and life for him. I want Camden to go to college, make friends, have a family and just enjoy life. I also know he can still absolutely do all of those things...but it would be wrong to deny that he would struggle to do so with his disorder compared to his peers. I wonder daily what it would be like to sit and chat with him about life. Or at least as much about life that a three year old could talk about. I wonder what he would say about me, how close he would be with his sister or the friends he would have. What sports he would enjoy, movies....it's a perplex thought for me and it blows my mind everyday that in just a few years I will have all of this with my daughter.

It's a scary thought.....to let go of the only little boy you know. Just really think about that. If this makes any sense and can sum up everything I feel about this, know that I do not love Autism Spectrum Disorder, but I love my son with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I fell in love with my son with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I don't want to change him for the world but if I had an option, I would change him to give him the world.

Out of Sync

It's been awhile since I've sat here and typed out my feelings. For the whole almost 10 months that I was pregnant with Kennady I found myself drifting from my blog and wanting to focus more on my life and family. Doing so brought me into a whole realization of the things around me and has brought me back to this spot behind my laptop.

Moving into our new home in Calvert County I noticed Camden began a new vocabulary. It was exciting because these were different than Mama and Dada. It meant he was growing and turning into a little person who would soon communicate with me. I was so thrown back when my little boy started saying the world "juice" clear as day. Then followed "ball" and "apple". For some reason "apple" was super emotional for me and I wanted to cry out of excitement. Looking back now I think maybe I had these emotions because somehow someway my mind was telling me this was the last word my son would repeat after me. Possibly the last time I would truly hear a voice. Camden's voice.

You're probably confused and wonder what I even mean. Over a period of time I started to realize I didn't hear a little voice running around repeating the words juice, ball and apple. It became silent enough for me to wonder what was going on. "Juice", I would say as handing him his cup. Silence. "Ball", I would say as throwing a ball in his direction. More silence. And no more was the little boy in the bath tub excited because he was saying apple and have me squealing with delight.

At his 18 month appointment I voiced this to his doctor. Immediately he looked at me alarmed and said that this was not something to wait around and figure out. He handed me a pamphlet for an Infant and Toddlers Program in our county and I looked at it briefly thinking "My son doesn't need help or intervention...he's just stubborn is all". We spoke about it more to family and friends and multiple times I heard "this is a phase" and a ton of stories about people who didn't talk until they were four. Everyone somehow had at least one family member or friend who for some reason needed speech therapy and everything turned out alright. Feeling some relief about it all I phoned the program and set up an appointment for someone to come to our home to asses Camden. The first assessment would be done at home where we just get asked questions about our home routines, things he said, and what he could understand. Then there was the assessment at their school to finalize whether Camden was eligible for the intervention and therapy that they provided.

The first therapy provider came to our home and immediately Camden started throwing a tantrum. I had to grab him to avoid him banging his head on the floor. Before this the head banging only happened when I thought tantrums were happening while telling him "no" or taking something away. Those days seemed normal at the time but to my realization it wasn't just when I had to step in and be mean mommy. He wasn't happy that she was there and he was making it known by banging his head on the floor over and over again. Embarrassed, I proceeded with her assessment where she asked me many things that apparently 18-24 month olds should be doing. Does he wave bye? No. Does he point with one finger at objects? No. Does he play correctly with toys? Uh, I guess? He mainly gets bored easily with his toys and ends up throwing them. He basically throws everything. The list went on and more and more I wondered why he wasn't doing these things? Was it something I did wrong? Do I not play with him enough? The child has endless toys. It was strange he didn't really like any of them except for his blocks that he constantly threw. From that point on I wanted to find answers. I wanted to help him.

The day of his assessment at the school I woke up beyond stressed out. I had just had Kennady and I knew taking him would be extremely hard because I would be dealing with endless fighting and head banging. I realized a lot of our days go this way. Where I don't want to go anywhere or do anything because it's just a constant battle instead of enjoying ourselves and I hate that I feel this way. When we got there all seemed calm. That was until we got into the actual room with the three different specialists. Then all of my fears came to reality all over again. As soon as we took him out of the stroller it was an instant fight of calming him down and trying to prevent him from hurting himself. Often he would calm down and play with some toys with the specialist. Other times he just picked them up and threw them only to come running back to me screaming and crying. Or the head banging. I hate the head banging.

I started to feel the overwhelming feeling of anxiety build up inside me. He's not like this at home for the most part. Why when he goes out does he freak out like this. HOW CAN I HELP HIM? I kept my composure until one of the specialists spoke up about his behavior. "Not to be funny, but does he have a helmet?" I stared at her for a second trying to process what she was asking me. No my not even two year old doesn't have a helmet, why would he? "It might be a good way to prevent him from hurting himself". Then I went overboard. I don't know if it was my post partum hormones or just everything in general but I couldn't hold it in anymore and I started to cry. Is something seriously wrong? Where did I go wrong? What could I have changed to prevent this?

9-12 months is what they scored him in his speech. 24 months is what they scored him in his gross motor skills. The kid is amazing at catching and throwing a ball. He loves being outdoors and running around. He's the most alive when he's active but when I sit him down and try to teach him things or get him to speak it's either I have a raging bull to deal with or he's just not connected with me. He gets bored, and frustrated and wants nothing to do with it or me. In the same instance he's the most loving boy in the world. He gives me hugs and kisses and moments when we're giggling together I can see in his eyes that he's there and that he loves me. We were approved for the at home speech therapy that we will now be doing 3 times a month.

I've begun looking into Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder. To some, it might be a little extreme to think about but I want answers for my child. I want him to get the help he needs. I don't want to sit around and lie to myself saying that it's just a phase as he gets progressively worse. While he falls under a lot of the symptoms with both disorders he also doesn't. A lot of these symptoms are also just "phases". It's so extremely frustrating and difficult to deal with every day. I argue with myself that I'm too hard on him when I discipline him because I have no idea if he even understands me or understands what he did that was wrong. Just once I would like to go somewhere without screaming and tears. I want him to look at me and sing the ABC's. Or tell me he needs something after yelling "Momma" to get my attention. It's come very aware to me that if something is wrong, such as autism, he could be non verbal and never speak and that hurts. That hurts more than any words that I can type on this post because I heard his voice before. I know how sweet and adorable it sounds only to be replaced with yelling and "uh huh".

The reality is though, is that whatever is going on inside of him hurts him more than it hurts me and I need to be strong and fix that in anyway possible that I can. I'm speaking to his doctor next week about where to go from here. He could laugh at me and tell me I'm silly. That my son is just stubborn like his father and to let nature take its course. I know I could also hear what I don't want to but have to come to realization about. I always knew my little boy was the different one. The one that marched to the beat of his own drum but I wasn't sure it would ever come to this. No matter what the outcome, or what life throws at us though I just need to keep reminding myself that it will be okay. I need to be strong for him.

 

 

How Scentsy Changed My Life!

 

 

As some of you may already know due to my constant posting and share of love for the product, I have recently signed up for my own Scentsy business!

For some time I went back and forth between different companies and wondered what truly would work for me? What would inspire me? What would push me to do more for my growing family? As a stay at home mother you're always on the hunt of trying to find ways to provide for your family financially. I wanted to find something that could help us financially, but also have a good time doing it! I wanted to start something that I could grow with and make MY own business with  MY own hours. I wanted to be my own boss, and love what I was doing. I googled, I youtubed and I searched for hours until I came across Scentsy and KNEW this is what I was going to do. This company is going to push me to not only be a provider, but a better person overall.

  

 

 
 
 
I took the plunge on Halloween of 2014. One of the best decisions I've made! I looked at all of their product and completely fell in love. Not just with how obviously amazing it smells but the quality. Scentsy Fragrance offers a variety of home and personal fragrance products, including scented wickless candles and decorative ceramic warmers, which together provide a safer alternative to burning wicked candles. A wickless candle is a highly fragrant wax bar that is warmed to release fragrance into the air. Because the wax is gently warmed rather than burned, it can hold more fragrance oil than a traditional candle. And, because there is no flame, there is no smoke, soot, or lead. Scentsy wickless candles are a safer alternative to traditional candles.

 

 

2014/2015 Fall/Winter Starter Kit^ 99$

 

 

Just about ten days after I picked my WONDERFUL sponsor Wendy and signed up, my Scentsy Starter kit arrived in the mail. Let's just say, it was HEAVEN! Everything you see pictured above is what comes with your kit PLUS SOME. You get all 50+ party testers which are all of the scents available in little plastic containers that you can take around with you even to market your product not at parties! It also comes with two wax bars, a scent pack, one full sized warmer, layers products (Body spray & lotion), and then our layers laundry products (dryer discs & washer whiffs)! Don't think it stops there either. They also provide you with a ton of catalogs, flyers, order forms, labels, and a personal website FREE for three months (10$ a month prior to that). I was able to promote my business and sell successfully BEFORE my starter kit arrived just by posting my personal Scensty webpage around social media and letting friends and family know that I have started my own business!

 

You literally have everything you could possibly need to start immediately with Scentsy!

 

 

Host your very own Scentsy Launch Party!! Invite all of your closest family and friends to your home, put all of your starter kit to good use and spread the word of how awesome Scentsy truly is. SHOW THEM WHY YOU DECIDED TO SIGN UP! I had my launch party at my parents home and had an absolute BLAST. All I did was go through the product, answer any questions that anyone had, and passed around product for people to smell and get a feel for. The 50+ party testers all went to good use! Walking away I had over 10 new Scentsy clients and they walked away with product that they would hopefully love and want to purchase forever.

 

 

 

Let's fast forward to 30 days after I initially signed up...

 

*I hit my Certified Consultant Promotion!
*Had a 5% raise!
*Easily made a couple hundred dollars!
*AND HAD FUN DOING IT

I had no hours, no boss, and the only time limit I had was to hit my Scentsy goal by the end of the month.

Who wouldn't want this job?

 

 A break down of Scentsy Compensation^ Everyone starts at 20% as an Escential Consultant.

As a mother I can't thank Scentsy enough for giving me this opportunity. & even if you aren't a mother, maybe even a college student paying off school loans or need a little extra cash, this can be for you too! All you need is your Starter Kit and the drive to want to make your own business a successful one. YOU get out of YOUR business what YOU put into it!

If interesting in signing up for my team please visit my page
www.JessicaArmstrongScents.scentsy.us

(Click on Join My Team located at the top right corner)

You can also email me at
JMArmstrong92@gmail.com

for answers to any questions you may have regarding starting your own Scentsy business :)

 

 

 

 



Moms need to "shut up".

Disclaimer: This is a rant. This is me going on about how people get under my skin and I AM going to be talking about the fact that I stay home with Camden. If that annoys you, just press that X in the top right hand corner because I don't feel like going through the struggle of wanting to wring your neck after seeing your retaliation status on Facebook. This is my blog and if what I write about annoys you, the joy is....YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ IT.

 

- - - -

 

Okay, so hopefully now I'm writing to an audience that truly has an open mind.

It's come to my attention recently that what I post gets under peoples skin, shocker.

You can disagree with me..you can give me your piece of mind back...just please, MAKE SENSE!

There's been an article going around with the title, "Dear Stay-At-Home Moms, Please Shut Up."

At first when I saw it I rolled my eyes and didn't even bother to read it. Probably like

most of you do with my posts going on about how SAHM's actually do work hard.

It stuck with me though, and I kept wondering if I maybe really did need to simply, shut up.

I then finally read it as it went more viral and I immediately knew I had to give my point

of view right back...because well, that's what I do :)

 

To start off, if you want to get your point across about something and have good reviews by it I think by insulting someone in your title you're only going to piss people off more.

The article goes on by saying SAHM's basically need to pipe down because well, we should be grateful that we have the option to stay in our PJ's till noon.

Basically, we should be grateful about every spit up, mess, and stressful moment we deal with.

 

Here's where I'm confused.

 

Who said we aren't?

 

I am SO beyond grateful and so full of love because every morning I get to wake up and see Camden's face and know that I get to see it all day. I am grateful for every temper tantrum because I know I get to correct him MY way and not by a stranger or babysitter. I know he's safe with me at all times. I've never missed a milestone. I've never known what it's like to sit at work around jerks and annoying people missing my child and I am and will be FOREVER grateful for that.

 

I'm an advocate for stay at home moms because I don't believe we get the back up we deserve. I have personal experiences that have made me feel like crap as a mother, and ones that have lost friends.

Not because I think we work harder. Not because I think working moms don't deal with stress and don't work as hard as the ones who get to work from home. & DEFINTELY not because I'm not grateful. That's a line that makes me want to spit out my coffee and laugh.

I feel like every time I post about moms staying at home the ones who don't get offended by me and feel the need to explain to me that they need to work because they have to. But my only point that I ever want to get across is why is it okay that working moms get a pat on the back for supplying for their children by working outside of home, but the ones who have the option to supply for their children inside their home get a slap on the wrist because they should be doing better for their family?

 

"If you despise constantly being in the company of humans who drool, if you are completely unsatisfied and miserable and longing for a way out, then, pretty please with a cherry on top, get a job, volunteer, find a hobby, go out with the girls. Do SOMETHING"

 

 

This was an actual quote from the article^

Let me tell you something, and this is just facts about my daily life.

In a weeks span I get out of the house MAYBE 2 times.

This isn't shopping trips with my friends or a Starbucks date with Billy.

This is running to Walmart to get diapers, groceries, or maybe even just checking the mail.

Just like working moms wish they could be with their children I wish I had some sort of interaction with people besides a toddler...every...single...day.

That doesn't mean I don't love Camden. It means some days I need a break.

I don't have the time to volunteer, my hobby is crafting with my child, and I'm surprised I'm not laughing until tears come out to "go out with the girls" -_-

College? Daycare? Babysitters? Nights out?

I'm not sure if this chick is aware but that stuff takes money...and a decent amount.

I literally want to pull my hair out some days because I have heard nothing but Daniel Tiger on the tv, a screaming toddler, have done nothing but made breakfast lunch and dinner that ALL got thrown on the floor and hardly eaten along with pointlessly cleaning a house that looks like I haven't done a thing to it 20 minutes later.

 

I have bad days too!

I'm allowed to complain!

I'm allowed to want to scream some days!

Just like people have a bad day at work and bash their co-workers and boss via FB, I'm allowed to sigh because some days I just want to change my name to anything but "Mom".

 

The fact that this article says I should put on my Suzy Home Maker face everyday and say, "I am so blessed. I have a faithful husband, gorgeous and healthy children, a beautiful home, and I am fortunate enough to stay home and enjoy my blessings." is beyond hysterical. Especially coming from a woman who also stays at home with her kids. Applause to her for being the perfect woman of the year. -insert sarcasm-

 

In the end, we're all Mothers. We're all exhausted by the end of the day. Nobody has it worse than the other because we don't live other peoples lives but our own. None of us need to "pipe down" or "shut up" simply because of what we do for a living. We're all allowed to have bad days, and we're all allowed to have good days. We can sigh some days and smile the next. But FOR ONCE I'd like to see mothers come together and support each other as a whole...as MOTHERS. Not "stay at home moms" or "working moms" but simply as Mothers. I think we all deserve that.

 

-drops mic-

 

xo, Jessica.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Home!

 

Well for the past couple weeks I've been a little missing in action.

I figured I should inform you guys of all the craziness that has been happening lately!

To start off, for the past couple of years Billy has been driving 2 hours

to work everyday and then 2 hours back. Gas has been killing our

wallets and we were concerned over-all of how happy he was driving that much everyday.

We decided to take a plunge and move down to Calvert County!

 

It's SO much bigger on the inside than it does on the outside.

3 BR 2 BA big back porch and basement (kinda finished)

 

Still in MD, just about 2 hours away from our friends and family. I was wary at first because it seemed like nothing but farms and I was worried I wouldn't be happy seeing as how I know NOBODY down here, but its actually quite exciting!

Not only are we happy to have our OWN space

but it's interesting to be living somewhere that I can explore again. There's tons of water locations, which I absolutely love. I always wanted to raise my children by the water & there's plenty of state parks that we cant wait to explore this fall! We're very happy that not only do we have our own room but now Camden does too! I think that was the biggest stressor on us when it came to getting sleep. We would get under each others skin because it felt like we never had our own privacy or were all crammed into one room. Mainly because we were, kind of like a sardines!

It was awful.

But I'm very fortunate that my parents took us in and let us stay as long as we wanted to get on our 2 feet again.

 

 

 

 

 

This picture doesn't do justice as to how big our back porch is.

& it's literally surrounded by nothing but woods.

Lets just say the sounds of all the little bugs at night is beyond tranquilizing.

 

Shower Curtain- Walmart Decal- Target

 

I've started decorating our master bathroom some.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't super excited about our shower curtain

and my wall decals that match perfectly.

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

& what would MY home be without the saying

"I love you to the moon and back" SOMEWHERE?

I think this takes my obsession to a whole new level because

now I have a ring, two necklaces, my photography business, and now a

wall decal in Camden's room.

What? The boy's loved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

I don't have many more photos of the house mainly because

I don't want to post any until all of my decorating is done and we are

fully unpacked and not living out of boxes!

So stay tuned for more and get ready for our next adventures in life :)

 

 

 

xoxo, Jessica

 



The "F" Word

 

 

As a parent, battling fevers is inevitable.

You never understand how much it scares you until it actually happens.

Camden has ran fevers before...the typical teething fever.

They usually hit about 99 degrees and then go back down.

It wasn't until a couple weeks ago I dealt with my first real fever/virus.

It was a scary and sad moment, especially when there's only so much you can do.

 

This was my experience and I hope it helps other moms who

at one point or another go through their little one's first fever...

 

Such a heartbreaking face...

 

It all started with a fever of 101.

I knew this was serious because I felt how warm his

body was as soon as I picked him up.

I immediately checked his temp & I was right!

We started with Tylenol, giving it to him every 6 hours.

At the time we were on a mini vacation and packing up to leave.

I checked his temp before we left and it was back down to 99..I thought

all was well and we headed back to home.

3 hours later..

Billy picked Camden up as soon as we got out of the car and

had the same reaction I did hours before.

There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Camden was running a fever

just as hot as before, if not hotter!

Checked his temp...102!

 

At this point I was panicking because I knew something wasn't right.

This was no typical teething fever and I knew I had to cool him down.

It wasn't time for another dose of Tylenol so I grabbed a rag,

ran it under cool water, and placed it on his head after stripping him down

to just a diaper. After about 30 minutes of laying around and watching

Barney I checked his temp and it was back down to 100.

I was making progress...

 

 

We called his doctor up thinking he would send us straight to

the ER with urgency but I was shocked to find all he wanted us to do

was to rotate using Tylenol and Motrin.

 

That's it?

That's all I had to do?

No deadly virus?

No late night ER trips to find out the worst?

I googled fevers in toddlers for the millionth time and found out that fevers

are actually very common and aren't a cause for concern unless

its unbreakable. So we started our medication rotation

and scheduled a visit to the doctor the following day.

24 hours go by and Camden is still miserable..

The doctor says all is well, just a 24 hour virus

& we went back home to snuggle and be sick.

Camden's fever did break. It never went up again past that point

but something about him was "off"

He was EXTREMELY upset and nothing pleased him.

I knew he had a virus but something in me felt like much more was wrong

He would scream being held, fed, cuddled, you name it..

I called the doctor worried and he insisted we visit the ER..
 

We spent 3 hours watching Yo Gabba Gabba and waiting..

 
Long story short, they couldn't find anything wrong either!

 

I've come to realize that the body is a crazy thing and sometimes the virus'

just wear us completely down.

That doesn't mean that you should ignore your motherly instincts..

just don't be like me and think his arm is about to fall off

when the first sign of extreme crankiness comes on.

Fevers are so much more common than I thought and believe it

or not....children catch virus's! Who would've thought?

 

So the next time your baby is running a fever, don't fret immediately!

Let your doctor know what is going on!

Get prepared for TONS of cuddles..

 

 

Lots of sleeping..

 

 

Which means lots of bed head..

 

 

& STAY STRONG! because..

 

 

You will soon enough have your happy baby back :)

 

xox, Jessica

 



The Feeding Movement

 

First time mothers all go through the same question

at one point or another during their pregnancy..

 

Breast or Bottle?

 

Personally my experience growing up I never came

a cross a friend or a relative who spoke openly about

breastfeeding with me. It was always something I felt

I would feel completely uncomfortable about

and never thought I would think about doing.

Going into the hospital they asked me how I planned on feeding my baby.

....well that put me through a loop.

I never really thought about it before?

Bottles were all I knew and my answer was,

 

"I guess I'll try breastfeeding".

 

After Camden was born he was immediately taken into

the NICU where I wouldn't see him until the following day.

He was having trouble breathing without oxygen

and over-all just wasn't looking good.

At that moment I knew I had to give him the best of

whatever I could to make sure Camden stayed alive and healthy.

I was super scared and nervous at first.

Breasts aren't something I was used to taking out of my shirt

to feed a human being. But lets be real..

the day before I didn't care who saw my downstairs after 18 hours

of labor...as long as they got that baby out!

 

So we gave it a try...

 

It was super overwhelming for me..

Camden had issues latching on

I wasn't eating from stress.
Billy went back to work
I couldn't drive to the hospital to feed him.

I wanted so hard just to go to the hospital to feed my baby

but my options were slim...I resulted to pumping.

 

Pumping only lasted so long with not eating correctly

and I was hardly educated about breast feeding and how it worked.

 

My breast feeding journey then ended.

I wish there were more resources then for me to be educated about breastfeeding,

or to be able to reach out to other mothers who could give me advice

or just a spark of inspiration to keep going.

My days of breastfeeding are long over & short lived

but I want to make sure other young mothers like me

who don't have the support know that there is an entire community out there for you!

There ARE other mothers out there who can help.

 Then one day I happened to come across..

 

Recently I have had the privilege of interviewing a few  of my favorite IG momma's who also happen to admin this page. I could go on about how amazing this cause is

but I'll let you read for yourself..

 

The Feeding Movement was started by the lovely Crystal (@themorrismanual), after receiving negative comments on photos she posted of her nursing her baby girl. The movement originated as an idea to post a photo of Elena nursing every day for as long as their breast feeding journey lasts, but then evolved into a page all it's own. A page where breast feeding mothers can join together and support one another, ask for advice, or tell their personal stories, as well as the occasional hilarious breast feeding meme. In a time where more and more mothers are being targeted and their photos or pages removed over the slightest bit of skin or cleavage in a beautiful, natural photo of them nursing their child, Crystal saw the need for not only support, but education. She selected her admin team based on our collective knowledge and experience, and so far together we've been able to help and support many mothers and show many more that breast feeding is much more than a taboo subject, and what you feed your child is one of the most important
 

(@maxim.and.lor)

 (admin)  

My personal experience with breastfeeding is a lot different than most. I had to relactate twice. Once when my son was only 7 months old, and again when he was 10 months. I found out I was pregnant right before J turned 6 months old, quickly after I found out, my supply diminished. J wouldn't latch and pumping wasn't saving it. So, I decided to get donor milk (breast milk donated from other moms). I was still pumping as much as possible with no luck. I was not even getting a drop. When J was 7 months old, we found out I had miscarried our baby, so from then on I focused on getting my supply back and breastfeeding again. In 2 short weeks, my supply was back and he was latching again. Perfect. At 8 months J one day decided to stop breastfeeding all together. My first thought "oh my gosh am I pregnant again?" And sure enough, I was. This time, I stopped trying to breastfeed and strictly relied on donors milk. 4 weeks after we found out, I miscarried again. All I wanted then was to get my milk back, so I started looking up every way possible to relactate, and I did everything. I almost gave up. Something told me to just try a few more days, and then after a whole month of trying I got my milk back! J still wasn't latching though so all I could do was pump, then I started putting applesauce on my nipples for him and with only 3 times of doing that, he was back on the boob! And now at 15 months we are still going strong!

(@todaywithj)

(admin)

 

 

There are different situations that require different responses. If it's family, a good way is to educate them about nursing, and get them comfortable with it. If it is in public and you come across a complete stranger, I would kindly ask them to either A) to please stop staring, as there is nothing out of the ordinary going on, or to B) If nursing bothers them so much, that they are free to move to a more comfortable place. I do not put up with negativity, and feel that no mother should either. Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world. Breastfeed where ever, and when ever, because that's what nature intended you to do. Those that are uncomfortable can easily turn their wandering eyes in a different direction.

 (@kcastellon1228)

(admin)

 

Growing up, I had no example of breastfeeding aside from the Mennonite moms I saw at the library play group. No one in my family breastfed - not even my grandparents; so it was pretty taboo. But when I met my now-husband and we became serious, he expressed the importance of his children being breastfed. I did a little research and figured, why not! A few years later I found myself nannying for a breastfed baby. It was such an amazing experience for me and I learned so much! Seeing the bond of mother and child made me 100% certain I would breastfeed. When my son was born, we hit a lot of obstacles but I remained passionate! Now we are 20 months into our nursing relationship and I am in my second trimester with baby number 2! Breastfeeding has been -hands down- the best parenting choice we have ever made! 

@montanashea

(admin)

 

 

I personally found a ring sling as my life saver for keeping my supply up. Jude did not take bottles or pacifiers so I had constant nipple stimulation the first year. Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. Jude was one of those babies who would eat nonstop. All day and all night. (We co-slept.) The only way I was able to walk around, leave the house, go to stores, ride the bus or wash his cloth diapers was to wear him in a ring sling while breastfeeding. I had been to Kenya a few years ago and saw mothers there working in their community while breastfeeding and baby wearing. They were my inspiration. Even when I worked my body didn’t respond to the pump so my mother took Jude to feed during my work breaks. I’ve tried supplements, nursing teas and even oatmeal stout beer but honestly trusting my body is how I kept my supply up. Some days I nurse Jude only 15 minutes or less a day without pumping and I am still producing at almost 16 months postpartum. I don’t determine my supply by how much I was able to pump but by if I could squirt milk out. Maybe I do have a “low” supply but as long as Jude is latching and enjoys nursing I find there no reason to need to up my supply. I really do believe babies can sense when your body needs a larger supply and they will nurse more often to try to bring your supply up. I think baby's nipple stimulation are the best at raising milk supply not products. It’s all about trusting that your body has the right supply for your baby.

@overthemoonforjude

 

 

There you have it ladies!

If you ever need any advice feel free

to contact these wonderful ladies because

they would be more than happy to lead

you into the right direction of a

happy breast feeding experience!

 

 

www.instagram.com/thefeedingmovement