am I a normal parent?

just finished reading "Am I A Normal Parent?" by Sara Dimerman...i really want to know if i am a normal parent...

this book is a therapy for the mind and soul for parents...i thoroughly enjoyed reading this and every parent should read it...this is the definitive guide to figuring out what's normal for parents in the 21st century...Am I a Normal Parent? will allow you to evaluate how you fit into what is most typical and will reaasure you that you are not alone in your worries...it also addresses feeling guilty about losing patience, being angry and not spending enough time with your children...this book also touches on how culture, upbringing and external influences affect your parenting way...

i am really fascinated with the author believes what NORMAL is...NORMAL is an acronym for No One Really Marches Alone.... even if you are in a situation where you think or feel is not normal, comfort yourself by knowing that somewhere out there, another parent is feeling, thinking and behaving just like you....

this book is deeply comforting to mothers like me who suffers the guilt and anxiety that woven into the parenting experience...it is very reassuring, not preachy, yet thoughtful and insightful, and best of all it is written in a humorous way...!

after reading this, i assure you that i am still a normal parent..!

Breastfeeding Sucks - What to do when your mammaries make you miserable

i've just finished reading such an hilarious breastfeeding book that keeps you laughing out loud from cover to cover...it's good for middle of the night reading when your hubby and kids are fast asleep and you are still wide awake, not knowing what to do...this is just what you need- something funny and engaging that is also somehow informative...

when reading this, i agree that some the stories inside coincide with my own experiences (along with my stupidity and zero knowledge of breastfeeding during my first time nursing my baby 5 years ago)..although as a lactation consultant, i agree that some of the information are incorrect and need further clarification from the lactation experts and further reading  from some other breastfeeding references/books...but this book is light enough, short enough and funny enough to engage the average mother...

i would recommend this book to mothers who want to relieve their inevitable stress about breastfeeding, but not as a sole breastfeeding reference...

i bought this at the recent Big Bad Wolf  (BBW) Books Sale....guess how much the price is..? i got for RM 5...yes, i'm not kidding you, just RM 5..! the original price at Amazon.com is USD 9.95...

and if you are looking for this piece at the BBW Books Sale today or tomorrow, sorry, you won't find it anymore...my lactation friends have bought them all and they were all sold out by the 3rd day of the sale...

La Leche League International - How Weaning Happens

i just finished reading a breastfeeding book that i borrowed from the Susuibu.com Library. the La Leche League International - How Weaning Happens, by Diane Bengson, a LLL leader...

what i like about this book is that it includes the personal experiences of mothers who have weaned their children in a variety of ways...

La Leche League's approach to weaning is very different from the conventional view that weaning is something abrupt and painful that one must do to a baby to push him into the next stage of maturity....HOW WEANING HAPPENS presents weanings that are gentle, gradual, and natural... "Weaning can be seen as a lesson in trust. Trusting that your child will wean when he's ready is an act of faith, as is trusting that you and your child can find gentle, acceptable ways to wean."

 Above all, HOW WEANING HAPPENS recognizes that weaning is a process, not an event. It starts when a baby takes anything besides breast milk by mouth. Gradually, the baby finds other activities and pleasures to meet the needs that were once met exclusively by nursing. The weaning process may extend over months or years and over many stages of a child's development. Leaders often say, "Watch the baby, not the clock," about how often you nurse your baby. In the case of weaning, the slogan might translate to, "Watch the baby, not the calendar." As one mother in the book observed, "Weaning is not about logic or charts or time. Weaning is about readiness. I only know this because I can see that my baby is not ready to wean. She hasn't shown me at all that she is ready to wean, and she is the one person whose opinion on this subject counts."

It can be hard to balance the needs of mother and child in the cooperative venture of weaning. Many mothers find themselves thinking about weaning before the child is ready, while others experience disappointment when their baby or toddler initiates weaning earlier than expected. Things grow even more complicated when the rest of society weighs in. An entire chapter is devoted to "Pressure to Wean." It helps mothers deal with criticism or misinformation from others. The chapter on "Weaning Because of Medical Advice" is equally useful and presents information, resources, and enlightening questions to ask when a health care provider suggests weaning.

HOW WEANING HAPPENS does an excellent job of portraying the advantages of natural weaning. Bengson also has the courage to recognize that weaning can be hard emotional work. HOW WEANING HAPPENS respects mothers by addressing both the positive and negative sides of extended nursing: "Being aware of and honest about your own needs is the best way to avoid feeling burned-out or put upon by a nursing toddler." "Extended nursing isn't about being a martyr or feeling powerless in your nursing relationship . . . Instead of seeing nursing (or not nursing) as a power struggle to be won or lost, consider that your child is asking to nurse in order to get his needs met." Bengson helps the reader sort out whether taking a more active role in weaning will be worthwhile. There is a useful section about how weaning should not be expected to change your child's other behaviors, such as eating patterns or night-waking. Chapter 10 also takes us into a new arena: concrete advice for what to do when weaning doesn't go well.

The book ends on a positive note, reminding us that breastfeeding is only one aspect of the mother-child relationship. As one mother expresses it: "We are still very close. I realize that nursing did not equal mothering. I am still his mother and we are still attached." A satisfying weaning is as precious as the beautiful bond of breastfeeding. HOW WEANING HAPPENS will help many mothers achieve this satisfaction.

from the La Leche League International website

no, i'm not ready to wean Imtiaz as yet, although he is already 20 months old..i'm pretty sure Imtiaz is not ready as well...reading this fantastic book gives me the idea on how to anticipate the possible maternal feelings towards weaning, and how to continue to love our child unconditionally after the nursing relationship ends with your child...

it is such an amazing thing reading the mother's experiences and feelings on weaning and how their relationship with their children strengthen after weaning...it does bring tears to my eyes as well, because i am not sure how i would react to end the beautiful nursing moment with my macho Imtiaz when he is ready...

i didn't have any problem with Jihan because i only nursed her for about 6 1/2 months and i distanced myself from her at night so that she wouldn't nurse during the night..at that age, it was quite easy because she didn't even remember that she ever nursed with me..i regretted that i had to end my nursing realtionship with Jihan that way...i blame it on my lack of knowledge at that time...if only i could turn back the time...

Breastfeeding with Confidence: A Practical Guide

another great book for parents-to-be...Breastfeeding with Confidence: A Practical Guide by Sue Cox is such a great book for expecting parents...written in easy-to-understand format, this book takes you to the amazing journey of breastfeeding- from the process of making milk to breastfeeding through toddlerhood and weaning of breasfteeding...according to Sue Cox, learning how to breastfeed is a lot like learning how to drive a car...it incorporates the step-by-step practical aspects of breastfeeding that you can practice even before the baby arrives and provide new mothers with the insights they need to be successful...

Sue Cox explains both the art and the method of breastfeeding, and addresses the fact that making milk comes naturally, but breastfeeding is a learned skill...when many mothers-to-be are asked if they'll breastfeed, they often answer, "I will if I can." Cox counters that answer proactively and positively with information, advice, support, resources and encouragement for new mothers...

there are also stories and comments from breastfeeding mothers, with lots of reassuring advice and information...the stories of successful breastfeeding mothers started off with a rough breastfeeding journey and they succeed in the end, which increase our confidence to continue our breastfeeding journey with our little precious...

it's not a thick book but packed with all you need to know on how to breastfeed with confidence successfully...not much of colours and illustration in it, but relevant important pictures such as positioning and latching are included...

The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk

often we hear many new mothers and even experienced mothers complaint of having low milk supply and that somehow hinders their confidence to breastfeed their baby...knowing what goes wrong or trying to work it out why it happens is important, as the management for each problem differs...some might just go for a quick-fix but will that solve the entire problem..?

getting peer support or even professional help may relieve the anxiety and stress; which can aggravate further drop in the milk supply...searching for reliable information through the internet or books widens our knowledge and at the same time help us understand more on the physiology of milk-making in our body...i couldn't agree more that mothers should not be alone during this situation...they need support and encouragement and a word of advice telling them the correct thing to do....

i found a very interesting book that i bought while i was having the milk supply crisis when Imtiaz was around 9 months old...although at that time i was looking for a quick-fix, but after reading the whole book, i realized that there is more that just a quick-fix in making more milk for my little ones...The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk incorporates the latest research and discoveries about causes of low milk supply, the way your body makes milk and how babies contribute to your milk production.. best of all, it offers valuable suggestions for both time-honoured and innovative ways to make more milk...

the opportunity to meet the author, Diana West during the Susuibu.com International Lactation Conference 2010 recently was exciting...listening to her speech helped me to boost my confidence to continue helping mothers with breastfeeding difficulties...i also got my book signed too...

this is definitely a worth buy...

to touch a mother's heart

mother's day is just around the corner....we are going to celebrate it at Swiss Garden Damai Laut and Spa in Lumut for a 3D2N rendezvouz....

during this year, i've read a few novels by different author that really touch my mother instinct....i've written about My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult and subsequently after that i read my sister's novel, Olivia's Sister by Claire LaZebnik....it is an interesting story which touches on responsibility....

At 21, Olivia Martin has mastered the art of cynicism. Maybe that's inevitable because of her dysfunctional family - a desperately needy, alcoholic ex-model mother; a rich, ill-tempered father with an imperious new wife; and a spoiled half-sister. Olivia's modus operandi has been to ignore them all and just drift through life, tough and alone. However, just as she is in danger of falling in love - or at least in lust - for the first time, Olivia's familial responsibilities come crashing down about her. Her father and his second wife are killed in a car crash, and she is left to inherit both their considerable fortune and guardianship of her four-year old half-sister. Despite, Olivia's view that 'If I'd wanted to be saddled with a kid at this point in my life, I'd have grown up in Oklahoma,', she has no choice but to do the right thing and try and raise a child she's only met on a handful of times.

currently, i'm reading My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Komsoon....similarly, it is a totally enjoyable reading.....

Best friends Kamryn Matika and Adele Brannon thought nothing could come between them - until Adele did the unthinkable and slept with Kamryn's fiance, Nate. Worse still, she got pregnant and had his child. When Kamryn discovered the truth about their betrayal she vowed never to see any of them again. Two years later, Kamryn receives a letter from Adele asking her to visit her in hospital. Adele is dying and begs Kamryn to adopt her daughter, Tegan. With a great job and a hectic social life, the last thing Kamryn needs is a five-year-old to disrupt things. Especially not one who reminds her of Nate. But with no one else to take care of Tegan and Adele fading fast, does she have any other choice? So begins a difficult journey that leads Kamryn towards forgiveness, love, responsibility and, ultimately, a better understanding of herself.

My Sister's Keeper

i just finished reading this novel by Jodi Picoult...so touching with unexpected ending...

a short synopsis:

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister - and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable… a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?

i like the way this novel is written...Jodi Picoult made it interesting by writing each chapter from a character's perspectives and thoughts which made up this story...if i were to be Anna's mother (Sara), i'm not sure if i would do the same thing to save a daughter while sacrificing another one...?

it's surely a page-turner...