The other day, the most amazing thing happened. Noah stopped breast feeding by himself. It happened from one day to another - he suddenly just looked at mum's breasts and started playing with them (there's my boy) rather than sucking. He simply wasn't interested anymore - this also resolved many other things as we found out a few days later.

The first thing that changed after our little champ stopped breast feeding was that he went from having a poo every few days to 3 a day. This was actually a great change for us as we've been worried about his bowel motions for a while. It's all changed now and he fills his nappy regularly. Obviously it is hard to say whether this is a result of the weaning or a result of him eating more solids. Either way it's a great result. ... read more >>

I have just watched a must see for all expecting and new fathers.

“Seven Steps to Baby Bliss” from www.dadstheword.com is not only very practical for expectant and new fathers it is also pretty funny too.

I felt it was totally aimed at fathers as the target audience, but I also believe it would have great benefit watching this DVD with your partner.

The role of the dad is highlighted says the back cover, and I completely agree.

In 28 minutes the “Seven Steps to Baby Bliss” DVD shows you how to:
* Settle a crying baby
* Bathing a baby
* Step by step guide and tips on nappy changing for both baby girls and baby boys
* Feeding a baby
* Baby massage
* Dressing your baby
* And SIDS prevention
* Relationship after baby

from www.dadstheword.com ... read more >>

I’ve just come across a new website called www.breastisbestunless.com which I think is a testimony of the frustration many parents experience when they keep hearing the same message from all the support organisations (“breast is best”).

There is obviously an enormous amount of research that suggests breast is indeed best for the development of a healthy baby. However there are also many mothers out there who for whatever reason cannot or do not want to breast feed. So who’s helping them when the official line of support organisations is “breast is best”? The site’s main purpose is to raise awareness that many mothers experience a different reality and need to be supported in finding alternatives to breast feeding. ... read more >>

One of the most frustrating aspects of having a baby is what happened to my partner’s boobs. When we first found out that we were pregnant I thought – cool … at some point the boobs are going to get bigger and I get to play. Well that lasted all of a few days because as they were getting bigger they also got more and more sore. DOH.

Immediately after birth we had the cracked nipple situation and even more pain as our little fella was feeding every 2 hours. We stuck with the breast feeding though and after about 5-6 weeks of pain management (well apart from putting on Lanolin which didn’t help much you really have to put up with it or stop) we finally got to a situation where breastfeeding didn’t involve immediate pain anymore. ... read more >>

We've just gone through 7 days of nappies without poo from our 4 month-old. On day 5 we called some baby helplines and spoke to a midwife. Apparently it is normal for breastfed babies to not pass any bowel motion for up to 10 days. Our midwife said that the longest she had ever seen was 21 days without bowel motion. Imagine that.

A bit of research revealed that it is very unusual for breast-fed babies to get constipated. However just in case we were given some advice on what to do. So I'd like to "pass it on": ... read more >>

Getting some (any) sleep after the arrival of your new bundle of joy can be a real tricky one for new parents. Dads of couples who have decided to breastfeed are in an interesting situation in that most males just can't do it (breast feeding) and often there is not enough bottled milk to last the whole night. So our usefulness for night feeds is limited to emotional support or nappy changing. So I've decided to go the other way and have made sure I get a full night sleep. I use ear plugs for that - works for us.

OK so we have stuck with a more traditional model of parenting in that my partner stays home and looks after our son, whereas I go earn some money. After the arrival of our first baby I quickly realised that getting up at night and working during the day is not great. I ended up being pretty ineffective during the day at work as well as with the little things I could help with at night. Even when we agreed that I should stay in bed I would still wake up a couple of times every night and it took me a wee while to get back to sleep. ... read more >>

OK here is the challenge – what are some really useful things you can do as a dad when your partner is breastfeeding (trying to have sex with her at the same time may not be it). I’ve been wondering about this and trying a few things out over the last 10 weeks. Here's what I got to: ... read more >>