yes…i’ll have a slice of humble pie please….

and so it was…..

I wondered into Borders yesterday afternoon waiting for Ben and came across the parenting section of the store….a place i generally stay away from…

But, i had some time to kill (WHAT!!!) hang on, i had some time to kill…just had to say it again…doesn’t happen that often.

anyhoo..i was browsing and noticed a book titled ‘good mother, bad mother.’ I peered at it for a while and saw that it was written by Gina Ford. Most people in UK who have smallish children with know of this woman. A maternity nurse from scotland who has no children of her own but advocates a very strict routine based system to get kids sleeping through when they are like 5 minutes old or somethingLOL

I took one look at one paragraph of her ‘contented baby’ book, when Isaac was a baby, and put it firmly back on the shelf with a bit too much force probably.

So i was reluctant to pick this good mother, bad mother book up and even so much as read the fly. But i did thinking to myself….’sheesh, this woman, now she has written a book telling women that they somehow have to fit into her definition of good and bad’

and here is were the humble pie comes in…..

it wasnt like that at all. I have to say after about 15 minutes of reading this book I found myself warming to her. The one line that sticks with me in this book was ‘ regardless of wether breast fed, bottle fed, routined, demand feed, rooming in, own room….a baby that is loved completely will always thrive better than a baby that is unloved’

Amen, i say Ms Ford.

This is SO the point when it comes to mothering. Yes, yes, i know there are the facts…like breastfeeding, yes it is the best for a baby…that is, when it comes down to it, undisputed.
BUT, giving your baby, formula does NOT make you a bad mother. Maybe babies sleep longer and better when they are in Gina’s routines but does it make you a good mother to follow it and a bad mother not to.

Don’t think so. When it comes to it. Kids need their parents and they NEED to be loved. If doing things differently to the baby guru/mafia type people keeps you sane enough and with your head sufficiently above water enough to do this most excellent job. Then I say, go for it. Your kids are going to remember how much you showed your love, not what formula you used or how long they had a pacifier.

Now, dont get me wrong, i do have a professional opinion here. I work with the tiniest fragile lives and yes, i do have an opinion about how they should be fed. But so much of my professional opinions get watered down by the reality of having three babies in three years. 🙂

So worth having a look i reckon. Did i buy it?

Not a chance! It was £15.00. My opinion may have shifted a bit but not that much….

and speaking of well loved babies…. here are some big and small, that i’m kinda fond of 🙂

oh yes..i have got some scrapping pages to put on but thought i would wait till tomorrow….so check back.