I Am a Mom: Her natural defenses, My Peace of Mind
Posted on 10.29.09 to I Am A Mom... by JoanI’ve been selected as one of five mummy bloggers in the Dumex Mamil Gold, ‘I Am A Mom’ contest. Over six weeks, I’ll be posting blog entries related to the contest fortnightly. Do hop on over to the website to view our introduction video and VOTE FOR US! You can now vote THREE times a day!
To be a confident mother, I firmly believe that you should just do what is comfortable to you, as long as no one gets hurt. I have a good friend who is pregnant, and she too (like many of us) has been faced with the ‘good intentions’ of people who feel the need to offload their copious amount of advice. Oftentimes, such advice come along with ‘scare tactics’ on what a mum-to-be should or should not being doing.
For example, “Don’t renovate your house or be around any knocking or drilling if not some physical defect will happen to your baby” or “Don’t go to the zoo if not your baby will look like a monkey.”
On the flipside, there are those who do not understand much, such as the pains and joys of motherhood, and end up questioning your sanity level when you do certain things. I have been asked many times why my daughter keeps on falling sick and why I’m not doing more to prevent it. Or why my daughter’s so skinny.
My daughter was born with a strawberry birthmark on her thigh. I’ve forgotten which one because it has disappeared over the years. The most ridiculous thing I was asked, was “Did you paint your house?”
In the beginning, I would be extremely stressed up over anything because I would question myself over and over again if I was doing enough as a mum. The kid did have her quirks, and having adopted my stubborn gene, there were many frustrating moments.
The monumental event I struggled the most with was her refusal to drink milk from the bottle. She only wanted the breast, and would only drink minute amounts of milk from the bottle while I was at work, and would wait for the big feed when I came home from work. Because of that, I wondered if I was the reason that she was always at the 10th percentile of the growth chart and her constant visits to the doctor.
Her pediatrician told me then that despite her small size, she was still a very active child so I shouldn’t be too fussed about it. My good friend, and fellow mummy blogger, Jean, told me, “Kids fall sick a lot during the early years to build up their immunity.”
That was then I realised — to heck with the what the world says and asks me. I know that I am doing my utmost best to be a good mum. As long as my child is growing up fit and healthy, and not a constant screaming, tantrum throwing brat, I am on the right track.
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Comments ( 2 )
I’m a first time mom and am facing the same issue with my bub… he refuses the bottle and would cry if we feed him the bottle. I have just gone back to work and he drinks very little from the bottle and would cry badly and then he fell ill….i felt so bad about it and blamed myself, if i didnt gone to work, he would have proper feeds and maybe he wouldnt have fallen ill…. how did you manage to get Claire to drink from the bottle?
Ann added these pithy words on
Oct 29 09 at
1:20 PM
I was a terribly skinny kid- and tiny too. I turned out fine (or, at least, I like to think so). :)
Clare’s cute; people say “not so nice things” cos they are jealous. That’s how you should take it. Heh.
rie added these pithy words on
Nov 04 09 at
12:52 PM
