Can't we all just get along?

Originally posted on Tuesday, July 24, 2012

At the risk of sounding naive...
After reading an article on how breastfeeding advocacy can make moms who must or choose to use formula feel looked down upon I am once again reminded of when Bean was new and the tremendous pressure I felt to do everything ‘right’.
From pregnancy to birth and then to taking care of a newborn we avoided most common interventions. We were the cloth diapering, baby wearing, breastfeeding, bed-sharing family who researched what we were curious about and made informed decisions. So how did I end up with postpartum depression?! Well, in my never ending quest to be the perfect mama I felt like I had to choose one parenting method over another. I felt like it was all or nothing. Crunchy organic mamas vs. conventional ‘trust the medical system’ mamas.
By openly breastfeeding I am doing what works for us, not trying to make other moms feel inadequate. By sharing that we still bed-share I’m not saying that you’re being a neglectful parent if your little one sleeps in their own room. There is so much pressure on new mamas as it is I wish the judging amongst us would stop. We are all trying to do what is best for our families, we all need support, we all need to show our children that understanding one another is important. So let’s sing a round of ‘kumbaya’ and just get along already.

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