Feeding Made Simple - Flipbook - Page 7
You can spend months researching and
educating yourself, but the reality of
parenthood will still feel like a shock.
That said, we all still want to feel as
prepared as possible and have the tools
to learn as we go.
With parenthood comes an overwhelming number of decisions
to be made, and how you decide to feed your baby is probably
the 昀椀rst major one. I wish throughout my pregnancy and early
days of parenthood (even still now, with a barely 4-month-old!)
that I had more resources to feel knowledgeable and self‑
assured about how I nourish my daughter.
This Tommee Tippee guide can serve as a helpful resource to
simplify feeding and, in turn, provide us with more con昀椀dence
during what can be the most radical transition of our lives.
I wrote an essay about my decision to exclusively breastfeed,
and a line from there that I feel echos here is: “feeding a
baby carries an unusual amount of moral weight.” I cannot
emphasize this enough, as it is such a layered choice that can
bring on a lot of ambivalence and guilt. As I grappled with those
emotions, I think it’d been helpful to have the basic 昀氀ow rate
facts right in front of me. It would’ve allowed more space for
the making of countless other decisions, recovery from birth,
and the processing of this massive identity shift.
We communicate through words, writing, self expression.
Babies communicate by crying.
Through sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and the disheveled bliss
of bringing home a new baby, those cries can feel penetrative.
There is no turmoil quite like hearing the unwavering cries of
an unsettled or distressed baby and not being able to identify
their need. And there is no reward greater than the satisfaction,
relief, and pride of 昀椀nally 昀椀guring out that need and being able
to soothe them. That “aha” moment. The whispered “yes!” to
your partner. The hush. The hum. The exhale after what feels
like an eternity of holding your breath. The melting together
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