Perspectives in Parenting

I breastfed my son for two months before I threw in the towel to a bad case of mastitis. My antibiotics upset his tummy and he slept through the night after a day of formula. I never looked back. I think fed is best and whatever way you choose to feed your baby is the best way. My daughter was born at 32 weeks gestation and went straight to the NICU. I knew I wanted to give breastfeeding another try, and it wasn’t even a question when they wheeled the pump into my hospital room six hours after she was born. I pumped for 25 minutes to get a syringe full of liquid gold that was given to her through...

Within moments of our son David’s birth, I was encouraged to breastfeed him. Before David was born, my husband and I had planned that I would breastfeed our boy. Not just for all the health benefits we heard about but also because we are the kind of folk who try to save money - after all, kids are expensive! We invested in a breast pump and a really cool pillow that David could lie on so that I wouldn’t have to hold him up to feed him. We felt we were set up for success. I would hold David close and rub his back while he fed. I’d look into his little eyes and sing songs like “You Are My...

"Are you going to breastfeed?" The question slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it, and the woman I was speaking to looked taken aback and I don't blame her. There is so much pressure to breastfeed, so much shaming and mom guilt, and constant messages of breast is best; it is hard to navigate the waters of what to say and to whom. My interest was genuine, I made it to a year breastfeeding and I wanted to share my experience with her. I wanted to let her know that there were many, many days I wanted to quit and that it was a challenge, from the beginning, and that if she wanted to complain, or stop,...

Here at Red Stick Mom, we offer dozens of ideas from diverse perspectives in our mom hacks, tips and tricks category. From taking road trips from Baton Rouge to meatless meals to natural cold remedies, we’ve written about it. We are here to help everyone as we navigate through this wild ride through motherhood. When it come to battling the mommy wars. About a year ago, I woke up to a beautiful fall morning and toted my kids to our favorite Baton Rouge outdoor play area, Leeward Park.  While snuggling my then five-month-old Ben, another mommy of a young baby approached me.  We began with small talk, but eventually our conversation moved to our birth stories.  She told me with much enthusiasm...

By now you’ve at least heard of Juneteenth. I was first introduced to Juneteenth by my late grandfather, affectionately known as Daddy Leamon. As a child, my grandfather absolutely did not celebrate 4th of July. In fact, I can’t remember a single instance that he even acknowledged it. My siblings, cousins, and I fondly recall his annual celebrations. We knew that every year for Juneteenth we would have the opportunity to enjoy a cookout at his house or a trip to Chicot State Park. We were sure to dine on the finest “Creek Fish” while washing it all down with the coldest foil-wrapped RC Cola’s. Back then soda cans were thicker, and you could freeze them without worry of explosion....