A resource to inspire, inform and empower parents.

The Unhappiest Baby on the Block

Read this blog post at Breastfeeding Basics!

The Unhappiest Baby on the Block

A Book Review of Sage Parenting: Where Nature Meets Nurture

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder, breastfeeding her son.

Sage Parenting: Where Nature Meets Nurture by Rachel Rainbolt, MA could have drastically changed how I prepared for motherhood. When I became pregnant I read What to Expect When You’re Expecting like it was the holy bible for pregnant mothers. Each month I read the corresponding chapter about 12 times. I enjoyed reading about my baby. I didn’t know that there was a whole world of parenting books out there and when I gave birth to Jack, while I spent the whole pregnancy following his growth, I wasn’t at all prepared to be his mother. I wasn’t even prepared for birth or the decisions made immediately after birth. [Read more…]

Chaos and Disorder: I Care About Trucks

Read this blog post at Breastfeeding Basics!

Chaos and Disorder: I Care About Trucks

Stuff in Jack’s Hands

Jack dueling with flowers.

Jack’s arrival into my husband’s and my life has been thrilling. We are never bored by his shenanigans. It is truly exciting to watch him learn to laugh, make jokes and recognize his world. The first time he ran over to me and yelled “duck!” because he heard a truck outside was one of the happiest moments of my life. This little being that just recently didn’t exist is here in my living room talking to me. And he is excited about something! Something he chose on his own to be excited about. [Read more…]

An Insider’s Perspective on Cry It Out and Spanking

By Shae

When I was born my parents were thrilled and determined to parent the right way. Well, I suppose they did the best they could with what knowledge they had. They wanted the perfect little nursery for their perfect little girl. So there I was, newly entered into the world, torn from my mama, and already I had my own room. It wasn’t as cozy as you may think. They did “sleep training” and made me cry it out to teach me to “self-soothe.” I often had bad dreams and woke up crying all night. But they stuck with “self-soothing.” As an infant, or maybe a toddler, I developed night terrors. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, night terrors are far worse than your average nightmare. You wake up panicking, often paralyzed, and absolutely terrified. As in, gun-to-your-head-watching-someone-you-know-being-killed terrified! There just aren’t words to describe the feeling, and no, I’m not exaggerating by any means. [Read more…]

The Secret of Losing My Sh*t

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder's son

It recently came to my attention that people are under the impression that since I practice gentle parenting techniques with my son that I always remain calm. When I told my husband that I suspected people were thinking this he laughed and said “I wish they were here last Saturday, that was a real stomp-fest,” referring to the way I stomped around the house annoyed at Jack’s incessant whining. No, my friend, I do not remain calm all the time. I don’t even know if I remain calm most of the time. My buttons are pushed about 75 times a day (as any mother) and I feel on the edge of losing my shit about 67 of those times. I believe strongly in being as gentle a mama as I can, but I am a human being not a robot. So, let me clear the air. [Read more…]

Smile at me! I’m a Happy Baby

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder's son

Today I took my son to the library. I mean I tried, but he fell asleep on the way. So instead we took a walk along the lakefront. He woke up awhile later and started to cry. He has been up late a lot lately. Growth spurt I suppose most would say. He has been cranky and pulling new stunts like push- ups and pulling himself up on the table. So naturally I gave him the boob to calm him down. He quickly lightened up and we headed into a café. [Read more…]

Control: My Struggle to Embrace the Chaos

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder breastfeeding her son.

I know I said that this endeavor was going to be about Attachment Parenting, but I suppose I have some things to say before I can get on with that. I need to cleanse my soul; clean out my closet if you will. In just 8 months I have become strangers with the “old me.” I have taken on a less popular parenting style with passion. [Read more…]

AP By Surprise: My Journey to Attachment Parenting

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder babywearing her son.

Before I gave birth to my son I read all the books; What to Expect When You’re Expecting, The Happiest Baby on the Block, Healthy Sleep Happy Baby. To be honest I’m not sure I am getting the names of these books correct because I threw them all out. But I’ll get to that in a minute. I was going to do this perfectly. I was going to follow each book step by step when it came to sleeping and eating and playing and discipline. [Read more…]