As long as there are new mothers, there will be mommy wars. One of the biggest mom versus mom battles is the one over breastfeeding or formula feeding. I'm in both camps and breastfed my twins and I also know formula feeders love their babies too. Because I sure did.
I also know we can all get far too serious about the topic and sometimes we need something that makes us laugh. Something that bonds us. Something like ... a poem! Writer Kim Simon penned "A Poem to End the Mommy Wars" and found a common ground all mothers -- no matter what they feed their newborns -- can relate to. And guess what it is ....
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Sleep deprivation! All moms regardless if we breastfeed or formula feed or both have to deal with lack of sleep. Zombie-like states. Waking up every two or three hours. Simon writes:
My baby wakes up starving to death, and smiles his gummy grin.
I whip out my boob before he can scream, and he curls up on to my chest.
I close my eyes and start to drift ...
I rarely remember the rest.
But one thing's for sure in the dead of the night, when I'm nursing by the light of my phone.
I stare out the window and I imagine you're there,
and I know that I'm never alone.
Mamas, we have all been there. I miss those gummy grins but not the lack of sleep.
There are millions of mamas like me and like you,
who are doing the night-feeding dance.
Every three hours we cuddle our babes,
even as they blow-out their pants.
There's a dance that we do, all the mamas and I,
a dance that's known only to us.
It's a sway to the left and a bounce to the right,
when the baby is starting to fuss.
It's a pace down the hall and a rock in the chair,
a song whispered ever so slow.
We share the same rituals and bedtime routines,
so I think that you already know ...
That it really won't matter if you bottle it up
or if milk sprays right out of your chest.
We're all feeding babies with love in our hearts,
while praying for a little more rest.
So pull out your boobies or measure your scoops,
Relax in your comfiest chair.
When you're fed up and flustered or just tired and mad,
look outside and you'll know that we're there.
We ARE all feeding our babies with love in our hearts.
So cut us some slack if we still lose our shit,
we're warriors, we're troopers, and we've vowed not to quit.
This feeding thing is hard though we're doing it well.
With nipple shields, pumps, and some lanolin gel.
We use formula, breastmilk, bottles, and pads.
We'll do anything possible to nourish our lads.
We're the same in the long run, no fighting allowed.
We're all doing our best, we deserve to feel proud.
I love this poem. Let's stop tearing each other down. Let's stop forcing moms to explain themselves. And as Simon says, "Let's cheers to the motherhood kicking our asses." Let me just add that we're all kicking ass at motherhood as long as we love our babies. Love to all mamas!
What do you think of this poem and attempt to end the mommy wars?
Image via tiarescott/Flickr