Pure Joy

One of my youngest cousins just became a father. He is 20. There was a time when I thought that he would never cut the cord from his mother and branch out on his own, but he met a girl, they feel in love, and the rest, as they say, is history.

He’s a proud father. And whatever remnants of a boy that were left in him are slowly starting the fade. The challenges of parenthood will bring out the best in him and I am excited to see just how pleased he is so far. You can just see the pride and radiance in his face and for the first time in my life I saw him as a man and not as a child.

Breast is Best

When my son was born I wanted to breast feed him. Because we all know that breast is best! I tried. He latched. All seemed well. But alas, things are often not what they appear, and even though my baby boy appeared to be breast feeding appropriately. But unfortunately, after the initial colostrum, the actual milk never came. There was never a feeling of fullness, no letdown, no nothing.

The Nazi Boobie Ladies (and that’s the nicest terms I’d like to use for on staff lactation consultants) constantly reminded me to not give him a bottle or pacifier. So I took the advice of the “experts” and refrained from giving him a bottle or pacifier.

Little "Pumpkin"

For 2 days he cried unless he was being held. For 2 days he appeared to breast feeding appropriately, but he was not. There was no milk to be had. However, my sweet little baby boy, who was starving, appeared fine as long as he was in our arms. We went the to doctor for a follow-up and they immediately admitted him to the PICU. He had a Bilirubin of 25 of was severely jaundiced. He stayed under the bili-lights for a day. We cried. We cussed. We called some healthcare providers some very dirty and unflattering names. But Ty pulled through and I never did produce any breast milk.

Formula Baby

Ty became a formula baby, much to my disappointment. I beat myself up over my failures as a parent. The most basic ability as a mother, something innate, granted to you by God, was something I could not do. I could not feed my child. And only after my OBGYN, a talented, funny and charismatic gentleman expressed to me that “After my mom had raised 5 other children, and a set of twins, she was too tired to breastfeed me, and I think I turned out ok,” was I able to let go of guilt of not breast feeding my child. I figured that if he could grow up to be a doctor, then formula would be good enough for my son. It would have to be. What choice did I have?

Bottles and Pacifiers

We tried many varieties of bottles and pacifiers. From the Playtex Drop ins, to the most basic, cheap Walmart $1 a piece variety. He didn’t seem to have a preference. He would take his milk warm or cold. He was just happy to eat.

But a pacifier, well that was another story. He wanted one, but that were too long, or awkward, or had a ring that he would shove his fingers in and accidental pull that sucker right out of his mouth.

And then we discovered Mam.

bumbo and mam save the day

Mam is a savior in terms of pacifiers. They make BPA-free bottles, pacifiers and other feeding and “babying” products. They are safe and orthodontic friendly so you won’t have to worry about the potential of disrupting the growth of those potentially budding teeth.

At a time when we couldn’t even go the bathroom by ourselves, Mam was our savior from screams and tears. And for that, we are forever grateful!

Mam makes an assortment of products that pretty much cover most of your infants oral needs. Other than an actual boob, they create products that in my humble opinion, are the best things to put in your baby’s mouth! From pacifiers (their associated clips/tethers), bottles, sippy cups, oral care, and teethers, they have your kids gums and teeth in mind.

Take for example,the MAM Perfect (0-6 months) pacifier:

MAM Perfect

Fresh Air Funky

• Designed to reduce the risk of misaligned teeth
• Developed with Orthodontists & Paediatric Dentists
• Clinically tested by the Dental University Clinic of Vienna
• Extra thin and super soft thanks to the unique, symmetrical Dento-Flex® nipple neck

  

• Available with MAM‘s patented Silk Teat® – incomparably comfortable in baby‘s mouth
• Unique design developed with designers of the Vienna University of Applied Arts
• Good for the skin thanks to the large ventilation holes
• Delivered with high quality transport box

* On average: 53 – 78 % thinner / 1.50 – 5.33 times softer than regular silicone pacifiers

We All Love Mam!

Ty loved them! Mam pacifiers soothed and comforted him. They were safe and didn’t inhibit his dental development. They also quieted screams so that mommy and daddy wouldn’t go insane. We are thankful to have found Mam. Oh and who can argue with a pacifier that basically puts words into your kids mouth like “Chick Magnet” or “Rock Star” or just an exceptionally cute and clever design. Totally the cutest things ever!

Because of my fabulous blogging abilities, I was fortunate enough to have Mam ask me if I would like to look at some of their newest products. Since Ty is too old for a pacifier at 2, I could think of no one better than my cousin and his new baby boy.

Mam Delivers!

Mam graciously sent me a delightful package full of bottling, pacifier, and oral care essentials for a new baby. I was beyond thrilled to be able to pass along this wonderful gift to my family member and they were equally proud to receive it!

The Mam Haul

Stay tuned for more details on BPA-free Mam pacifiers, bottles, and feeding accessories. I plan to fill your ears with details on why I think they are the best, safest, sweetest pacifiers in existence! I also should probably send them a check for a at least a portion of all the psychiatric care that they helped me to avoid.

For now my cousins will have and added early advantage that I did not: the wisdom and advocacy to do the very best for your child, breast feed them if you can, and if you cannot, or simply need a break, then bottles and pacifiers are OK!

For more information on Mam and their fantastic and adorable baby feeding, teething, and oral accessories visit Mambaby.com

Disclosure: Please note I was provided with an assortment of Mam products free of charge. I was not required or asked to write a positive review of the company or the products. Opinions and experiences are my own and I really do love Mam pacifiers. Links in this post, and any other, may be affiliate links. I do my best to maintain integrity and disclosure relationships. Thank you.