Currently learning British Sign Language at Level 1.
First few weeks reminded me of learning French in school; Name, where you live, your job, colours, numbers. Little did I know how difficult it was going to be and how much my confidence would be tested during my time learning.
I currently work with people who have a combined sight and hearing loss and manyof my colleagues are Deaf. With a big D. I am slowly learning that there is a difference between being deaf and being Deaf.
It is such an amazing language and I am priveleged to be learning it. I have been enabled with my hands, face and body to communicate with people I would usually try and avoid. I know actively seek out people at work who are BSL users, most I come across with BSL as their First Language.
I have learnt a lot from my classes and exams, but have found that I am learning more and more from the people I meet, and I appreciate the help I get when I fingerspell a word I do not know the sign for and they give me the correct sign, with a smile alongside it. I have also developed Deafblind Manual skills and been able to have a conversation with people who uses 'Hands On BSL' where the person places their hands over yours to 'feel' the signs where eyesight has deteriorated.
Deaf culture is a minority all of its own, and the people within that culture very proud to say they are part of that culture. Through my current job it has opened my eyes to the fact that more hearing people should make the effort to communicate with people who use different communication methods than ourselves; if only more effort was put in at home as it is for journeys to foreign countries, learning basics like 'Hello' and How are you?' or 'Do you want sugar with your coffee?' seem to be the done thing when going abroad, but a Deaf person is avoided in todays society to avoid awkwardness and confrontation.
If only we were taught as youngsters.
Monday, 24 October 2011
New Job
The other half has started a temp job for around a month today. Just a few hours as and when. But at least it gets him a few extra hours than he has at his current job. No paying tax....not through choice but through the fact he doesn't even earn enough money to pay tax. Job hunting currently for New Year so hopefully something will come up.
But why do HMRC make things so bloody complicated!! Need to inform them within a month, which I wil be doing. But also need to call them so they split his Personal Allowance across both jobs, or he will then be the situation of paying too much tax. They do not make it easy!! But at least he has had a good day and it keeps him out of trouble :-)
But why do HMRC make things so bloody complicated!! Need to inform them within a month, which I wil be doing. But also need to call them so they split his Personal Allowance across both jobs, or he will then be the situation of paying too much tax. They do not make it easy!! But at least he has had a good day and it keeps him out of trouble :-)
Breastfeeding
My breastfeeding journey began in 1995, and ended in 2009.
Breastfeeding was never mentioned through my pregnancy with my eldest daughter. Was it because I was 14? The only suggestion I got was from a wise old woman, and being the teenager I was, I would never have taken on anything an adult told me. I remember being engorged, full to the brim with liquid gold. I remember sitting up in my room offering the breast to my daughter. I had no idea. So I shrugged it off and continued with the formula of choice, as it was 'closest to mums milk' according to the packaging and the Health Visitors.
In 2006 I had a gorgeous baby boy, after 11 years of proclaiming my edlest would be an only child. Breastfeeding was difficult. I had a Caesarean section at 39 weeks 5 days. Elective, due to the deterioration to my hip after suffering SUFE at age 11 and having a bad time with it (read:trauma due to being pushed and pulled in a way in which my body woulld not twist) during the birth of my eldest daughter. I was in hospital for 3 days. On day 6, he slept for around 8 hours. I was glad of the rest. But little did I know that it would be the cause of an abrupt end to our breastfeeding relationship.
I was so engorged he could not latch on. I tried expressing, my hand and pump. Nothing. I called for help, the Midwife on the other end of the phone told me she had all the latest training and that I was 'doing it all wrong'. Wait until the next day for a visit. I cried. And cried. My partner went to get formula.
By the time the Midwife arrived the following morning, my son had several bottles of formula and I had sleep. The support I got was none existent, with the Health Professional in front of me telling me that it was not the end of the world and that she only Breastfed her children because she felt pressured by her profession.
So that was it. I was the worst mum in the world. No support. No offer of support, despite there being peer support in the area. No information on engorgment, good positioning and attachment. I was devastated.
During my third child's pregnancy, I changed my stance. I researched all thing breastfeeding, why breastfeeding sometimes doesn't work, support, postioning and attachment, mastitis, thrush, engorgment. I was armed and ready this time. I was not going to fail. And the system would not fail me.
I had an other elective section, which all the literature I had bought or printed off warned against, as establishing breastfeeding can be a challenge for mums who have had surgery. The midwives on shift were considerate and supportive despite my defensive stature that was built upon my opinion of the previous Midwife I had work with me.
Why was I in pain? I was doing everything right, positioning was text book, yet I had a baby that would feed constantly, for over an hour, then 20 minutes later be back on the breast. I continued to feed despite the pain, the cracked, bleeding nipples, the slow weight gain, the thrush that came later on and the mastitis that caused so much pain. I became confident and fed in public. I developed a defensive position that detrred anyone who dared anyone to confront me. It wasn't until after we stopped feeding it was discovered that my daughter is tongue tied. And this would have caused a lot of the symptoms we experienced.
At 5 months, my beuatiful daughter and I were accomplished breastfeeders. That is when I moved into a different area and discovered the local childrens centre. The very first day in, I was recruited to the La Leche peer support programme, enabling me tio support other mums in the area in groups and over the phone on all thing breastfeeding. The confidence I gained from this voluntary work spurred me on and encouraged me to challenge anyones questions about our continued breastfeeding relationship with factual answers. More research followed and the more I was learning the more determined I was to continue.
Self-weaning came at just shy of 2 years. The bond we achived throughout our breastfeeding experience was unlike anything I had felt previously. Do not get me wrong, I love all my children equally and differently at the same time, but breastfeeding is totally on another level of understanding between parent and child.
I continued supporting mums voluntary for 3 years, until a post came up in our local area for paid peer supporters. I loved every minute of my time there, supporting over 700 mums in 10 months, but unfortunately the team was restructured and I was made redundant. I continue to support mums as best I can on the internet and within my own set of friends. And the research continues.....
Fast forward to 2017. Over 1000 mums supported in person to breastfeed, I am a doula, breastfeeding counsellor and continue to support families on their infant feeding journey every week.
Breastfeeding was never mentioned through my pregnancy with my eldest daughter. Was it because I was 14? The only suggestion I got was from a wise old woman, and being the teenager I was, I would never have taken on anything an adult told me. I remember being engorged, full to the brim with liquid gold. I remember sitting up in my room offering the breast to my daughter. I had no idea. So I shrugged it off and continued with the formula of choice, as it was 'closest to mums milk' according to the packaging and the Health Visitors.
In 2006 I had a gorgeous baby boy, after 11 years of proclaiming my edlest would be an only child. Breastfeeding was difficult. I had a Caesarean section at 39 weeks 5 days. Elective, due to the deterioration to my hip after suffering SUFE at age 11 and having a bad time with it (read:trauma due to being pushed and pulled in a way in which my body woulld not twist) during the birth of my eldest daughter. I was in hospital for 3 days. On day 6, he slept for around 8 hours. I was glad of the rest. But little did I know that it would be the cause of an abrupt end to our breastfeeding relationship.
I was so engorged he could not latch on. I tried expressing, my hand and pump. Nothing. I called for help, the Midwife on the other end of the phone told me she had all the latest training and that I was 'doing it all wrong'. Wait until the next day for a visit. I cried. And cried. My partner went to get formula.
By the time the Midwife arrived the following morning, my son had several bottles of formula and I had sleep. The support I got was none existent, with the Health Professional in front of me telling me that it was not the end of the world and that she only Breastfed her children because she felt pressured by her profession.
So that was it. I was the worst mum in the world. No support. No offer of support, despite there being peer support in the area. No information on engorgment, good positioning and attachment. I was devastated.
During my third child's pregnancy, I changed my stance. I researched all thing breastfeeding, why breastfeeding sometimes doesn't work, support, postioning and attachment, mastitis, thrush, engorgment. I was armed and ready this time. I was not going to fail. And the system would not fail me.
I had an other elective section, which all the literature I had bought or printed off warned against, as establishing breastfeeding can be a challenge for mums who have had surgery. The midwives on shift were considerate and supportive despite my defensive stature that was built upon my opinion of the previous Midwife I had work with me.
Why was I in pain? I was doing everything right, positioning was text book, yet I had a baby that would feed constantly, for over an hour, then 20 minutes later be back on the breast. I continued to feed despite the pain, the cracked, bleeding nipples, the slow weight gain, the thrush that came later on and the mastitis that caused so much pain. I became confident and fed in public. I developed a defensive position that detrred anyone who dared anyone to confront me. It wasn't until after we stopped feeding it was discovered that my daughter is tongue tied. And this would have caused a lot of the symptoms we experienced.
At 5 months, my beuatiful daughter and I were accomplished breastfeeders. That is when I moved into a different area and discovered the local childrens centre. The very first day in, I was recruited to the La Leche peer support programme, enabling me tio support other mums in the area in groups and over the phone on all thing breastfeeding. The confidence I gained from this voluntary work spurred me on and encouraged me to challenge anyones questions about our continued breastfeeding relationship with factual answers. More research followed and the more I was learning the more determined I was to continue.
Self-weaning came at just shy of 2 years. The bond we achived throughout our breastfeeding experience was unlike anything I had felt previously. Do not get me wrong, I love all my children equally and differently at the same time, but breastfeeding is totally on another level of understanding between parent and child.
I continued supporting mums voluntary for 3 years, until a post came up in our local area for paid peer supporters. I loved every minute of my time there, supporting over 700 mums in 10 months, but unfortunately the team was restructured and I was made redundant. I continue to support mums as best I can on the internet and within my own set of friends. And the research continues.....
Fast forward to 2017. Over 1000 mums supported in person to breastfeed, I am a doula, breastfeeding counsellor and continue to support families on their infant feeding journey every week.
Blog?
Well, here we are, 2011. And another year disappears into nothingness, as the older I seem to get the quicker each year passes.
Decided that as I cannot seem to find my old blog, I would make a new one....although still not sure how this will go.........
Due to my reasearch into all thing breastfeeding, this blog will, I guess, will have a mixture of experience, information, family and few other 'allsorts' thrown in for good measure. I am looking forward to sharing what I know, what I don't know and anything that I learn along the way....might keep me out of trouble too!!! My newfound passion for British Sign Language, and the diversely beautiful culture I divulge in every day may also feature in here somewhere.
Decided that as I cannot seem to find my old blog, I would make a new one....although still not sure how this will go.........
Due to my reasearch into all thing breastfeeding, this blog will, I guess, will have a mixture of experience, information, family and few other 'allsorts' thrown in for good measure. I am looking forward to sharing what I know, what I don't know and anything that I learn along the way....might keep me out of trouble too!!! My newfound passion for British Sign Language, and the diversely beautiful culture I divulge in every day may also feature in here somewhere.
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