Couple travel world with their newborn

Killgore Trout

Wompa1 wrote: »

Here's my reasoning for it being selfish. If you read her blog, the boyfriend had to get work in New Zealand to help fund their travels. They spent everything they had on a trip that their child won't remember. That money could have gone towards securing the well being of the child in the future. Dad also quit his job, so he was coming back to no job. (what they may not have mentioned in the blog for no reason, may be that they are getting financial support from his or her parents...that seems likely, otherwise their actions are very reckless based on the information she has put forward)

I got upset watching my kid get the few inoculations that he's already got. He has another round coming up at the 8-9 week mark. I wouldn't wish another round of them on him. Their daughter needed a third round for the travel.

Maybe I'm over paranoid but my other half and I have planned urgent care facilities and pediatricians around the city we are in, in case of emergency. They went to unknown places with a young child. Even with vaccinations, young children are more at risk around infections and disease. Even without going to these more exotic countries. An airplane is a flying petri dish.

She claimed in one of the tips sections that she was breast feeding. She also mentioned drinking alcohol. I don't know how that's viewed in Ireland..I had my kid in the US. Drinking while breastfeeding is seen as a big no no! You have to be very careful of your intake and dumping out the right amount. The suggestion here is there's two things you must avoid. Fish and Alcohol.

One of her tips was to not be afraid to let the kid eat different foods. Babies have a very sensitive digestive system. e.g. spicy foods or foods with cow milk or dairy byproducts are risky. So, either she didn't care about that or she was just being too vague with that tip.

My guess is they didn't risk the child in this way and just wanted to have nicer looking pictures or something BUT in some of the pictures you can see on her site, they endangered the kid. i.e. on the back of the bicycle without a helmet (I'd guess they just took them off for a picture)...a bigger one, on a boat without a life jacket. Rule no. 1 for boating, put on your life jacket BEFORE you get on the boat. There's also a picture of the baby with a monkey climbing over her face.

Now, with all of that said. No harm seems to have come to the child and honestly, my opinion is just based on the information in the article and on her own blog. I'd bet she was less than forthcoming about her actual financial and support situation. Her site is pretty crappy but it looks like she's got a custom banner. Either she's the creative type that's handy with a computer or maybe, she's getting backing from somebody and she's trying to get this viral to start making money as a travel blogger. But that could just be me being cynical!

Your kid's only 2 weeks old (congrats btw) - would you have had this opinion 9+ months ago? Come back in 6 months time and you'll hopefully have a different opinion. (or at least go down to your nearest city centre and see the junkies with kids to put your perception of bad parenting into perspective)

Lighten up - enjoy your baby! Don't stress it too much - a relaxed you is more likely to survive longer, to provide a loving environment for your children.

(BTW you're very irresponsible for putting your partner and child through something so risky as childbirth!)

Get your first holiday under your belt and you won't think those people are that crazy.

iguana

esforum wrote: »

It was then stated that as she is a nurse its all grand

Umm no. I said that I assumed that as she was a medical professional she would have planned in advance for her child's medical needs like vaccinations and proximity to hospitals. Then you went off on some imaginary tangent about the Vietnamese jungle.:rolleyes:

Nobody thinks a nurse has magic healing powers just that somebody who makes their living as a healthcare professional will be aware of how to plan for their baby's potential medical needs when planning what regions to visit.

pwurple

Wanderer78 wrote: »

some country lads, nz. if you ever get the chance, just go there

Just not with a baby is it?

cyning

esforum wrote: »

No no no, I was very very specific in my question. I didnt say have a drink then wait a while. I asked you if you believed you could go direct from drinking alcohol to breast feeding. the article you posted states you should not.

I agree that a drink now and again does no harm once time has elapsed or just drink zero zero

It doesnt.

The way the sheets are laid out is the conclusion is at the top it lists everything else underneath.

https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/wp-content/dibm/analgesics.pdf

I would have no problem sitting there drinking a glass of wine feeding a baby: I'd be less likely to drink a glass of wine and feed baby 90 minutes later. That's when the alcohol levels peak and at that after one glass of wine it is negligible.

esforum

iguana wrote: »

Umm no. I said that I assumed that as she was a medical professional she would have planned in advance for her child's medical needs like vaccinations and proximity to hospitals. Then you went off on some imaginary tangent about the Vietnamese jungle.:rolleyes:

Nobody thinks a nurse has magic healing powers just that somebody who makes their living as a healthcare professional will be aware of how to plan for their baby's potential medical needs when planning what regions to visit.

Right, so why may I ask did you jump on me? I was supporting their choice to travel. I didnt realise I was only allowed post a tick or an x instead of giving my own opinion

pwurple

Wompa1 wrote: »

The suggestion here is there's two things you must avoid. Fish and Alcohol.

One of her tips was to not be afraid to let the kid eat different foods. Babies have a very sensitive digestive system. e.g. spicy foods or foods with cow milk or dairy byproducts are risky. So, either she didn't care about that or she was just being too vague with that tip.

Wompa1, spicy food, brocolli and dairy are all fine for children. Gas is not "risky". And fish! My goodness fish.

If you are avoiding fish for you or your children, I really hope you reconsider. It's beneficial for brain and nervous system development.

Known or likely benefits: In a comprehensive analysis of human studies, Harvard School of Public Health professors Dariush Mozaffarian and Eric Rimm calculated that eating about 2 grams per week of omega-3 fatty acids in fish, equal to about one or two servings of fatty fish a week, reduces the chances of dying from heart disease by more than one-third. (1) Both observational studies and controlled trials have also demonstrated that the omega-3 fats in fish are important for optimal development of a baby’s brain and nervous system, and that the children of women who consume lower amounts of fish or omega-3’s during pregnancy and breast-feeding have evidence of delayed brain development.
Possible benefits: Eating fish once or twice a week may also reduce the risk of stroke, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic conditions

esforum

cyning wrote: »

It doesnt.

The way the sheets are laid out is the conclusion is at the top it lists everything else underneath.

https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/wp-content/dibm/analgesics.pdf

I would have no problem sitting there drinking a glass of wine feeding a baby: I'd be less likely to drink a glass of wine and feed baby 90 minutes later. That's when the alcohol levels peak and at that after one glass of wine it is negligible.

it clearly states do not brestfeed for 2 to 3 hours.

In regards negligible, what constitutes acceptable or not is a personal choice I suppose

Lads, you do know people have babies in other parts of the world right?

esforum

bubblypop wrote: »

Lads, you do know people have babies in other parts of the world right?

yeah they do some crazy **** with them as well, doesnt mean we should

(if your mate jumped off a bridge would you? To quote mammy)

People here do crazy **** with their kids too!

esforum

bubblypop wrote: »

People here do crazy **** with their kids too!

I dont copy them either :P

Neyite

esforum wrote: »

I didnt comment on the article, I stated an opinion on travelling with children and stated that medical facilities in the vicinity were a must have.

It was then stated that as she is a nurse its all grand

I then pointed out that a nurse doesnt carry a hostpital or the required skills and training to handle multiple multiple issues in the vietnam jungle as an example.

To which apparantly I am wrong because now I am told there is in fact hospitals in the remote regions of said jungle which there isnt. There is **** all quality medical care in many many areas of the world and up mountains, in jungles and in deserts tend to fall into that category.

Im not sure why you cant just say fair enough here. Its my person belief that you dont bring babies on remote expeditions. A nurse is not that mightily high on the medical ladder by the way. There a great deal that could go wrong with a young child that a nurse could not handle and thus being within reach of quality medical assistance I personally consider a must have.

thats not having a go at nurses, no medical professional in the wild while on holiday is going to be able to perform life saving sugery (again as an example)

Where in the article does it say that they travelled to a destination that was so remote that it was in the middle of a Vietnamese jungle far away from any kind of clinic or hospital like you are saying? I can only see Hoi-An.

Their trip is being made out to be this mad remote trek in the article, but most of their destinations that were named in the article and on the blog were cities or tourist resorts which usually have good english-speaking medical care that can be accessed by tourists. Really, it doesn't sound much more different than bringing your baby to Costa-del-whatever for a few weeks.

madeinamerica

Actually, OP, on second thoughts I think I do understand your new-parent cautiousness. In the few weeks after my son was born I was seeing danger everywhere, like I nearly had a panic attack when my husband carried him down the stairs in the dark one evening. It has calmed down a lot (he's 17mo) but not completely gone away. Being prepared for the worst has its benefits but don't let it cloud your enjoyment of your new baby

NIMAN

Why feel the need to tell the world about their trip though?

Self-obsessed publicity junkies? Probably.

Wanderer78

NIMAN wrote: »

Why feel the need to tell the world about their trip though?

Self-obsessed publicity junkies? Probably.

Seems to be all the rage nowadays with the creation of social media. Get on with life lads and experience as much as possible in life. Oh and you don't need to tell the world about it, just enjoy and learn from it!

Penny Dreadful

NIMAN wrote: »

Why feel the need to tell the world about their trip though?

Self-obsessed publicity junkies? Probably.

To be fair they were just updating their blog. I would think that Daily Mail journalists contacted them about using the story. Journalists (especially for a newspaper like that- have been known to take some of a story, add their bit into it and so end up changing the whole intent.

olaola

I don't get this 'being selfish' statement, as the 'child won't remember'. Of course the child won't remember as such, does that mean that we put the child in bland white room for the formative years of their lives? Every experience, every interaction is of huge benefit to the child's development. Literally expanding their brains with every new experience.

IF my child didn't remember, was talking to him, reading to him, singing to him from birth all just a waste of my time? How do you think a human learns?!

Penny Dreadful

olaola wrote: »

I don't get this 'being selfish' statement, as the 'child won't remember'. Of course the child won't remember as such, does that mean that we put the child in bland white room for the formative years of their lives? Every experience, every interaction is of huge benefit to the child's development. Literally expanding their brains with every new experience.

IF my child didn't remember, was talking to him, reading to him, singing to him from birth all just a waste of my time? How do you think a human learns?!

I don't see what was selfish about what the couple did at all. They had a baby, took the baby to NZ to meet her Dad's side of the family and they took the long way home via some lovely countries.
The child was loved, cared for, well fed and minded by all accounts throughout the entire time they were away from the UK. There are many kids that stay in their home country that aren't afforded these same basic rights.
The parents had a fun time, they were happy and relaxed and chilled out which makes for a good environment for the baby to be in.
The little girl will not remember the animals she saw in a particular zoo in Australia when she was away but the essential experience i.e. it being a happy one will have left a positive imprint on her and had a postivie impact on her development.

Yes the child was exposed to more dangers than she would have been exposed to in the UK e.g. dangerous spiders and snakes in Australia. As had often been pointed out people in Australia have babies and manage to cope with those dangers on a daily basis and keep their babies alive and well.
You see dreadfully sad stories of children being mauled to death by family dogs in the UK.

Since becoming a parent myself I've really come to see that other people will always and forever have an opinion on how you raise your child and how you are either doing it the right way or the wrong way.
You know your child and you will want to do your very best by them. you make the decisions - some will think you're great and others will think you're dreadful.
In the first year of my daughter's life we took her to the Canaries for a week, to London to visit my sister, to Stockholm to visit my brother, to France for holidays. I took her for swimming lessons and to the play ground. She petted my sister's dog and sat in a wheelbarrow full of grass in her grandparents and had a ball one lovely summers day.
My parents in law think I am a dreadful mother and took far too many risks with her, especially about the swimming.
They have 3 grandchildren and she is the only one that has (or wasn't until last week and she is now 17 months old!) never been sick, eats all around her and never says no to any food, is up for anything and sleeps brilliantly.
I must have done something right somewhere along the way in spite of myself and my reckless behaviour.:D

esforum

Neyite wrote: »

Where in the article does it say that they travelled to a destination that was so remote that it was in the middle of a Vietnamese jungle far away from any kind of clinic or hospital like you are saying? I can only see Hoi-An.

Their trip is being made out to be this mad remote trek in the article, but most of their destinations that were named in the article and on the blog were cities or tourist resorts which usually have good english-speaking medical care that can be accessed by tourists. Really, it doesn't sound much more different than bringing your baby to Costa-del-whatever for a few weeks.

Again I was stating my opinion on travelling the globe with a child IN GENERAL, not this specific case. Read my first post please, all I said was once the health concerns are covered work away.

You seem to agree with me so why you feel the need to get on the offensive here I do not know

dekey

esforum wrote: »

can you clarify, are you suggesting that you could actually go straight from a few beers to breast feeding and that the current medical theories in most western countries have been falsified by companies and then forced onto medical professionals?

I've breastfed my baby many times with a glass of wine in my other hand (multitasking at its finest!) It's the best time to do it, the alcohol will take 30-90 mins to get into my system depending on height, weight, food intake and other contributory factors. And even then the amount is minimal unless I've knocked backed the entire bottle. Btw, I'm a medical professional from one of these western countries as was the mother in the article.

esforum

dekey wrote: »

I've breastfed my baby many times with a glass of wine in my other hand (multitasking at its finest!) It's the best time to do it, the alcohol will take 30-90 mins to get into my system depending on height, weight, food intake and other contributory factors. And even then the amount is minimal unless I've knocked backed the entire bottle. Btw, I'm a medical professional from one of these western countries as was the mother in the article.

She said not to do that

but besides the health of child issue, drinking while breast feeding. Way to win the mother of the year award

RentDayBlues

esforum wrote: »

but besides the health of child issue, drinking while breast feeding. Way to win the mother of the year award

As opposed to breastfeeding after drinking?!?!? Which has the potential to be a lot more damaging to the child.

Orion

esforum wrote: »

She said not to do that

but besides the health of child issue, drinking while breast feeding. Way to win the mother of the year award

Ok this is getting a bit personal. Rein it in please.

esforum

fair enough Mod, I will leave the breast feeding stuff behind

NIMAN

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

To be fair they were just updating their blog. I would think that Daily Mail journalists contacted them about using the story. Journalists (especially for a newspaper like that- have been known to take some of a story, add their bit into it and so end up changing the whole intent.

Therein lies the problem, people having blogs in the first place.

Luckily some of us do things in life without blogging about it, checking in etc. Anyone who follows bloggers need to get out and do some of the stuff themselves.

Penny Dreadful

NIMAN wrote: »

Therein lies the problem, people having blogs in the first place.

Luckily some of us do things in life without blogging about it, checking in etc. Anyone who follows bloggers need to get out and do some of the stuff themselves.

Blogging about my holiday or reading about someone else's wouldn't be for me but obviously lots of people are into it. I don't see the harm I'm hoping to build my own house (not literally, will get a builder and the like:p) this year and as I'd like to go passive or almost passive I've found the blogs that some people have written to be helpful and informative. They're not seeking fame and fortune as a result of their blog they're just sharing their experiences. Maybe this couple were thinking in the same vein?

dekey

esforum wrote: »

She said not to do that

but besides the health of child issue, drinking while breast feeding. Way to win the mother of the year award

I take no offence to your comment, it's your opinion and that's what these forums are for. I am more than confident in the parenting decisions i make regarding the welfare of my child and i have educated myself on breastfeeding so i can make informed decisions and not just take the word of 'she said' whoever 'she' is. I'm not trying to win any mother of the year award - it's not a competition! I know that my child is happy, healthy and well rounded and to her i'm mum of the year every year. That's the only award i need. So i'll raise my glass of wine to you while i feed my precious little world knowing i'm not causing her any harm by doing so.

madeinamerica

NIMAN wrote: »

Therein lies the problem, people having blogs in the first place.

Luckily some of us do things in life without blogging about it, checking in etc. Anyone who follows bloggers need to get out and do some of the stuff themselves.

Reading stuff on the internet about other people's lives is bad, says the person on boards... :rolleyes:

madeinamerica

esforum wrote: »

She said not to do that

but besides the health of child issue, drinking while breast feeding. Way to win the mother of the year award

Given your unwavering confusion about breastfeeding and drinking, even in the face of logical information from a few posters, I think she can do quite well without your version of mother of the year award, whatever that is.

dekey

Well it is an esteemed accolade. Previous winners include Katie Price, Kerry Katona & last year's winner, your one off TOWIE so I'd be in good company. I'm quietly confident!!