Adventures of a Breastfeeding Mother

Gah! I had typed out an entire entry then accidently deleted it!

Ok so here's what's up. I've decided to move my journal. I've enjoyed blogging through AOL but I'm going to move it for varioius reasons that I am not up to discussing. You can find my new journal here:

Adventures of a Breastfeeding Mother Part II

I really hope that those of you out there who read my journal continue to do so. And feel free to comment!

See you at the new journal!

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I got the link to this video from a message board. It's heartbreaking but I do think its message is important and therefore I want to share it:

We kept Brooke rear facing for a while after the 20 lb, 1 year minimum. After learning more about the importance of  Extended Rear-Facing for kids, we plan on keeping Summer rear facing for as long as possible. After watching this video, we are now planning on also keeping her in a five point harness seat that is tethered to the car as long as possible. People do not seem to be aware that the 20 lb and one year rule is a MINIMUM. For optimal safety, children should be kept rear facing...their neck muscles simply are not strong enough to withstand a crash safetly. Think of a cantelope on a stick....it is simply too risky to only follow the minimum guidelines.

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Today I went to a "retreat" held by the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition. It was basically a meeting where they invited non-members to come and participate as they plan their mission and agenda for the upcoming year. The invite did say "nurslings welcome" so I brought Summer with me, however I was the only one there with a baby. Which was fine, b/c she got lots of attention :o). I was rather pleased with our discussion and the goals that the coalition set forth for itself. The goals were numerous and included increasing statistics of breastfeeders, enacting a curriculum in elementary schools that focuses on breastfeeding, working with media, and passing at least one piece of breastfeeding legislation. I also brought up the point of somehow making the pediatricians in our area more breastfeeding friendly. Too many times I have heard women tell how they were breastfeeding but started to have problems, or the baby didn't gain weight fast enough, and so their pediatrician told them to switch to formula. I myself had to switch pediatricians twice when Brooke was an infant before I found one that did not shove formula in my face as the solution to every problem. All in all it was a good meeting :o)

Nothing much else went on this weekend. We did a little shopping and just hung out at the house. Next weekend we are getting family photos taken with the IL's for their wedding anniversary present. I hope that we also have time to do some van shopping, as it is way too crowded in our little car.

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Sixty minutes did a segment on Attachment Parenting. This segment made me very, very angry. Of course, they would find a family that follows AP philosophies to the extreme to represent  the AP community. Here are the two clips:

Part one.

Part two.

We raise our children using many of the beliefs of the AP model. But we use discipline. If Brooke had called her father an idiot, you bet there would be consequences for her. If she was still nursing, she would know better than to walk up and lift up my shirt and demand to nurse. That is just impolite, and she is a polite girl. Not all AP parents homeschool (although we are going to ) or homebirth (although we did) or quit their jobs to stay with their kids 24-7. And their "expert" Dr. Irvine is a total idiot. As pointed out on a message board, this is from his website:

"* if you're visiting and there's no cot [crib], put the baby in the bath, make it cosy with towels and cushions, but make sure (a) that you remove plugs and soap, (b) that you try this only if the baby can't reach the taps. And (c) last but not least, only if your host doesn't have a child old enough to turn on the taps!"

And he accuses AP parents of socially neglecting their children! grrrr!

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I was just looking at some articles that have been in the news lately....

Here's a nice article that outlines the diaper debate and one on the joy of cloth diapers.We use cloth for many reasons, the main ones include saving money, helping the environment, and most of all, keeping those nasty chemicals off of our daughter's bum!

CHEC Articles: First Steps: The Diaper Debate

Mothering Magazine Article: Joy of Cloth Diapers

Lately in the news there have been stories of nursing moms not being allowed to take their expressed breatmilk with them when they fly on planes. Often they are left with no choice but to dump the liquid gold that they have worked so hard to pump. If you disagree with this policy, please sign this petition.

Unlimited expressed breast milk on board airplanes, now! Petition

Here's a nice article that reiterates the fact that CIO with a baby is a no-no.

For crying out loud, pick up the baby! | NEWS.com.au

New studies show yet another benefit to breastfeeding: better mental health:

ScienceDaily: Breastfeeding Boosts Mental Health, New Research Reveals

And finally, a nice article about the benefits of babywearing!

delawareonline ¦ The News Journal ¦ Wear your baby

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Isn't she adorable?

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Happy Halloween everyone! To celebrate Halloween, we took Brooke to a children's Halloween parade, put on the by the fire department. There were a lot of kids there, and I posted pics. Before we left I tried to take some pics but Brooke was NOT a happy camper!

Poor kid was angry because I put her hood up on her costume.

Summer was a lot more cooperative in her Halloween outfit :o)

At the parade. You can see Summer peeking out from my pouch.

Brooke had a blast at the parade, she just loved walking around with all the other kids. She was a chatterbox, and tried to give a lot of people hugs.

After the parade we took her trick or treating for a bit, but we only went to four houses. She was very cute and polite, always thanking the people when she got the candy. She will be trading in her candy for a toy....no need for all that sugar ;o).

Well that's it...have a good night!

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Well most people that know me know that I would never circumcise my sons (if I had any) unless there was a legitimate reason. I believe circumcision is a personal decision that all parents make, much like whether or not to vaccinate. However, if I were to choose sides in the circumcision debate, I would choose the non-circ'd side. So, I thought this story was interesting. A judge ruled that circumcism is not a necessary procedure. This ruling occurred concerning a case where a mother wanted her son circumcised, but the father did not. Since the father had say in all non-emergency medical decisions, and since circumcism is not a medical emergency, the judge ruled in favor of the father. I do believe this is the first court ruling that has stated circumcism is medically unnecessary.

Judge rules boy's circumcision not medically necessary - Blogging Baby

Posted Oct 26th 2006 9:30AM by J.D. Griffioen
Filed under: Child Development, Health and Safety, Lifestyle, Pregnancy and Birth, Divorce

A decision has come down in an important Illinois case that has been carefully watched by both sides of the circumcision debate, and a judge has issued a written opinion stating that a 9-year-old boy need not be circumcised for medial reasons as asserted by his mother. The mother has sole custody, but her 2003 parenting agreement gave her ex-husband (the boy's father) a say in non-emergency medical decisions.

That fact may make this different from other situations, but intactivists are celebrating this case as a major victory for their cause. As the only legal challenge to the medical necessity of circumcision to reach this level in any American court, all other judges who consider the issue will look to this decision for guidance. Circuit Judge Jordan Kaplan wrote, "this court finds that the medical evidence as provided by the testimony of the expert witnesses ... is inconclusive as to the medical benefits or non-benefits of circumcision as it relates to the 9-year-old child. . . the injury to the child as a result of an unnecessary circumcision would be irreversible," adding that his order would remain in effect until the boy turns 18 and can decide for himself whether or not he wants to undergo the procedure. The boy had issued a written statement to the court that he did not want to be circumcised.

This case will almost certainly set up the next challenge: spouses who will choose to litigate such a dispute when the child is a newborn.

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Tonight Jason and I are taking the kiddos back to Wally World so we can pick up an air mattress. Four people squished together in one bed just isn't working well right now. I can only sleep in one position, which is the pain in the butt because my body falls asleep and I can't move. Jason experiences back pain. So we decided, that for now, we are going to get an air mattress to place next to our bed. Summer and I will sleep on the air mattress and Brooke and Jason will remain on the bed. That way we will still be cosleeping but everyone will have enough room to be happy. Not the ideal co sleeping situation that I would have liked, but close enough. I really don't want to kick Brooke out of the bed just yet because I really want to wait until she decides that she is ready, and I also don't want to make it seem like Summer has taken her place. For Christmas we are planning on buying Brooke a really cute Dora bed set, to get her all excited about her new "big girl" bed. Which we will place next to our bed, so we can slowly begin to transition her to sleeping in her own room. I really don't care if it goes so slowly it takes a year, as long as we don't push her before she is ready. I just want to give her small, baby nudges.

Brooke has once again changed her nap schedule. Yesterday she didn't take one at all and went to bed at 7:30 instead of the usual 9:30/10. I have yet to see if she is going to continue skipping them or just start taking them later in the day. To be honest, I think I would prefer if she just skipped them and went to bed earlier. I got more time to clean and excercise, and I had more flexibillity in my day, with not having to worry about being home in time for her nap. Only time will tell what she is going to do.

Well I am going to take the kiddos to the mall as soon as Summer wakes up and I feed her so I am off to get myself ready. Ciao!

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