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Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Plans Cancelled.
I was planning on going to the fireworks at Rhythm & Booms.
It's awesome.
You should go.
It's the second largest display of fireworks in the country, second only to NYC, and it's friendly, easy to get in and out of, and overall, a great experience.
We were going.
Then my husband up and said "what are you going to bring for a nursing blanket?"
A what?
"Whatever it is you use when you're in close proximity to thousands of people."
I have no words for this, other than I'm not going. Not because I'm uncomfortable nursing in public, I'm uncomfortable being in public with people I don't like.
EDITED TO ADD-
After a long conversation about what he "meant" and how it made me "feel," we are most likely still going, and he'll keep his nose out of my nursing. Sometimes a good long honest and raw conversation can make a huge difference, even if they feel a little scary.
It's awesome.
You should go.
It's the second largest display of fireworks in the country, second only to NYC, and it's friendly, easy to get in and out of, and overall, a great experience.
We were going.
Then my husband up and said "what are you going to bring for a nursing blanket?"
A what?
"Whatever it is you use when you're in close proximity to thousands of people."
I have no words for this, other than I'm not going. Not because I'm uncomfortable nursing in public, I'm uncomfortable being in public with people I don't like.
EDITED TO ADD-
After a long conversation about what he "meant" and how it made me "feel," we are most likely still going, and he'll keep his nose out of my nursing. Sometimes a good long honest and raw conversation can make a huge difference, even if they feel a little scary.
My Hero(ine)
Yesterday started out pretty normal. Mongoosine fought the heat off by lazing around the house until the pool opened, and then gave her customary half question half statement "Pool?" accompanied by eyes darting toward the door, right before her feet followed pursuit. It helped that a friend had just shown up on the porch.
I hollered "Sunscreen!" after her as she was dashing off the porch, waving a hand holding said sunscreen toward me as she and her friend rushed down the sidewalk toward the pool in that huddled way that girls do when they have secrets to share.
I smiled, sighed, and went back to doing my mom-stuff, figuring she'd probably come home around 3:30 for adult swim, so I was somewhat surprised when at 2:14 a drippy wet daughter of mine was standing at the door asking if she and her friend could take snacks to the park.
I heard my husband ask why they'd left the pool.
"Pool's closed."
I admit, my eavesdropping mommy-sense kicked in.
I'll spare you the tween speak two word answers through which the rest of the story unfolded and sum it up.
Basically, my daughter made them close the pool. That picture up there? That's of the fire department draining the pool in the most summer-fun way they could think of. They eventually got tired of doing it that way and got a few fire hoses to spray at ground level so no one had to hold anything.
Mongoosine had a lot of fun dancing in the spray while I verified her story with the pool managers.
Snapdragon even enjoyed the mist at the edge of the spray.
WHAT HAPPENED. (I'm sure she'll correct me and that I have the story ENTIRELY wrong - insert eye roll)
While swimming in the shallow end with her friends, doing underwater stunts like handstands and sitting on the floor of the pool, Mongoosine noticed something tickled her feet. Upon further sub-aquatic investigation, she discovered the source of the "tickle" was a crack that was creating suction and pulling water through it. Upon even closer examination she discovered a crack perhaps a foot long, and straight. No, it was NOT shaped like this.
She checked. Twice.
Alas, it was merely a very normal not-two-moments-in-time-which-never-should-have-touched-creating-a-crack-in-the-universe run of the mill kind of crack. But, she decided that it did have quite a bit of suction for a crack in the pool, especially in the shallow end where the not-so-great swimmers swim. Therefore, she told a lifeguard.
And the lifeguards had to get everyone out of the pool so they could investigate the boring normal not-Doctor-call-worthy crack in the bottom of the pool. The crack was deemed a safety hazard, the pool was closed, and immediately drained.
The fire department had the pool drained in about 2 hours while the pool manager called the swimming lessons kids to cancel their morning lessons.
Mongoosine was sad that she wouldn't get to swim for a few days while they fixed the pool.
Empty pool. *sigh*
See here the people working in the far away pool as the sun began to sink low? Well, they did their job and did it well. Spouse tells me there is a patch welded into the bottom of the pool now, a bit over a foot square. I didn't have a chance to see it because my sundown they were already refilling the pool. Much to my surprise, it reopened at 1:00 this afternoon, right on schedule. I imagine my little heroine who had the bravery to report a problem will be back soaking up the sun and splashing in the pool as soon as she finishes her leisurely lunch.
I'm proud of her. I don't know if I'd have said anything when I was her age. I'm proud that she has the confidence to say something when she sees something she doesn't think is right. I'm proud that she has ability to recognize an unrecognized problem.
I'm just proud of her. She's my hero.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Hygeia Enjoye Review
Last night I was up pretty late blogging about breastfeeding, how it's portrayed in various articles, my own experiences with it, and some things I feel really need to change. I talk a little about my own difficulties with nursing my daughter and some ways to help encourage breastfeeding and point out, as is often overlooked that formula should be a last choice after other alternatives to breastfeeding, at the breast, are exhausted, such as expressed/pumped milk and donor milk.
One of the issues I had with nursing my daughter was horrific and painful engorgement which made it nearly impossible for her to latch, so one of the options I tried was to pump a little to relieve the pressure before nursing. However, my breast pump was pretty awful. It was a handheld Evenflo manual pump where I literally had to squeeze the trigger mechanism like on a cleaning product over and over again, much to the dismay of my breasts and of my forearms. It was hard to keep my breast positioned right while manually pumping. It was exhausting, there was no decent rhythm to it and all in all, I was lucky to get nearly an ounce.
Fast forward ten years, yet another ridiculous hand held manual pump by Evenflo. This one has a better sized cup and a more ergonomic handle, but ultimately still was a pretty miserable excuse for a breast pump.
I felt pretty overwhelmed at the notion of trying to produce enough milk to spend one feeding away from the house each week. I felt like a pumping failure.
I'm not going to lie to you and say that when I got to review the Hygeia Enjoye breast pump that all the sudden my yield went way up. It's not about the magic pump that suddenly makes your breasts behave like a fountain. If you look at any breast pump expecting it to increase your production in one sitting, you're going to be very disappointed. But a better pump will pump more efficiently, more comfortably, and with less energy output on your end. The Hygeia Enjoye does all these things.
I'm not wasting my time and energy on repositioning it and curving my back funny to get my hand into the right position beneath my breast to work the pump mechanism without breaking suction and having all the milk coming out run down my chest instead of into the collection bottle. This means I don't get as rapidly frustrated and have the opportunity to spend more quality time with my pump, and *that* is what helps build your productivity, so to speak.
My output is still not wonderful, but I know I don't spend the kind of time I need to to build it to where I'd like it. Ideally, I'd like to be able to give my son a breast milk sippy every day at lunch and still have frozen milk saved up to donate. I'm not there yet. But I do like this pump and I think that if I were a little more dedicated, I'd definitely be able to get there.
Let me tell you what I like about the Hygeia Enjoye.
It's more comfortable than other pumps with which I've tried to pump in the past.
It has a really nifty feature where there's this little button, well, two buttons actually.
See the green one? See the black one? See how it says "Play" and "Record" on it? That's the brilliant feature that allows me to record whatever sound is going to help assist let down and encourage milk to come out best. For some women, it's the sound of their baby crying, mine has this weird hummy "wobba-wobba" noise Snapdragon makes when he's tired, because tired baby means nursey baby. Does it really help? I think so.
I can pump both sides at the same time, or just one if that's what I'm in the mood for. I don't like having to slave over one breast for fifteen to twenty minutes while the other leaks through a nursing pad or drips down my belly. Especially in the beginning I had an issue with letdown on one side meaning let down on the other, and with a dual breast pump, no milk is wasted, and that's a big deal. I never understood the expression "cry over spilled milk" until I started pumping.
I can adjust the speed and strength of suction. This means that if I'm particularly sore because *some baby* decided that teething and nursing were great friends, I can use a slower, gentler setting than on a day when I'm right as rain and in a hurry. Best part? I can speed up without giving myself carpel tunnel.
It's mobile. It doesn't weigh too much more than my husband's laptop computer. (Does this mean he needs a new laptop?) With all of it's accessories, the bag and everything it weighs in at 7.58lbs. That's less than a gallon of milk weighs. That's not too bad. Just the pump (though why would I be carrying JUST the pump?) is only 2.8lbs. With both plug in and rechargable battery options, it's a great option for working moms or moms who will need to pump on the road.
About the weight- I have a Medela Pump in Style that a friend gave me when I was first struggling with my manual pump which feels heavier to me, isn't quite as comfortable, and makes me nervous because it's supposed to be a single user pump and while the added power and convenience was nice, there's always a thought lurking in the back of my head "isn't it single user for a reason?" You can read about the reasoning in my friend Amy's post "The Problems with Medela." You can also read her take on Hygeia.
My favorite feature is the one to which I just alluded. The Hygeia Enjoye is a Green breast pump in that it's reusable by multiple women. To my knowledge, Hygeia makes the only breast pumps for home use FDA approved for multiple users. This means that if you buy the Enjoye and it doesn't work for you, you have options other than chucking it in the trash or giving something potentially unsafe to a woman struggling to feed her infant. It also means that if the Enjoye does work for you, you can then pass it on to your friend when you're done with full confidence that if she has her own Personal Accessory Kit, it's a safe way for her to pump milk for her baby. Plus she'll have the added benefit of tips from her friend. It's a win-win-win.
Remember that bit about if it doesn't work for you? Well if you try it out and just really dislike it, they have a 21 day return/exchange policy called their "Total Compatibility Guarentee."
Hygeia is WHO Compliant. This means a lot to me because the WHO code helps save lives, and when other companies which make great products don't bother to follow the WHO code, it means other companies feel less inclined to follow it, and it means that mothers get bombarded with the wrong messages, thus reducing the number of children exclusively breastfed at 6 months, which is, in my opinion, a tragedy. (Which is, I'm sure, quite the run on sentence.)
They have GREAT customer service. I love that if I have a question about their pump, pumping, or even breastfeeding I can often find @HygeiaKate on Twitter and she's full of good information, very supportive, and has been a blessing to have in the breastfeeding help and support community, even before I ever so much as laid a finger on a Hygeia product. I love that even if she isn't on, she'll get back to me when she is.
All the parts that you come into contact with, or your milk does, are BPA/DEHP free. I personally prefer my baby's milk to be non-toxic, so this is total win in my book.
Also, you should know they have a 3 year warranty.
Drawbacks-
It's not my cuddly baby. Not that any pump is, but if given an option, I still pick the baby.
Baby likes the tubing. he thinks it's fun to play with, makes a pretty necklace, and might make a great teether. Keep the tubing away from the kidlets.
As with all things, there's a learning curve, and without some sort of pumping holder, you're not going to be able to do anything with your hands, like type reviews of nursing pumps or become a sudoku warrior.
In the end, I like it because it works, and works comfortably, for me, is a safe item, is produced by a company with ethical standards, supports breastfeeding at the breast and not just the sales of their products.
They're priced competitively with the nearest similar products from other companies, but theirs is the only recycle/reusable one and frankly, the only one I'm comfortable recommending for that reason.
You can search where to buy or rent a Hygeia breast pump here, or you can order online from the Hygeia website. If you have any questions, I'm sure their customer service department would love to hear from you and help you out.
*I'm not including pictures of me using the product or of the milk I've pumped because I'm really not comfortable with posting pumping pictures and I don't want to start a discussion on how I can up my yield or whether or not my milk looks like I've eaten too much garlic. Sorry folks, not today. I love you anyway.
Disclosure: I was sent a Enjoye for free to review and then pass along when I'm done with it, because they're FDA approved for multiple users, so yes, it is temporarily living here, and I didn't pay for that, and the next mom who gets it isn't going to have to pay for it either. She's just going to have to replace the bits that directly contact her and her milk.
One of the issues I had with nursing my daughter was horrific and painful engorgement which made it nearly impossible for her to latch, so one of the options I tried was to pump a little to relieve the pressure before nursing. However, my breast pump was pretty awful. It was a handheld Evenflo manual pump where I literally had to squeeze the trigger mechanism like on a cleaning product over and over again, much to the dismay of my breasts and of my forearms. It was hard to keep my breast positioned right while manually pumping. It was exhausting, there was no decent rhythm to it and all in all, I was lucky to get nearly an ounce.
Fast forward ten years, yet another ridiculous hand held manual pump by Evenflo. This one has a better sized cup and a more ergonomic handle, but ultimately still was a pretty miserable excuse for a breast pump.
I felt pretty overwhelmed at the notion of trying to produce enough milk to spend one feeding away from the house each week. I felt like a pumping failure.
I'm not going to lie to you and say that when I got to review the Hygeia Enjoye breast pump that all the sudden my yield went way up. It's not about the magic pump that suddenly makes your breasts behave like a fountain. If you look at any breast pump expecting it to increase your production in one sitting, you're going to be very disappointed. But a better pump will pump more efficiently, more comfortably, and with less energy output on your end. The Hygeia Enjoye does all these things.
I'm not wasting my time and energy on repositioning it and curving my back funny to get my hand into the right position beneath my breast to work the pump mechanism without breaking suction and having all the milk coming out run down my chest instead of into the collection bottle. This means I don't get as rapidly frustrated and have the opportunity to spend more quality time with my pump, and *that* is what helps build your productivity, so to speak.
My output is still not wonderful, but I know I don't spend the kind of time I need to to build it to where I'd like it. Ideally, I'd like to be able to give my son a breast milk sippy every day at lunch and still have frozen milk saved up to donate. I'm not there yet. But I do like this pump and I think that if I were a little more dedicated, I'd definitely be able to get there.
Let me tell you what I like about the Hygeia Enjoye.
It's more comfortable than other pumps with which I've tried to pump in the past.
It has a really nifty feature where there's this little button, well, two buttons actually.
I can pump both sides at the same time, or just one if that's what I'm in the mood for. I don't like having to slave over one breast for fifteen to twenty minutes while the other leaks through a nursing pad or drips down my belly. Especially in the beginning I had an issue with letdown on one side meaning let down on the other, and with a dual breast pump, no milk is wasted, and that's a big deal. I never understood the expression "cry over spilled milk" until I started pumping.
I can adjust the speed and strength of suction. This means that if I'm particularly sore because *some baby* decided that teething and nursing were great friends, I can use a slower, gentler setting than on a day when I'm right as rain and in a hurry. Best part? I can speed up without giving myself carpel tunnel.
It's mobile. It doesn't weigh too much more than my husband's laptop computer. (Does this mean he needs a new laptop?) With all of it's accessories, the bag and everything it weighs in at 7.58lbs. That's less than a gallon of milk weighs. That's not too bad. Just the pump (though why would I be carrying JUST the pump?) is only 2.8lbs. With both plug in and rechargable battery options, it's a great option for working moms or moms who will need to pump on the road.
About the weight- I have a Medela Pump in Style that a friend gave me when I was first struggling with my manual pump which feels heavier to me, isn't quite as comfortable, and makes me nervous because it's supposed to be a single user pump and while the added power and convenience was nice, there's always a thought lurking in the back of my head "isn't it single user for a reason?" You can read about the reasoning in my friend Amy's post "The Problems with Medela." You can also read her take on Hygeia.
My favorite feature is the one to which I just alluded. The Hygeia Enjoye is a Green breast pump in that it's reusable by multiple women. To my knowledge, Hygeia makes the only breast pumps for home use FDA approved for multiple users. This means that if you buy the Enjoye and it doesn't work for you, you have options other than chucking it in the trash or giving something potentially unsafe to a woman struggling to feed her infant. It also means that if the Enjoye does work for you, you can then pass it on to your friend when you're done with full confidence that if she has her own Personal Accessory Kit, it's a safe way for her to pump milk for her baby. Plus she'll have the added benefit of tips from her friend. It's a win-win-win.
Remember that bit about if it doesn't work for you? Well if you try it out and just really dislike it, they have a 21 day return/exchange policy called their "Total Compatibility Guarentee."
Hygeia is WHO Compliant. This means a lot to me because the WHO code helps save lives, and when other companies which make great products don't bother to follow the WHO code, it means other companies feel less inclined to follow it, and it means that mothers get bombarded with the wrong messages, thus reducing the number of children exclusively breastfed at 6 months, which is, in my opinion, a tragedy. (Which is, I'm sure, quite the run on sentence.)
They have GREAT customer service. I love that if I have a question about their pump, pumping, or even breastfeeding I can often find @HygeiaKate on Twitter and she's full of good information, very supportive, and has been a blessing to have in the breastfeeding help and support community, even before I ever so much as laid a finger on a Hygeia product. I love that even if she isn't on, she'll get back to me when she is.
All the parts that you come into contact with, or your milk does, are BPA/DEHP free. I personally prefer my baby's milk to be non-toxic, so this is total win in my book.
Also, you should know they have a 3 year warranty.
Drawbacks-
It's not my cuddly baby. Not that any pump is, but if given an option, I still pick the baby.
Baby likes the tubing. he thinks it's fun to play with, makes a pretty necklace, and might make a great teether. Keep the tubing away from the kidlets.
As with all things, there's a learning curve, and without some sort of pumping holder, you're not going to be able to do anything with your hands, like type reviews of nursing pumps or become a sudoku warrior.
In the end, I like it because it works, and works comfortably, for me, is a safe item, is produced by a company with ethical standards, supports breastfeeding at the breast and not just the sales of their products.
They're priced competitively with the nearest similar products from other companies, but theirs is the only recycle/reusable one and frankly, the only one I'm comfortable recommending for that reason.
You can search where to buy or rent a Hygeia breast pump here, or you can order online from the Hygeia website. If you have any questions, I'm sure their customer service department would love to hear from you and help you out.
*I'm not including pictures of me using the product or of the milk I've pumped because I'm really not comfortable with posting pumping pictures and I don't want to start a discussion on how I can up my yield or whether or not my milk looks like I've eaten too much garlic. Sorry folks, not today. I love you anyway.
Disclosure: I was sent a Enjoye for free to review and then pass along when I'm done with it, because they're FDA approved for multiple users, so yes, it is temporarily living here, and I didn't pay for that, and the next mom who gets it isn't going to have to pay for it either. She's just going to have to replace the bits that directly contact her and her milk.
Facts versus Feelings
I have been reading articles lately, such as I Formula Fed, So What? Breastfeeding Sucks, and The Case Against Breastfeeding, since Annie over at PhD in Parenting drew attention to them with her thought provoking response to the most recent, (I Formula Fed, So What?) Society is Creepy (Not Breastfeeding).
I'm a touch conflicted on this one.
On the one hand, I FORMULA FED MY DAUGHTER.
I did. It hurt. I was engorged. I was bleeding. I was tired. I didn't have a strong support network. I soldiered through two weeks of a breastfeeding nightmare and then she became another bottle-baby.
Some misguided lactivists *did* say things specifically designed to shame me after the fact, as opposed to offering early help when it might have been useful. No, instead they made a point of sneering and making hurtful comments every time I went to feed my child, on demand, just like the nursing mother across the room. Somehow my child's needs being met was some sort of crime because I wasn't doing it the way they thought was best.
You know what? It would have been better, but it wasn't something I was up to. Does that make me selfish? I don't think so. I don't think so because I was able to hold her and smile at her and sing to her and enjoy her after my milk dried up and every shift of the wind was no longer excruciating. It was good for our relationship when I no longer cringed when I saw her looking hungry because I knew that it would be all I could do not to scream in pain as we struggled to get a good latch with my engorged breasts. In that circumstance I made the best choice I could with the resources I had at hand. I have some anger about the issue and feel that the personal sentiments expressed in those articles are legitimate and that each woman has the right to tell their story and be honest about how they feel, even if they feel formula was "good enough."
On the other hand...
Was formula good enough or just as good? No. It absolutely wasn't, and it absolutely isn't.
No matter how we feel about it, we mustn't confuse facts with feelings.
Formula is NOT as good as breast milk. And since when do we want "good enough" for our children?
Fast forward ten years to when I was pregnant with my son. If I remember correctly, I broke the news to my spouse by saying "I'm pregnant, and I'm not breastfeeding." There might have been a pause. Nonetheless, the reaction in my gut was immediate. The pain associated with it had been worse than the labor and more lingering, and I had no interest in a repeat, and the lactivists of an earlier decade had emotionally scarred me pretty deeply. I was even becoming something of a formulactivist.
But then I started reading, and the more I read, the more I researched, the more I realized all of the science proves conclusively what I already knew but didn't want to admit. Breast milk is the perfect food for infant nutrition and formula is simply chemists' failed attempt/s to imitate it. There is NO comparison. Formula needs to exist as an intervention but it needs to be just that, an intervention for cases in which breastfeeding, expressed milk, and donor milk are not options.
No, mothers shouldn't be made to feel guilty for having chosen to formula feed, however, I do strongly feel that up until the decision has been made, the baby born and the milk dried up, if we don't attempt to educate mothers as to the benefits of breastfeeding and dispel myths which make breastfeeding look like too hard of a choice, then we are doing a disservice to those women and their offspring. Women need honesty, they need support, and they need to see it.
Women need to know that breastfeeding doesn't mean you can never taste a drop of alcohol until the baby's weaned. They need to know that alcohol works its way out of milk at the same rate it works its way out of one's blood and that so long as they don't nurse the baby when they're drunk, there is no need to wean to occasionally indulge. (Of course, impaired parenting presents a whole host of it's own problems, so I'll follow the lead of other women whose judgement I trust and suggest getting a sitter if you're planning on getting drunk.)
Women need to know that they can leave the house with a nursling, because breastfeeding is a protected right in most states. They need to know that it is legal to nurse their babies. (How can we live in a world where there would even be a question about that?) Women need to be empowered in knowing that it is okay to nurse a baby wherever that baby is hungry (other than a moving car, there are child seat laws, you know.) This means a woman can nurse her baby at the library, the doctor's office, the post office, the DMV, the grocery store, the playground, the museum, the mill, the forest preserve, and the bakery. It's perfectly fine and good to nurse in public.
Women need to know that their boobs won't sag because they nursed their babies. They need to know that the changes which lead to sagging breasts are a function of pregnancy and not of breastfeeding, and that some women are more disposed to sagging than others. Breastfeeding will not make your boobs sag.
Women need honesty. They need to know that yes it can be painful to learn to breastfeed. Not every baby is born with a good latch in mind. However, the problems of the early weeks can be corrected with a good support system and perseverance.
Women need to be aware that some women find the whole ordeal of breastfeeding unpleasant. Not just the pain but the weird mixed messages that can be sent to your brain when a part of your body which may be one heavily associated with sexuality starts being used for another purpose. Some women never experience any conflict between the sexualized breast and the functional breast, but some do, and women need to know that if they do have that uncomfortable sensation and have to grit their teeth at the mixed messages going on in their brain, that it doesn't mean there's something wrong with them, but rather that their brain is wired to receive one type of message from that area. This doesn't mean one can't breastfeed, it simply means that there might be additional complications.*
Women need honesty.
Women need to see it.
I really think there is nothing more beneficial to supporting the healthy development of more and more nursing dyads than getting out with your baby and nursing that baby on demand, in public, without running to the bathroom, dressing room, car, or hiding under a blanket, unless your nursing cover makes you more comfortable. The more people witness the seemingly rare occurrence of a mother nursing her baby, the more and more women will begin to accept the biological norm as the social norm.
So I'm begging you, when you read an article claiming formula is just as good as breast milk, make sure you do a fact check as well as a gut check, then take a moment to be the good kind of lactivist who offers information and support, and not the kind who inspires the types of articles to which the rest of the lactivist community must respond.
*I am including this because I have read more than one woman say that no one talks about this, that the lactivist community likes to sweep it under the rug because the people who find breastfeeding creepy might use it as an argument that breastfeeding is creepy. But breastfeeding is feeding a baby. That's not creepy. What's creepy is shaming a woman for feeding her baby while having to deal with the difficulty of not only a biological response different than the one she'd like, but also the narrow minded views of people who ultimately care more about their sense of having controlled others than the health and wellbeing of women and children.
I'm a touch conflicted on this one.
On the one hand, I FORMULA FED MY DAUGHTER.
I did. It hurt. I was engorged. I was bleeding. I was tired. I didn't have a strong support network. I soldiered through two weeks of a breastfeeding nightmare and then she became another bottle-baby.
Some misguided lactivists *did* say things specifically designed to shame me after the fact, as opposed to offering early help when it might have been useful. No, instead they made a point of sneering and making hurtful comments every time I went to feed my child, on demand, just like the nursing mother across the room. Somehow my child's needs being met was some sort of crime because I wasn't doing it the way they thought was best.
You know what? It would have been better, but it wasn't something I was up to. Does that make me selfish? I don't think so. I don't think so because I was able to hold her and smile at her and sing to her and enjoy her after my milk dried up and every shift of the wind was no longer excruciating. It was good for our relationship when I no longer cringed when I saw her looking hungry because I knew that it would be all I could do not to scream in pain as we struggled to get a good latch with my engorged breasts. In that circumstance I made the best choice I could with the resources I had at hand. I have some anger about the issue and feel that the personal sentiments expressed in those articles are legitimate and that each woman has the right to tell their story and be honest about how they feel, even if they feel formula was "good enough."
On the other hand...
Was formula good enough or just as good? No. It absolutely wasn't, and it absolutely isn't.
No matter how we feel about it, we mustn't confuse facts with feelings.
Formula is NOT as good as breast milk. And since when do we want "good enough" for our children?
Fast forward ten years to when I was pregnant with my son. If I remember correctly, I broke the news to my spouse by saying "I'm pregnant, and I'm not breastfeeding." There might have been a pause. Nonetheless, the reaction in my gut was immediate. The pain associated with it had been worse than the labor and more lingering, and I had no interest in a repeat, and the lactivists of an earlier decade had emotionally scarred me pretty deeply. I was even becoming something of a formulactivist.
But then I started reading, and the more I read, the more I researched, the more I realized all of the science proves conclusively what I already knew but didn't want to admit. Breast milk is the perfect food for infant nutrition and formula is simply chemists' failed attempt/s to imitate it. There is NO comparison. Formula needs to exist as an intervention but it needs to be just that, an intervention for cases in which breastfeeding, expressed milk, and donor milk are not options.
No, mothers shouldn't be made to feel guilty for having chosen to formula feed, however, I do strongly feel that up until the decision has been made, the baby born and the milk dried up, if we don't attempt to educate mothers as to the benefits of breastfeeding and dispel myths which make breastfeeding look like too hard of a choice, then we are doing a disservice to those women and their offspring. Women need honesty, they need support, and they need to see it.
Women need to know that breastfeeding doesn't mean you can never taste a drop of alcohol until the baby's weaned. They need to know that alcohol works its way out of milk at the same rate it works its way out of one's blood and that so long as they don't nurse the baby when they're drunk, there is no need to wean to occasionally indulge. (Of course, impaired parenting presents a whole host of it's own problems, so I'll follow the lead of other women whose judgement I trust and suggest getting a sitter if you're planning on getting drunk.)
Women need to know that they can leave the house with a nursling, because breastfeeding is a protected right in most states. They need to know that it is legal to nurse their babies. (How can we live in a world where there would even be a question about that?) Women need to be empowered in knowing that it is okay to nurse a baby wherever that baby is hungry (other than a moving car, there are child seat laws, you know.) This means a woman can nurse her baby at the library, the doctor's office, the post office, the DMV, the grocery store, the playground, the museum, the mill, the forest preserve, and the bakery. It's perfectly fine and good to nurse in public.
Women need honesty. They need to know that yes it can be painful to learn to breastfeed. Not every baby is born with a good latch in mind. However, the problems of the early weeks can be corrected with a good support system and perseverance.
Women need to be aware that some women find the whole ordeal of breastfeeding unpleasant. Not just the pain but the weird mixed messages that can be sent to your brain when a part of your body which may be one heavily associated with sexuality starts being used for another purpose. Some women never experience any conflict between the sexualized breast and the functional breast, but some do, and women need to know that if they do have that uncomfortable sensation and have to grit their teeth at the mixed messages going on in their brain, that it doesn't mean there's something wrong with them, but rather that their brain is wired to receive one type of message from that area. This doesn't mean one can't breastfeed, it simply means that there might be additional complications.*
Women need honesty.
Women need to see it.
I really think there is nothing more beneficial to supporting the healthy development of more and more nursing dyads than getting out with your baby and nursing that baby on demand, in public, without running to the bathroom, dressing room, car, or hiding under a blanket, unless your nursing cover makes you more comfortable. The more people witness the seemingly rare occurrence of a mother nursing her baby, the more and more women will begin to accept the biological norm as the social norm.
So I'm begging you, when you read an article claiming formula is just as good as breast milk, make sure you do a fact check as well as a gut check, then take a moment to be the good kind of lactivist who offers information and support, and not the kind who inspires the types of articles to which the rest of the lactivist community must respond.
*I am including this because I have read more than one woman say that no one talks about this, that the lactivist community likes to sweep it under the rug because the people who find breastfeeding creepy might use it as an argument that breastfeeding is creepy. But breastfeeding is feeding a baby. That's not creepy. What's creepy is shaming a woman for feeding her baby while having to deal with the difficulty of not only a biological response different than the one she'd like, but also the narrow minded views of people who ultimately care more about their sense of having controlled others than the health and wellbeing of women and children.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Great Blocks of Goodness
Why so silent? I've been stewing about some Things that I wanted to respond to objectively. I'm almost calmed down enough that I can write rationally, but not quite, so I thought I'd talk about something mostly happy! I like happy, don't you.
A big block of monstrously happy making goodness. It's soft cushy baby friendly goodness, and Snapdragon likes it profusely.
The minky is swirly pettable fun, the print has Monsters proudly proclaiming what type of monster they are, whether they're friendly monsters or the egg monster, and the ribbons are fun. The ribbons are the MOSTLY happy part. I'll get back to that in a minute.
Snapdragon LOVES his block. He positively beamed when he got it on his birthday. He seemed to like the colors and he likes pulling on the ribbons and sucking on the ribbons. I think the ribbons are delightful too. Spouse's favorite feature is that it's just the right kind of squishy to use as a pillow in a car on road trips while I'm driving. Snapdragon also thinks it's great for road trips. See?
The MOSTLY part.
This is one of the things I have known I was going to have to blog about but didn't have the words. I'm not fully there yet, but this is a beginning.
See the ribbons? See how they're lovely and pennant like in that they stop abruptly, are heat-sealed wonders of infant joy inducing raditude? They're why Snapdragon has a block. My good friend Ailie needed to test out a way to keep the ribbons and not have them loop, yet not fray. Why can't they just loop? Because there's this company with a punitive policy of hounding, hampering the business of, and otherwise messing with the groove of WAHMs who have great baby friendly products. They've somehow managed to get a ribbon loop sewn between two layers of cloth patented.
Yes, that's right. That tag on the inside of your shirt as a child? On the backside of your toy? Those loops of ribbon telling you how to wash your mom's fifty year old blouse that was her mother's? Well they have somehow managed to get a patent on that technology, despite the fact that it's been used for a long time prior to them. Maybe I'll patent water. I also think they have a patent on being jack asses, so next time you see someone doing that, be sure to tell them someone else holds a patent and they need to cease and desist.
Note I'm not naming the company. I want their internet trolls to have to do their work before finding this post, because troll they do, and mostly on Etsy. A friend with looped ric rac (you know, because that's SO exactly like a ribbon, except for the part where it isn't a ribbon at all) on her baby friendly product just had her products pulled the other day. So not cool.
So yeah, these blocks are made of AWESOME, and I love ours. The WAHM who makes them is a great mom, a creative woman, and an all around delight to have in the online business world and as a friend.
So yes, I think people should buy her awesomeness because she's my friend, but more so because I don't like bullies, and I view spreading awareness of her goods as a way to stick it to the corporate man, and lets face it, he needs it stuck.
Disclosure: Yep, I tested her non-loopy prototype all freetasticly. Also, if there's actually some poor government employee who has to read these ridiculous disclosures, you straight up should buy one of these for the next baby shower you attend. It'd be like sticking it to the man while sticking it to the man, oh, and go eat a cupcake. Working for the government is probably pretty soul sucking, and cupcakes are good for that.
A big block of monstrously happy making goodness. It's soft cushy baby friendly goodness, and Snapdragon likes it profusely.
The minky is swirly pettable fun, the print has Monsters proudly proclaiming what type of monster they are, whether they're friendly monsters or the egg monster, and the ribbons are fun. The ribbons are the MOSTLY happy part. I'll get back to that in a minute.
Snapdragon LOVES his block. He positively beamed when he got it on his birthday. He seemed to like the colors and he likes pulling on the ribbons and sucking on the ribbons. I think the ribbons are delightful too. Spouse's favorite feature is that it's just the right kind of squishy to use as a pillow in a car on road trips while I'm driving. Snapdragon also thinks it's great for road trips. See?
Perfect for car trips.
Snapdragon also thinks that it's the perfect amount of squishy to use as a ball when he can't find one and that it is a good compliment to his world balls for being ruler of the universe. You know, Earth, Mars, Monster Cube Planet.
As a mom who loves to sew, I'd also like to point out the fact that the block is very well made, remarkably block shaped for a stuffed toy (or am I the only one who has trouble with stuffed cubes looking like pointy spheres?) and is altogether fun.
I got this block from my dear friend Ailie whose Etsy shop is just bursting with fun felt food and sensory blocks. You should check her out. You should like her on Facebook too. She's rad. She also makes other fantastic blocks, you know, if you don't heart monsters the way I do.
Radness.
Yummy yummy radness.
The MOSTLY part.
This is one of the things I have known I was going to have to blog about but didn't have the words. I'm not fully there yet, but this is a beginning.
See the ribbons? See how they're lovely and pennant like in that they stop abruptly, are heat-sealed wonders of infant joy inducing raditude? They're why Snapdragon has a block. My good friend Ailie needed to test out a way to keep the ribbons and not have them loop, yet not fray. Why can't they just loop? Because there's this company with a punitive policy of hounding, hampering the business of, and otherwise messing with the groove of WAHMs who have great baby friendly products. They've somehow managed to get a ribbon loop sewn between two layers of cloth patented.
Yes, that's right. That tag on the inside of your shirt as a child? On the backside of your toy? Those loops of ribbon telling you how to wash your mom's fifty year old blouse that was her mother's? Well they have somehow managed to get a patent on that technology, despite the fact that it's been used for a long time prior to them. Maybe I'll patent water. I also think they have a patent on being jack asses, so next time you see someone doing that, be sure to tell them someone else holds a patent and they need to cease and desist.
Note I'm not naming the company. I want their internet trolls to have to do their work before finding this post, because troll they do, and mostly on Etsy. A friend with looped ric rac (you know, because that's SO exactly like a ribbon, except for the part where it isn't a ribbon at all) on her baby friendly product just had her products pulled the other day. So not cool.
So yeah, these blocks are made of AWESOME, and I love ours. The WAHM who makes them is a great mom, a creative woman, and an all around delight to have in the online business world and as a friend.
So yes, I think people should buy her awesomeness because she's my friend, but more so because I don't like bullies, and I view spreading awareness of her goods as a way to stick it to the corporate man, and lets face it, he needs it stuck.
Disclosure: Yep, I tested her non-loopy prototype all freetasticly. Also, if there's actually some poor government employee who has to read these ridiculous disclosures, you straight up should buy one of these for the next baby shower you attend. It'd be like sticking it to the man while sticking it to the man, oh, and go eat a cupcake. Working for the government is probably pretty soul sucking, and cupcakes are good for that.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
What's that Smell?
Yep, I'm back to the underarms.
So, I was looking at something that would smell really yummy on Etsy, mostly because my awesome friend Brooke uses it, and I trust her judgement, but I wasn't 100% sure after reading the ingredient list that I was absolutely comfortable with it.
I know you shouldn't believe everything you read online, BUT, when I'm researching the safety of stuff, I generally find a few sites saying "oh no, that causes pterodactylitis" or some such, and decide that chemical isn't one I want to knowingly be rubbing on myself. In the case of that one, I found two which made me raise an eyebrow. Salicylic Acid and Propylene Glycol. So I Googled them and here's what I found.
Salicylic acid is used in Proactiv, and has wonderful astringent properties, but is recommended that pregnant women don't ingest it, and some doctors recommend they not rub it on themselves either. Well, I'm not pregnant, but that gives me pause.
Propylene Glycol was apparently originally developed as an anti-freeze and it's Material Safety Data Sheet says to avoid physical contact with the stuff and that it can cause " eye irritation, skin irritation. Chronic exposure can cause gastro-intestinal disturbances, nausea, headache, vomiting, and central nervous depression."(source)
Well, when I was about twelve I developed a problem with gastro-intestinal disturbances, nausea, headache, and vomiting, so I generally try to avoid things prone to cause those things. I've been living with these chronic issues long enough that they've reached the age of majority, and in a moment of wishful thinking I pondered if there could be any connection.
Like I said, wishful thinking, but dang it, if there's a chance, I'm going to take it, especially when all that taking it means is not rubbing antifreeze on myself.
So, what does this mean? It very well may mean making my own deodorant. There's a handy dandy tutorial here at Little House in the Suburbs and I'm not entirely sure that this isn't what I'm going to end up doing.
That said, I have found a couple Etsy shops which sell deodorants which don't contain aluminum (yeah, I haven't talked about that much, since that's the ingredient just about everyone knows we're avoiding because it is strongly correlated with Alzheimers) Salicylic Acid, or Propylene Glycol.
They are:
Elegant Rose Boutique (can you say peppermint vanilla?)
Art Spot (they're from Corsicana, TX, and I've BEEN THERE!!! *and* there's Apple)
Cheryl Mason's Kitchen (she uses arrow root which is good for the types with yeast issues)
Let me know if you find some more great options.
And yes, I've checked- JASON and Toms both have Propylene Glycol, and the mineral salts have never worked well for me longterm.
So, I was looking at something that would smell really yummy on Etsy, mostly because my awesome friend Brooke uses it, and I trust her judgement, but I wasn't 100% sure after reading the ingredient list that I was absolutely comfortable with it.
I know you shouldn't believe everything you read online, BUT, when I'm researching the safety of stuff, I generally find a few sites saying "oh no, that causes pterodactylitis" or some such, and decide that chemical isn't one I want to knowingly be rubbing on myself. In the case of that one, I found two which made me raise an eyebrow. Salicylic Acid and Propylene Glycol. So I Googled them and here's what I found.
Salicylic acid is used in Proactiv, and has wonderful astringent properties, but is recommended that pregnant women don't ingest it, and some doctors recommend they not rub it on themselves either. Well, I'm not pregnant, but that gives me pause.
Propylene Glycol was apparently originally developed as an anti-freeze and it's Material Safety Data Sheet says to avoid physical contact with the stuff and that it can cause " eye irritation, skin irritation. Chronic exposure can cause gastro-intestinal disturbances, nausea, headache, vomiting, and central nervous depression."(source)
Well, when I was about twelve I developed a problem with gastro-intestinal disturbances, nausea, headache, and vomiting, so I generally try to avoid things prone to cause those things. I've been living with these chronic issues long enough that they've reached the age of majority, and in a moment of wishful thinking I pondered if there could be any connection.
Like I said, wishful thinking, but dang it, if there's a chance, I'm going to take it, especially when all that taking it means is not rubbing antifreeze on myself.
So, what does this mean? It very well may mean making my own deodorant. There's a handy dandy tutorial here at Little House in the Suburbs and I'm not entirely sure that this isn't what I'm going to end up doing.
That said, I have found a couple Etsy shops which sell deodorants which don't contain aluminum (yeah, I haven't talked about that much, since that's the ingredient just about everyone knows we're avoiding because it is strongly correlated with Alzheimers) Salicylic Acid, or Propylene Glycol.
They are:
Elegant Rose Boutique (can you say peppermint vanilla?)
Art Spot (they're from Corsicana, TX, and I've BEEN THERE!!! *and* there's Apple)
Cheryl Mason's Kitchen (she uses arrow root which is good for the types with yeast issues)
Let me know if you find some more great options.
And yes, I've checked- JASON and Toms both have Propylene Glycol, and the mineral salts have never worked well for me longterm.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Imaginative Play
When I was a child, most of my time was spent doing one of three things. Napping, (I was iron deficient), doing chores, or imagining. Whether playing with dolls, or sitting in my grandmother's third wedding dress at my vanity brushing my hair and pretending I was late for the ball, I was definitely big on the imagination. I wish I had a picture of that vanity to show you. I spent a lot of time sitting at it with some fairy tale or another going on in my head. It has been an old wooden one that had seen better days, so my mom took it down into the basement for some tough love, and it reemerged bright white with hand-painted bows on the drawers. I loved it.
As I have watched my daughter grow up, (can you believe she's a tween now?) I always felt it was very important to surround her with things which encouraged creative play. Whether it was costumes, fairy wands or a hobby horse, or toys and sheets she could use to build her imaginary castle, I wanted to encourage her to recreate the world in her own mind. My favorite? When she imagines herself into a corner and has to use those problem solving skills to find a solution.
I love the confidence imaginative play gives a child, and I love the way it helps them see problems from more perspectives than one.
My goal is to let Snapdragon grow up imagining, playing, and being as creative as he wants to.
To that end, I'm excited to let you know that in the not too distant future, you can check back here for a review of something imagination inspiring from CSNStores.com, the parent company of www.justvanities.com, because I'm thinking Snapdragon needs some creative outlets, and I'm very excited about it.
Disclosure: To date I have not been compensated to write this though I will be reviewing something in the future. All opinions and nostalgic musings are entirely my own. You may have had a different experience as a child. Who knows, maybe your imaginary friends didn't like you, or maybe they never went away. :-)
As I have watched my daughter grow up, (can you believe she's a tween now?) I always felt it was very important to surround her with things which encouraged creative play. Whether it was costumes, fairy wands or a hobby horse, or toys and sheets she could use to build her imaginary castle, I wanted to encourage her to recreate the world in her own mind. My favorite? When she imagines herself into a corner and has to use those problem solving skills to find a solution.
Snapdragon imagines he's the ruler of the jungle AND the universe, because that's how he rolls.
My goal is to let Snapdragon grow up imagining, playing, and being as creative as he wants to.
To that end, I'm excited to let you know that in the not too distant future, you can check back here for a review of something imagination inspiring from CSNStores.com, the parent company of www.justvanities.com, because I'm thinking Snapdragon needs some creative outlets, and I'm very excited about it.
Disclosure: To date I have not been compensated to write this though I will be reviewing something in the future. All opinions and nostalgic musings are entirely my own. You may have had a different experience as a child. Who knows, maybe your imaginary friends didn't like you, or maybe they never went away. :-)
Sunday, June 06, 2010
The Pits.
What do your arm pits smell like right now?
Yeah, it's a weird question, but that was what my friend Kim asked my friend Brooke the other day and the answer got me thinking.
I'm still using antiperspirant. I hear it's actually pretty scary unhealthy to do so, since using aluminum to clog your pores is tentatively linked to things like breast cancer, and I kind of hate breast cancer. A lot. I've also wondered if clogging your pores makes you sweat more to try to clear them.
Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention, this post talks about bodily functions, smelly stuff and might not be the best reading for any pregnant readers who get nauseated at the thought of smelly stuff or bodily functions. Wow, it apparently also deals with nausea.
Where was I?
Ah yes. Toxic Stew. I don't like the idea of rubbing solidified toxic stew on my body. I only occasionally fall back on regular shampoo, loving the no-poo for my hair, have recently discovered some delightfully more eco and skin friendly soaps (mmmm, castile soap- so few ingredients, you can count them on ONE HAND, and all but one are edible) and have been working on detoxing my personal hygiene routine as much as possible.
So, I'm asking you.
Are you still using antiperspirant? Have you switched to a deoderant instead? If you have, how do you like it? Do you get all wet and gicky or not much more than the rest of you?
I'm thinking of taking the plunge, but I'm scared, so hold my hand, and lemme know, what do your pits smell like.
And at the moment, mine smell like baby powder, which isn't exactly my favorite smell in the world.
Yeah, it's a weird question, but that was what my friend Kim asked my friend Brooke the other day and the answer got me thinking.
I'm still using antiperspirant. I hear it's actually pretty scary unhealthy to do so, since using aluminum to clog your pores is tentatively linked to things like breast cancer, and I kind of hate breast cancer. A lot. I've also wondered if clogging your pores makes you sweat more to try to clear them.
Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention, this post talks about bodily functions, smelly stuff and might not be the best reading for any pregnant readers who get nauseated at the thought of smelly stuff or bodily functions. Wow, it apparently also deals with nausea.
Where was I?
Ah yes. Toxic Stew. I don't like the idea of rubbing solidified toxic stew on my body. I only occasionally fall back on regular shampoo, loving the no-poo for my hair, have recently discovered some delightfully more eco and skin friendly soaps (mmmm, castile soap- so few ingredients, you can count them on ONE HAND, and all but one are edible) and have been working on detoxing my personal hygiene routine as much as possible.
So, I'm asking you.
Are you still using antiperspirant? Have you switched to a deoderant instead? If you have, how do you like it? Do you get all wet and gicky or not much more than the rest of you?
I'm thinking of taking the plunge, but I'm scared, so hold my hand, and lemme know, what do your pits smell like.
And at the moment, mine smell like baby powder, which isn't exactly my favorite smell in the world.
Rebranding
Yes, I'm addicted to cloth diapers. As such, I follow what's going on in the industry a little more than casually. If you do too, you've already been long aware that GroBaby is now GroVia, and their cute hybrid diaper has been redesigned as well as renamed.
Don't get me wrong, what I've heard about the diaper redesign, the higher rise, the loops to doubly secure the hook tabs through laundering all sounds just peachy. The new colors are cute, and I'm glad they've kept the old ones.
But I just can't feel excited about the name change. I can't feel excited to see the cute little leaf go bye bye. I'm disappointed.
Maybe if I ever get one I'll fall in love and feel that maybe the name change was a good idea, but right now, I think it's just sad that quite possibly the only PUL diaper I'd consider buying just lost it's cute name.
So if you're considering rebranding, bear in mind that you might just lose some of your enthusiastic consumer base. It's never just the product.
See the former glory...
Don't get me wrong, what I've heard about the diaper redesign, the higher rise, the loops to doubly secure the hook tabs through laundering all sounds just peachy. The new colors are cute, and I'm glad they've kept the old ones.
But I just can't feel excited about the name change. I can't feel excited to see the cute little leaf go bye bye. I'm disappointed.
Maybe if I ever get one I'll fall in love and feel that maybe the name change was a good idea, but right now, I think it's just sad that quite possibly the only PUL diaper I'd consider buying just lost it's cute name.
So if you're considering rebranding, bear in mind that you might just lose some of your enthusiastic consumer base. It's never just the product.
See the former glory...
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Vaccinating against health.
According to an article by Judith Potts for Telegraph, there's some very promising strides being made toward a vaccine which could prevent breast cancer.
This is a topic near and dear to my heart. In 2007, my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2009 she passed away. Despite a mastectomy, hormonal therapy, and radiation, the tumors kept recurring and spreading. Breast cancer terrifies me.
YET, I'm not thrilled about this possible vaccine.Why?
According to the article, an immunologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, Dr Vincent Tuohy, as well as other researchers such as Dr Leatham, at University College London, have found a specific protein, alpha-lactalbumin, which is present in the majority of breast cancer tumors. So their brilliant thought? Innoculate against the protien. They figure that if they can trick the body into having an immunological response against the protien, then the chance of the cancer developing is reduced.
That's all fine and dandy, except the part where alpha-lactalbumin is also a component of breast milk. You know, that stuff that humans, as mammals, produce in order to nourish their offspring? You know, that stuff which developed as part of the immune system in order to help the infant transition from a sterile environment into one full of thousands of bacteria and viruses. You know, the stuff that helps the developing intestines transition to foods and reduces the likelihood of allergies? You know, the stuff that has been associated with higher IQs, stronger immune system, and lowered risk of Type II diabetes in both the mother and child, lowered risk of obesity, lowered risk of asthma, and lower incidence ofcrib death SIDS.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, breast feeding is also linked to lower risk of breast cancer in the mom.
So the notion is, give females this vaccine so they maybe won't develop breast cancer, you know, the thing they're less likely to get if they have a healthy immune system (possibly in part to having been breast fed) are not obese (partially linked to having been breast fed) and if they breastfeed their own offspring.
The only foreseeable tradeoff? Their offspring are less healthy and women are still being put at risk. Not to mention the whole experimental nature of this type of treatment.
This part here possibly makes me the most nervous. Potts writes " this [theorized] vaccine will be used on young women – particularly those who have a family history of breast cancer – and those over the age of 40, when the cancer is more likely to develop but when they are less likely to be breastfeeding."
That's right. The idea is to give it to those with a history of breast cancer, you know, the ones who could possibly benefit most from the many health benefits of breast feeding.
I hate to say it, but this is one case in which I feel like it's one big step for science, and two big steps backwards for women and children's health.
Disclosure: I'm not a doctor, a nurse, or any other sort of medical professional. I am expressing my opinions based on research I have done as a mother, a lactivist, and a woman who has lost a family member to this horrific disease.
This is a topic near and dear to my heart. In 2007, my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2009 she passed away. Despite a mastectomy, hormonal therapy, and radiation, the tumors kept recurring and spreading. Breast cancer terrifies me.
YET, I'm not thrilled about this possible vaccine.Why?
According to the article, an immunologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, Dr Vincent Tuohy, as well as other researchers such as Dr Leatham, at University College London, have found a specific protein, alpha-lactalbumin, which is present in the majority of breast cancer tumors. So their brilliant thought? Innoculate against the protien. They figure that if they can trick the body into having an immunological response against the protien, then the chance of the cancer developing is reduced.
That's all fine and dandy, except the part where alpha-lactalbumin is also a component of breast milk. You know, that stuff that humans, as mammals, produce in order to nourish their offspring? You know, that stuff which developed as part of the immune system in order to help the infant transition from a sterile environment into one full of thousands of bacteria and viruses. You know, the stuff that helps the developing intestines transition to foods and reduces the likelihood of allergies? You know, the stuff that has been associated with higher IQs, stronger immune system, and lowered risk of Type II diabetes in both the mother and child, lowered risk of obesity, lowered risk of asthma, and lower incidence of
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, breast feeding is also linked to lower risk of breast cancer in the mom.
So the notion is, give females this vaccine so they maybe won't develop breast cancer, you know, the thing they're less likely to get if they have a healthy immune system (possibly in part to having been breast fed) are not obese (partially linked to having been breast fed) and if they breastfeed their own offspring.
The only foreseeable tradeoff? Their offspring are less healthy and women are still being put at risk. Not to mention the whole experimental nature of this type of treatment.
This part here possibly makes me the most nervous. Potts writes " this [theorized] vaccine will be used on young women – particularly those who have a family history of breast cancer – and those over the age of 40, when the cancer is more likely to develop but when they are less likely to be breastfeeding."
That's right. The idea is to give it to those with a history of breast cancer, you know, the ones who could possibly benefit most from the many health benefits of breast feeding.
Disclosure: I'm not a doctor, a nurse, or any other sort of medical professional. I am expressing my opinions based on research I have done as a mother, a lactivist, and a woman who has lost a family member to this horrific disease.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Sewing Sewing.
So I've been sewing a lot, trying to catch up on what spouse has lovingly nicknamed my "Monkey Business."
Wanna see what I've been up to?
Well, these two are what I finished today. They're my "Little Punks" measuring between seven and nine and three quarters inches in height. They're tiny and fun. The Sock Monkey makes me smile, a lot. The Bear even rattles!
Since I couldn't find a free baby sock monkey or sock bear pattern online, I decided to draft my own patterns, and there are a few things I'll tweak next time, but so far I'm pretty pleased with the way they've turned out. Now I just need to find a rattle tutorial so the bells won't sound so darned muffled. They clink instead of tinkling. As a result of their very experimental nature they're even listed a little lower than I plan on listing Little Punks in the future.
So go and look, heart me, maybe even buy one, you know, because I'm being self promoting.
Wanna see what I've been up to?
Since I couldn't find a free baby sock monkey or sock bear pattern online, I decided to draft my own patterns, and there are a few things I'll tweak next time, but so far I'm pretty pleased with the way they've turned out. Now I just need to find a rattle tutorial so the bells won't sound so darned muffled. They clink instead of tinkling. As a result of their very experimental nature they're even listed a little lower than I plan on listing Little Punks in the future.
So go and look, heart me, maybe even buy one, you know, because I'm being self promoting.
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