What's been taking up a very large chunk of my time lately

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Only one (but a very good one) of the very many (and very wordy!) textbooks and online sources I'm currently devouring

I'm not sure how many of you know this but in addition to developing a fine art photography business, raising a family, trying to keep everyone in clean laundry and keeping up with this blog I'm also a breastfeeding counselor and lead mother-to-mother breastfeeding support groups (that last one as a volunteer). This year it's finally time to step up to the big leagues and sit for the international lactation consultant board exam this summer. I'm in a major rush because the prerequisites will change in 2012 and I ran into a big snag when I realized that a substantial chunk of my already-accrued lactation education hours are just a few months too old and have expired! Instead of having plenty of time to get my application together I'm instead scrambling to retake a bunch of credits that I'd already done (and paid for) once already, and to have this all done by the earlybird deadline at the end of this month. (Since I have to pay to redo all these credits it would only add insult to injury to also have to also pay more for the application fee, so I'm really rushing to get it done in time.) Once I've got my application in I'll then turn my attention to the actual exam prep, but I'll be able to spread that out over a few more months. In the meantime I'm up to my eyeballs in anatomy, physiology and pathology as I focus my attention on those areas likely to present my biggest challenge. If I have to retake courses I want to get as much as I can out of them, not reinforce what I already know...

So far I'm managing to keep all the various balls I'm juggling up in the air but bear with me if a few appear to wobble every now and again. I'm making sure the shop (and of course my family) get top priority which means blogging and commenting may experience the occasional temporary slowdown.

At least my life is never boring, right?

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My photography is available for purchase - visit Around the Island Photography and bring home something beautiful today!

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If the photo you're wishing for is something you've seen here on the blog which isn't in my etsy shop yet just let me know and I'll happily list it for you.

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Purim 2010, and other miscellany

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A few quick snapshots. Today was the day schoolchildren across Israel have been waiting for - the day they dress up in costumes (we had Harry Potter and a fairy, in case it wasn't obvious), mishloach manot (gift baskets) full of hamentaschen and other candy treats in hand ready to trade with their classmates to celebrate the holiday of Purim.

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The actual holiday is on Sunday (and Monday, sort of), which means a three-day weekend and lots of holiday activities, conveniently scheduled for the week my husband is away for 8 days. (Did I mention it's storming and supposed to continue to do so for at least the next four days? You do the math. I'll be busy checking movie listings for tomorrow.)

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In non-Purim news, I won the most wonderfully soft and pampering spa cloths from Purplume during the OWOH giveaway - she packaged them up so beautifully with a little fabric mini lei (look at the photo on her blog - it's adorable) AND a delightful booklet called Blissful Bathtimes - Therapies for Rejuvenating Mind and Body. With Jay out of town and me flying solo all week they couldn't have arrived at a better time, either, I'll definitely be needing all the bliss and rejuvenation I can find. (Normally I'd be showing you my own photo of these goodies but Purim and the storm (really bad light) conspired against me - it was all I could manage to grab the few snaps of the kids you see above. )

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In less happy and infinitely more infuriating news, Facebook is at it again - encouraging the sexualization of women's bodies while forbidding innocent photos of babies being nourished the way nature intended. Where the hell are our priorities as a society?

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And with that it's time to get my own priorities in order and close the computer - the USA-Finland Men's Hockey Semifinals game is about to begin - Go USA!

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Survival against all odds

They say that a mother's love is the strongest thing on earth. Here's why. Two mothers who used their last breaths to save their children. My heart breaks for all those who have lost everything to the capriciousness of nature.
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(taken from a lactation e-mail list I'm on)


China Earthquake - Baby Survival Stories
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Under the rubble, dead mothers tightly held their babies; baby girl stayed alive by breastfeeding from dead mother Singtao News (written in Chinese) http://hk.news.yahoo.com/080517/60/2u63i.html
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In Duijangyan, Sichuan, a young mother tightly held her baby girl, who was about 3 to 4 months old, while using her own shoulders to stop the roof from falling onto her baby. The mother slowly lost her life, however the baby in her arms was still breastfeeding from her dead mother, until the baby was rescued. In Beichuan, another mother who also died using her body to protect her baby, left the last message to her baby: "my dearest baby, if you can live through this, you have to remember that I love you."
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In the afternoon of May 13th, the second day after the Sichuan earthquake, scores of rescue workers were digging through a residential area of Duijanyan, looking for survivors. A volunteer doctor said that under the rubbles, they found a young mother holding a 3-4 months old baby. The mother was curling her body, her head lowered, and she had no sign of life, however her shirt was lifted up, and the baby girl in her arms was still sucking on mother's nipples.
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Doctor wept as he recounted the scene, "At that moment, we saw a red (lively) little face, against the dead mother's gray breasts that were covered with dusts.it was such a contrast. Everyone at the scene cried.
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"I can't imagine, a dead mother was still breastfeeding her own child. From the way she was holding the baby, you can tell that she was protecting her child, or perhaps the mother put her nipple into the baby's mouth just before the mother died. We carefully took the baby out. The moment the baby was taken away from her mother's nipple, the baby cried."
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In Beichuan, rescue workers also found another dead mother protecting her
child: she was kneeling down, bowing her back; both arms on the ground supporting her body - her posture was like someone kowtowing, however her body was crushed so badly that it was deformed, and she was dead.
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Since it looked like she was protecting something underneath her, rescue workers carefully removed the rocks and stones around her. They found a baby who was around 3, 4 months old underneath her body. It was because the mother used her own body to block the falling wall, the baby was miraculously completely unharmed. When being taken out, the baby was even sleeping peacefully.
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A nurse removed the blanket from the baby to examine her, and found a cell phone tucked inside the blanket. Doctor looked at the screen of the cell phone, and saw a text message left by the baby's mother, "my dearest baby, if you can live through this, you have to remember that I love you."
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And in the midst of the devastation, a local policewoman gives orphaned babies a chance at life:
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The Face of Rescue: Women's Work
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CHENGDU, China - A Chinese policewoman is contributing to the country's massive earthquake relief effort in a very personal way -- by breastfeeding 20 babies.
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A newspaper in Chengdu, the capital of quake-hit Sichuan province, devoted a special page to the 29-year-old woman, calling her a hero.
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The woman from the quake-ravaged town of Jiangyou has just had a child herself, the Western Urban Daily said. She is nursing the children of three women who were left homeless by the quake and are too traumatised to give milk, as well as five orphans, the report said.

The babies who lost their parents have been put in an orphanage which does not have powdered milk, it said.
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Please look here and here to see why giving artificial infant formula in a disaster is extremely dangerous and puts the babies it is purporting to help at risk of serious disease and even death. Think twice too about which aid organizations you support. Dumping in a load of expired or nearly expired formula with no labels or instructions in the local language and then expecting mothers with no access to clean water or washing facilities to prepare bottles for the first time in their lives does not save babies' lives - it puts them in grave danger. Much more good could be done and many more babies saved through the provision of lactation support instead.

Don't feel much like writing today

This week is not shaping up to be a great one so far. We're going through a bit of a backslide with Maya right now, and unfortunately it's come smack dab in the middle of all sorts of periodic evaluations, themselves a source of major stress and frustration - for Maya especially, but for us as well. Things could be better. Just for a bit of added fun I just got a call from her preschool, the director wants a meeting to discuss her behavior, which could be better to say the least. The one constant in all of this used to be that Maya's behavior in school, while symptomatic of the social and emotional difficulties she's having, was never problematic for others. Now that too has changed and I find myself cringing as I enter the door each afternoon, waiting for that day's bad news. Her beloved teacher left to have a baby a month ago and since then Maya's been acting out , aggressively. We're seeing more of it at home too, leaving me feeling frustrated and incompetent. When you combine my own feelings of inadequacy and my guilt and sadness that I can't seem to make things better for my daughter with the already horribly patronizing attitude of the school's director you get a fairly high probability that this meeting is going to be a difficult one. It's on Thursday evening, and I am really not looking forward to it.

How can this beautiful golden child, the one who danced around the house for hours at the sheer joy of having received her heart's desire - a Cinderella costume for Purim - be the same one who shrieks and snarls like a wild animal, to the point of being actually physically unable to speak, when you tell her it's time to get out of bed in the morning?

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I know these downswings happen and that an upswing will eventually follow, perhaps even soon, and I know that we are moving closer to a more optimistic diagnosis, but knowing that doesn't really make coping with the bad days any easier.

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Oh, and Itai is home sick with a fever too. The fun just never stops around here.

The Writers Island prompt for this week was "empower". I wanted to write about how the lactation consulting and support work I do empowers both mothers and babies, but right now I feel so utterly unempowered myself that I just don't have it in me. I'll be sitting this one out.

It's Here - The Great Fall Y'All Bloggy Giveaway!

I'm really excited to be participating in Shannon from Rocks In My Dryer's Fall Y'All Bloggy Giveaway. The first giveaway was huge, and this newest one promises to be even bigger and better.

Since I'm a breastfeeding counselor and am passionate about helping moms and babies to breastfeed for my very first blog giveaway I'll be giving away two items for breastfeeding moms:

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1. Janet Tamaro's excellent and irreverently funny book So That's What They're For: Breastfeeding Basics. The book gives a tremendous amount of valuable information in a relaxed, easy to understand and oftentimes very funny way. This copy is very gently used.

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2. A breastfeeding cover-up by the Israeli firm Sinarkat (website is in Hebrew but the photos are self-explanatory). In the interests of honesty, I have to stress here that no mother should feel she has to cover up or hide to breastfeed (and even discrete breastfeeding can be done easily with a slightly looser fitting shirt) but I realize that there are some women who feel more comfortable with a cover-up. I received this lovely item (and it is lovely) from the manufacturer as a promotion. I'd rather see it go to someone who would otherwise be uncomfortable breastfeeding in public so that they can proudly get out and about with their baby than have it languish in my closet.

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The nice thing about this particular cover-up is that the baby's head remains uncovered, encouraging eye contact between the mother and the baby. I know I wouldn't want to eat with my head covered by a heavy blanket, and neither would your baby. This one lets you smile at each other and lets you see exactly what's going on with your baby (are they still eating? are they asleep yet?). It's lightweight and even folds up into that handy pocket on the front. The one I'm giving away is orange with a beige pocket. It's made of soft 100% cotton and is machine washable.

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To win leave me a comment telling me something that you love about breastfeeding, and specify which of the two items (or both) you are interested in winning. This contest is international and open to everyone.If you don't have a blog, make sure to leave me an e-mail address so that I have a way of contacting you if you win.

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The winner(s) will be selected on Sunday, 4 November by random drawing.

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Good luck, and don't forget to visit Shannon's Fall Y'All Bloggy Giveaway for a whole host of giveaway goodness!

Absolutely outrageous!

I need to put my breastfeeding advocate hat on for this one, because I am HOPPING mad (and if you could see me hop you'd know how very bad that is). Warning, lots of exclamation points ahead... Thank you to Jennifer of The Lactivist for helping bring this to everyone's attention.

Robin Neorr, an Ohio mother, has been told by City Kids Daycare in downtown Columbus that she needs to pay an additional $50 per WEEK because her daughter is breastfed and receives her mother's milk in bottles while she is at daycare.

How did they justify this outrageous request?

They completely ignored all medical and legal regulations to the contrary and declared Robin's breastmilk a biohazard that had to be kept separate from all other food! They therefore claimed that they needed to store it in a separate refrigerator in another room and would have to purchase a separate bottle warmer to warm it up! They are claiming this created (completely unnecessary and medically and legally unjustifiable) extra work for the center, thus necessitating the extra $50 per WEEK. My god, for $50 a week they ought to be serving that milk in gold-plated bottles while someone fans the baby with palm fronds! First of all, there is absolutely no reason in the world for breastmilk, the most natural and healthy baby food in the world, to be stored separately, let alone labeled with a biohazard sticker (are these people for real??? A biohazard sticker??? Do they think this mother has ebola, or perhaps Deng Fever?). Are they afraid that the milk will somehow magically LEAP out of a closed bottle and contaminate the artificially-produced cow's milk formula stored in its own closed bottle on the other side of the shelf? I do read the papers you know, and I'm fairly sure I haven't seen a rash of bottle-leaping breastmilk lately.

The Center for Disease Control certainly doesn't feel that breastmilk requires any special precautions. They merely state that if the milk is being delivered to a child care provider, it should be clearly labeled with the child’s name and date. Oh yes, and they do suggest that mothers pack the milk in closed containers to avoid spillage. Dear me, that does sound difficult. Putting the child's name and using a properly sealed container. My oh my... Nor does the center's own state of Ohio see any problem with a child in care being provided with his mother's milk - the State's own Rules for Licensed Child Care Centers' section on Infant Formula and Food (section 5101:2-12-41) clearly states:

Center policies and practices shall support parent preferences (emphasis mine) in infant feeding, including breast feeding and introduction of solid foods as long as developmentally appropriate and not detrimental to the health of the child.
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Infants shall be served food in conformity with dated written instructions from the parent or guardian or physician. The instructions shall include amounts of food, type of food, and feeding times and be updated as needed based upon the child's needs and parent's instructions.

As for the handling of breastmilk, it says:

If breast milk is provided by the parent or guardian, it shall be labeled with the child's name and the date of receipt and immediately refrigerated or frozen. Refrigerated breast milk shall not be stored for more than twenty-four hours. Breast milk shall be kept frozen no more than two weeks and...

If formula or breast milk is to be warmed, bottles shall be placed in a container of hot (not boiling) water or be placed in a commercial bottle warmer. The container of water shall be emptied and cleaned each day. The bottle shall be shaken well, and the milk temperature tested before feeding. Frozen breast milk shall be thawed under cold running water or in the refrigerator.and...The unused portion of formula, breast milk or food remaining in a container from which the infant has been directly fed, shall not be reheated or served again.

Hmm... I didn't see anything in there about quarantine or biohazard stickers. Let's check what that same State Code says about handling formula:

Bottles prepared at center: when infant formula is prepared by the center, it shall be prepared in conformity with written instructions from the parent or guardian, or physician. All powdered or concentrated formula shall be prepared according to the manufacturers' instructions unless written instructions from a physician or an advance practice nurse certified to prescribe medication are on file at the center.

The center shall clean and disinfect all counter surfaces and equipment needed to prepare the formula. All equipment shall be washed in a dishwasher or scrubbed with hot water containing soap, and be thoroughly rinsed. Equipment not washed in a dishwasher shall be boiled for five minutes or more just prior to filling bottles. Handwashing facilities shall not be used for formula or food preparation or for rinsing or washing dishes and bottles. Handwashing facilities shall not be used for formula or food preparation, or for washing dishes and bottles or rinsing for reuse.

Open containers of ready to feed and concentrated formula shall be covered, dated and refrigerated. Prepared formula and food shall be discarded if not used within twenty-four hours.

Any formula or food to be stored at the center for any period of time, whether prepared by the parent or guardian or the center, shall be labeled with the child's name and date of preparation and shall be used only for the intended child.

Until used, all formula or food shall be refrigerated immediately after preparation or upon arrival if prepared by the parent or guardian. Formula or food that is commercially prepared may not be required to be refrigerated until after opening. Formula and food shall be stored no longer than twenty-four hours.

Well gee, it looks to me like the guidelines are even more complicated for formula-fed infants. Perhaps the Center is planning to start charging those parents an additional $60 or even $70 a week to cover the additional effort of all that mixing and sterilizing?

Robin Neurr has removed her daughter from this childcare center and she is ready to both spread the word about City Kids Daycare and to push for legislation to prevent all Ohio daycares from discriminating against breastfeeding children. You can help.

Activism works. The National Pork Board apologized to the Lactivist with hat in hand after just two days of bad publicity. You can help by spreading the word - talk about it, blog about it, lobby your representatives, and write directly to City Kids Child Care Centers. The centers are owned and operated by Patricia Elam. Her e-mail is citykidsdaycar@aol.com or you can call either of their centers at (614) 464-1411, or (614)777-4320. Daycare centers do not have the right to try and bully mothers into positions that compromise the health of their babies.

If you are a Central Ohio mom and would be interested in getting personally involved, please contact jennifer@thelactivist.com.

Just another Sunday, and The Lactivist Beats Big Pork

No Super Bowl hype here. The game won't even start until 4am our time. I'm not really a football fan anyway, but when I lived in the States I did like checking out the new commercials (and the nachos!) and occasionally watching parts of the game if it was a particularly good one.

Today was just a regular work day here, except that I'm still fighting off this cold so I decided to just rest up today and try to beat it. Verdict still isn't in. I'm not dying, but I'm definitely not healthy either.

Good news for those who've been following the Big Pork vs The Lactivist issue (the bozos at the National Pork Board actually sent this woman a nastygram for selling t-shirts (off of which she's earned a whopping $8!) that say "The Other White Milk"). The Pork Board has actually apologized for their completely over the top and inappropriate sledgehammer tactics (helped I'm sure by a veritable flood of bad publicity all across blogland). Score one for common sense and the little guy against big corporate idiocy.

Thursday Thirteen - Introductory Edition

Thirteen Things about ROBIN Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

I've decided to give the Thursday Thirteen bandwagon a whirl. Since I'm a lactation consultant and a LLL leader, I figured what would be more appropriate than making my introductory Thursday Thirteen about why I'm passionate about helping moms and babies to breastfeed.

1. I had such an incredible experience breastfeeding my two children that I wanted to help as many others as I could to experience their own joy.

2. There's nothing in the world like that milk-drunk smile your baby gives you as he's drifting off to sleep.

3. I feel strongly that mothers today are not given the support that they need and deserve to succeed at breastfeeding. I want to do my small part to change that.

4. It's easy!

5. And if it's not, someone like me can help.

6. It's free!

7. It's portable! The baby is able to be a part of your life, not a burden tying you down. No worrying about bottles, whether you brought enough, the availability of clean water...

8. Because too many mothers think breastfeeding has to be difficult and painful - it doesn't, and it shouldn't be. If it is, PLEASE seek help. Things CAN get better. If you need help and don't know where to turn, let me know and I'll help you find it.

9. It's the perfect food for your baby - designed for baby humans, not baby cows.

10. It's healthier for YOUR body too. Extended breastfeeding actually lowers your risk of developing breast cancer.

11. It promotes a strong, loving, involved bond between a mother and her baby.

12. It gives your baby protection against diseases in both the short and long-term that they can't get anywhere else.

13. Because it's wrong to see mothers beaten down by societal, family and other pressures and not do anything to empower them to make their own decisions, from a position of knowledge and strength.

(And if I were going to do a number 14, I'd add "because it gave me bigger boobs", but that would make me seem shallow. So I won't.)

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants