Monday, March 29, 2010
Next blog...research on a certain store that says their products are not made for mothers
I got an interesting comment from a battle buddy about a certain lingerie store discriminating against a #breastfeeding mom. Going to research more and see how this well known company feels about #bfing. #bfcafe
Saturday, March 20, 2010
My hero
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, of different backgrounds and color, and from different parts of the world. Heroes are ordinary people that accomplish something extraordinary. These can be the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces; Police or Sheriff Departments or State Troopers; Fire Departments; and many other jobs. These people may put their lives on the line everyday.Than there are those who don't do such jobs but do something just as extraordinary in a different facet. These are people who may work in government offices, for the YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, shelters for needy people, such as displaced families, and most importantly volunteers.
This hero is a woman who has dome something extraordinary for today's women. She stood up for women in New Jersey by requesting the Mayor to proclaim August “Breastfeeding Awareness Month” according to NJ.com.
She is Roselle Park Councilwoman Larissa Chen-Hoerning. She is serving her term as Third Ward Councilwoman. With a Bachelor's Degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master's Degree from Yale University, Larissa works part-time as a therapist with autistic children, is a member of various family-oriented organizations, the founder of her local ICAN and DiaperFreeBaby chapters, is co-leader of the Northern NJ Babywearing group, and does independent consultations as well.
Pictured here is Larissa with her six-week-old-son attending a meeting debating an ordinance regulating overnight truck parking on borough streets. What you don't see is Larissa breastfeeding her son while the meeting is in order. “I want to help women say ‘Someone else is out there breastfeeding, and maybe it’s OK to do,’” [Larissa] said last week, according to NJ.com. [Larissa] said that she doesn’t think the act of nursing her baby, discreetly shielded from view by the desk in front of her, should be stigmatized as dirty or shameful.
According to La Leche League International spokeswoman Loretta McCallister, she has never heard of an elected official like Larissa breastfeeding her baby while conducting official business at a public meeting.
This is a huge step for breastfeeding mothers. I have read comments where people disagree with this or felt it was wrong for her to do while she was working. Do we not eat while we are at work? Are snacks not passed around during a meeting to help keep people from being bored and leaving early? Sometimes parents bring their toddlers to meetings and feed them there. How is this any different?
Unfortunately, society views public breastfeeding to be stigmatic. No one has any right to tell a mother where, when and how she should feed her baby. Not to mention the article is getting hammered by people who don't understand the importance of what she is doing. It's not about bringing a baby to show off or say "look at me." This is about standing up for all women. This is about doing what is best for her child. This is someone who is advocating on behalf of all women saying that it is alright to care for your child's needs in public. People do it for their children everyday, what is so different if a woman breastfeeds her child?
I look forward to the day when we can bring our children with us everywhere we go. I look forward to the day when society will no longer view us as sexual creatures but as the women they will fall in love with, marry, have children and watch their wives breastfeed their children, openly in the public. Times have come so far, yet people pretend to be so modest as society finds its way around every little subject.
I hope the next time you see a breastfeeding mother you can go up to her and tell her thank you.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Time to educate more people about breastfeeding...
Well, I knew I would eventually come by it. Someone was bound to post about it or even create a blog about it, but I shouldn't be surprised to see a fan page created about how some people are disgusted by those of us that breastfeed in public.
Seriously, do you really think we should breastfeed in a public restroom? Have you seen how nasty a public restroom is? People who say such things must not have a problem using public restrooms without a seat cover. It is the same thing. And where should we sit; on a toilet, the floor or should we just stand for 15-30 minutes?
I won't call these people ignorant, because not all who believe this may be ignorant. Some people still view breasts in a sexual nature, and by all means, if they feel they want to, it is all within their rights to do so...as it is within our rights to breastfeed wherever we want to.
I'm excited that a fan page was created to help educate those on breastfeeding. And I think that is what the world needs. We learn in school, as young as the 4th grade (that's how young we were when we first learned, now I believe they do this in the 3rd grade), all about the birds and the bees and where babies come from. We even learn that a baby is fed from their mother's breasts.
Did you know there are laws that protect us from those who feel a baby should publicly starve? Maybe this is a harsh way for me to be putting it. People who find it unacceptable or offensive aren't saying we should starve our babies, only that we should do it in complete seclusion. Here is a link on information regarding each state, updated as of March 2010: National Conference of State Legislatures. For Mississippi alone, the state I live in, here is some information: "Mississippi requires licensed child care facilities to provide breastfeeding mothers with a sanitary place that is not a toilet stall to breastfeed their children or express milk, to provide a refrigerator to store expressed milk, to train staff in the safe and proper storage and handling of human milk, and to display breastfeeding promotion information to the clients of the facility." I find this interesting since I was told by my lactation consultant daycare or childcare centers won't store breastmilk.
Here is more information:
Miss. Code Ann. § 13-5-23 (2006) provides that breastfeeding mothers may be excused from serving as jurors. (SB 2419)
Miss. Code Ann. § 17-25-7/9 (2006) prohibits any ordinance restricting a woman's right to breastfeed and provides that a mother may breastfeed her child in any location she is otherwise authorized to be. (SB 2419)
Miss. Code Ann. § 43-20-31 (2006) requires licensed child care facilities to provide breastfeeding mothers with a sanitary place that is not a toilet stall to breastfeed their children or express milk, to provide a refrigerator to store expressed milk, to train staff in the safe and proper storage and handling of human milk, and to display breastfeeding promotion information to the clients of the facility.
Miss. Code Ann. Ch. 1 § 71-1-55 (2006) prohibits against discrimination towards breastfeeding mothers who use lawful break time to express milk.
Miss. Code Ann. § 97-29-31 and § 97-35-7et seq. (2006) specifies that a woman breastfeeding may not be considered an act of indecent exposure, disorderly conduct, or disturbance of the public space.
These laws are also followed by many other states as well. And for my friends in Washington State:
Wash. Rev. Code § 9A.88.010 (2001) states that the act of breastfeeding or expressing breast milk is not indecent exposure. (HB 1590)
Wash. Rev. Code § 43.70.640 (2001) allows any employer, governmental and private, to use the designation of "infant-friendly" on its promotional materials if the employer follows certain requirements. (2001 Wash. Laws, Chap. 88)
Wash. Rev. Code § 49.60.30(g) (2009) provides that it is the right of a mother to breastfeed her child in any place of public resort, accommodations, assemblage or amusement. (2009 Wash. Laws, Chap. 164, HB 1596)
Wash. Rev. Code § 49.60.215 the law states that it is an unfair practice for any person to discriminate against a mother breastfeeding her child in any place of public resort, accommodations, assemblage or amusement.
Here is something I would like to part with you from my fellow bloggers at If Breastfeeding Offends You...
So if you feel the need to discriminate against breastfeeding mothers, keep this in mind: we are protected.
Seriously, do you really think we should breastfeed in a public restroom? Have you seen how nasty a public restroom is? People who say such things must not have a problem using public restrooms without a seat cover. It is the same thing. And where should we sit; on a toilet, the floor or should we just stand for 15-30 minutes?
I won't call these people ignorant, because not all who believe this may be ignorant. Some people still view breasts in a sexual nature, and by all means, if they feel they want to, it is all within their rights to do so...as it is within our rights to breastfeed wherever we want to.
I'm excited that a fan page was created to help educate those on breastfeeding. And I think that is what the world needs. We learn in school, as young as the 4th grade (that's how young we were when we first learned, now I believe they do this in the 3rd grade), all about the birds and the bees and where babies come from. We even learn that a baby is fed from their mother's breasts.
Did you know there are laws that protect us from those who feel a baby should publicly starve? Maybe this is a harsh way for me to be putting it. People who find it unacceptable or offensive aren't saying we should starve our babies, only that we should do it in complete seclusion. Here is a link on information regarding each state, updated as of March 2010: National Conference of State Legislatures. For Mississippi alone, the state I live in, here is some information: "Mississippi requires licensed child care facilities to provide breastfeeding mothers with a sanitary place that is not a toilet stall to breastfeed their children or express milk, to provide a refrigerator to store expressed milk, to train staff in the safe and proper storage and handling of human milk, and to display breastfeeding promotion information to the clients of the facility." I find this interesting since I was told by my lactation consultant daycare or childcare centers won't store breastmilk.
Here is more information:
Miss. Code Ann. § 13-5-23 (2006) provides that breastfeeding mothers may be excused from serving as jurors. (SB 2419)
Miss. Code Ann. § 17-25-7/9 (2006) prohibits any ordinance restricting a woman's right to breastfeed and provides that a mother may breastfeed her child in any location she is otherwise authorized to be. (SB 2419)
Miss. Code Ann. § 43-20-31 (2006) requires licensed child care facilities to provide breastfeeding mothers with a sanitary place that is not a toilet stall to breastfeed their children or express milk, to provide a refrigerator to store expressed milk, to train staff in the safe and proper storage and handling of human milk, and to display breastfeeding promotion information to the clients of the facility.
Miss. Code Ann. Ch. 1 § 71-1-55 (2006) prohibits against discrimination towards breastfeeding mothers who use lawful break time to express milk.
Miss. Code Ann. § 97-29-31 and § 97-35-7et seq. (2006) specifies that a woman breastfeeding may not be considered an act of indecent exposure, disorderly conduct, or disturbance of the public space.
These laws are also followed by many other states as well. And for my friends in Washington State:
Wash. Rev. Code § 9A.88.010 (2001) states that the act of breastfeeding or expressing breast milk is not indecent exposure. (HB 1590)
Wash. Rev. Code § 43.70.640 (2001) allows any employer, governmental and private, to use the designation of "infant-friendly" on its promotional materials if the employer follows certain requirements. (2001 Wash. Laws, Chap. 88)
Wash. Rev. Code § 49.60.30(g) (2009) provides that it is the right of a mother to breastfeed her child in any place of public resort, accommodations, assemblage or amusement. (2009 Wash. Laws, Chap. 164, HB 1596)
Wash. Rev. Code § 49.60.215 the law states that it is an unfair practice for any person to discriminate against a mother breastfeeding her child in any place of public resort, accommodations, assemblage or amusement.
Here is something I would like to part with you from my fellow bloggers at If Breastfeeding Offends You...
So if you feel the need to discriminate against breastfeeding mothers, keep this in mind: we are protected.
10 facts on breastfeeding from WHO
Wanted to share with everyone this great information I found. I don't follow it 100%, but the majority of it I do. There is a lot of great info here and I enjoy the information the WHO puts out.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Grrr...
Ugh!!! Okay, so I finally found a blog app that would work on Facebook and link this blog. Only problem was I had to verify by putting their widget on my page...oh well. A small price to pay, I suppose. So now I am using Networked Blogs. This is actually really great and it's working perfectly. I wanted my blogs to be read on my facebook page without readers having to click and be sent here, but I at least got it to work for the most part. Eventually I'll find one that will work, I suppose.
Blog It
Ok, I downloaded Blog It, or I should say added the application, to my facebook. I can't get the Rss/Blog thing to work right, so hopefully I can get this to work right. Let's see how this works...
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Breastfeeding Guide -- Breastfeeding -- WhatToExpect.com
The Breastfeeding Guide -- Breastfeeding -- WhatToExpect.com
Posted using ShareThis
I thought this would be something great to share with those who have questions. I love these books and their website is fantastic. I love looking to them for any help I may need, and you can always ask their experts questions...
Posted using ShareThis
I thought this would be something great to share with those who have questions. I love these books and their website is fantastic. I love looking to them for any help I may need, and you can always ask their experts questions...
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