1 in 7 home kitchens would flunk inspection – Health – Food safety – msnbc.com.

Keep Your Family Safe from Toxic Chemicals: How to Reduce Your Exposure to Endocrine Disrupters.

All I gotta say is GO MAMAS!

Seriously though. This isn’t 1875. By now, everyone should know that breastfeeding is the most natural, absolute healthiest and best way to feed babies. There is nothing obscene or disgusting about it. People who think otherwise are the ones with the problems. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again- people who are “offended” by nursing mothers seem to always have an issue with the act of breastfeeding itself. Because this is America, and this is 2010. BOOBS ARE EVERYWHERE. They are on billboards. They are in commercials. They are in magazines. Hell, you see women showing off their boobs in Wal-Mart. And it’s not just boobs that are bombarding our vision, but it’s sex, too. Sex is everywhere. Women have been turned into sexual objects… things to be lusted after by men. But everyone seems immune to that. It’s breastfeeding itself that people are particularly offended by. But what they don’t seem to realize is that breastfeeding is natural, normal, and protected by law.

As most of you know by now, I both breastfed and formula fed Nathan (because of low milk supply), so I’m not one of those people who are adamantly against formula- but I AM one of those people who fully supports a woman’s (and infant’s!) right to breastfeed because it is so much healthier for baby than formulas (we had first-hand experience with this). If you are someone who finds breastfeeding offensive, first off, please educate yourselves on the matter and you will learn there is nothing offensive about it. The law is on their side for a reason. Secondly, JUST DON’T LOOK. It’s that simple.

You know the typical frantic splashing, thrashing, and screaming for help that you see in the movies? That’s not what drowning actually looks like. In actuality, someone can drown right in front of you, while you are looking at them, and you could have no idea. I came across this article (linked above), and I hope that every one of you who are reading this blog right now take the time to read it.

It could save someone’s life.

In other words, this group is blaming the toys for making kids fat.

Seriously.

Yes, these people really are that dumb. Because apparently, they all forgot that PARENTS are ultimately responsible for their kids’ diets. THE PARENTS need to learn to say “no” to their children. If they have such a problem with toys being included in Happy Meals, if they really think that’s are making kids so fat today- I have a very, very simple solution:

DON’T EAT THERE.

Or at least learn to say “no” to your children. Let your child eat the healthier Happy Meal, you know the ones with the apples and milk. We are in a sad, sad state as a country if parents are really “worn down” and “tired of saying ‘no’ to their children.” THAT IS OUR JOB AS PARENTS, to not let our kids do things that are unsafe or unhealthy.

If McDonald’s or their toys are the cause of your child’s obesity, you and you alone are at fault for allowing them to eat there.

Just, wow. That’s all I can say. Wow. A prime example of parents no longer wanting to parent.

The Bystander Effect can be described as social psychological phenomenon in which someone who witnesses an emergency situation does not offer any help when other people are present, and the larger the crowd of bystanders, the less likely it is the victim will receive help. 

It has happened again and again here in America (and I’m sure all over the world). There’s the 15-year-old girl in Richmond, California who was violently raped for over two hours outside her high school after a dance, and a crowd of bystanders did nothing to help her. They watched, jeered, and some even joined in. Then there’s the elderly man in Hartford who was hit by a car in a busy intersection, and people just drove by, swerving to avoid him as he lay bleeding on the pavement. There’s the girl in Seattle who was beaten by her peers as security guards stood by and watched, saying it was “against policy” for them to intervene.  And the list goes on and on.

Every time I hear about one of these stories on the news, my heart breaks a little more each time. It breaks for the pain and suffering the victims feel. It breaks for the apathy people feel towards each other. Most of all, it breaks for the loss of humanity.

You know, if I ever saw anyone hurt, I would without a doubt stop and try to help them. If it was a situation where I could get hurt as well, I would call the police. In this day in age, there is absolutely no excuse not to pull your cell phone out of your pocket and dial 9-1-1. No excuse. And I think that anyone who sees a fellow human either hurt or in the process of getting hurt has a social and moral obligation to do something- and if they fail to act, it should be considered criminal. I believe that bystanders who watch a violent act being committed and fail to intervene are just as guilty as the perpetrators because their failure to act is what is allowing the violent crime to continue.

It’s horrible. I just cannot imagine ever being in a situation where I see someone needs help and refusing to help them.

Do people just not have souls anymore? Are we all dying inside? 

One of the few things that has prevented me from completely losing all hope in other humans is how everyone bands together in the aftermath of natural disasters. During this time, when a large group of people become victims, people will reach out to one another and lend a helping hand. It’s so sad that it takes a disaster of nearly epic proportions to get people to help each other, though.

Thankfully. Because a baby needs to eat. And feeding a baby is in no way considered indecent exposure, as most states recognize that and have adopted laws explaining breastfeeding is not in any way indecent.  Women who choose to bottle-feed are not asked to feed their baby in a germ-infested bathroom or asked to hide. I mean, women walk around with their boobs hanging out of their shirts all the time, and that’s ok.  It’s so hypocritical to portray women as mere sexual objects in movies, advertisements, and television shows, but it’s taboo for women to use breasts as they were intended: to feed our babies.

Quite the double standard.

Well Portland, Maine, is launching a campaign to raise breastfeeding awareness by placing life-sized cutouts of modestly breastfeeding mothers around the city. They also recently passed a law requiring employers to provide nursing mothers with either paid or unpaid time to pump, and requires employers to make a reasonable effort to provide a room for pumping other than a bathroom.

I think this is simply wonderful!

Before I had Nathan, I wasn’t sure if I was going to breastfeed or not. I live in an area where almost no one breastfeeds, and I have never seen anyone opening nursing in public around here. I didn’t know anything about breastfeeding, so when my OB/GYN asked if I was planning on it, I was slightly taken aback and unsure which choice I should make.

So I went home, and Paul and I did hours and hours of research.

For MONTHS.

I wanted to get absolutely as much information as possible, so I became a sponge and absorbed all the information I could find regarding breastfeeding.

And I came to the conclusion that for me and my family, breastfeeding was the best possible choice I could make.  I know that every family is different, as is every baby. Just because a choice worked for me and my family does not mean it will work for someone else’s, so I am in no way being critical of those who chose not to breastfeed. But for me, it was the only choice.

Even when my milk started to dry up when Nathan was only 5 months old and we had to put Nathan on a formula suppliment, I continued to breastfeed. I pumped numerous times a day, took milk-producing herbs, kept myself hydrated and ate lots of oatmeal. Breastfeeding helps Nathan develop antibodies to fight sickness, prevents ear infections, is gentle on his tummy and easily digestable (as opposed to formula, which caused him to have bloody bowel movements and painful gas), decreases his risk of SIDS, helps prevent obesity either as a child or as an adult, and the essential amino acids found in breastmilk promote brain development and eyesight.

I’m so happy that public awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding is spreading. Slowly but surely, Americans are finally starting to see that man-made formula is not an equal substitute for breastmilk. Formula is great when you’re out of options and the health of your child is at stake,  but it shouldn’t be a first choice. The stakes are too high when something puts your child’s health at risk, and speaking from experience, that is exactly what formula does.

You can visit http://www.llli.org for more information concerning breastfeeding.

Which is exactly why I keep my eye on him whenever he’s in anything… the high chair, jumper, etc.

I actually have an Infantino sling, the ones that were recalled because of links to infant deaths, and used it when Nathan was a couple months old. But I only used it twice because it just didn’t feel right to me. I didn’t like how it curved his body into the C-position and I especially didn’t like that I couldn’t feel him breathing.  So I switched to a baby carrier that held the Nathan upright and against my chest.

I’m glad we live in an age where word spreads like wildfire. As soon as something is deemed unsafe and recalled, people can find out almost instantly, preventing many accidents and/or deaths. Plus, we have instincts for a reason. If something doesn’t feel right or safe, I avoid using it and always trust what my instinct is telling me. It’s always better to be safe than to be sorry.