Rants about Atlanta's breastfeeding restrictions.

 Recently I found out that Atlanta is restricting public breastfeeding

This is a slippery slope and in my opinion I think it sends out the wrong message about breastfeeding and the human body in general! Instead of this law why not focus on every state having laws the PROTECT moms right to breastfeed?

The new recommendation is to BF tell two. I do applaud that they decided to take that into consideration when deciding on an age. But they did not take into consideration the weaning process, if we breastfeed tell 2 we may not have a child fully weaned by two!  And they defiantly did not think about the right a mom has to go beyond two. I know many moms who have or are breastfeeding past two! They have very adjusted children. It is not unheard of this day and age and it is not wrong. Breastfeeding is such a personal choice and that relationship is between a mom and child. This is not about what age you find appropriate, that is an opinion someone might have but in the end you have to look at the big picture. 

When we start putting laws and restrictions on breastfeeding we are sending out a message the it is dirty.
Breastfeeding is NOT the same as public indecency, plain and simple. We look around every day and we see so much nudity and body parts. A proper latch will cover a good majority of breast and all nipple. And if we want to get technical a 2 year old has a bigger head then a newborn, so it will cover even more!  Most moms who have breastfed this long are amazing at knowing how to drape clothes so that you don't see any skin! So technically we should make a law that outlines the exact skin ratio a person could show. Low cut shirts and bikinis show more skin then the average nursing toddler. How about shirtless men? Can we make a law that says men can't run shirtless? I mean how unfair is that anyways, I get hot and my shirt has to stay on while I run... yea that is another rant for another day.

If we make a law that restricts toddlers over 2 from breastfeeding in public we send out a message and soon that age will get lower and lower and lower. Breastfeeding in public takes courage! If a mom has that courage and you don't like it then all you have to do is look away, plain and simple. If I don't like seeing a man run without his shirt on do I get to ask him to cover up? Nope, I just get to look away. And for those who say it is to hard to look away, well I would rather see a happy nursing child then some guy shimmering like a god from mythology as he runs shirtless down my street. And I would rather see a nursing child then some stay hair from "you know where" as a girl bends down in those tiny shorts! 

It is easy for the people who have never breastfed a child past 2 (if ever) to tell the mother to go to the car or bathroom, but in their shoes we would not want this! And there is no reason for them to! In a society where we see nudity and a push up bra ad shows more bare breast then a nursing toddler this law seems silly! I see girls on the street who wear a bikini top and shorts that cover less then boy short panties! Look at the big picture.... these women are brave for breastfeeding in public, they are feeding children NOT stripping for cash. Unless we make laws that are much more strict on a dress code for public then why even bother saving Atlanta from having to see skin from a breastfeeding mom? They will be seeing skin anyways so mine as well learn to deal with it and leave the extended breast feeders alone!

If you feel similar as me then you may write some email's as well!

 John Parker, City Manager
Email address - jparker@forestparkga.org

Angela Redding, Management Analyst
Email address - aredding@forestparkga.org

Jan Young, Executive Assistant
Email address - jyoung@forestparkga.org

Breastfeeding and Co-Sleeping cartoon

Cosleeping rocks

Good sketch on how most mamas find the cosleeping love. I just wish that it did not depict such unsafe methods, they need to study up on safty!

Breastmilk is so fasinating!

Breastfeeding is naturally fascinating to me as a breastfeeding mama. I find it so amazing that we can produce something for our baby that gives them complete nutrition.I recently came across this link that mentions the property's in breastmilk could be different depending on if you are feeding a boy or girl baby. We already knew each mom would produce breastmilk enriched with what their own child needed most therefor having a blend all their own, but this is interesting that the sex would matter. How about moms that have twins of different genders or tandem nurse?
The link

A Lesson in Slowing Time

Welcome to the January Carnival of Natural Parenting: Learning from children

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared the many lessons their children have taught them. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.


***

I have lost track of the minutes as I watch Blip nurse. His tiny hands are cupped around my breast. Every once in awhile they search out my face or hand. He loves to stroke. His shut eyes occasionally flutter open to look up into mine with a look that I can only describe as blissful, drowsy, and in love.

Teens are at parties,adults are finishing deadlines, people are braking world records, and my baby is in blissful ignorance. As far as he is concerned the only things that exists are me, him, and my milk. He falls asleep curled up next to me. Every once in awhile his lips twitch or he lets out a sleep noise.

I watch as he breaths deeply and enjoy his warm body and the soft pillows underneath my head. I don't rush off to watch TV or clean. I just be. I lay by my baby and watch him sleep.


My baby is getting older and I watch as our days become more active. He now wants to watch the cat play, eat some broccoli, and go on an adventure in his wrap. He wants to see and hear things. He wants to sit up and learn how to scoot. He has even been trying to pull up, it is all to soon and going to fast. But,even so, sometimes he slows down and simply enjoys just being.

Blip has taught me a valuable lesson. That the simple things are worth cherishing and sometimes it's ok to just be and live in the moment. Life is all about the small things that happen every day. Slow down and enjoy them.

Take a break from washing dishes to watch as you child and husband play. See how they laugh and partake in secret games.

Pause to marvel at the sunset. It is beautiful how the sky can take on the color of a blood orange!

Cherish every smile your baby gives you. They grow to fast and one day will move away and take the morning smiles with them.

Indulge in some fresh lemonade and relish every drop.

Feel free to hold hands with your husband and fall in love all over again on a car tip to the store.

A little reminder to how special your life is brought to you by your baby.

***
Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be live and updated by afternoon January 11 with all the carnival links.)

• Affection — Alicia at I Found My Feet has finally become a hugger and kisser, now she has someone sweet and small to snuggle with. (@aliciafagan)
• Learning from Daniel — Amy at Anktangle hopes that she and her husband will always be open to learning from their son. (@anktangle)
• Kids Cultivate Awareness of Universal Truths — From forgiveness to joy, Amy Phoenix at Innate Wholeness has become aware of deep truths that come naturally to children. (@InnateWholeness)
• What the Apple Teaches the Tree — Becky at Future Legacy has learned about imagination, forgiveness, and strength.
• A Lesson in Slowing Time — Bethy at Bounce Me To the Moon revels in the chance to just be with her baby.
• Learning From My Children: I Am So Honored — WAHM Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey is learning to choose tea parties over work. (@MyMotheringPath)
• P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E — Now that she's a mother, Danielle at born.in.japan is finally learning about a personality trait she lacked. (@borninjp)
• Top 5 Homeschool Lessons My Children Taught Me — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares what she learned from homeschooling her (now grown) children. (@DebChitwood)
• Learning to Live in the Present By Looking to the Future — Dionna at Code Name: Mama finds the patience to be a gentle parent, because she knows how fleeting childhood really is. (@CodeNameMama)
• The watchful Buddha boy — At Dreaming Aloud, they are learning to cherish their thoughtful, sensitive child in a action-driven, noisy world. (@DreamingAloudNt)
• What My Children Taught Me — Dulce de Leche's children have taught her to value herself for the wonderful person and mother she is.
• Lessons from the First Year — Having a child made Emily at Crunchy(ish) Mama realize that her decisions affect more than just herself. (@CrunchyishMama)
• Lessons from Loss — Erica at ChildOrganics learned so much from the love — and loss — of her sweet Bella, five years ago. (@ChildOrganics)
• The Socratic Baby — Erin at Multiple Musings has so-called "identical" twins to serve as a daily lesson in nature vs. nurture. (@ErinLittle)
• Learning to be a Mother — Farmer's Daughter learned the type of patience that enabled her to calmly eat one-handed for months and change clothes seven times a day, before noon. (@FarmDaughter)
• A Few Things Being a Mom Has Taught Me — Heather at Musing Mommy shares the curious, hilarious, and sometimes Murphy's Law-like tidbits we learn from our children. (@xakana)
• I Feel You — Motherhood has taught Jamey from At the Bee Hive empathy, and it extends beyond just her child. (@JameyBly)
• Lessons From My Child… — Jenny at I'm a full-time mummy shares the inspiring ways she's learned to expect the unexpected — and have a camera ready! (@imaftmummy)
• My child is my mirror — Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama has seen herself in her children – and it's not bad. (@crunchychewy)
• There is enough to go around… — Kellie at Our Mindful Life learned that love doesn't diminish when it's shared.
• Learning From Our Children, Every Day — Kimberly at Homeschooling in Nova Scotia, Canada is continually inspired by her children. (@UsborneBooksCB)
• Life Lessons From My Children — Kristen at Adventures in Mommyhood has learned that every slug is fascinating, doing the dishes is fun, and sharing a banana is a delight. (@crunchymamato2)
• Things I've Learned From My Children — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings uses pictures to share what she has learned from her children. (@sunfrog)
• Beyond the questions lies the answer — Lauren at Hobo Mama stopped wondering and started knowing — loving and liking our children comes naturally. (@Hobo_Mama)
• Learning from Children — Lily, aka Witch Mom, finds out just how enchanting balloons can be. (@LilyShahar)
• Lifelong Learning — Lindsay at Living in Harmony has learned that what works for one kid might not work for another. (@AttachedMama)
• Walking alongside my daughter — Lindsey at Mama Cum Laude is learning to give the clock less power over her family's life.
• Things my baby taught me about me — Luschka at Diary of a First Child is proud of how she has grown as a mother. (@lvano)
• From my children, I have learned — Mama Mo at Attached at the Nip has a litany of beautiful lessons, from selflessness to sleeplessness.
• The Little Things in Life — In a simple and lovely prose poem, Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children shows how adults worry about the wrong things and forget the little, important ones: watching ladybugs, jumping in leaves, cherishing each moment as it comes.
• The Virtues of Motherhood — Melissa at The New Mommy Files has had opportunities to learn from children as both a teacher and a mother. (@NewMommyFiles)
• My Kids Have Taught Me That It's Time To Stop Blogging — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! has learned that childhoods fly by too fast to blog. We'll miss your wonderful online presence, Melodie, and we wish you much peace and happiness. (@bfmom)
• Having Kids Has Taught me a Thing or Two — Michelle at The Parent Vortex learns all day long — from fun facts about hedgehogs to tying a complicated wrap with a screaming child and an audience. (@TheParentVortex)
• We Could All Learn from the Children — Momma Jorje takes time to get on the floor and play so that she can see the world through her child's eyes.
• Teaching Forgiveness — Mrs Green at Little Green Blog has a daughter who's taught her unconditional love — even when she feels like she does't deserve it. (@littlegreenblog)
• Parenting as a joint venture — Olivia at Write About Birth appreciates watching the astonishing way her children learn. (@writeaboutbirth)
• Beginner's Mind — Rachael at The Variegated Life learns from a child who builds bridges to nowhere, calls letter magnets his numbers, and insists dinnertime is truck time. (@RachaelNevins)
• A baby's present — RS at A Haircut and a Shave presents a short poem on the differences between a baby's mindfulness and ours.
• Self-Confidence Was Born With My Daughter — Sara at Halfway Crunchy learned to trust her instincts by responding to her child's needs — and saw her self-confidence bloom.
• The Importance of Being Less Earnest — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante has one list of earnest and one list of silly things she has learned as a parent. (@seonaid_lee)
• Lessons my children have taught me — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes learned that attachment parenting was the best way to meet the needs of her child and herself. (@Sheryljesin)
• Till the water is clear — Stacy at Mama-Om learns that being present is the best present. (@mama_om)
• I Hold It — Stefanie at Very, Very Fine has learned that the ability to communicate is much more important than the number of words a child knows.
• What My Children Taught Me About Letting Go — Summer at Finding Summer is learning from her kids to laugh in the face of heartache. (@summerminor)
• Finding My Tools — The Artsymama has applied s

My breastfeeding journey (so far) and motherhood lesson

My pregnancy was full of surprises and I had to learn to except that things do not always go the way I plan. My husband and I were planning a natural birth with no medication. We were Coo Coo for birthing class and  practiced all the techniques like we usually do combos on fighting games! We were syked to go through the challenge.

We planned on doing a natural hospital birth with Blip and running toward the chance for a birthing center for our future second child. Well waddling, I was pregnant after all. We even talked about a home birth in the future. I loved being pregnant and despite horrible 'All day sickness' in first trimester all was great till I ended up getting toximia in my third trimester. I was given the order to do lots of relaxing which consisted of laying on the couch watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns and drinking TONS of water.

Unfortunately my blood pressure spiked and my Toxemia ended up reaching the point of danger and we had to have an emergency C-section. I was really upset and scared. hey gave me the horrible epidural and
I threw up all over the poor doctor. Gus held my hand while they performed the surgery. It ended up being a great bonding experince since we went through something that was scary for us.

It was worth it and Blip was healthy. We lost our chance to try for a natural birth in the future since they had to cut me vertical. I was shocked when they told me and I did not care. My baby was here and in the end I did not care how. I also had to stay on MAG for over 24 hours after.

I was so sick but it was still one of the best days of my life. Now on to the breastfeeding....

Breastfeeding also did not go 100% as planned, but it does have a happy ending!

After my c-section I begged the nurses to let me breastfeed ASAP.  They thought I was nuts and luckily my doctor knew how much I wanted this and once Blip was breathing well and I was stitched back up they took me back to a labor room to let me attempt it.

  I was still all numb from surgery and shaking from the MAG. To make matters worse, I had to keep these crazy little bags by me since I was STILL throwing up. My dad and Gus ended up making a crazy pillow fort around me to prop Blip on. Despite the setbacks he latched right on. It was the most beautiful moment. I could not keep my eyes off him.

The nurse wanted me to let him stay in the nursery for the night and to let him have a  few bottles so I could rest. I refused. I was sick and really out of it since I was on MAG. My husband helped me and we managed to exclusively breastfeed the whole time in the hospital. I'm glad since it seemed to really help me bound with him and we did not have to worry about nipple confusion in those first days.

I was also unable to eat for a total of around 48 hours between the c-section and being on MAG which did not help the breastfeeding. My lactation consultant came in for her one time visit right after a high dose of MAG so I was throwing up and could not concentrate on her help. We were doing good with latching on but he would unlatch himself and I was having so much trouble with let down and positioning.

Once we got home things were still rough. Blip ended up losing way to much weight. Our pediatrician was amazing, funny, and supportive and told us to hold off and keep trying. Finally we decided we had to do something, Blip needed to gain weight. My milk did not contain enough calories due to me being sick. My pediatrician explained that we should supplement formula just for weight gain.

I cried so hard. Maybe I was being silly, maybe it was the hormones, but my heart was broke. My peditrican and husband reminded me not give up and to just give him enough formula to provided needed weight gain, to relax, eat more and drink lots of water, and nurse a lot.

My husband was amazing. He made me a relaxing play list to nurse to and would light candles and even bring me a snack so I could relax and nurse. It was rocky but one day things just came together. Blip gained his weight! He is a naturally small baby, but is healthy. To top it all off suddenly my milk seemed to satisfy him. It was amazing to be able to not depend on the formula and know I could satisfy him.

Now we can breastfeed anywhere and in many crazy positions. I have complete confidence that he is getting enough. He may not have be exclusively breastfed like I really wanted but we are still working toward our goal of extended breastfeeding for over a year. I'm lucky to have people around me that support me and apparently the will to not give up. I was worried about nipple confusion, but the kid loves the boobies.

Maybe breastfeeding is not for everyone but I'm glad it was for us.

Things do not always go the way you want and something motherhood has taught me is to roll with what life gives you but still fight for what means a lot to you. You may have to switch cars and go an alternative route but you will get there with patience and will! Excuse the lame car medaphor, but it's a lesson that is good to know since life with kids seems to be crazy and never go the way you expect.