Snuffly noses

Three days of baby uninterrupted sleep end as Delilah develops her first snuffly nose. Coupled with my new privilege of helping Mom by feeding at night from bottled breastmilk, I've had a couple of my worst sleep days. But the worst of sleeps doesn't change that one of my favorite times is becoming our 6:00am mornings, as my daughter sleeps in my arms so that Mom can get a good morning's sleep.

Happy Delilah

 

Delilah 5+ weeks

 

Easier to fall asleep

I used to take an hour or so after my head hit the pillow before I fell asleep. Insomnia? I guess, hard to self-diagnose. My cure, however, was to have a baby. I might not get as much sleep nowadays because of how early I have to get up now to watch her so her mom can get a patch of solid sleep, but the second I get into bed I'm in dreamland. I'll appreciate the benefits I get.

Real time slideshow of bloggers' uploaded photos

Strangely compelling and fascinating.

Blogger Play

She loves white noise

 

Play a continuous loop of white noise (or run the vacuum cleaner) and as long as she's not wide awake it's like hitting her off button. I'll try to enjoy this as long as it lasts.

The Advantage of 2 Lesbian Mothers

 

 

As you can see by the reversed outfit, there are some basic things about little girls' clothes that I still have to master. I can now add this to the "Tights aren't pants, don't put them on just by themselves" advice.

You may be a conservative if you find yourself defensive about this study.

Study finds difference between liberals & conservatives outside of politics.

Study finds left-wing brain, right-wing brain - Los Angeles Times:

Previous psychological studies have found that conservatives tend to be more structured and persistent in their judgments whereas liberals are more open to new experiences. The latest study found those traits are not confined to political situations but also influence everyday decisions.

The results show "there are two cognitive styles -- a liberal style and a conservative style," said UCLA neurologist Dr. Marco Iacoboni, who was not connected to the latest research.

Participants were college students whose politics ranged from "very liberal" to "very conservative." They were instructed to tap a keyboard when an M appeared on a computer monitor and to refrain from tapping when they saw a W.

M appeared four times more frequently than W, conditioning participants to press a key in knee-jerk fashion whenever they saw a letter.

Each participant was wired to an electroencephalograph that recorded activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, the part of the brain that detects conflicts between a habitual tendency (pressing a key) and a more appropriate response (not pressing the key). Liberals had more brain activity and made fewer mistakes than conservatives when they saw a W, researchers said. Liberals and conservatives were equally accurate in recognizing M.

Breast Isn’t Best On Facebook

I've hard Myspace is like this also.

Breast Isn’t Best On Facebook: "A dispute is erupting between breast feeding activists (known as “lactivists”) and Facebook over pictures of breast feeding on Facebook. Facebook has taken down pictures of users breast feeding, and has even gone as far as banning users completely on the basis that the pictures constitute “obscene content.” Suffice to say the lactivists aren’t the least bit happy. According to a SMH report, lactivists complained that their images were removed despite the fact they contained no nipple, questioning the logic of the Facebook obscenity accusations: “Where does the feeding stop and the boob begin?? A peek of nipple?” Where indeed. Facebook spokeswoman Meredith Chin said Facebook does not prevent lactivists from uploading photos of themselves breastfeeding, but went on to say “Photos containing an exposed breast do violate our Terms and are removed”. Now I might be male so I have no recent first hand experience but I’m confused as to how breast feeding cannot include breasts? The lactivists are calling for supporters to join their Facebook group Hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene!, which currently has over 7000 members."

No differences of opinion on public breastfeeding

I think there's good reason why there isn't room being given in some quarters for a difference of opinion on public breastfeeding.

As you explore lactivism , you find a lot in common with union movements--solidarity being quite an important component. There's a feeling in lactivism that all breastfeeding mothers should stick up for each other, especially against perceived injustices done against a lactating mother. Period.

What I hear from those objecting to public protest in support of breastfeeding mothers' rights, and what I know some of the breastfeeding mothers are hearing is little different than "as long as you're discreet." "As long as you're discreet" implies that openly pulling your breast out in a public place and popping a nipple in a baby's mouth is a delicate act that needs to be hidden from view. For a mother who doesn't believe that it needs to be hidden from view, there is no room for a difference of opinion on that when it begins to inhibit her from comfortably doing so.

So, I think there's a feeling of shock on the part of some breastfeeding mothers that there are still women who breastfeed out there who won't stick up for the personal choices of any breastfeeding mother, even if that breastfeeding mother goes further than you personally would go. That's just shocking.

I think there's a feeling of shock that discreteness, propriety, and decorum are being given such value in regard to breastfeeding. People believe that a call for discreteness from breastfeeding mothers or from people fighting for the rights of breastfeeding mothers is no different than the mindset of walking up to a mother in the first place and asking her to put a blanket over her breast. Since asking for discretion in breastfeeding is what people are protesting, why should there be no room given for an opinion asking for discretion in speaking up.

Personally, I think many of the objectors are being excessively concerned about propriety and decorum and would have been in just as much of an uproar against skirts showing knees or 2-piece swimsuits in the 40's, and the arguments being made are no different than the arguments that were made against those changes.

Nurse Here Now - No More Shame

Nurse Here Now - Breastfeeding comes out of the closet! Nursing Moms Don't Need to Hide!

Comsequences of choosing breastfeeding

Breast is best doesn't communicate the whole story:

If a mom breastfeeds her baby, there is a......
36% reduction in the risk of SIDS
19% reduction in the risk of childhood leukemia
27% reduction in the risk of type 1 diabetes
40% reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes
64% reduction in the risk of gastrointestinal infections (diarrhea)
72% reduction in the risk of lower respiratory tract diseases (pneumonia & bronchitis)
27% reduction in the risk of asthma
27% reduction in the risk of obesity
50% reduction in the risk of ear infections
42% reduction in the risk of eczema in families with a history
30% reduction in the risk of allergies
...
And to take it into the realm of mom's health:
If a mom uses formula instead of breastfeeding, she is....
28% more likely to have breast cancer
21% more likely to have ovarian cancer

To understand why nurse-in protests are necessary

Following is a smattering of the responses to a news article about the Kentucky mom who was ejected for not covering up her baby and breast while breastfeeding. This is the country I'm bringing a little girl into.

Responses to Mom pushes Applebee's on breast-feeding news article in Lexington Herald-Leader

Wednesday Aug 29
Breast feeding should be a private thing, not a public thing. I breast fed my children, but would never have breast fed in front of strangers. How rude!

Wednesday Aug 29

i thank thay she has went just a little to far i am a women and i dont wont to see another women breast feeding her baby when i am eating.

Wednesday Aug 29
you simply have poor taste to believe anyone other than you want to see your breast exposed for the world to see. Grow up, come to reality. The year in which you live has nothing to do with a lack of self respect or dignity as a human being.

If exposing your breast was not appropriate in the 1950's it is not appropriate in 2007. It is called indescent exposure and is against the law.

As well as if you were a man in need of relieving his bladder in the middle of a parking lot, in light of day. I certianly would not want a daughter to see that, anymore than I would want my young son to see your breast.

Wednesday Aug 29

A man will be a man and they will stare and probably get turned on. Isn't she concerned about maybe getting carjacked and raped while her children look on?

Wednesday Aug 29
Maybe she gets turned on by doing this in public.
I heard from woman that breast feeding is a very satisfying experience.

Wednesday Aug 29
my wife only breast feeds at home, when were alone.

Wednesday Aug 29
I think some women just like to show their breast. Bless the women that still have some modesty left.

Thursday Aug 30
I don't think women who expose their breast in a public place think of the potential dangers they maybe putting themselves or their children in.

Friday Aug 31
In todays society a man or lesbian may just get a raging hard-on that they would not be able to suppress.
This is reality otherwise I have no problems with it.
Besides, you are stereotyping HillBillys as backwards and I'm proud to be a HillBilly in Tennessee, can't trust a Yankee to say or do the right thing.
Since you Yankees are for homosexuality what's going to happen when a gay man trys to breast feed an adopted infant in a restaurant when he acts out his fantasy of being a woman?

Friday Aug 31
If she or any other woman chooses to breast feed, that is fine, however she could have just as easily pumped her milk, bottled it, fed the baby, no problems. Isn't technology amazing.

Although breast feeding is best for the baby, perhaps those who do should stop and think whether or not a room full of strangers want to see their boobs.....pump, bottle, feed. Too simple, and makes way too much sense...

Friday Aug 31
Another idea for you. Feed the baby before you go out for dinner. Better yet, get a babysitter. Breastfeeding should not be done in public. The fact that a baby is attached does not change the fact that it is still an exposed breast. How a woman sits there and breastfeeds in public is beyond me. Good for Applebee's.

Friday Aug 31
With all these toxins and steroids a person consumes I would have thought that baby formula would be a whole lot safer than a women's milk.

Friday Aug 31
I will never get use to breastfeeding in public. If you refuse to leave, I will leave. Again, good for Applebee's.

Friday
People need to get use to it as more and more women are choosing to breastfeed??. Yes, then we can go on further more by getting used to people urinating in public, then before you know it ejacucalting too. Hey i'm just making a point

Friday
to me this is down right disrespectful and selfish. I saw how this women lookedlike which i can see there were some complaints being made at Applebees restaurant. Of course nobody wants to see some fat nasty overweight repulsive looking women overly exposing those nasty flappers for the sake of breastfeeding

Friday
maybe your types are some kind of weird perverted exhibitionist! There are plenty of women who feed babies modestly, you dont need to waggle your sagging tits out in public just to prove a point- sounds like a bunch of feminazi housewives with nothing better to do! Arent there better causes out there?

Friday
your misleading and indoctrinating others to be backwards hillbillies in a sense where MANNERS, AND POLITENESS is being thrown out the window with your attitude. Ignorant stupid liberals like you sure get your kicks by miseducating people with your poor liberal values that we can just go and do something like this in the public eye. Yeah sure i mean lets have more and more Kates everybody, next thing you know we will be backward hillbillies if we dont want people to excercise there rights to have sex in public, masturbate in public or urinate by whipping your genitals where there are children around

Friday
there maybe children around, are you that ignorant, this type of behaviour is giving out a little too much information to kids more than they need to know. I'll tell you what is wrong with seeing a womens breast in public, its indecent, and theres nothing worse than having to see a boob being sucked on by a 13lbs ball of human flesh ok!!!. Yeah lets all go by your same liberal perverted logic Kate, what is wrong with seeing a male p*nis in public or a vagina??

Friday
Maybe no one wanted to see her SAGGY dried up tit flaps, shes had 8 kids, probably breast fed them all...im sure the tits arent too nice to see if youre trying to eat! Unless youre at a Pancake house!. Damn scuzzy Michael Moore loving liberals i swear

Friday
MES AND BENEATH A MAN. WE AS WOMEN HAVE A VOICE AND A CHOICE. " No Anna, YOU as women either have a choice to hold lower standards as women by going out of the house to breastfeed, or choose to be good stay-at-home housewives like your supposed to be. Your job is to stay at home like the little decent LADY that your supposed to be and have dinner on the table before your husbund gets home from work. This is why women nowadays have such lower standards, because hatefilled breastfeeding NAZI FEMINIST like Anna enabled women 37 years ago to go and do whatever they wanted to. By doing this, it has taken women off that pedastal which means that women are being degraded and are in the same levels as men thanks to the womens rights liberation NAZI'S. Besides, its not a good idea to bring a newborn baby under 12 months of age outdoors all the time which means they dont have a strong immune system and are susceptable to colds and flues. Newborn infants belong at home under 12 months of age at all cost due to airborn sicknesses being passed around outside by patrons. A newborn should not be exposed to a lot of outside until after 12 months. I see a lot of new mothers out with their baby's right after birth, the mother too should wait until the 12 months is over to rejoin the world on the outside. So lets not thrown the baby out with the bathwater and learn some good Ole fashion advice. The society in which we live has changed but mother nature hasn't.

Friday
This is a perfect example of why we dont allow this sh*t to go on and on in public veiw. Having to veiw some fat nasty B**** out of shape sagging tits is enough to slow down business and make people lose there appetite. This is why customers would much rather do there business elsewhere where people have some damn manners

Friday
I intend to look, in fact I intend to LEER.

If it makes hoochie uncomfortable, that's not my problem, I have every right to stare at someones bare breast. After all, why flaunt it if you don't want someone to see it?

Saturday
Actually I don't see anything wrong with this natural act but I would be concerned of the potential perverts lurking about.
I did not allow my wife to do it in the past for fear of drawing unwanted attention.

Saturday
Ide make a complaint to management to have her do that sh*t in her car, or have her be removed from property. I mean yeah sure if a women can pull this nasty act where there maybe patrons around, soon before you know it there will be a protest of angry diaper rights protest feminist just because one was asked to take it to a bathroom and got her feelings hurt

Yesterday
Can you imagine all the husbands getting beat up by their wives in the restaurant for looking?
Cause quite a bit of a disturbance when the husband should be focusing on his wife.

Yesterday
your comments are down right irresponsible. 99% of the time you can always prepare yourself inadvance like taking some privacy measures and having pumps ready at all times. Now whats so hard about that unless your looking for some attention that goes way beyond a hungry child. Its disrespectful and selfish when you only think about your silly precious rights and not think about others will complain about this sort of rude action that would not help but get an eyefull.

11 hrs ago
This is for you nursing mama, i find your comments very irresponsible which many of you breastfeeding rights nazi's tend to have more than 30 different copout excuses anyways. My sister all the time used to breastfeed my nephew in a bathroom so that way she had all the privacy she needed where it was out of the way of others just to be polite. If she didnt use a bathroom, she would excuse herself from the dinner table wether we had guest or not and use a bedroom or even a blanket for coverup as you say it gets hot for the baby. When my sister nursed my nephew with a socalled hot blanket nursing mama, why in the hell did my nephew not suffer from heat discompfort??. And if a baby is being discompforted by a blanket for coverup which we all know is bullsh*t anyways, why in the hell cant you make a damn trip to your vehicle where there is Air ?conditioning??, are you that lazy??. Believe me, there is no excuses why you should breastfeed your baby in public anymore than there is no excuses why you cant think of so many privacy options. During a grocery shopping excursion when nursing mothers need to go out shopping, one bottled filled with pumped breastmilk will not kill your baby nursing mama anymore than a whiff of second hand smoke will. What it lookslike here from after reading your post, it seems as though it doesnt seem that hard to do this rude inappropriate behaviour out in public veiw, but yet its hard to be more private about it. Your full of copout excuses nursing mama, which i can see you are looking for thrills more than making any sort of measures or effort to keep it from having patrons get an eyefull of how you raise your children

48 min ago
Breasts not sexy? OOOOHHH boy, what rock did you climb out from under?
Men and lesbos love 'em.

43 min ago
A man's instrument is natural too on impregnating a woman but I don't see any fornicating on the tables at a restaurant while I am trying to eat.

Milestone - umbilical cord

Umbilical cord fell off.

 

Milestone - Umbilical Cord

Umbilical cord fell off.

 

Nurse-in Protest Against Applebee's on September 8

The nurse-in/protest in Ann Arbor will be at the Applebee's on Eisenhower & Ann Arbor Saline Rd. from 12pm-2pm

If you don't live in Ann Arbor, go to this Yahoo Group to find where your local protest will occur or to organize one.

WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS ABOUT

Breastfeeding supporters will gather on Saturday, September 8, 2007, at 12:00pm at Applebee’s Restaurants across the country to protest the treatment of Brooke Ryan and her 7 month old child.

Allegedly, on June 14th, while Ms. Ryan was breastfeeding her baby discreetly in a corner booth during an anniversary dinner with her family, an Applebee’s Manager asked her to cover her baby with a blanket. Ms. Ryan responded by citing the Kentucky law that states that “no person shall interfere with a woman breastfeeding her child". Ms. Ryan then produced a copy of the statute that she had received from the Kentucky Health Department, an organization that encourages women to keep a copy with them for situations such as the one she was experiencing. The manager, after reviewing a copy of the statute continued to insist that she had to "cover the baby with a blanket" if she wanted to breastfeed there, and that nursing her child was "indecent". The family left the restaurant before being served their meal, Ms. Ryan and baby in tears.

Shortly following the incident, Ms. Ryan retained the services of a lawyer who contacted Thomas and King, the company that owns and operates the Lexington Applebee’s location. Nearly 2 months later, the company responded with a letter stating "we are considering keeping blankets in the restaurants for use by breastfeeding mothers that may not have them readily available,” with the intent that mothers will be forced to put them over their babies.

Breastfeeding supporters have decided to conduct a public protest at the store location, as well as locations nationwide. It will occur on Saturday, September 8, 2007, at noon. When Senator Tom Buford, (Rep., KY), who spearheaded the passage of the Kentucky public breastfeeding law was told of the planned protest at the store in Lexington, KY, he said, "Let me know the date and I will come by and support you", and also made a suggestion of an appropriate sign for the event: "small children are not allowed to eat in this restaurant."

Even though there is a patchwork of strong and weak state laws aimed at protecting a woman’s right to nurse her baby, the mistreatment Ms. Ryan encountered is far too common. Most women who nurse their babies will at some time be forced to feel the shameful sting of discrimination. Usually this burden is carried by a woman in secrecy, due to fear of further anguish to her family. Some women choose to bring their stories to the public in an effort to educate and bring about a positive change. Earlier this year, a Pennsylvania woman was threatened with arrest if she did not stop breastfeeding her child at her local mall. Last November, a mother in Vermont was kicked off of a Delta flight for not covering up while breastfeeding her child. The Delta incident resulted in over 800 participants protesting the discrimination by conducting "nurse-ins" at Delta counters in over 40 cities across the US.

"Because most public breastfeeding laws do not provide a clear remedy for women who are harassed or discriminated against," said Salem Hamilton, Executive Director of Birth Without Boundaries, International, "we are asking for breastfeeding supporters across the country to encourage their legislators to add enforcement provisions to their state’s laws that would provide the protection women and babies need".

On Friday, August 31, 2007, the official corporate response as given by Mr. Alex Bressette, Applebee’s corporate office’s International Guest Relations Manager, is as follows: "Applebee's strives to provide a comfortable and enjoyable environment for all our guests. Our policies regarding breastfeeding are consistent with the laws of the states in which we operate."

In the spirit of the existing diversity and inclusion policy published by Applebee’s Restaurants, Birth Without Boundaries, Intl. is asking the corporation to adopt and implement an official breastfeeding friendly policy.

As a breastfeeding mother, Ms. Ryan is doing the best for her child by giving him the optimum nutrition possible. According to UNICEF, if infants worldwide were fed only mother's milk for their first six months, at least 1.3 million lives a year would be saved.

The September 8, 2007 event is sponsored by Birth Without Boundaries, International; a Pennsylvania based non profit organization committed to eliminating restrictions placed on birthing mothers and their babies.

Inquiries may be directed to Salem Hamilton, 717.379.8804, or to birthwithoutboundaries.com

Anyone who thinks a bare breast with a baby attached is indecent or obscene should stop looking.

My first media mention

Woo hoo! My first mention in a publication not published by Zingerman's. Small mention, but you've got to start somewhere.

Business Week SmallBiz, August/September 2007 -- Mmm…Sour Grapes: "When tasting at home, use a small plastic cup or spoon. DiPalo suggests drinking water and eating a breadstick between spoonfuls. Better, visit a gourmet store that has bottles open for customers to sample. Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, Mich., stocks 25 vinegar selections, all available for tasting. Vinegar lovers say part of the fun is discovering a new favorite, such as the Sanchez Romate sherry vinegar preferred by Zingerman's retail sales taster Solomon James, or Minus 8, an ice wine vinegar that Patrick Feury, executive chef at the Berwyn (Pa.) restaurant Nectar, uses in an Asian-inspired tuna dish. Of course, you don't need to be a chef to find your own favorite—just willing to take a new look down the specialty foods aisle. READER REVIEWS"