Stay Calm Mom

OK, here I go on another one of my rants . . .

Did you happen to read the article in The Atlantic this month?

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200904/case-against-breastfeeding

Or see the author on the Today show

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/#29718430

"The Case Against Breastfeeding" by Hanna Rosin.

Yes, just the title gets my blood boiling.

The kicker of this article is that the writer, with no medical background, claims that there is NO significant research-based evidence to back up the recommendations that breast milk has serious health benefits for moms and babies.

Her article skims the literature and completely ignores the 2005 statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics which supports the value of breastfeeding. The policy references over 200 articles which meet scientific standards for accuracy and was rigorously reviewed by the medical sections for breastfeeding and nutrition.

Of course, I am pro-breastfeeding . . . duh . . . I'm a lactation nurse. And I have also reviewed the research and believe there is no doubt that human milk is the perfect nutrition for human babies.

But I also know how hard it can be to breastfeed.

We don't live in a breastfeeding culture.

- Mom's often don't have the support system to help them through initial hurdles because their moms or friends didn't breastfeed

- Very few hospitals in the US abide by the World Health Organizations Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and inappropriately give and promote formula even when it is the mothers choice to breastfeed

- We have inadequate maternity leave and paid time off for women in this country! It is extremely difficult for moms to return to work in as little as 6 weeks and continue to exclusively breastfeed for the recommended 6 months!!

We should tell the news outlets like the Atlantic and the Today show that we don't want breastfeeding to be another issue that divides women!!

We need to stop debating the benefits of breastfeeding and start supporting the changes needed in health care and the workplace so women can have the choices and options they need to design their own mode of parenting!

Check out http://www.momsrising.org/

Ellie is telling me I need to relax, take a deep breath and do some yoga with her!!

A big gulp

Many times I have heard life described as a glass of water.

The water in the glass represents stress and sips of water represent the stress relievers in our lives. When the glass is near full you must consciously take sips from your glass . . . a hot bath, a deep breath, a walk outside.

Lately, my number one stress reliever falls every 3rd Monday of the month.

On this day my best girlfriends from nursing school get together for dinner and drinks.

We all have kids close to the same age and all are in different areas of the nursing profession.

It's always a great time and it seriously lowers the water level in my glass!!

(left) Sarah -Is 6 months pregnant with a baby boy and is a cardio-thoracic intensive care nurse

(middle) Karen - Has 2 y.o. Alister and is back to school to get her Masters degree in nursing

(right) Darcy - Has 18 m.o. Lucy and is a cancer care nurse on a bone marrow transplant unit

T is for T-O-D-D-L-E-R !!!!

Everyday, Ellie proves to me that she is more and more a TODDLER! She is voicing her opinions, becoming more independent and showing that classic toddler temperament.

This series of photos captures all her new "toddler moves!"

A family tradion . . .

Adult: "How big are you?"

Toddler: Reaches arms up high

Adult: "Soooooooo big!"

Who me??? What you talkin about mama?

OHhhh, but this face . . . how sweet is that?

New Career!

Yes, this will be my 3rd job in as many years but I finally found what I think will be rewarding work in my chosen field. This Week I start with the City of Seattle (Seattle Public Utilities) as a SCADA Communications Technician! Donnianne is having some trouble explaining what my new job is so I thought I would do a quick write up.

Just about any manufacturing process includes an array of field instruments that tells the operator what is happening within that process. These instruments (inputs) could be pressure transmitters, flow meters and switches. A PLC (programmable logic controller) takes these inputs, and based on parameters programmed by the user, sends signals to start or stop motors, pumps or alarms (outputs). The SCADA (supervisory, control and data acquisition) system is the network of field instruments, remote terminal units, routers and human machine interfaces. All of the water and sewer data is transmitted to control houses for operators to monitor.

I will be maintaining and troubleshooting various components of Seattle's SCADA system which monitors and controls the distribution of clean water to roughly 1.3 million customers. This includes the Cedar and Tolt river watersheds, in city reservoirs, water towers and water and sewer mains.

Wish me luck!

One day at a time . . .

Life has just been pluggin' by this week. And here is what we have been up to . . .

I've really been into cooking new recipes lately!

I know, I know. If you know me very well you know I regularly con my mum and Drew into making me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by pretending "I just can't make them as good as you can!" The best part it is . . . the act actually works.

So enjoying time in the kitchen is quite a personality shift for me!

I guess it comes down to the fact that when Drew gets home I'm ready for a break from the munchkin and cooking actually sounds like a minor creative outlet.

This weeks recipes have included caramelized vegetable and meatball stew . . . slow-cooker pot roast . . . chicken curry with cashews . . . banana bread and oatmeal muffins!

Speaking of creativity . . . I have been trying to spend any spare seconds (yes, seconds) on my favorite hobby. Yes, it's true, I love to scrapbook. Not only is scrapbooking my favorite way to be creative and artsy but it also provides little moments to sit and focus on the stuff that makes life great!

I made this page last weekend while Ellie took a nap on Drew's chest. Brrrrr! The weather has been very chilly lately, in the mid 20's today!! Yesterday, it snowed about 3 inches in the span of 1 hour but 2 hours later it had all melted! Gotta love the Northwest winters. This is currently Ellie's favorite book!! My mum and my Auntie Wendy MADE it for me when I was little. Ellie loves "feeding" the crocodile and snapping the shapes on the page.

No words

Imagination Station

Ellie seemed to be feeling a bit better this weekend and we seriously needed a break from condo fever (aka: cabin fever but in a smaller space).

So we headed to the Imagine Children's Museum in Everett.

What a great place!! It's like a little village with lots of room for the kids to run and explore, including a rooftop play zone which was enjoyed by all until it started to rain.

Ellie loved the foamy firetruck

(and here is how she must have caught her cold . . . she constantly will suck on the playtoys. Ahhh, when does this phase stop???)

But her favorite was the tractor! Farm life here we come?? I think not!