~Welcome~ To our newest little member Heather! LizaBear had an unassisted homebirth on August 27'th. Congradulations!
Check out the board to read her beautiful birth story.
Nursing moms have rights
There's going to come a time when you'll need to feed your baby in a public place. And you don't need restaurant employees hassling you.
A nursing mom in Maryland brought the issue to light when she was asked by a Starbucks employee to nurse her baby in the bathroom. Starbucks' corporate offices have since apologized because Maryland state law allows moms to breastfeed in public.
Like Maryland, California has several laws in place to protect breastfeeding moms. These include:
i Sections 1030-1032 of the California Labor Code state that employers must provide a reasonable amount of break time for moms to pump breast milk and make a reasonable effort to provide a location, other than a bathroom stall.
America Rivero-Ford knows what it's like to be a nursing mom with a hungry baby in a public place. A week after the birth of her daughter Lexie, now 8 months old, she was celebrating the third birthday of her older daughter Sydney at a local business.
Being as discreet as possible, mom started nursing.
"One of the workers came up to me and said some of the other customers were thinking that I shouldn't be doing that," Rivero-Ford said.
The manager explained to the other customers that Rivero-Ford had the right to breastfeed her baby.
Today, Rivero-Ford works at Starbucks on Mooney Boulevard and Caldwell Avenue. If she sees nursing moms, she asks them if they want a refill on their water.
"Having [breastfed], I know how thirsty you get," she said.
Jury duty
If you're breastfeeding, you can request that your service be deferred for up to one year, and that request can be renewed if you are still nursing.
Rule 859 of the California Rules of Court states that the jury commissioner must grant the deferral without requiring you to appear in court.
Jamie Gonzales is the assistant managing editor of the Times-Delta and the Tulare Advance-Register and became a new mom in May. Have advice to share with other moms? Send your tips to P.O. Box 31, Visalia, CA 93279; e-mail Features @VisaliaTimesDelta.com.
While we know that breastfeeding is the best thing for the baby, it's not always the easiest. Sure, staying at home all the time would make things easy, but that's not realistic.
in Section 43.3 of the California Civil Code, which states that "a mother may breastfeed her child in any location, public or private, except the private home or residence of another ... ."
Several new moms I know have recently been summoned for jury duty.
"Breastfeeding is a natural "safety net" against the worst effects of poverty. If the child survives the first month of life (the most dangerous period of childhood) then for the next four months or so, exclusive breastfeeding goes a long way toward canceling out the health difference between being born into poverty and being born into affluence .... It is almost as if breastfeeding takes the infant out of poverty for those first few months in order to give the child a fairer start in life and compensate for the injustice of the world into which it was born."
-James P. Grant, former Executive Director, UNICEF
~Tuesday is Chat day~
All members are welcome to join in on weekly chats.
Chat times are...
Daytime: 2-4pm EST
Night: 8-10pm EST
If you go to chat and you are all alone, then post a reminder on the board, and someone will join you :)
Make sure to use your current user name so we know who you are!
~Happy Chatting~
~Recipe of the month~
Thank you Steph H
Steph's Mother's Spaghetti Sauce
1-28 oz. Can crushed tomatoes
1-28 oz Can tomato sauce
2-6 oz. Cans of tomato paste (Italian seasoning flavor is what we use)
1 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c. Italian seasoning
1 ½ tbsp. Oregano
½ tsp. Black pepper
3 tbsp. Granulated (white) sugar
1 c. red wine (optional, but adds yummy flavor)
Chopped parsley
6-8 servings of your favorite pasta
6-8 servings of Jason's meatballs
Mix the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce in a large, heavy pan (copper-bottom is best, since it distributes heat well and keeps the tomatoes from burning). Stir in the tomato paste, mixing well to distribute. Add the remainder of the ingredients except the parsley, pasta, and meatballs. Heat over low heat for an hour for best flavor. You can turn the heat up to medium-low and heat for 20-30 minutes, but it will burn EASILY, so you must stir it often if you turn the heat up.
To serve, top 1 serving of pasta with about 1 cup of sauce and 2-3 meatballs, then sprinkle with parsley (serving suggestion shown in picture). Makes 6-8 servings.
Wait, how do you make Jason's meatballs? For that recipe, you'll have to wait until next month's newsletter. . .
mommyswenn
What is your earliest memory of breastfeeding?
My earliest memory of breastfeeding would probably be learning about it during the childbirth classes I took when I was pregnant with my first child. I'm sure I saw it before then but can't remember a specific experience.
Where did you grow up?
Medicine Hat, Alberta.
What is your dream job?
Calorie-free chocolate taste tester!
How do family and friends react to your nursing?
They are supportive, for the most part. Now that my nursling is over a year (13 months) I'm starting to get pressure from my mother-in-law to wean. Also, I'm 10 weeks pregnant, and am hearing from more people all the time that I *have* to wean because of the pregnancy. After nursing three babies, I'm finally at the point where I just let other peoples' comments roll of my back -- our nursing relationship is between me and my baby, and is nobody else's business.
Do you have problems nursing in public or in front of people?
Not really. I'll usually cover up if I'm in public, but if you're at my house too bad.
What is your favorite thing about being a mom?
The kisses, and the giggles.
~Parenting humor~
Thank you Evan's Mama
Trying to dress an active little one is like trying to thread a sewing machine while it's running.
There are only two things a child will share willingly: communicable diseases and their mother's age.
Cleaning your house while your kids are at home is like trying to shovel the driveway during a snowstorm.
Kids really brighten a household; they never turn off any lights.
An alarm clock is a device for waking people up who don't have small kids.
Shouting to make your kids obey is like using the horn to steer your car, and you get about the same results!
Any child can tell you that the sole purpose of a middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble.
We are looking for breastfeeding stories, birth stories, and photos for our nursing photo album. Please email submissions to Ms. Frizzle or Quinn