Cross-nursing

Did you guys see the piece on cross-nursing that aired on Good Morning America a few days ago? According to the report, this is a "growing trend" amongst breastfeeding moms. If you don't know, "cross-nursing" is just a fancy term for breastfeeding another woman's baby. Obviously it's been going on for centuries. The aristocracy and southern slave owner's wives used wet nurses because breastfeeding was only for the lower class. Breastfeeding has always been seen as déclassé and when formula was invented at the turn of the century, opting to bottle feed was seen as a way of becoming (or appearing) middle class.
My own grandmother, an immigrant from Eastern Europe, was a wet nurse of sorts. Back in the old country, one of her neighbors didn't produce any milk when she had her first child, so my grandmother would express her milk into glass jars and give it to the woman. If she hadn't done that, that baby would've died. There was no formula to be had, and even if it had been available, no one would have been able to afford it. (It's interesting to note that by the time my grandmother arrived in America and had my mom, she opted for formula--even though they were still poor).
So no, this is nothing new, but is it seriously falling back into favor? Do you know anyone who does this? My gut-reaction to the piece was "gross." I can't imagine under what circumstances I would want another woman to nurse my son. Even if, heaven forbid, something happened to me, I don't think I'd want my baby nursing with someone else (although, interestingly enough, I wouldn't hesitate to nurse a baby who was hungry if there was no other food source available).

I think the idea that this is somehow a way for women to bond seems sort of silly. Don't women bond by having a glass of wine and discussing their lives? Am I wrong? Is my knee-jerk revulsion off-base? Breastfeeding is beautiful, but it's such a personal and intimate bond with your baby. I wouldn't want to let anyone in on the sweetness of my breastfeeding relationship with my son.

Sharing office space with your babe

My friend Mimi and I spend a lot of time talking about feminism, especially as it relates to libraries (our line of work). We find it really funny that people who work in libraries will try to start serious discussions about tech-sector benefits (like being able to bring your dog to work) before they will initiate a talk about flexible work hours, on-site daycare, paid maternity leave and other women and family-friendly policies.

When I saw this article I had to laugh because, although my co-workers oohh and aahh when I bring my son into the office to visit, I can't imagine any of them being supportive of me being allowed to bring him into the office. The article is from an Australian newspaper but is pulling information from a US study about the practice of bringing your baby to work.

So according to this article, a couple hundred companies in the US allow women to bring their babies to work and return to a flexible schedule. Of course this is very beneficial to new moms, and if we can't get paid leave or affordable, government-subsidized daycare, at least being able to bring your baby to work would allow women to continue to breastfeed. As a mom who pumps at work, lord knows I wish I could just latch my baby on instead. Pumping is time consuming, painful, tedious and stressful. I feel like I spend the majority of my day at work worrying about my pumping output, not my patrons or other projects.

Carla Moquin, who wrote the book, Babies at Work: Bringing New Life to the Workplace, says that most folks are rightly skeptical about how all of this works, but that once people try it, mom and baby get into a nice routine and everyone is supporting. Hhhmm. I call bullshit. Does anyone think co-workers, especially those who weren't able to take advantage of a similar program or who don't have kids, would actually be supportive of this type of thing? I've seen people mad enough to spit over women leaving work early to care for a sick child or attend a soccer game. Can you imagine their ire over a mom bringing her "spawn" into the office?

And which companies are offering these programs? I skimmed the list and surprise, surprise, almost none of them are places known as "women's work." So disheartening. I would love to believe that something like this could work (I'd be the first in line with my baby) but I just don't think we're there as a society. And if secretaries, teachers, nurses and librarians can't make use of the programs, what good is it? It's like when I read the list of the 100 most family-friendly companies that Working Mother magazine puts together and they're all in the fields of finance and computers and have a small percentage of women on staff.

Why is is that those of us in traditionally female fields don't fight harder for these benefits? Is it because we know we'd never get them? Is it because the boss tends to be a man?

Does anyone think this would fly at her job? I'm really fascinated by the whole scenario.

Another cool contest!

One of my new favorite blogs, Baby Cheapskate, is offering 12 bumGenius cloth diapers to a lucky reader (retail value $200). If you're thinking of switching to cloth diapers but were afraid of the initial investment, this is the one for you!

Melissa Joan Hart is breastfeeding

Melissa Joan Hart (better known as Clarissa or Sabrina the Teenage Witch, depending on how old you are, I guess), is breastfeeding.
From a current interview in OK! magazine:

"Now, I’m going off to shoot a movie, so I really want to look good for that. But the thing is I’m also breastfeeding. That’s an important thing to include here, because I’m at my weight goal for right now. Im not looking to get super skinny right now because I can't. If I do that I'll lose my milk, and I don't want that for my son. So I am where I want to be right now until I'm done breastfeeding. I'll keep losing. My body will just naturally losing weight, and Ill keep working out and eating well."

Good for you, mama!

Breast milk necklaces

Have you ever wanted to turn your breast milk into a fashionable piece of jewelry? Yeah, me neither. A group of artists in France figured out that if you boil breast milk and vinegar, it hardens into a plastic which can then be molded. Their work will be on display at an exhibition in France in September called "La part des Anges," or "the angel's share." The collective, Duende, has put together a collection of objects that explore the sharing of food between mother and child, and includes plates specifically used for eating and storing of placenta, as well as the milk jewelry.

Breastfeeding help

The first few weeks of breastfeeding can be tough. New moms are given all manner of bad advice from friends and family, as well as health care professionals who haven't been trained in the fine art of breastfeeding. The nurses at the hospital told me I should take my son off the breast after 15 minutes and one even told me I would have a hard time because I have "terrible nipples" (they're a bit flat). Both of these were dead wrong! But where does a new mom turn to for help with breastfeeding?
It used to be that women learned how to breastfeed from the other women in their lives: mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, etc. Even today, in developing nations, women grow up watching other women breastfeed. It's natural and normal. Today, breastfeeding is hidden. Moms pump and use bottles when out in public or cover up with a wrap. Even amongst close family and friends, I've seen women retreat to a bedroom or bathroom at a party to feed their babies. If you've never seen someone do it the right way and even the medical pros don't know what they're talking about, how do you know when you're doing it wrong and who do you turn to for help? If you can't afford a consultation with a Board Certified Lactation Consultant or one is not available to you through your hospital, here are some free places to turn.
I literally taught myself how to latch my baby on correctly by watching Youtube videos and reading online! Here are a list of amazing breastfeeding sites that have helped me tremendously along this journey.

Kelly Mom
Dr. Jack Newman's breastfeeding handouts and videos
Mother 2 Mother
Breastfeeding.com
Breastfeeding Essentials
La Leche League

Advocating for breastfeeding moms on campus

Are you a new mom who will be returning to school or work on a university campus? Have you worried about pumping or nursing your baby while on campus? Tanya over at the Motherwear Breastfeeding blog has taken the time to put together a document of which college campuses provide lactation rooms for nursing and pumping moms. It's not complete, so if she missed your university, please e-mail her and let her know!
Don't have a space and want to advocate for one on your campus? Request this free toolkit from the government that can help you have the conversation with your Human Resources department.