Just Sayin'

Zak's teething, and my store is taking up much of my blogging time, but I just had this on my mind. Some health care opponents say that we can't afford to cover everyone, we'll go broke. I'm wondering, do they think they're getting a great deal now, covering the often completely avoidable ER visits of the uninsured with their own hospital bills and premiums?

On the merits of library paste.

The doctor wasn't surprised that Zak is still breastfed- to the contrary, she was rather pleased. That was a change from the last doc, who was simply flabbergasted that I was breastfeeding Zak two months ago. The formula feeding norm in this country is so strong, I'm always worried that I'll come across a doc who is keen on formula. That's not to say that this doc and I saw eye to eye on all feeding issues- hence the reference to library paste in the title.
I'm sure that rice cereal for babies is good for something, but I'm also sure that such a function would be more like a non-toxic cement or glue, not a foodstuff.  I'd happily use rice cereal if Zak had diarrhea or we had to hang wallpaper. But as the first non-medicinal substance to cross Zak's lips that isn't my milk? I can think of much better first foods.
I will probably start Zak on grains soon- but whole grains, not ones stripped of all their soul and substance. I'm hoping to try oatmeal and banana for those brisk winter morns.

I finally got started on the Cozy Cardigan for Zak. The colorway is lovely, the knitting a bit boring, at least until I reach the sleeves. This will be my first shot at buttonholes, so wish me luck. And I got about $50 in knitting store gift certs for my birthday. Yay.

Grand opening!

I'm quite excited- it's been a very full week. Turning thirty, sleep issues with the Milk Monster, and opening my online shop have all left me feeling wrung out.
Perhaps Zak was reacting to the excitement of me churning out all sorts of salves and potions, but he's had a hard time sleeping at night lately. He 's not had this much trouble since those early days, but I'm sure we'll pull through. In the meantime, I've been logging some good time on the treadmill because of this. At least he's still able to get to sleep by being in the Moby wrap or Bjorn while I walk about. But I'm burying the lead: Zak has now been "introduced" to solids.
We skipped over that nasty rice cereal stuff and went for roasted sweet  potato. Zak wasn't terribly thrilled with it, and I'm hoping that avocado or apple goes better. I figure that if I were that young again, I'd want some flavor, some sweetness, and maybe even some texture- none of which can be found in your box of rice cereal. So it's fruits and veggies to start with.
In the meantime, Zak is still almost exclusively breastfed, if you count the 2 tablespoons of sweet potato he's had in the past week. This may shock the doctor we're scheduled to see- anyone know what to do when the doctor faints?
At long last, the store is open. I've got a great salve for everything from diaper rash to dry lips, a rich hand and body cream, a brown sugar scrub, and an oatmeal soap that's ugly but my favorite so far. Take a look at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ummzak .
Someone's next set of teeth may be coming in, so I've got soothing to do. Be well.

The right to be saddled.

I've grown used to political "astroturfing", with groups donning names like Freedomworks pretending not to be the creations of corporations. They claim to be groups of just regular folk working for their rights, but are merely beards for corporate interests. Fighting for a corporation's right to decide what rights you have isn't limited to issues like the environment or health care- it's extended to the formula vs. milk debate.

To me, the debate seems settled: human milk is the best food for human babies, and instead of trying to make a pale imitation of such universally available, public health and welfare efforts ought to be focused on getting the Real McCoy to as many babies as possible. Formula's great for the moms who need it, but that's a much smaller group than the number of moms who buy and use formula- the rest are of moms who are pressed into formula feeding by work policies and/or cultural superstitions that make breastfeeding or pumping difficult.

Formula companies have decided to jump on the astroturfing bandwagon and make sure that those policies and superstitions that make breastfeeding and pumping difficult never go away. Websites like "Moms Feeding Freedom" have sprung up looking for moms that want to "fight" for their "right" to be targeted by aggressive marketing campaigns.  The site also features bugaboo stories about breastfeeding and tutorials on preparing formula, all while claiming to promote freedom of choice for mothers of infants. Yeah. The freedom to choose the brand of formula that will boost their market shares, most likely.

They've also targeted general parenting sites like Babble, with the same sort of rubbish. I can respect the desire to make lots of money- it's the American way, after all. But instead of being content with filling the need that is out there, they created a need where none existed, and sought to eliminate any competition, not by having a better product, but by making any other choice either impossible or unthinkable. Instead of healthy competition, you have a group of people who profit off of the sickness and death of children. And because they are wealthy, it's OK.

I may have the right to be saddled and ridden by corporate interests, but I'd rather not be taken for that sort of ride. And neither should any of you.

So classy....

A few lowlights from my trip- still in progress:
1. Being told it was my fault that my marriage ended- even though my abusive, unfaithful ex booted me out.
2. Being called a prostitute because I went sightseeing with my infant son.
3. My ex grabbing my nursing cover to try to look at my breast.
4. Being accused of being a layabout because I work from home, care for my son, and help my relatives with housekeeping. 
5. Having a relative call my son the "n" word. Yes, that "n" word.


It was enough to make me consider returning to my ex for a hot minute, before I slapped myself back to reality.

Thought for the day.

It's a crime for someone to demand your money or your life. Why is it, then, that when you're sick, to make that demand is considered simply business as usual? To profit from another's suffering used to be morally repugnant. Now, it's "the American way".

Just a thought.

Why is cow's milk the cultural norm for milk? Why does every sort of milk get a specifying prefix- goat's milk, breastmilk, etc.? Humanity is the cultural default for food- we don't say "people food" for the food that adult humans consume. It's also the cultural norm for clothing, hair, grooming products, etc. So why isn't human milk just milk, and the milk of other species must be specified?