I've mentioned Jennifer before, the lactation consultant who worked miracles with Lily and I. What makes her so wonderful is not just that her knowledge of breastfeeding is absolutely encyclopedic and second to none (which it is), but that she also sees beyond the symptoms, looking deeply and tirelessly into the underlying source of whatever dysfunction the dyad is expressing at the breast. It is truly holistic lactation support.
I do believe she represents the best future of lactation consultants, and should become even more of a leading voice in the community than she already is - and yet there is a whole other dimension to her life work, which includes educating parents on holistic health. Fortunately for us, she has developed a "Kit" which includes everything a parent needs to begin supporting their family's health naturally and, again, holistically.
Check out this great detailed post about the incredibly valuable content, and see what some of the parents who have benefited have to say, such as:
“…The kit has empowered me; I feel confident that I can care for my family’s health and well-being using this arsenal of knowledge Jen has given me. Before I had the kit, when my children were sick I would feel helpless to ease their symptoms and help their bodies heal, but now I have tools at my fingertips to help them to feel better and recover quickly. I highly recommend this kit, and I highly recommend Jennifer.” -- Kate Cordick-Burns Heiser, CT, USA
In order to launch this product for greater availability, some up-front investment needs to happen - but as with so many worthy projects, if everyone who encounters this gives just a little, we can make this a reality. And this NEEDS to become a reality. (I badly want this kit myself!)
So please click the IndieGoGo link above, check it out, and consider contributing! Make it so.
Working out at the gym the other day, I was rocking out with my iPod and reading a trashy magazine. Hey, some people can read Pynchon and listen to Mahler, I need brain candy and synthpop. (I also choreograph song parodies as I'm trudging away. If anyone ever needs a breastfeeding promo set to Madonna, I'm your woman. Call me Madoula.) Anyway, I came across an Oscar Mayer ad, and though I'd normally flip right past it, something in the jumbled images caught my eye.
Apparently Jewel is now shilling for Oscar Mayer. But leaving aside how icky I think this processed crap is in the first place, something else really, REALLY bothered me. Can you guess what it is before scrolling down to see a close-up?
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Okay, here's the zoom-in, also turned upside down:
That right there, in what we're apparently supposed to think is Stuff You Find In Jewel's Bag, is a copy of Babywise. No doubt about it. See?
I'm sure people following my blog are familiar with the most notoriously awful book on parenting ever there was, but just in case, you'll find all you need to know here.
So, was this an intentional endorsement? She just had her first baby a month ago (congratulations on your baby boy, sincerely), so it's possible that this was on purpose (not the Boudreaux's Buttpaste in there as well). Or was this purely a matter of "Hey, young photographer's assistant, run out and grab a bunch of mom stuff. I dunno, diaper cream, I guess, whatever. Jewel can't possibly care what it looks like she's promoting if she's doing an Oscar Mayer ad, anyway,"?
Anyone else bothered by this? I'm not, like, ready to torch her Texas ranch or anything, but some sort of explanation would be nice. If, in the end, only kindness matters, "Babywise" is philosophically about as far from that as you can get.
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And now for something completely different:
It bums me out that I haven't had more time for blogging in recent months. I normally try to maintain SOME boundaries between the blog and my real life, which may seem odd given the intimacy of many of the experiences I've shared here. But I'm not a "mommy blogger" in the strictest sense, if there is strictness in such things - while I certainly have blurred the lines at times, my focus is not on chronicling my parenting experience; my shared experiences have all been mostly on-topic.
But, suffice it to say, low-income single parenthood is seriously kicking my ass. There are LOTS of good things in the works for Lily and I, lots to give us hope and the gumption to stick it out - but the day to day present is quite difficult most days. Alas, this means blogging here is something that falls by the wayside during more strenuous times, which, again, bums me out because it's something I find very satisfying. This is my internal soundtrack* many days:
Point being, I'm not going anywhere, and as ever, hope to be able to produce more frequently in coming weeks and months. Just forgive the sporadic-acity and check in on me once in a while.
*Moment of teh fun: I managed to get out for some grown-up fun last week, and entered a pub trivia contest that was ALL JOSS WHEDON! And our team, Big Damn Heroes, won by a landslide.
