So I like breastfeeding. It's good for me, it's best for babe, but I'm not going to preach; your body, your choice. So imagine how gutted I was this week when I went to buy a new nursing bra and the HUGE department store I went to (Debenhams for anyone interested) didn't even have a maternity bra section!
A whole wall of bras with gel in to give you bigger bangers. An entire section of bras for children and pre-teens (28AA anyone?) Even a large selection of mastectomy bras for prosthetic jubblies. But not a maternity bra in sight!
Thinking I must have overlooked the correct department, I asked the lady behind the counter where the nursing bra section was. "oh we haven't got one at the moment love," she said, "it's just these few here in the sale that's left," and she pointed to about 5 bras shoved behind a sale rail of odds and sods.
How did this happen? When did it become more common to put children in bras than to use your boobs to feed your children? It's not the shop's fault; if the demand was there I'm sure they'd have a maternity range. But clearly the demand just isn't there. Breastfeeding mums aren't just becoming the minority, in many areas they're becoming the exception.
I for one want to use my boobs for the job they were designed for. I'm sure they'd look lovely squished and squashed into something lacy, wired and frilly, but what I need right now is supportive, practical and drop cup!
So who is to blame? Debenhams, for failing to meet the demands of a decreasing minority? Hardly. Society, for marginalising breastfeeding and labelling it "hippy" and "alternative"? Partly. The formula companies for aggressively marketing their products? Partly. The fashion and porn industry, for promoting the female body as a sexual object rather than a beautiful biological wonder? I think this could be closer to the source of the problem. Girls are taught at a young age that tits are for titillation, and encouraged to wear push-up, padded, sexy little numbers COMPLETELY inappropriate for their age. Who is telling these girls that motherhood can be sexy too? Where are the billboards of Eva Herzigova breastfeeding male twins with the tag line HELLO BOYS? Why is it that completely normal bodily functions are pushed to one side to promote the sexy alternative? Children are conditioned from a tiny age that they need to use their appearance to influence others, and none more-so than girls and their bangers. So we have a generation who are more at home flaunting acres of cleavage spilling over the top of an ill-fitting push-up, than showing a little flesh in public whilst breastfeeding. "Get your tits out for the lads" goes the oft-used cry; I might try to start a new one: "Get your bangers out for babies!" I'm not convinced it'll catch on, but it's either that or take the next step along the feminist path and burn all my bloody bras!
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Thursday, 2 February 2012
To D or not to D
If the media are to be believed, we're all about to develop rickets from vitamin D difficiency. None more so than (shock horror) breastfed babies. Other high risk groups include those who cover their skin (what, with clothes? Surely not?!)and those who use high factor suncream. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I failed to spot on any of the media bombardment about slip, slop, slap PROTECT YOUR CHILD FROM SKINCANCER, a footnote warning along the lines of: if you keep your children out of the sun, and use a high factor sunscreen, they won't get sunburn and they're less likely to get skincancer, but their bones will crumble from vitamin D difficiency.
So now there are recommendations for vitamin D supplements. For you, me, every-bloody-body! Quick, go buy some vitamin D before it's too late! Apparently, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers should take 10 micrograms a day BUT NO MORE because, and I quote "use of excessive amounts of vitamin D in nursing mothers may result in hypercalcemia in infants. Doses of vitamin D analogs in excess of 10 micrograms daily should not be administered to nursing women." source: http://www.rxmed.com/b.main/b2.pharmaceutical/b2.1.monographs/CPS-%20Monographs/CPS-%20(General%20Monographs-%20V)/VITAMIN%20D.html
Conveniently, the mega expensive pregnancy/breastfeeding pills contain this exact amount (10mcg) along with a whole load of stuff I'm sure you don't really need. Strangely, I can't find 10mcg of vitamin D by itself for sale in the shops (it is available online though); the closest I've found is 12.5mcg tablets from Boots, which say on the pack "take two a day." 25 micrograms...more than double the safe amount for pregnant/breastfeeding women. Now, we know I'm a worrier. I read medical journals for fun. I triple check the ingredients in things to make sure the RDAs are right. So I know that I shouldn't take 25 mcg of vitamin D. But what about the non-worriers out there? The mums who've seen all this hooha, gone into a chemist, bought some vitamin D supplements and started chugging them down 2 a day because that's what it says on the pack? It doesn't say anything about "if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, check with your pharmacist/doctor." All this media frenzy should be MORE SPECIFIC!
And then we get to the little people. The eldest takes a general multivitamin, so he's covered, but for littlest, where do I get extra vitamin D in a form he can take? Oh joy, my only option is another multivitamin; the pharmacist in Boots checked their policy, and they recommend Abidec. But further research shows that the type of vitamin D in this supplement, D2, isn't as useful as D3, and a paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2006 made a case for removing D2 as a vitamin supplement altogether! Source: http://www.ajcn.org/content/84/4/694.long
Clearly what I REALLY need is a yummy, safe dose of all of his nutritional needs in one milky serving...and would you believe it, Cow and Gate, who are behind the Feeding for Life group funding this research and making a lot of this noise, actually make such a product! Why didn't they say?! I could have saved myself so much trouble...
What I'll actually do, is continue to get outside in the sunshine; continue to eat salmon, a serving of which is practically your entire day's requirement, and find a supplement for the youngest with D3 in it. Because as much as Cow and Gate might be expecting it, I refuse to join in with their Formula Milk Has All the Answers campaign.
**ADDITIONAL INFO**
Further reading would suggest that 400 IU (10 mcg) of vitamin D3 is now the safest bet for breastfed babies. I've gone for Natural Factor D3 drops for Kids 400IU, which are made from organic olive oil, and you only need 1 drop a day; easy to pop onto a clean finger/nipple for a baby to suck! They're made by a Canadian company, but you can buy them here or from Amazon (using the app - not through the website for some reason!!)
So now there are recommendations for vitamin D supplements. For you, me, every-bloody-body! Quick, go buy some vitamin D before it's too late! Apparently, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers should take 10 micrograms a day BUT NO MORE because, and I quote "use of excessive amounts of vitamin D in nursing mothers may result in hypercalcemia in infants. Doses of vitamin D analogs in excess of 10 micrograms daily should not be administered to nursing women." source: http://www.rxmed.com/b.main/b2.pharmaceutical/b2.1.monographs/CPS-%20Monographs/CPS-%20(General%20Monographs-%20V)/VITAMIN%20D.html
Conveniently, the mega expensive pregnancy/breastfeeding pills contain this exact amount (10mcg) along with a whole load of stuff I'm sure you don't really need. Strangely, I can't find 10mcg of vitamin D by itself for sale in the shops (it is available online though); the closest I've found is 12.5mcg tablets from Boots, which say on the pack "take two a day." 25 micrograms...more than double the safe amount for pregnant/breastfeeding women. Now, we know I'm a worrier. I read medical journals for fun. I triple check the ingredients in things to make sure the RDAs are right. So I know that I shouldn't take 25 mcg of vitamin D. But what about the non-worriers out there? The mums who've seen all this hooha, gone into a chemist, bought some vitamin D supplements and started chugging them down 2 a day because that's what it says on the pack? It doesn't say anything about "if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, check with your pharmacist/doctor." All this media frenzy should be MORE SPECIFIC!
And then we get to the little people. The eldest takes a general multivitamin, so he's covered, but for littlest, where do I get extra vitamin D in a form he can take? Oh joy, my only option is another multivitamin; the pharmacist in Boots checked their policy, and they recommend Abidec. But further research shows that the type of vitamin D in this supplement, D2, isn't as useful as D3, and a paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2006 made a case for removing D2 as a vitamin supplement altogether! Source: http://www.ajcn.org/content/84/4/694.long
Clearly what I REALLY need is a yummy, safe dose of all of his nutritional needs in one milky serving...and would you believe it, Cow and Gate, who are behind the Feeding for Life group funding this research and making a lot of this noise, actually make such a product! Why didn't they say?! I could have saved myself so much trouble...
What I'll actually do, is continue to get outside in the sunshine; continue to eat salmon, a serving of which is practically your entire day's requirement, and find a supplement for the youngest with D3 in it. Because as much as Cow and Gate might be expecting it, I refuse to join in with their Formula Milk Has All the Answers campaign.
**ADDITIONAL INFO**
Further reading would suggest that 400 IU (10 mcg) of vitamin D3 is now the safest bet for breastfed babies. I've gone for Natural Factor D3 drops for Kids 400IU, which are made from organic olive oil, and you only need 1 drop a day; easy to pop onto a clean finger/nipple for a baby to suck! They're made by a Canadian company, but you can buy them here or from Amazon (using the app - not through the website for some reason!!)
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Antibacterial Girl
Ive run out of Dettol. I usually keep a spare one in, but forgot to get a new bottle when shopping last week, and now I'm out. This is more serious than it sounds. I would bathe the kids in Dettol if I could. I see nothing wrong with keeping surfaces as hygienically clean as possible; I still remember that advert where the family eat their dinner off the table, and the mum asks "gravy anyone?" I thought it was brilliant! Yes, I want to be able to eat my dinner straight from any surface in my house, and as we're doing BLW youngest very often does!
The other half argues that they need some germs to "toughen them up." To be honest, I'm not sure how a good dose of sickness and diarrhoea will toughen them up. When we go out for food, I wipe the table, the high-chair, and both boys' hands before they eat. The thought of youngest eating something straight off a table in a cafe etc actually makes me squirm; the last person who sat there might have SNEEZED on it!! I do try to curb my OCD tendencies for their sake, but I fear it may be too late for the eldest; he doesn't really like getting his hands dirty even now, and he's almost 5! Shouldn't he be making mud pies and getting grubby? He loves being outside, but being dirty: not so much!
We were coming up with superhero names for our family a while back, and when it came to my turn, the other half and the eldest took no time to decide on my alter-ego: Antibacterial Girl! Armed with a bottle of Dettol, I would fly around shooting any germs, cleansing the world of grubby tables and bugs! It sounds like my idea of superhero heaven!! My little people might end up slightly more OCD about cleanliness than their friends, but I guarantee this: you'd never catch them eating a sweet off the floor! As the eldest shouted at his younger cousin recently, "don't eat that, it might have GERMS on it!!" That's my boy!
The other half argues that they need some germs to "toughen them up." To be honest, I'm not sure how a good dose of sickness and diarrhoea will toughen them up. When we go out for food, I wipe the table, the high-chair, and both boys' hands before they eat. The thought of youngest eating something straight off a table in a cafe etc actually makes me squirm; the last person who sat there might have SNEEZED on it!! I do try to curb my OCD tendencies for their sake, but I fear it may be too late for the eldest; he doesn't really like getting his hands dirty even now, and he's almost 5! Shouldn't he be making mud pies and getting grubby? He loves being outside, but being dirty: not so much!
We were coming up with superhero names for our family a while back, and when it came to my turn, the other half and the eldest took no time to decide on my alter-ego: Antibacterial Girl! Armed with a bottle of Dettol, I would fly around shooting any germs, cleansing the world of grubby tables and bugs! It sounds like my idea of superhero heaven!! My little people might end up slightly more OCD about cleanliness than their friends, but I guarantee this: you'd never catch them eating a sweet off the floor! As the eldest shouted at his younger cousin recently, "don't eat that, it might have GERMS on it!!" That's my boy!
Irreplaceable
I went to see a financial advisor type at the bank today, to talk about setting up some kind of long-term savings account for youngest, as he doesn't qualify for a CTF. During the process, she asked me if I have any life cover, and I guess like a lot of people, it's just something I haven't got round to. I keep meaning to, but then the thought of making a financial plan should I meet some untimely end is so WORRYING, I've avoided it.
Apparently, though, I'm worth a lot more than I thought! "think of the expense your hubby will have to go to if something happens to you", she said. "Childcare, cleaning, cooking, shopping-it would cost him a fortune to pay someone to do everything that you do!" I thought she was missing the point slightly; surely my contribution to our family long-term would be more financial: I won't be a stay-at-home mum forever! But anyway. I mentioned this to the other half when he came home, to which he replied "don't worry dear, if something happens to you, I'll get myself on Dating Direct and just get a new model..."
Good job I've got a sense of humour!
Getting hit by the proverbial bus must be a worry for every parent though, and it's not something you want to even think about let alone plan for. Never mind the sodding financial side of things, WHO WILL READ THEIR BEDTIME STORIES and cuddle them and watch their school plays if I pop my clogs tomorrow? Would they even remember me?!? I think it's a sign I'm still sane that for this one at least, I don't worry too much. It's pointless; no one knows what's coming, which makes it so important to enjoy every moment with the little buggers. And clearly, even if I haven't got a plan, the other half has; he'd have me replaced in a jiffy!
Apparently, though, I'm worth a lot more than I thought! "think of the expense your hubby will have to go to if something happens to you", she said. "Childcare, cleaning, cooking, shopping-it would cost him a fortune to pay someone to do everything that you do!" I thought she was missing the point slightly; surely my contribution to our family long-term would be more financial: I won't be a stay-at-home mum forever! But anyway. I mentioned this to the other half when he came home, to which he replied "don't worry dear, if something happens to you, I'll get myself on Dating Direct and just get a new model..."
Good job I've got a sense of humour!
Getting hit by the proverbial bus must be a worry for every parent though, and it's not something you want to even think about let alone plan for. Never mind the sodding financial side of things, WHO WILL READ THEIR BEDTIME STORIES and cuddle them and watch their school plays if I pop my clogs tomorrow? Would they even remember me?!? I think it's a sign I'm still sane that for this one at least, I don't worry too much. It's pointless; no one knows what's coming, which makes it so important to enjoy every moment with the little buggers. And clearly, even if I haven't got a plan, the other half has; he'd have me replaced in a jiffy!
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