tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67840883309523274882024-03-12T20:23:21.422-05:00boob hellA true story of breastfeeding.Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-3243169929858076932012-11-12T15:10:00.001-06:002012-11-12T15:10:32.861-06:00Worth what?<br />
Maybe you noticed the "worth it" down at the bottom of the BH cover. One person told me she liked it, but I've never been sure myself how much I liked it. I fear that it gives the wrong impression.<br />
<br />
The impression I do not mean to give is, "Breast milk is the fluid than which none higher can be conceived! My baby's life would have been ruined without it!"<br />
<br />
What I mean to say is, "I don't know if I could have lived with myself if I had quit," because at the time, I pretty much believed that impression just north there.<br />
<br />
Boob Hell was worth it because I would have hated myself so much if I'd given up on breastfeeding, and even more because I'd have lived in constant fear that other people thought less of me for having given up. But I still have to wonder what a personal, subjective insecurity is really worth.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcToCxOR2UArap-7ka_-2tjb9I7cxw5HCGBQMGn6v48waC_DEL1n" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcToCxOR2UArap-7ka_-2tjb9I7cxw5HCGBQMGn6v48waC_DEL1n" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Thanks, internet.</i></div>
<br />
Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-5319288017842365912012-10-21T19:56:00.000-05:002012-10-21T19:56:08.094-05:00Cliches of breastfeeding<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Breast is best</i> rhymes and is more or less true so we probably won't be able to do much about this one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i>Nursing like a champ</i> in reference to a latchy newborn. Are there nursing championships? How does one enter? What is the prize? Why does everyone say this?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><br /></span><i>Liquid gold</i> designating colostrum. I think this might have originated in<i> The Womanly Art</i>, but I gave my copy away to a boob hell mom once my couch lost enough legs that I didn't need the book to prop it up any more. Incidentally, TWA is one of the books I see most often on the shelf at my nearest Goodwill. Haven't seen BH there yet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I'm pretty concerned that breastfeeding lit won't become a serious subgenre until we get past these.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><a href="http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/bovine-colostrum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/bovine-colostrum.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Oh, <b>now</b> I get it!</i></div>
Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-4995323282908037072012-10-20T17:11:00.001-05:002012-10-20T17:13:13.891-05:00Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be selling a book here or somethingMy mom is really good at selling things. She is so good at it that she gets paid a ton of money by a commercial company you've almost certainly heard of to teach people how to sell things. Unfortunately I didn't get the "selling things" gene, which makes for some awkward conversations when my mom asks how my book is selling.<br />
<br />
Selling things makes me feel like I'm defrauding people. If they REALLY wanted this thing, they'd have tracked it down and bought it already, right? But, come on. I really wanted to read <i>Boob Hell</i> when I was there and I know other people are in BH right now feeling like so miserable. It's a matter of finding them. In fact, I have no desire for non-boob hellions to read it because they'd think really stupid things about it. So we're all above board here.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, I must find the boob hellions and sell them the book, which is where this post comes in. I made one of those badge thingies that all the cool blogs have. So if you've been there and have some very modest desire to alert people that you lived through something awful that they don't think even matters and you should basically never allude to or think about, you can have a badge for it, and I can tell my mom I did something to try to sell my book. I made a tab for it and everything. Wow, that was gratifying.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boob-Hell-Rebekah-Curtis/dp/1470143135/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350769675&sr=8-1&keywords=boob+hell" target="_blank"><img alt="fwiw" border="0" src="http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag29/rmgcurtis/fwiw_zps8030515e.jpg" /></a>
<textarea cols="40" name="textarea" rows="4" wrap="VIRTUAL">=====<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boob-Hell-Rebekah-Curtis/dp/1470143135/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350769675&sr=8-1&keywords=boob+hell" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag29/rmgcurtis/fwiw_zps8030515e.jpg" border="0" alt="fwiw"></a>
=====</textarea>Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-39104630712393319072012-08-04T08:51:00.001-05:002012-08-04T08:51:27.801-05:00Juice Joint<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In the very unlikely event that I do not soon come into my millions in <i>Boob Hell</i> royalties, I think I'll open a formula speakeasy in <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/07/31/new_york_mayor_bloomberg_s_new_breastfeeding_law_harmful_to_women.html" target="_blank">New York</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-axZAHO5WzNg/UB0mUjQOI2I/AAAAAAAAADo/XjBT9Gl2lEs/s1600/baby+flapper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-axZAHO5WzNg/UB0mUjQOI2I/AAAAAAAAADo/XjBT9Gl2lEs/s320/baby+flapper.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-87628776057294227222012-07-10T14:12:00.000-05:002012-07-10T14:12:00.740-05:00Who would read this thing?The truth is, I don't know that I really recommend this book as a maternity or baby shower gift for a first time mom. It's kind of like telling a pregnant lady about your horrible birth experience. It just scares and/or annoys her. Not that helpful.<br />
<br />
BUT--I do think it would be a really good postpartum gift. Whether or not a mom is in Boob Hell, postpartum is a lonely time. Another postpartum mom could be comforting company, even if she's a self-obsessed psycho. Postpartum moms who are nursing are usually in some state of boob discomfort and can relate at that level too. <br />
<br />
Most important, a postpartum mom needs LOTS OF GIFTS; way more than she needed when she was pregnant, although she didn't know it then. Buy her fourteen or fifteen copies so she can build some kind of arty structure and pin it. Tell her to make sure the cover is clearly visible.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aHNG_TFDbdo/T_x-Fzg9ltI/AAAAAAAAADc/bixjEvc27pY/s1600/IMG_1986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aHNG_TFDbdo/T_x-Fzg9ltI/AAAAAAAAADc/bixjEvc27pY/s320/IMG_1986.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Still life with <i>Boob Hell</i></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-92034109026186301762012-07-01T13:08:00.001-05:002012-07-01T13:08:11.674-05:00Because researchers are dumb.Dr. Amy and I have our differences, but I think she is 100% right in her post "Why do breastfeeding researchers ignore the obvious?" She was even nice enough to supply the pullquote herself: <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', verdana, arial, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">The dirty little secret about breastfeeding is that starting is hard, painful, frustrating and inconvenient. And continuing breastfeeding is hard, sometimes painful, and incredibly inconvenient especially for women who work, which in 2012 is most women.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Read it all</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="http://skepticalob.blogspot.com/2012/06/why-do-breastfeeding-researchers-ignore.html" target="_blank">here</a><span style="background-color: white;">.</span>Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-15879845911158123682012-05-17T12:51:00.000-05:002012-05-17T13:10:01.665-05:00Bullshirt, Kellymom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS0DKsZWPXztzEuBUhVB8zkSU4SedHmWMW6gUjioC_idIwyJSaHCQ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS0DKsZWPXztzEuBUhVB8zkSU4SedHmWMW6gUjioC_idIwyJSaHCQ" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">My Baby 4 was a good nurser, and I thought I had finally figured it out. Now I knew how to nurse. Now postpartums wouldn't be terrible, if I had any more.</span><br />
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Baby 5 was a terrible nurser. It was, to understate, disappointing. He was sleepy and mean and I was miserable, so miserable that I got desperate enough to revisit <a href="http://kellymom.com/" target="_blank">Kellymom</a>.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't understand Kellymom. I don't know if there is a real person named Kelly. I don't know why Kelly, if she exists, is qualified to be the person about whom people always ask, "Did you check Kellymom?" when you mention a nursing problem. I only know that Kellymom has been around for a fairly long time (I'm pretty sure I learned about Kellymom during Boob Hell actual, which was 9 years ago), and that Kellymom is some kind of online hippie den (it's OK, some of my best friends are hippies), and that the site is finally looking a little more up to date than it was even at the time of my Baby 5 consultation.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So anyway, finding myself in Boob Purgatory following the (admittedly un-ideal) birth of my FIFTH freakin kid, I went to Kellymom, and this is what she had for me: <a href="http://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/child/back-to-breast/" target="_blank">rebirthing</a>. <i><a href="http://lactationconsultant.info/rebirth.html" target="_blank">Rebirthing</a>.</i> And honestly, people, I was and remain at a loss. What could Kellymom possibly mean by this? I mean, the explanation is there in my first language and I understand the vocabulary and the syntax. But I do not understand how anyone can take this magnitude of absurdity seriously. Who is going to call bullshirt on this kind of thing?</span></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I guess I am. Bullshirt. Rebirthing is the most idiotic thing I've ever heard of. Two people in a warm bath is not in any way like the birth of a human being, even if that birth takes place in a warm bath. Maybe (?) nursing in a warm bath would help with nursing problems, but a warm bath is all it would be. It would not be the counterfactual you have designated "rebirthing." Desperate as I was at that time in my life, and still feeling victimized and guilty in the aftermath of my ridiculous fifth delivery during which I missed my opportunity to initiate nursing immediately following the baby's birth, I could not be mind-tricked into this one.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The emperor, he is naked, and Kellymom, you are too, but I guess you and your devotees do that on purpose. I'm only judging it when it surpasses eccentric and achieves willfully stupid.</span></div>Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-76638540897696498962012-04-24T17:38:00.000-05:002012-04-24T17:38:23.451-05:00I'm so offendedJeanne Moos: a lady who isn't afraid to call an Amelia Earhart an Amelia Earhart.<br />
<br />
<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="374" id="ep" width="416"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" />
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" />
<param name="wmode" value="transparent" />
<param name="movie" value="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=bestoftv/2012/04/23/moos-pkg-breast-milk-oreos.cnn" />
<param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" />
<embed src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=bestoftv/2012/04/23/moos-pkg-breast-milk-oreos.cnn" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="416" wmode="transparent" height="374"></embed></object>Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-34789386809711312692012-04-22T18:27:00.003-05:002012-04-22T18:28:24.481-05:00Yeah, WHY?<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Well, I'm really excited. Several people have left favorable reviews </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">of BH at Amazon, and I am grateful to them for their kind words and BH </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">promotivity. But today I noticed that <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R3I2PC0DEO82T2/ref=cm_cr_pr_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B007DOSSGO&nodeID=&tag=&linkCode=#wasThisHelpful" target="_blank">someone else is not so pleased</a>. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Quoth Sus:</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Why would anyone suffer the way the author did, just to feed their </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">babies breast milk? How terrible that she didn't enjoy the first year </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">with her baby(s). Why?</span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hard to believe I wasted 45,347 perfectly cromulent words trying to </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">answer that question, and in this economy too! Thanks for those two </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">stars, Sus; they're the coolest thing I've gotten all day. :)</span>
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTDuBlLgFQ2jdbnmD18ZfRRFc6mUoOCXvFcC9kpcuDZY3kSDiVt8A" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTDuBlLgFQ2jdbnmD18ZfRRFc6mUoOCXvFcC9kpcuDZY3kSDiVt8A" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">At least we have each other.</span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-6264321830610935242012-04-13T21:57:00.000-05:002012-04-13T21:57:02.554-05:00Boob Hell meets Motherlove, no joke<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">My countless Facebook disciples know that all my life's a book tour. After scouting the Roosevelt National Forest as a nursing venue this morning (approved), I was surprised to find myself driving by a sign that said "<a href="http://www.motherlove.com/SFNT.html" target="_blank">Motherlove</a>." It was a sign. Oh, I already said that.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTobcAF12ZbS4iyqX_PCCTRzKPIpSU_przJXWZVJNdVlr5KX3xm" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTobcAF12ZbS4iyqX_PCCTRzKPIpSU_przJXWZVJNdVlr5KX3xm" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">LaPorte, Colorado: a real place!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
So my current dairy patron and I stopped in with a copy of tomorrow's bestseller, <i>Boob Hell</i>. We got to meet the mother of Motherlove Herbal Company, <a href="http://www.motherlove.com/category/Founder.html" target="_blank">Kathryn Higgins</a>, and tour the facility. The shelves and boxes loaded with all kinds of natural "Get Out Of Boob Hell Or Don't Even Go There In the First Place" potions were powerful inspiring. Nothing like a lovely meeting with the gracious and successful proprietress of a commendable product line to make you know you're getting the better end of your own book tour. Thanks to Kathryn and all the ladies at Motherlove for their kind reception of a crazy person who walks in off the street with a glurky baby and a goofy book.</div>Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-32556038257958272902012-04-02T22:17:00.003-05:002012-04-02T22:26:52.766-05:00Earth Mamas get me good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Ahem. Someone has been kind enough to point out to me that I don't know what the heck I'm talking about. Turns out the idea is <a href="http://blog.earthmamaangelbaby.com/naturally-speaking/support-with-integrity-breastfeeding-pledge" target="_blank">to discourage "You're not doing it right"ers<i> within the ranks of breastfeeding experts</i></a>. Oh yeah, I kind of wrote a book about how mad I was about that kind of thing. Sorry, Earth Mamas. I dum dum, and I am all for encouraging aspiring breastfeeders to get the job done however they can make it work.</span>
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jEh6PIERT8I/T3ptEfILGmI/AAAAAAAAADU/uMWmXBtFtpY/s1600/Mom+is+dumb.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jEh6PIERT8I/T3ptEfILGmI/AAAAAAAAADU/uMWmXBtFtpY/s400/Mom+is+dumb.bmp" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-13004274716437149102012-03-31T09:33:00.000-05:002012-03-31T13:04:38.039-05:00Boob Hell History Museum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A few artifacts for you to ponder. I took the first two outside so I wouldn't have to wipe down my counter for a decent photo backdrop.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yp5gtM5KryQ/T3cUNi9NUcI/AAAAAAAAACs/8A3KFX8aUf0/s1600/spring+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yp5gtM5KryQ/T3cUNi9NUcI/AAAAAAAAACs/8A3KFX8aUf0/s320/spring+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of my Fiestaware coffee cups, ergonomically designed for manual expression. Also my cat. His name is Phileas.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IjQNLRdm1u4/T3cURuBvkAI/AAAAAAAAAC0/BbmsIA2Mcj4/s1600/spring+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IjQNLRdm1u4/T3cURuBvkAI/AAAAAAAAAC0/BbmsIA2Mcj4/s320/spring+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The man-funnel. It looks so natural reclining near the lilacs.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-he9CJHIxa3o/T3cUTA7z88I/AAAAAAAAAC8/bXvV_FBO198/s1600/spring+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-he9CJHIxa3o/T3cUTA7z88I/AAAAAAAAAC8/bXvV_FBO198/s320/spring+003.jpg" width="194" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The qipao. I'm supposed to wear it in a couple of weeks. Haven't tried it on yet. Yerg.</div>
<br />Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-48407533607222411742012-03-25T14:09:00.003-05:002012-03-25T14:15:48.223-05:00You babies think you're so smart<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/nyregion/21freda.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1" target="_blank">This article about lactation consultant Freda Rosenfeld</a> is real </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">ancient now, but I've always remembered it because of one sentence:</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">She has coached novices so anxious they tried to schedule a session </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">before giving birth (“Just enjoy being pregnant,” she counseled) and </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hasidic women suddenly unable to nurse baby No. 7, 8 or 9.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">That last part. That's what I remembered.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Baby 4 was the first time nursing went for me like it was </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">supposedly supposed to. It was lousy for a few weeks, but not </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">horrendous. That was the only postpartum during which I did not have </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">meltdown after meltdown. I thought, <i>I've got it. I know how to nurse </i></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>now. It doesn't have to be terrible again.</i> And then Baby 5 was a total </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">bust: scabs, meltdowns, months of painful nursing. Sometime during </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">those rotten months I read that article and had my big epiphany. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">(Oh boy, here </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">it comes.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Mothers have to learn to nurse, yes, and some get it more easily than </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">others. Same deal for babies. Some nurse well and some don't. It's not </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">always the idiot mom's fault. Boob Hell may have been all my fault, </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">but there's really no way to know. I honestly don't know if BH Baby </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">had a bad latch. The lactation people I talked to said that must be </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">why I had so much damage and pain, but no one who observed a feeding </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">could ever say, "This is what you're doing wrong. This is how to fix </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">it." Looking back, I think that the best nursey-baby in the world </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">could not have kept me from getting mangled. I had a bad time getting </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">broken in. I think some people just do. I will always resent the </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">suggestion that nursing, if done right, absolutely won't cause pain or </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">injury.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">But even being "broken in" is no guarantee. Not a lot of people do personal </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">primary research on this any more, but if I've learned anything from </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">nursing 6 babies, it's that there isn't a magical experiential knowledge </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">of nursing that solves every problem. Nursing can be stygian on a </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">first baby or a fifth, and probably a tenth too. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Help us, Freda. Or Orpheus, or somebody?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT2MkywVqm3vjB4y6Cc9fR6VAEkvLP_RHldxUIUmyEX9ljSSgObGA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT2MkywVqm3vjB4y6Cc9fR6VAEkvLP_RHldxUIUmyEX9ljSSgObGA" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>"Asymmetrical! It has to be asymmetrical!"</i></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-5393901018887024892012-03-18T14:00:00.000-05:002012-03-18T14:01:50.466-05:00Weirdest breastfeeding products everI have this brilliant insight about how breastfeeding has succeeded in propagating itself by getting capitalist, but I'll spare you the analysis for now and just provide some of the stranger examples.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://babybondnursing.com/original/" target="_blank">The Baby Bond Nursing Sash</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://babybondnursing.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/eatrun-012-230x322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://babybondnursing.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/eatrun-012-230x322.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
This is supposed you let you see your whole baby while still covering you up. I cannot begin to imagine how such a thing could work. And is it just me, or is this lovely mother not really that covered up?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mymilkies.com/milksaver" target="_blank">Milkies Milksaver</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.mymilkies.com/sites/default/files/milksaver4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mymilkies.com/sites/default/files/milksaver4.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Milksaver collects milk from your spare while the other's working. I'm not saying this isn't a good idea, but it's still weird.</div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.lilypadz.com/" target="_blank">Lilypadz</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.lilypadz.com/images/homebk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://www.lilypadz.com/images/homebk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I actually own a pair of these. Unlike my messy, bulky, and expensive nursing pads, they have been in the back corner of my underwear drawer for 6+ years. Judging from the product reviews, though, that makes ME weird.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/" target="_blank">Earth Mama Angel Baby Organics</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q_FuQb7BfqE/Tt-p0HseCBI/AAAAAAAABSQ/X715K_kXeSk/s1600/earthmama_homelogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q_FuQb7BfqE/Tt-p0HseCBI/AAAAAAAABSQ/X715K_kXeSk/s320/earthmama_homelogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Does it have to be <a href="http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/breastfeeding-support/natural-nipple-butter.html" target="_blank">Butter</a>? Does it have to be <a href="http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/breastfeeding-support/booby-tubes.html" target="_blank">Boobies</a>? This kind of thing is how I know I'm inorganic. One more from the Earth Mamas, if it's really a product:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://blog.earthmamaangelbaby.com/naturally-speaking/support-with-integrity-breastfeeding-pledge" target="_blank">Judgment-Free Breastfeeding</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://blog.earthmamaangelbaby.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/breastfeed-support-logo-e1327353250564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://blog.earthmamaangelbaby.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/breastfeed-support-logo-e1327353250564.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Sure, breastfeeding judgers are jerks and very stupid. Kind of their problem, though.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://utterlyyours.com/product.html" target="_blank">Utterly Yours Breast Pillow</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.mybreastpump.com/pillow-how-to_v.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="http://www.mybreastpump.com/pillow-how-to_v.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Another one I have trouble imagining in action. I love breastfeeding diagrams, though. I'm also glad that now pillows have pillows.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/92751452/sale-fun-crocheted-boobie-beanie?ref=sr_gallery_5&sref=&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=breastfeeding&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=1&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade" target="_blank">Breastfeeding Beanie</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.311428616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.311428616.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Definitely not my style. But if I saw your baby wearing one, I would laugh my butt off and give you $5.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-91685821223316780452012-03-14T09:15:00.001-05:002012-03-14T09:22:07.222-05:00How to change a nursing bra: a tutorial from Nicolas Cage(You don't have to watch this whole thing--the instructions begin at 6:00 and run through 7:00. Sound is not required.)<br />
<br />
1. Slow and careful<br />
2. <i>No matter what happens--slow and careful.</i><br />
3. You can always try hiding.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bw3LB7qihA8" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
The good news is that there probably won't be a crazy dude chasing you with a gun.Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-63280940331574290272012-03-11T16:20:00.000-05:002012-03-11T16:20:02.822-05:00Shut up and write, and then don't say anything stupid about it.<br />
I hate it when writers write about writing. No one cares. Shut up and write.<br />
<br />
But I just have to say this one thing now that I have become as qualified to do so as I ever will. I don't mean any hard feelings here to the many people who have drawn this comparison, but:<br />
<br />
Writing a book is IN NO WAY like having a baby.<br />
<br />
The process of writing is not like being pregnant. The act of publishing is not even remotely like giving birth. I'd explain, but do I really need to? Could I just mention some general concepts like vomit, 20-40 pounds, acne, incontinence, sutures, etc., and assume everyone is tracking?<br />
<br />
The only thing bookgrowing and babygrowing have in common is that both take longer than it feels like they should, kind of like baseball games, college, making pastry, toilet training, grocery shopping, wrapping Christmas presents, digging up dahlia tubers, middle school band concerts, <i>Finding Nemo</i>, Lent, water boiling, adolescence, parades, driving to Fort Wayne, and travailing toward the end of this sentence.<br />
<br />
It's a post! A miracle every time.<br />Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-68479416062909456862012-03-07T16:34:00.003-06:002012-03-07T16:34:35.707-06:00Book fail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pWCzwuO5gi4/T1fhrzKtBrI/AAAAAAAAABw/A2C3Fe0Ied8/s1600/bookfail+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pWCzwuO5gi4/T1fhrzKtBrI/AAAAAAAAABw/A2C3Fe0Ied8/s320/bookfail+015.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Nothing like seeing your hard work pay off. Dum dee dum dum dum.<br />
<br />
So anyway, if you ordered from Amazon or Createspace and for some reason are not really excited about receiving this limited release collector's edition, <i>please </i><a href="mailto:bhbreastfeeding@gmail.com">email bhbreastfeeding at gmail dot com</a> for a replacement and full postage compensation.Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-73660509080247057592012-03-06T20:49:00.002-06:002012-03-06T20:49:45.451-06:00How many breastfeeding mothers does it take to change a light bulb?Who cares as long as they don't do it too long, not long enough, or in public?Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784088330952327488.post-36757305437377988432012-02-25T14:59:00.000-06:002012-03-02T11:16:53.063-06:00Boob Hell begins<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">I went to Boob Hell when I had my first baby. I thought I was the only person who'd ever been there. Then I thought every nursing mother had been there. I thought a lot of stupid things. It seemed wise to put them all in a book for other people to read.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">My husband and I always referred to that year of our life as Boob Hell, so when this book needed a title I really couldn't come up with anything else. I'm sorry if you have to hide it from your kids. I'm hiding it from mine too. I commend to you e-readers.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">I am not a nursing junkie, but for some reason I can't stop writing about it, like </span><a href="http://www.babble.com/baby/baby-feeding-nutrition/womens-rights-public-breastfeeding-laws/" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;">here</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Thanks for visiting. Rebekah Curtis</span></span>Rebekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05619980163373964365noreply@blogger.com0