Dr. Rick's Response

Remember my disgust at Dr. Rick recommending "12 Hours in 12 Weeks" to listeners of Southern Remedy?  I called into the show that day and explained how this book and the cultural phenomena of insisting young babies sleep through the night can be detrimental to breastfeeding relationships and followed up the call with an email.


I finally got a response from Dr. Rick.  Let's just say I am as unimpressed with his reply as I was with his original negative reaction to breastfeeding.  I have so much to say about his letter that I am honestly left speechless.....for now but possibly not forever :)


Although there are real advantages to breast feeding, the science shows that children who are not breast fed do just fine in the long run. I am very careful about making folks feel guilty about not doing it when it is difficult or impossible. I am sticking with this science on this.  Breastfeeding is best, but not essential in the long shot. If that changes, so will my opinion.  I know there are other heartfelt opinions on this and i respect them.

Hope this helps,
Dr. Rick

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Mississippi might have the fewest breastfed babies in the country but we certainly have our share of informed and passionate mamas.  Thank you, friends, for sending in your letters to Dr. Rick!

Dear Dr. Rick,

With your recent push on focusing on Mississippi's health and specifically our state's issue with obesity, one would expect you to be very knowledgeable and supportive of breastfeeding. The statistics on the health benefits of breastfeeding are outstanding and specifically the significantly lowered rush of obesity and childhood diabetes. The AAP suggests a minimum of 1 year which is lax compared to the WHO's recommendation of a minimum of 2 years. Recently, the AAP released a statement that breastfeeding is not a lifestyle choice but a public health issue. Support at all levels from hospitals to workplace to community to physicians is imperative in improving breastfeeding rates and reducing a multitude of health disparities. At a conference this past weekend, I was pleased to hear a Dept of Health leader proclaiming the benefits of breastfeeding to establish healthy eating habits among our children. I have included a link to a really great Time magazine article of the new AAP statement and it's impact. I'd also encourage you to connect yourself and your listeners with Dr. Rebecca Saenz who is a Specialist in Breastfeeding Medicine in Jackson. Her expertise not only benefits the metro area, but the entire state. She is known nationally and internationally for her expertise in the breastfeeding field and our state is lucky to have her.

Also, since you mentioned that breastfeeding is nearly impossible for working mother's, which it is not, I'd like to take the opportunity to commend our State for having such breastfeeding friendly laws in place. Not only is it written in the books that a woman is doing no wrong by breastfeeding her baby anywhere they have the right to be, but MS laws also provide that any workplace must allow a breastfeeding mother time and place to pump without exception and without negative consequences or penalties. This sets the stage for Mississippi workplaces being highly conducive to breastfeeding mothers. The issue arises in the lack of support elsewhere. Along with it's awful rates of childhood obesity and other health issues, Mississippi has some of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the country. (correlation? I think so.)Here is the article I referred to that discusses breastfeeding as a public health issue:http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/29/why-pediatricians-say-breast-feeding-is-about-public-health-not-just-lifestyle/

Thanks!

Mandi

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Dear Dr. Rick,

I have listened to the show for years and there have been times I've disagreed with a statement or two on different topics. But the show this week on pediatrics left me very disappointed. When the caller from Starkville discussed breast feeding I felt like she received quite the brush off from you and Dr. Allyn. Not necessarily her personally but the importance of breast feeding in general. Considering the alarming state of health in Mississippi, especially concerning obesity and diabetes, I would think this would rate higher on your scale of importance. I know how hard you've worked and are currently working to help pull Mississippians up out of the bottom of the barrel in obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure rankings and I would have thought you would have been better informed on the benefits breast feeding has on the long term health of a child who receives it. The statements you and Dr. Allyn made regarding breast feeding made it sound like a lifestyle choice for moms. And while I agree that many many women have difficulty breast feeding for very long and some at all- I think it's inaccurate to say that there are a lot of women who can't breast feed. Our bodies were made by divine creation to feed our children. 

It's statements such as yours and the careless attitude of so many health professionals that gives women the idea that they probably won't be able to breast feed successfully-starting out with this type of atmosphere, how can anyone be expected to keep trying even when it's difficult-and it is especially at first. Sure, there are medical explanations for why some women can't breast feed but these cases are few and far between in comparison to the number of women who don't succeed due to lack of support and education. Also, one of the worst things a new mother can do for her breast feeding relationship is try and 'train' her baby to sleep thru the night before a strong supply has been established. Books like the '12 hour sleep in 12 weeks' are the cause of many a failed breast feeding relationship. If you stop removing the milk, your smart body stops making it. Please be careful of recommending such books without this information included.

I have included a few links to articles detailing the benefits of breast feeding for obesity and diabetes since I know fighting these is a passion of yours. The benefits of breast feeding go far beyond these two topics but I'm hoping that referencing two of your interests will have you interested enough to do a little more research and possibly have a show devoted entirely to breast feeding. Most Mississippi women are sadly uneducated on the topic and views such as your statements seemed to portray it-as a life style choice for the mother. Breast milk is the best gift a mother can give her newborn and with proper education and support most women can succeed in providing this lifelong gift to their children. Thanks for all that you do and I hope to hear more on this topic in the future, for the sake of Mississippi's children who so badly need the best start possible.

http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/NewsInfo/NewsRoom/201002PreventingObesityBeginsatBirth/tabid/169/Default.asp

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC28161/

http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2009/12/25/6495/evidence-deepens-that-breastfeeding-helps-moms-avoid-metabolic-syndrome-and-type-2-/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21348815/

http://www.llli.org/nb/nbjulaug98p100.html 

Thank you,

A listener in Mississippi

Babysitting Cooperative

I don't mention often enough how lucky I am to have such a wonderful group of girlfriends.  How we manage to have such a large group of like-minded, but different enough to keep it interesting, mamas in this little town never ceases to amaze me.  I am truly blessed to have a wonderful group of mamas cheering me on with my many opinions and my crazy children.

And, oh, the crazy children.  We all have them.  Some days, we need to know our crazy children are well taken care of even if we need a trip to grocery store by ourselves, a visit to the dentist or a date night with our husband.


Thus, a babysitting co-op was created.  With the organization skills of my friend, Carmen, a few ladies' nights to hash out the details and the guidance of my friend, Becky, who participated in a babysitting co-op in her hometown, we figured out a system that works well for us.


Babysitting Cooperative Guidelines:
*Chips refer to poker chips.  Each co-op member starts with 30 poker chips to use as "payment" for babysitting services.
1.  There will be a maximum of 16 members.  A waiting list will be kept and potential new members must be approved by the group.  Members may withdraw from the group and their chips saved for future members. 

2.  Any member may post a request on our private Facebook group at any time.  The member should post their optimal babysitting scenario such as “need someone to watch my 2 kids at my house this Friday night from 8p-10p”.  Members respond to this request by posting if they are available to babysit 

and work from there.  Also, each babysitting request should have at least one 'back-up' babysitter.

3.  Each chip is worth 30 minutes.  One child will cost 2 chips/per hour, two children will cost 3 chips per/hour, and three children will cost 4 chips per/hour. 

4.  Please do not use the co-op if your child is sick.  

5.  The babysitting mother should be present at all times unless the parents have agreed the father will babysit.  

6.  No spanking  is allowed. 

7.  Each member should provide the babysitter with everything needed to care for your child -- diapers, drinks, snacks, etc.

8.  Feel free to post any questions at any time about how the co-op works or to propose new rules.

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                                     Do you participate in a babysitting cooperative?

Are your guidelines similar?

A Tailgate Divided

Gladness: Refuge Style

Don't forget to enter my Rebel: T/L/C's giveaway!

This morning I was glad to meet my friend, Mandi, and her boys at our local wildlife refuge.

Truth be told, I wasn't very glad about Liza's 15 minute car nap at 10am that I knew would ruin her real nap but I sure was glad she didn't scream the whole time in the car.

The big boys were glad to be together and free to explore.  They were excited about the trail and took off running.........

Still running........

Yep, they beat us there by a mile.

I was glad that didn't do something crazy and foolhardy before we could make it to the outlook.

I wasn't so glad about all the contention that straw sippy cup caused between my children but I am glad they didn't complain about being thirsty since I accidentally left their cups in the car.

Tripp was glad just to eat his pomegranite,

until Henry kicked him in the head.

Twice.

Charlie was glad at the opportunity to attempt to scale the safety barrier.

Henry was glad to...well, I'll just say he was glad to be three.

And, everything that being three entails.

Liza was glad to have new things to claim as "mine".

Poor girl probably would have been a bit gladder had her hair not been in her face all morning.

I was glad to enjoy a beautiful 80 degree November day with good friends surrounded by lovely scenery.

Oh yeah.

I was also glad nobody was injured by two little boys wielding sticks.

An impressive feat if you know these two busy little boys.

Yep.

I was....and still am....glad.

Friends. Food. Fail.

     

 

These kids surely enjoyed my impromptu pasta salad dinner:

whole wheat rotini

package of pink salmon

shredded carrots

kalamata olives

red bell pepper

feta cheese

red onion

olive oil

red wine vinegar 

And, just for good measure.....

Liza literally has no idea where her bellybutton is.

She points to a different spot every time you ask her and last night, s

he fell over looking for her bellybutton between her legs.

Hopefully, I can get a better and non-blurry picture tomorrow because it's things like this that remind me these babies grow up too quickly.

Some muddy kids.

Are words even needed?

It seems so obvious to me.

Started out swimming.

And, slip'n'sliding.

Charlie was the first to get bored and shift his attention to the freshly watered garden.

The others quickly followed suit.

Including Little Lulu; she loves mud.

Yep.

No words needed.

Just some muddy kids.

likeminded little buddies.

These buddies are likeminded little individuals.

Playing, eating, swinging, digging and....refusing to look at the camera.

See Tripp's "T" stick?  

It was pretty obvious Henry doesn't know his letters when he held up his "T" stick.

He even plays with his underwear hanging out with..... like HenHen.

What made Henry's 'bobo' awesome?  

His Tripp buddy had a matching 'bobo' on the same exact knee.

What made his 'bobo' awesome to me?

The fact he fell because he was running around in Isabel's too small and wrongfooted pink rainboots.

Henry might love playing at the park on a beautiful spring morning but he loves his friends even more.

friday playdate by the numbers.

3..........mama friends.

8..........kids in all.
1..........plan to let the kids run around the cemetery dashed by rain drops and stormy looking skies.
274......toys scattered across the house for the kids' amusement.
39........times I thought "wow, I forget how small our house is until we have visitors".
9..........pm aka Henry's bedtime last night aka the reason he was a sensitive crank with his friends.
1..........little one-year-old who thoroughly enjoyed the feel of a marble in his mouth.
19........times I turned off "Old MacVinko's" very annoying song.
4..........toddlers who couldn't quite get along this morning.
4..........toddlers who would have greatly benefited from a morning running around outside.
837......kernels of popcorn popped as a "let's get happy" snack.
1..........certain little Dearman child who thought it a good idea to dump.....
274......pieces of popcorn all over the floor of our house.
2.........baby girls who enjoyed sitting together and sharing toys so sweetly together.
1.........mama who feels so thankful for good friends to share a rainy morning!

Happy Birthday, MSU!

Last year, I was so confused why MSU hosted a huge birthday bash to celebrate the university's 132nd birthday.  This year, I simply chose to get excited about an event with free hamburgers, cake, MSU ice cream (although we didn't partake), live music, beautiful blue skies and great friends to share the day.

Why yes, that is the world's 2nd largest Jumbotron you see.

I'm impressed.  Are you?

These were seriously the only pictures I took that day.

Busy hands, busy mouth and busy children do not equate to quality photos.

Mama friends....with some daddies in tow.

Liza is at her best when we are around lots of people to entertain her.

She was a total doll the entire day...

playing with the straps of my new Boba, 

and hanging out with her bestie, Charlotte.

Again, not a good picture at all of the two babies but trust me, they are super cute together.

To be Taylor's son is to firmly believe a sunny day means a shirtless day.

To be Henry is to spill a drink on your pants and have a total meltdown because your pants are wet.

To be Laura is to consider yourself lucky that 

a) the child had on underwear

b) you convinced the child to keep the underwear on.

To be Tripp is to be thrilled that your buddy thought to take his shirt off!

Happy Birthday, MSU!

I am looking forward to next years 134th birthday bash!

no guilt, mama.

I remember walking on campus with my sister during my first months of college, wondering how she knew so many of the other students.  When questioned, she told me it wouldn't be long before I made friends of my own and realized just how small of a world our little college town really is.  She was right.  A few months later, I had a solid group of buddies and plenty of acquaintances to chitchat with around campus and town.

College ended.  Teaching began.  Teaching ended.  Mothering began.

When Henry was around 6 months old, a friend told me about the Tiny Tots story time at our town's public library.  At this point, our main activities were shopping at the thrift store and Dirt Cheap so I eagerly looked forward to Wednesday mornings.  Learning baby's names and recognizing mama's faces escalated to meetings at the park post-story time which quickly escalated to regular playdates and new friendships.  I no longer had to wonder how other mamas had friends because I had mama friends of my own.

Mama topics consume our conversations.  If it deals with toddler or babies, we've likely discussed it.  Yesterday's playdate evolved into a conversation about "mama guilt".  Listening to my friends reminded me of Liza's pregnancy when guilt was my #1 emotion.  Guilt consumed me at every turn......until I made the conscious decision not to feel guilty.

For me, it is this easy:
Laura, do not feel guilty.  You are doing the best you can do.  You are only one person and you can  not physically do everything all at once.  Not only are you a mama to two small children, you are also an adult that needs time to herself and a wife who needs to spend time with her husband.  If you mess up, you mess up.  Learn and do better.  


Timing was perfect for yesterday's refresher in my "no guilt" decision.  Later that afternoon, Liza was semi-hysterical while riding in the Ergo on my back.  I bounced, walked outside, made funny faces in the mirror to no avail.  She would not be happy.  Um, yeah.  Her leg was tucked behind her butt.  Not comfy at all and it took me entirely too long to recognize the problem.  What did I do?  I fixed her little leg, apologized, made a funny face in the mirror so she would smile and went about my day.

 No guilt.

It was about time.

 Our favorite park

finally installed baby swings!

 Wait a minute....

Or, are they big boy swings?

Whatever you call them,

we LOVE them!

Playdate by the numbers.

4.........toddlers aged 2-3
4.........babies less than a year old
4.........mamas ready to chat
3.........kids who loved to jump in the bounce house
1.........kid named Henry who did NOT like the bounce house
0.........clouds in the sky
89.......times I heard "mine"
42.......cars and trucks Henry toted outside
0.........snacks containing dairy -- Thanks, Mandi!
37.......fusses over toys that were quickly resolved
1.........Little Baby Sister Girl napping in the ring sling
3,538..grains of sand tracked into Mandi's house by little feet
1.........certain little two-year-old loooved Tripp's harmonicas

              

Mandi, thanks for having us over!!!  

Tint Tots in Pictures.

Yep.

Pitching a fit.

Nope.

Don't know who those thighs belong to.....