Category: Current Events

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Activities Current Events Family & Friends Me

Party at the Blogger Bash

Last night, I ventured out to the Rocky Mountain Blogger Bash with three of my friends, and fellow bloggers.  Amy, from Crunchy Domestic Goddess, Melissa from Nature Deva, and Julie from ChezArtz.   

Amy, Melissa, Julie, and I were all friends before we were bloggers, so this was a great chance to catch up with each other, mingle with other bloggers, and watch the Obama speech.   We took the bus downtown, which is the first time I have ever taken public transportation anywhere.  I’m glad Amy’s husband, and Melissa could figure out bus schedules!

We arrived at the bash a few minutes before the speech started, and I met Amber from Mile High Mama’s in person.  I was a guest blogger there in June, so it was wonderful to meet her! 

When it was time for the speech to start we all crammed in a room to watch.  I am not a big political person, but Sen. Obama gave a terrific speech.  It was very interesting to hear his thoughts and ideas.  He had some great humor in there too, and I think this was probably one of the best speech deliveries I have ever heard in my lifetime-so far. 

After the speech was over, we took pictures, ate, and visited with more bloggers and some company representatives.  I was really happy to meet Tara from Lijit, who’s search feature I have on my blog.  She gave us the only bling from the night, a Lijit T-shirt, so thanks Tara!

I met some local bloggers who I have talked with on Twitter before, such as Crunchy Green Mom, and  met bloggers I was not aware of (but are now) such as Laura from LaLaGirl (a mother of five, who has TWO sets of twins!)

We also met the husband and wife bloggers behind My Left Nutmeg, who were chosen as the ONE political blog from the state of Connecticut to blog at the Convention.  Julie and I left a guest post on their blog, and Tessa, let us use her laptop to check in on Twitter. 

We didn’t want to go home, but we didn’t want to miss the last bus back to the suburbs, so we left a little before midnight.  The bus we wanted to take was packed, so we waited about 15 minutes to take another one.  We at least had a seat on this bus, but it made a lot of stops. After driving back from the bus station, and then back to our town, it was 1:30am!

I had a lot of fun though, and it was wonderful getting to go out for a night (thanks Joe!), with my friends, and being able to make some new friends as well. 

I forgot my camera, but Amy e-mailed me the pictures that she took, so here are some shots from last night:

 Melissa, myself, Julie & Amy

    Amy checking in on Twitter (that’s Tessa in the background from My Left Nutmeg taking the picture)

 Writing my guest post on My Left Nutmeg

 The three ladies at the top are Amber, Lilith, and Laura. 

P.S. If you are a regular blog reader of mine, then you may have picked up on something that I never have done before on my blog, but did in this post.  Can you guess what it is?  Leave me a comment or e-mail me.  I’ll give a special shout-out to you if you noticed what it is.  🙂

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Activities Cole Current Events Family & Friends Ryan

Going Camping

We are going camping this weekend on what is shaping up to be our only vacation/getaway of the summer.  We thought we would be moving this summer, so we didn’t plan any vacations, and boy can I feel it. 

I feel like I am in a rut and need a change of scenery.  My dad arranged a family camping trip this weekend, and I couldn’t be more excited.  I feel like I am going away for a week instead of a couple days.  The boys are super excited as well, and can’t wait for s’mores the camp fire, and sleeping in a tent.

I am off to the stores to get everything we need for our 2 day/2 night camping trip.  I wish we were going for a bit longer, but on the plus side, at least I don’t have to pack two weeks worth of clothes and other necessities for the family.

In other news I have been riding my bike almost every night, and am really enjoying the exercise. Joe got the part needed to fix our bike trailer so he and the boys can start going with me.  We got Cole a bike yesterday- he just has to keep up with Ryan.  He cried every time Ryan got on his bike, and he didn’t have a bike to ride.

Finally, I am completely into the Olympics.  I am loving Michael Phelps and Dara Torres (the 41-year old mother, who is in her fifth Olympics), and gymnastics.  Fortunately I have been able to get some tagging done for a consignment sale while watching the Olympics.  You’ll have to forgive me if my blog posts are lacking this week.  If there are no posts, you’ll know I’m doing my part in supporting the US Olympic team!  🙂

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Current Events

Chandler Grafner

 Chandler Grafner

UPDATE: 8/12/08: The jury found Chandler’s foster father guilty of murder in the first degree.  He will receive a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.  The father’s girlfriend, pleaded gulity, and made a plea bargain before her trial started.  She will be sentenced to 48 years in prison. 

**Before you read any further, please be warned that this is a horrible and heartbreaking case of abuse.  I can’t even follow it in any detail- it is too horrific for me, and I won’t be writing about the awful details, but I feel it is important to help raise awareness on child abuse.**

The child abuse that Chandler Grafner, a 7 year old boy suffered by his half-brother’s dad, and his common-law wife, who by the way were his legal guardians, are just horrendous and gruesome.  You can read a brief summary of what happened to him on Wikipedia here.  (This is a summary and does not go into all the details.)

The “father” of Chandler is now on trial for first-degree murder charges, and if you can stomach it, you can read what is happening in the case, and all the sickening details of how these people abused and eventually killed Chandler here.  (About half way down the page, in the right sidebar, there is a box of related links, and you can start there if you want to read about the entire case.)

While I know the basic details, I can’t read about this story for more than a few seconds without crying. It is just so heartbreaking to know a child was treated like this.  What is worse, is so many people failed Chandler from social services- people who should have been able to recognize what was happening. 

I believe a teacher of Chandler’s did report possible abuse to Denver social services, as did the assistant principal, but evidently social services did not do enough to save Chandler. Eventually Chandler was pulled out of school because the teachers and school were asking questions, and trying to get help for Chandler, but again, social services did not catch the extent of what was happening.

Whether others suspected abuse was happening or not, I don’t know- I can’t read the story in enough detail to know.  But I do know that nothing like this should ever happen to a child, but sadly it does.  I just can’t help but think how many other children are being abused in our communities, right under our noses?

This little boy should not have had to give his life, which hadn’t even started, up to child abuse.  I can only hope that if anything slightly positive can come from the senseless death of Chandler and so many others like him, is this can serve as a wake-up call in our society and communities.

We have to be more aware and stop thinking that other kids aren’t our business.  We should stop worrying if we will offend the parents, or come across as nosey, if we suspect a child is being abused.  We have to start focusing on kids. Instincts are seldom wrong- if you suspect a child is being abused, don’t ignore it. Report what you suspect, and pray that social services will do their job- even though they failed Chandler.

People talk about the evil out in the world- terrorists and the such, but this just shows we have plenty of evil right here in our society.  We have to get more involved when we think a child is being abused. It is far better to report a possible child abuse case, and be wrong about it, than to continue to have innocent children like Chandler suffer, and die painful and horrible deaths.   

If you suspect a child in your neighborhood, school, or community is being abused, it only takes a simple, brief, and usually anonymous phone call to your social services department. They can be found in your phone book, or on-line.  Or you can contact the The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Or The Child Abuse Hotline.  You can also make tax-free donations to organizations like these, and help support their important work. 

I pray and hope Chandler and the other thousands of children who die at the hands of child abusers are in a better place and are finally free from their sad, painful, and heartbreaking short lives.   

How we treat and protect our children shows what kind of a society we are.  I think this quote sums it up perfectly, 

     There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children

~Nelson Mandela   

Categories
Breastfeeding Cole Current Events Ryan

World Breastfeeding Week

World Breastfeeding Week starts today, and runs through August 7th.  The theme of this year is “Mother Support- Going for the Gold.” 

Supporting a mother who is breastfeeding is so important.  There are so many other demands that a new mother faces when nursing, having support can be invaluable to the mother and new baby to establish breastfeeding. One of the best books I have ever read on breastfeeding is the La Leche’s Leauge’s, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.  API Speaks is giving away a copy, and I have a link to the giveaway at the end of this post. 

But did you know that nursing a baby past six months and has many health benefits for the baby and the mother?  Sadly it seems that once a baby is nursed passed six months and beyond, support often turns to opposition? 

Nursing mothers who continue to breastfeed past six months, a year, a year and a half, two years, three years, and even four years and beyond also need support.  Likely they have heard negative comments about nursing their older child. 

I am happy and proud to say that I nursed Ryan (my first son) until he was 26 months old.  I wanted to nurse him longer but I was seven months pregnant with my second son, Cole, and my milk had gone, and it was incredibly irritating to me- pregnant hormones and all.  I am still nursing Cole, mainly before nap time and bedtime, but he has shown no interest in weaning, and I don’t have any interest in forcing him to do so.  In fact, it is a very nice bonding quiet time for us at the end of the day.

So many mothers who nurse a baby older than a year, feel like they have to hide it, and not talk about it.  Sometimes mothers are made to feel like they are doing something wrong, or potentially stunting their child’s development, but that is not the case at all. 

In honor of supporting breastfeeding mothers, who nurse their babies of all ages, I am posting one of my favorite pieces about breastfeeding, by Diane Wiessinger, MS and International Board Certified Lacatation Consultant (IBCLC).  Perhaps you will learn something you didn’t know about breastfeeding, or maybe it will inspire you to support a breastfeeding mother to keep nursing a bit longer if she wishes to do so.   

I think it would be great as a a society if we supported ALL nursing mothers, whether they were nursing a newborn, infant, toddler, pre-schooler, etc.  It truly is one of the single best things a mother can do for her child, and that should be supported and celebrated. 

What if I Want to Wean My Baby?

by Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC

   Breastfeeding your baby for even a day is the best baby gift you can give. Breastfeeding is almost always the best choice for your baby. If it doesn’t seem like the best choice for you right now, these guidelines may help.IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR JUST A FEW DAYS, he will have received your colostrum, or early milk. By providing antibodies and the food his brand-new body expects, nursing gives your baby his first – and easiest – “immunization” and helps get his digestive system going smoothly. Breastfeeding is how your baby expects to start, and helps your own body recover from the birth. Why not use your time in the hospital to prepare your baby for life through the gift of nursing?

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR FOUR TO SIX WEEKS, you will have eased him through the most critical part of his infancy. Newborns who are not breastfed are much more likely to get sick or be hospitalized, and have many more digestive problems than breastfed babies. After 4 to 6 weeks, you’ll probably have worked through any early nursing concerns, too. Make a serious goal of nursing for a month, call La Leche League or a Lactation Consultant if you have any questions, and you’ll be in a better position to decide whether continued breastfeeding is for you.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 3 OR 4 MONTHS, her digestive system will have matured a great deal, and she will be much better able to tolerate the foreign substances in commercial formulas. If there is a family history of allergies, though, you will greatly reduce her risk by waiting a few more months before adding anything at all to her diet of breastmilk. And giving nothing but your milk for the first four months gives strong protection against ear infections for a whole year.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 6 MONTHS, she will be much less likely to suffer an allergic reaction to formula or other foods. At this point, her body is probably ready to tackle some other foods, whether or not you wean. Nursing for at least 6 months helps ensure better health throughout your baby’s first year of life, and reduces your own risk of breast cancer. Nursing for 6 months or more may greatly reduce your little one’s risk of ear infections and childhood cancers. And exclusive, frequent breastfeeding during the first 6 months, if your periods have not returned, provides 98% effective contraception.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 9 MONTHS, you will have seen him through the fastest and most important brain and body development of his life on the food that was designed for him – your milk. You may even notice that he is more alert and more active than babies who did not have the benefit of their mother’s milk. Weaning may be fairly easy at this age… but then, so is nursing! If you want to avoid weaning this early, be sure you’ve been available to nurse for comfort as well as just for food.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR A YEAR, you can avoid the expense and bother of formula. Her one-year-old body can probably handle most of the table foods your family enjoys. Many of the health benefits this year of nursing has given your child will last her whole life. She will have a stronger immune system, for instance, and will be much less likely to need orthodontia or speech therapy. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends nursing for at least a year, to help ensure normal nutrition and health for your baby.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 18 MONTHS, you will have continued to provide your baby’s normal nutrition and protection against illness at a time when illness is common in other babies. Your baby is probably well started on table foods, too. He has had time to form a solid bond with you – a healthy starting point for his growing independence. And he is old enough that you and he can work together on the weaning process, at a pace that he can handle. A former U.S. Surgeon General said, “It is the lucky baby… that nurses to age two.”

IF YOUR CHILD WEANS WHEN SHE IS READY, you can feel confident that you have met your baby’s physical and emotional needs in a very normal, healthy way. In cultures where there is no pressure to wean, children tend to nurse for at least two years. The World Health Organization and UNICEF strongly encourage breastfeeding through toddlerhood: “Breastmilk is an important source of energy and protein, and helps to protect against disease during the child’s second year of life.”(1) Our biology seems geared to a weaning age of between 2 1/2 and 7 years(2), and it just makes sense to build our children’s bones from the milk that was designed to build them.

Your milk provides antibodies and other protective substances as long as you continue nursing, and families of nursing toddlers often find that their medical bills are lower than their neighbors’ for years to come. Mothers who have nursed longterm have a still lower risk of developing breast cancer. Children who were nursed longterm tend to be very secure, and are less likely to suck their thumbs or carry a blanket.

Nursing can help ease both of you through the tears, tantrums, and tumbles that come with early childhood, and helps ensure that any illnesses are milder and easier to deal with. It’s an all-purpose mothering tool you won’t want to be without! Don’t worry that your child will nurse forever. All children stop eventually, no matter what you do, and there are more nursing toddlers around than you might guess.

Whether you nurse for a day or for several years, the decision to nurse your child is one you need never regret. And whenever weaning takes place, remember that it is a big step for both of you. If you choose to wean before your child is ready, be sure to do it gradually, and with love.

1.) Facts for Life: A Communication Challenge, published by UNICEF, WHO, and UNESCO, 1989
2.) Katherine Dettwyler. A Time to Wean. Breastfeeding Abstracts vol 14 no 1 1994

copyright ©1997 Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC

Don’t forget to head over to API Speaks to enter for your chance to win the book, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.

Categories
c-sections Current Events Mothering Pregnancy & Birth

Insurers Denying Coverage to Women Who’ve Had C-sections

If you have read my blog for a while, you know that I write frequently about c-sections.  It is my opinion that Cesarean sections are over performed in this country.  Previous posts I have written, discuss many of the complications that can arise from c-sections.  Despite the many risks and complications associated with c-sections, the c-section rate continues to rise.  Last year in the US, it was 31.1 percent of births.  That is a little more than one in three births.

The New York Times had an article on Sunday reporting that many insurance companies will no longer accept mothers who have had a previous c-section.  The thinking behind this is, once a woman has had one c-section chances are, she will have another one.  Because VBAC’s (vaginal birth after cesarean) are banned and prohibited in so many hospitals, the only choice basically left for women birthing another baby after a c-section, is another c-section.  Because so many c-sections are not medically necessary, the insurance companies don’t want to pay for them. 

Insurance companies are rejecting these mothers coverage, and some insurers even consider having a c-section, a pre-existing condition.  What makes this even scarier, is once someone has been denied coverage and rejected by one insurance company, they have to disclose that to subsequent insurance companies they apply to.  Once an insurance company sees the mother has been rejected, a red flag goes up, and makes it even harder to get coverage.  If they do get coverage their premiums are extremely pricey and expensive.  In Colorado it was estimated some premiums would be 140% more than standard rates. 

The article quoted Pamela Udy, from the nonprofit group, International Caesarean Awareness Network, (ICAN) whose mission is to prevent unnecessary Cesareans.  “Obstetricians are rendering large numbers of women uninsurable by overusing this surgery.”

There are a few “exceptions” some of the insurance companies are making, where they will cover a woman who has had a previous c-section, such as:  

  • If the woman has been sterilized after the cesarean section
  • If the woman is over the age of 40 AND at least two years had past since the c-section
  • If after five years, there has not been a complicated pregnancy AND another c-section

These hardly seem like fair options.  You can only get coverage after a c-section if you have been sterilized? 

This is definitely a fall out from c-sections being performed unnecessarily.  The article mentions that women are caught in the middle of this mess between insurance companies and doctors. Pamela Udy says,  “Women are caught in the middle of a dysfunctional system. Doctors are telling them they need surgery, even when they don’t, and insurance companies, who are tired of paying the bill for so many frivolous surgeries, are punishing women for the poor medical care of doctors.”

This situation should be alarming for every woman in their child bearing years.  Even if you have no intention what-so-ever of having a c-section, in the rare case that you did need a medically necessary one, you can be denied insurance coverage now, because the procedure has been over performed.

Doctors and hospitals must start allowing VBAC’s, and return to delivering breech babies, in order to lower the ever rising c-section rate.  If nothing else, c-sections should be reserved for true emergency situations.  Something has to change- now more than ever, our very health depends on it.