Sabbatical

I'm going to be taking a break from blogging for awhile. Our lives are changing so quickly and I'm having a hard time dealing with that. I want to thank all of my readers for coming with me this far and I will be back.

Global Breastfeeding Challenge

Today was the Global Breastfeeding Challenge sponsored by the Quintessence Foundation. I blogged about how I was going to organize a site in my hometown in this post.

I've spent the past couple of weeks calling local La Leche League leaders and members, as well as hounding the local news outlets in an attempt to get the word out. The most common response I've gotten was "You're doing what?!" I have to say the LLL leaders I've talked to were less than enthusiastic. One said that her group wasn't into "that kind of thing." Another wanted me to send information on the event to see if it was something "she could support." Only one of the five leaders I contacted sounded really enthusiastic and said she would "definitely" tell her group about it. In the end I was able to get a small write up in the very bottom corner of the last page of our local county news paper. It comes out twice a week and the article was published yesterday. I would link to the article but alas, they don't even have a website.

This morning around 10:40 I showed up at the library and asked to be let into the board room. The librarian on duty had no idea what I was talking about so I showed her the article. She looked confused but let me in anyhow. She graciously lent me some clear tape to post my sign that said "Global Breastfeeding Challenge In Here." She also offered to let me use a different board room that didn't have windows so people couldn't peek in while we were breastfeeding. I thanked her politely and said I didn't think it would be an issue. At 11 a.m. Birdie and I were the lone soldiers of the Russell Kansas version of the Global Breastfeeding Challenge. My crunchy friend showed up to be one of the witnesses and we grabbed another librarian to serve as the second witness. I conveniently forgot my camera so someone used their cell phone to take a pic of the Birdie and I. So here we are, Ms. Birdie and myself at our local 2009 Global Breastfeeding Challenge site:

I have vowed to never wear my hair like this again.

Are you Army Strong?

So, I mentioned in my previous post that my husband announced that he wanted to join the Army. I guess I should have posted that my husband announced that he was joining the army. I thought we were going to be going through a decision making process. I was wrong.

I have known Jake for nearly ten years. In that entire time, never ONCE has he mentioned an interest in joining the military. I on the other hand have, every time one of our friends joins, go on and on about how I could never be a military wife. I seems I've woken up in an alternate universe.

Since I've had the baby, Jake has been working two jobs and going to school. It has tough and in all reality, we're not making it financially. The main reason we're not making it on the financial front is the $600+ we pay each month in health insurance. He gets insurance through his employer, but it isn't cheap. He's been talking about quitting school and getting a job a the dog food factory or some other manufacturing job so he can better support our family. I'm blessed to have a husband that would give up his dreams to make sure that Birdie and I have what we need, but I've been telling him to wait it out. I have seen too many men broken because they gave up their dreams for their wives and children. Its especially common around here.

Enter Uncle Sam.

I suppose this is my fault. I was sitting here reading a news story on Sunday morning about the new GI bill and how you could choose to use it to go to school or to pay off existing student loans. I made a casual remark over my coffee to the effect of how that wouldn't be the worst idea in the world. My husband perked up and said, "Well you know . . . " and then went into a spiel about the benefits of the army. Something about the way he was talking about it made my realize that he had been thinking about this for awhile and he had just been waiting to make the pitch to me. My eyeball nearly fell into my coffee cup.

After he was finished, I tried to brush it off and I rushed out the door to teach Sunday School. I seriously hoped it wouldn't come back up, but it did. In our further conversation it came out that its something that he had always wanted to do. His family has a strong military tradition. One of his life's dreams is to live in Germany. He has been studying to be a linguist and translator but his job prospects are limited without a military background. He just looked so hopeful that I would give him my blessing.

I was stuck. When your husband comes to you with a dream that you don't share, how do you shoot it down? I know that if I told him, "No way. Never. Not in a million years!" (which I would like to do) that he would respect my decision, but what about in 10 years? Would he resent me for it? Because of his schooling he would enter in at a higher rank than most. His ASVAB scores are high enough that he can pick whatever job he wants. That means it would be a substantial pay raise from what he's making now and the healthcare is free. However, it means that we would have to prepare to be separated, often for long periods of time. There is also the possibility that he could be physically hurt, mentally damaged, or killed.

We spent three hours at the recruiters yesterday. (Breastfeeding in a room full of Army recruiters and high schoolers = priceless) On Monday and Tuesday of next week he goes to the MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) in Kansas City to get his physical, take the official ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) and go through initial processing. He could go to basic training as soon as November.

I feel so conflicted. I feel like I've woken up in an alternate universe. I keep thinking that he'll wake up in the morning and change his mind. I feel shanghaied. I'm excited for the opportunity. I'm scared. Statistically it's more dangerous for me to drive to the grocery store than it is for him to patrol in a war zone, but thats not the point. I'm worried that Birdie won't recognize him when he gets back. (I've never even seen him without a beard) I hope we can handle it. I know there are tons of military families out there that do it every day and make it work. I keep going back and forth between, "I can't do this!" to "We can do this!" There's an informational packet sitting on my coffee table right now and on the cover it asks, "Are you Army strong?" Every time I look at it, all I can think is "NO! I'm not Army strong!" I have always said that I could never be a military wife, but what choice do you have when your husband, whom you love and trust, comes to you and says, "I want you to be a military wife?" I know that he's making this decision because he feels its the best for all of us. I know that he knows that he's asking me and Birdie to make some pretty big sacrifices, but he feels its all going to be worth it. I can see his side, but I just wish things aren't what they are. I can't be that dream stealer and tell him no. He wouldn't tell me no. He would follow me to the ends of the earth if I told him I was going on that long of a journey. I owe him the same.

Just a Quick Note on Having Your Life Turned Upsidedown

My husband has announced that he wants to enlist in the Army. He's not the sort that makes passing decisions and when he comes out with this sort of announcement it means that he's pretty committed. I'll post more about it later but right now I'm still in shock.

Forbes has caused me to have a *headdesk* moment

While running about the net this morning I came across an article on Forbes.com titled "Exercise During Pregnancy Keeps Newborn Size Normal." The author cites an unlinked Norwegian study about exercise and birth weight. Whadduya know, more active women have small babies. Big deal. Exercising during pregnancy is good because it keeps moms active and healthy and active and healthy moms equal active and healthy children. That's not what raised my hackles this morning.

About four paragraphs in the author states:

If a baby weighs more than 8.8 pounds, the risk of delivery problems, C-sections, postpartum hemorrhage and low Apgar scores all increase . . .

Now, I haven't extensively studied large babies and vaginal births, but I have studied "suspected" macrosomia and c-sections. What I do know is that when babies are thought to be bigger than 8.8 pounds, doctors like to perform c-sections. They think it will prevent instances of shoulder dystocia, or more importantly, it will prevent them from being sued in the event of shoulder dystocia even though studies show SD cannot be predicted at this time and that induction and c-sections do not change the rate of injury. The big baby card is often used to scare women into inductions which often lead to surgery, or to scheduling the surgery right then and there. We all know that large babies can be born naturally and that induction and cesarean do not improve outcomes. In fact, the ACOG believes that "cesarean delivery is the primary maternal risk factor associated with macrosomia."

So what does all of this have to do with the above Forbes quote? Just this: Low APGAR scores and postpartum hemorrhage are not a result of a baby weighing 8lbs. 8 oz. they are known risks of c-sections! Cesareans do not happen spontaneously. Someone, usually the doctor, decides that it must happen. We know that doctors induce more often for larger babies because they think it will reduce their risk. We know that increased inductions lead to more c-sections. Correlation does not mean causation! Just because more women with bigger babies have c-sections does not mean that more women with bigger babies need c-sections.

The Forbes article was about encouraging pregnant women to exercise. Thats fine. Exercise is good for you. It may help shorten labor. If you're healthier, then your baby will be healthier, but what the author did was buy into a modern medical myth that more often than not leads to the operating room. Just because you are having a larger baby should not mean that you are at risk for having a c-section whether or not you have any other risk factors.

Global Breastfeeding Challenge

Annie over at PhD in Parenting recently blogged about the annual Global Breastfeeding Challenge. I checked it out and though "how awesome, maybe there's one near me." It turns out there wasn't. There were no participating sites in Kansas. So, I've organized one! I called our local library and the director was more than happy to let us use the boardroom. When I explained to her what it was all about she said, "Good for you! I breastfed all of my kids and I'm all for raising awarenss." How awesome is that? Both local newspapers have been notified and we're on track to have a good event.

So, if you know anyone in Kansas send them here. We're not a very big town but we're smack-dab in the middle of the state. Help me promote this far and wide.

I just had to share

I just wanted to share this link. It says everything that I'm always thinking when someone goes on about "lactivists" or "boob nazis."

Gone too far ? at Hoyden About Town