Out on a limb

My sister and I got to hang out quite a bit more than usual recently (I miss her too. sigh) and at one point she told me (jokingly, I'm choosing to believe) that I don't really "believe in anything" - meaning, I *seem* to have no strong convictions on controversial issues because I don't really speak up too much. I'm sure she was joking, and I'm sure she was referring to facebook, because I tend to not post controversial (ish) articles or comment.
Here's my response. Ha. Hahahahaha. I think I stay quiet out of respect for everyone around me - I really don't want to go around jeopardizing relationships with my strong opinions on certain issues, especially not when the discussion medium is facebook.

That being said, I do have some very strong opinions on certain issues and I'm thinking about being more proactive sharing my thoughts. Respectful dialogue is lacking in our society and I think we can start by blaming Congress and our elected officials, who show each other very little respect in how they manage their disagreements. Also, I've decided I need to start going out on a limb more often, and removing myself from my comfort zone more frequently. I've always sought to stay right in the middle of my comfort zone in so many ways and it's time to stop being such a scaredy cat and start challenging myself.

I guess my point is that I'm challenging myself - and publicly announcing - to expect more from me. More dialogue, more shared opinions, etc.

And with that, here's a smattering of random thoughts I've been mulling around in my head lately. Some are quite a bit more trivial than others. :)

-I put Ellie right in front of the television every morning and turn on Sesame Street. No apologies either - my cup of coffee is probably more important to start my day than a good night's sleep (at least it's more reliable!). Ellie munches on cheerios (or Trader Joe O's) and watches her friends and we are both happy with this arrangement. People who say tv isn't good for babies don't realize that incoherently sleepy moms who can't get off the floor are especially not good for babies.

-This morning on SS, Elmo's singing a song "Bye Bye Binky" about (you guessed it!) weaning from the paci. I may change my mind on this eventually, but my take on comfort items (paci, special blankie, stuffed animal, whatev), is as long as it's not causing you or anyone else real harm, why place an expiration date on that relationship? Sure, having a blankie in high school may be a little odd to some, but that's not reason enough to stop, in my mind. I think a lot of times, negative reactions to controversial issues are because our our own uncomfortability with that issue, not anything inherently bad with the actual issue itself.

-Case in point: Alicia Silverstone chews her baby's food for him, and January Jones eats her placenta! The internets are ablaze with people being critical of both these topics. And Blossom dares to have an opinion? My opinion? Every mom I know has partially chewed up some food for her baby, bitten something in half, etc. No biggie. And the placenta? There's a ton of research which shows that placenta ingestion replaces hormones lost in childbirth, helps with postpartum depression, etc. Honestly, if this is the magic pill which someone takes and feels better after giving birth, more power to them. And even if it's just a placebo (haha, placebo placenta), if you think it helps, then isn't it helping?

- Speaking of feeding your baby.... as a wannabe/soon-to-be lactation consultant, breastfeeding is obviously extremely important to me. You may even call me a lactivist (sadly, I didn't coin that term...). It kind of blows my mind that breastfeeding is such a hot topic, but as all parenting issues go, it is probably one of the most important. Recently, an ad campaign was kicked off in the UK to show multi tasking breasts in an attempt to normalize breastfeeding. read This article. I actually have a huge opinion here, and that is: I hate this campaign. I am constantly reading about breastfeeding supporters talking about how "it's natural" and "it's not sexual, I'm just feeding my baby" and complaining about the sexualization of breasts when their purpose is for feeding, and yet, here's a campaign trying to sexualize the breast while feeding? Doesn't that just feed the fire of those who complain when they see breastfeeding in public, or are uncomfortable with breastfeeding for this reason? We can't have it both ways: breasts are sexual or they're for food. And actually, they're for food. There you go. That's their purpose, now let's educate on breastfeeding awareness, build support systems, encourage employer support of nursing/pumping moms and move on....

-Speaking of sexuality. Congress is revisiting the 1950's debate of access to birth control?!? Dear lord, let my daughter PLEASE grow up in a country where she can access birth control WITHOUT the consent (seriously??!) of her employer (seriously?!?!). Words cannot express my dismay that this is even an issue that is up for discussion, hence the !!! and ???. Can you imagine going to employer trying to justify your need for antibiotics? Blood pressure medication? See how pills like Viagra aren't included? (I wonder if it's because only 10% of Congress is women? Or that insurance companies are largely run by men?). How humiliating is it to think you'd have to say "well, Mr. Bossman I have horrible periods and I need this to function" or "I have cysts on my ovaries and need this to preserve my fertility for when I eventually want to get pregnant" or "I have horrible acne and this helps" or heaven forbid, "I'm sexually active and need this to prevent unwanted pregnancies"... sigh.

The end. More to come from me though, hopefully!