We have a special guest on this week's MommyBeta podcast! My friend Amber MacArthur tells us about nursing for 2 years (!! go her!!), being a tech baby and working mommy, and more!
Listen to the podcast here.
I thought I had thought of all the ways that plastics might come across baby #2 since most of us MommyBetas have made serious strides to elliminate plastics from our homes. But since my daughter arrived two weeks ago, I realized that there was one thing I had failed to consider: breast milk storage.
My milk came in the day before I had her and I have had a lot of extra to store. I've been pumping and hoarding it in the freezer but when I went to store it, I realized that the storage bags are plastics that will necessitate heating when it is time to serve - a bit plastic no-no! So I went on the hunt for a better solution.
I found these: Sensible Lines Milk Trays. I bought them on Amazon for a little over $20. Of course I do know that they too are plastic but they don't necessitate any heating. I pour my milk straight into them and freeze. The frozen milk portions are then stored in food storage bags in the freezer. When it comes time to defrost, the cubes go straight into a glass bottle for heating. No heated plastics along the way!
Some of the Amazon reviews say that the trays warp over time. That hasn't happened for me but I have to think they might warp in the dishwasher. I don't put plastics in the dishwasher so that isn't an issue.
So far this has been a pretty good solution but I'm open to 100% plastic-free options too. Any suggestions?
This week we discuss whether or not binkies promote breast feeding, more potty training, and throwing a baby shower/sprinkle for baby number 2 and beyond. We also discuss the drawbacks of background TV.
Another big thank you to our show sponsors Gazelle.com and Bake Me A Wish! Please check them out!
Listen to the podcast here.
Your browser does not support the html5 audio player. Use flash player below.
Today we tackle the serious (breastfeeding laws), and the frivolous (funny YouTube videos). We also talk about the best way to move our babies around and the most stylish and affordable ways to dress them.
And here are some helpful links that pertain to today's show:
The CDC's Guide for Handling and Storing Breastmilk
Listen to the podcast here.
When I read about the issues some have with breastfeeding it makes me wish that I had breastfed more in public when I was breastfeeding. And not behind a hooter hider (as Natali refers to them).
Facebook got a lot of flack earlier this month when they deleted the Facebook page of The Leaky B@@b, a breast-feeding support group. The founder received a note from Facebook essentially saying the content was obscene. Ridiculous! The founder of the page and many supporters spoke up and Facebook finally said they made an error in taking the page down. Good news is that it's back up. Hopefully Facebook starts to handle these situations better in the future.
Care2 wrote about a petition to bring breastfeeding back to Sesame Street. They've already received 20,000 signatures. According to the blog, "In the 1970s and 1980s, Sesame Street used to show both breastfeeding and bottle feeding in their stories about babies. Since the 1990s, however, they have removed all images of breastfeeding while continuing to include bottle-fed babies in their storylines."
Sesame Street says that they don't have an anti-breast-feeding agenda and they would include it again if it were a natural part of the storyline. Interesting if you ask me. In the past 20 years the show producers haven't thought it was "natural" to show breastfeeding? Care2 makes a really great point here:
Breastfeeding, like healthy eating, is a public health issue and it makes sense to include it in the storyline. Sesame Street could have said that there is no place for vegetables in the Cookie Monster storyline, but it didn’t. Sesame Street recognized the need to promote healthy eating and normalize fruits and vegetables as foods that kids (and monsters!) like. So they adapted the Cookie Monster storyline and added the motto “cookies are a sometimes food”. In the same way that they adapted the Cookie Monster storyline, there is also a need to promote and normalize breastfeeding, and as an organization that supports public health, Sesame Street should make it a priority to include breastfeeding on the show.
When I first started breastfeeding I was super shy about it and mainly did it at home or other private places. I remember the first public space I breastfed was at a MommyBeta get together at a restaurant. I asked the girls if they felt comfortable breastfeeding in public and Natali responded something like, “Yea, I’ve breastfed at every Starbucks in Manhattan!” So I did it and from then on, if my baby was hungry, I had breastfed her. No one should feel embarrassed or shy about feeding their child. It’s natural and part of life. I'm looking forward to breastfeeding baby No. 2 when ever that happens!
Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 6:52PM