Local photographer Laura Alvarez won 2nd place in the Birth Matters video contest - congratulations!!!  Beautiful film with local midwife Leah Hatcher, and a family we know here at HB.  I cried.  But I’m a sap like that.

See the other winners here.

Got the following email from MomsRising…

Dear Wisconsin MomsRising member,

The healthcare debate is heating up this summer and you have an opportunity to share your experiences directly with your Senator as decisions are being made.

Can you join me at a meeting with Senator Feingold’s staff this Thursday, July 2nd at 2pm CDT? Click here to RSVP.

During this 30-minute meeting, we’ll have an opportunity to share our unique perspectives as parents and caregivers. Too often the voices of women and families are left out of important debates. We can’t afford to be overlooked now. 

According to a recent study, a shocking 7 out of 10 working-age women have no insurance, are underinsured, or are in debt because of medical bills.¹ And an estimated 5 million children remain without healthcare.²

Make sure that your Senators know how the current healthcare system is failing our nation’s families. This is our chance to make sure Congress hears from real people, not just corporate industry lobbyists. 

I hope you can join me - RSVP now! 

Thanks!

– Liza, Milwaukee MomsRising member 

P.S. Not available this Thursday? MomsRising member Carolyn set up a meeting with Senator Kohl in Milwaukee on Monday, July 13th at 2pm CDT. Click here to RSVP for the meeting with Sen. Kohl. 

Questions? Email healthcare@momsrising.org

[1] S. D. Rustgi, M. M. Doty, and S. R. Collins, Women at Risk: Why Many Women Are Foregoing Needed Health Care, The Commonwealth Fund, May 2009.

[2] Children’s Defense Fund, Give Voice to Children in the Health Care Debate, http://www.childrensdefense.org/helping-americas-children/childrens-health/health-coverage-for-all-children-campaign/give-a-voice-to-children-in-health-care-debate.html

Right in time for Rhythm and Booms and 4th of July celebrations, one of our favorite new products has arrived by JJ Cole. The Essentials Blanket is a 5 ft x 5 ft stylish water-resistant blanket perfect for outings in the park, lazy days at the beach, games and sporting events, and even as an impromptu baby floor mat. This year-round blanket has sturdy, wipe-clean fabric making it easy to take anywhere, and it folds up so small it makes juggling your kiddos, your picnic lunch, and your blanket a cinch. We love that the entire 5 x 5 mat folds into a messenger-style bag with a detachable strap, so you can sling it over your shoulder and carry it around- fireworks, anybody?

Speaking of essentials, you don’t want to be caught in the middle of your 4th of July festivities this year without sunscreen or bug spray. Both Badger and California Baby are some of our favorite all-natural sunscreens because they’re physical barriers rather than chemical blocks. Better for your babe’s skin, a physical barrier forms a film on the top of the skin that reflects or scatters UV light using zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Chemical blocks, on the other hand, are absorbed into the skin using more than one active ingredient (so, a few different chemicals in order to work) and are more likely to cause irritation or allergy, and can degrade over time. If you or your little one have really sensitive skin, the Cali Baby No Fragrance Sunscreen lotion will be the one for you- it’s perfect for people with extra sensitive skin or fragrance allergies. Badger’s Anti-Bug Balm is a must… this all-natural, deet-free balm is perfect for warding off insects on summer outings- you’ll never want to leave home without it! Right now we’re having a June member’s-only sale on our sunscreen and bug balm… but, because we love you, we’ll extend the 20% off our sunscreen and bug balm to anyone who mentions this blog post for the remainder of June.

Poster photographed by bobster855 www.flickr.com/photos/32912172@N00/3630776682/

Poster, between 1936-38.
Krause, Erik Hans, b. 1899, artist. 
From the Library of Congress.  

(Thanks to Breastfeeding 1-2-3 for this one!)

Alrighty, let’s dive right in to another edition of Random Crap from Around the Web!  I have a pile of links, but I’ll not overwhelm ya’all all at once!

From our delightful neighbors to the north, no more automatic cesareans for breech babies.  Smart folk, those Canadians.  If you’re into birthwork, Rixa at Stand and Deliver has a nice post with more info and links on the decision and people’s reactions.

Nursing in public and Green Eggs & Ham? – I had to go take a look, and you should too.  Clever and laugh out loud to anyone’s who has done a fair share of nursing out in and about.

Check out this quiz on parenting roles and stay-at-home dads by the author of The Daddy Shift, a book that looks to be a quite interesting look at stay-at-home dads and breadwinning moms, and the role shifting that happens with such a dynamic.   (Did you know that our at-home dads group is one of our biggest and most consistent groups?)

Look, even Dear Abby is getting in on the breastfeeding at work discussion!  And if you haven’t yet, please check out these simple things you can do to support the national breastfeeding legislation currently in congress.

And to finish it off with a very sweet video that made me laugh (courtesy of Adventures in Babywearing):

 

XOXO
Lea

 

Escaped for a few days home to “the big lake” (Lake Superior).

Twas oh so lovely…

XOXO Lea

PS – Check Ma’iingan’s eyes; we forgot her good goggles, so bought cheap ones, and she was so determined to use them it didn’t matter that they were so ill-fitting as to swell her poor little eyes!  That’s my stubborn girl…  

 

Many of you know that breastfeeding support and promotion is important to us, and that we feel strongly that supporting breastfeeding moms in the workplace is one of the most powerful means of “lactivism”.  

The Civil Rights act of 1964 was amended some time ago to protect women from being discriminated on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth and “other related medical conditions”, but it does not explicitly protect against discrimination for breastfeeding mothers.

We are thrilled that Rep Carolyn Maloney (NY) and Sen Jeff Merkley are working to amend the Civil Rights Act to explicitly protect moms in the workplace who are breastfeeding and/or pumping.  According to the text of the act:

“Although title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as so amended, applies with respect to ‘‘pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions’’, a few courts have failed to reach the conclusion that breastfeeding and expressing breast milk in the workplace are covered by such title.”

On June 11th, the Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009 was introduced into Congress by Rep Carolyn Maloney (NY) and Sen Jeff Merkley (OR). Maloney summarizes the bill with the following: 

“This bill will bring breastfeeding mothers under the protection of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, require employers with over 50 employees to provide a private space and unpaid time off during the workday for mothers to express milk, and sets standards for breast pump manufacture. It also provides for tax incentives for employers that establish private lactation areas in the workplace and tax credits for nursing mothers.”

Represenative Maloney has been working hard to bring this bill to vote for several years now – and we need to show support so it doesn’t get overlooked again.

Here are three VERY EASY things you can do, in 60 SECONDS or less….

A message to your representatives – simply fill in your name in info, and the United States Breastfeeding Committee will send your message to your legislators for you.  http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5162/t/6359/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1697

The USBC will then send you a message you can forward to friends and family so that more folks can take that same 60 seconds to let their voices be heard.

 

Join the Facebook group “Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009 (HR2819 and S1244)” .  Once you’ve joined the group, invite friends to join as well – the more info out there about this bill, the better chance it has to be passed.

 
 

 AND, if you’re feeling particularly motivated…you can write your own letter to your legislators.  Angela from Breastfeeding 1-2-3, one of the breastfeeding blogs we follow, has adapted a letter that you can work from, if you are like me and appreciate the guidance – http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/breastfeeding-promotion-act-support-letter/

This legislation needs our support!  Please take a minute of your day to show your legislators that unifying a national policy in support of breastfeeding mothers is critical.

There’s still time to sign up for summer events and classes!

A blog we’ve really been enjoying lately is Boy Crazy

Elizabeth writes with charming wit and gusto about being a mama to three boys- her stories are relatable, funny, honest, and irresistible. Before you realize it, you’ll be reading her entire blog, start to finish.

http://clarity-chaos.blogspot.com/