Bunchland

A woman’s community rallies to support her kids now that she can’t

Michal Lura Friedman tried for seven years to get pregnant, but sadly died suddenly mere hours after given birth to healthy twins. She never even got to hold her babies, let alone feed them. Jay Snyder, Friedman’s widower, says that his wife felt strongly about nursing her children, so he accepted when a friend of his wife’s sister offered her own breast milk for the twins.

That friend, Jessica Provenz, was nursing her own 6-month-old and figured that donating her milk might be of use to Snyder’s family. She ended up coordinating a breast milk drive that ensures Michal and Jay’s twins have plenty.

“Since Michal’s death, a loosely connected network of about 30 mothers has been regularly donating milk to the twins. Three months later, the twins are thriving, rising above the 50th percentile for both height and weight and consuming 80% donated milk and formula at night.  Read more...

You test it with Milkscreen

Bunch reader Stephanie passed along this interesting link from Mommy beta which addresses an important concern for many young moms wanting to resume aspects of their pre-baby lifestyle: After one’s been moderately boozing, when is one’s breast milk safe for consuming? Turns out there’s an at-home test that will detect the alcohol level in your breast milk.

And where did Mommy beta Alex learn of this at-home test? Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami:

Mommy beta reports that Milkscreen inventor Julie Jumonville came up with the idea when she was on Matron of Honour duty and didn’t want to miss her sister’s wedding festivities, but also didn’t want to do anything to compromise her baby’s health.  Read more...

Meri Perra blogs about the challenges she and her partner face in trying to raise their girls with feminist values

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article about the City of Toronto’s breastfeeding-friendly restaurant campaign. I talked to several restaurant owners, most of who happened to be men, about breastfeeding in public.

They were all – yes, all – quite positive about having women breastfeed in their businesses. Most of them did not think the campaign, which involved sending breastfeeding-friendly decals to every restaurant in Toronto, mattered one bit.

Long before they had a sticker on their door that said so, they told me, women breastfeed in their restaurants. Moms dinned while babies BTOB (brought their own breast). Sorry.

One owner told me,  “It’s the most natural thing in the world, why would anyone have a problem with it?”

Why indeed.  Read more...

Trading Standards Institute in Wigan, U.K. is hosting a rather unusual competition to help raise awareness about breast feeding, and hopefully remove some of the stigma attached to public nursing. Knitters are encouraged to knit breasts, which will eventually be used for educating new and expectant mothers on good technique. The contest closes tomorrow, when the winners (judged for most eye-catching, the most realistic and the largest number knitted.) will be awarded with gift certificates from participating local retailers.

[via Strollerderby]