The Birth Workshop - Coming this Summer

I am proud to announce a unique event coming to Nashville, Tennessee this August 28-29, 2007. 9 Months & Beyond, LLC and Vanderbilt University School of Nursing along with Vintage Remedies brings you a workshop with
Barbara Harper,RN of Waterbirth International.

Barbara has been researching and documenting waterbirth and gentle birth since 1983. Besides that she is full of energy, spunk and most impressively mounds and mounds of up-to-date birth and bonding information - specifically information that can make birth more gentle, humane and healthy despite our love for technology and drugs.

So come on down to Nashvegas and join us! If you are coming to the CAPPA conference - stay a few extra days. We would love to see you!

Pass the information on to pregnant friends, family and neighbors, heck stop a pregnant woman on the street and tell her to come to the parent night. Post it on your yahoo groups - this is a grass roots operation here and I can use all the help I can get to let people know about this event! So I am shamelessly blogging about it. I wish I had had the opportunity to attend something like this during one of my pregnancies. Not only would it have given me information, it is also inspiring and encouraging to hear positive information about birth. The professional workshop just might be what we need to bring waterbirth to the Nashville area and other parts of the country that are lagging behind. Come learn and then share your new found knowledge with your part of the world.

To find out details about our event or to register, please visit
BirthWorkshop.com

Or you can keep reading....

A Parent Information Evening

We've got an amazing evening planned for Middle Tennessee parents as Waterbirth International's own Barbara Harper discusses the topic:

"I want a Healthy, Happy Baby – Do My Birth choices Really Matter?"

We'll also have a panel made up of local birth experts to field any questions you might have. Oh, and if that's not enough to get you there, there will be goodie bags, door prizes and exhibitors!

Tuesday, August 28th - 6-8pm
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
Registration is $5 per person, $8 for 2 people and $30 for a group of 10!


Professional Workshop

Our professional workshop for August brings birth professional Barbara Harper to Vanderbilt University's School of Nursing to address

"Embracing Gentle Birth in a High Tech World – Solutions that Work."

CEU's will be awarded. The cost is free to Vanderbilt students and faculty.

Wednesday, August 29th, 2007 - 8:30am-5:30pm
Vanderbilt University Campus
School of Nursing Building
Free for Vanderbilt Nursing Students and Faculty
Students: $45
Regular Rate: $65
Late Registration (After July 27): $85
CAPPA members receive the $65 rate at any time.

Paid registration includes continental breakfast, snacks, CEU's, syllabus, exhibit tables, gift bag and door prizes.
Continuing Education Credit

Applications have been made to provide CE hours for CNMs, CPMs, LMs and RNs. 5 Contact hours / .5 CEUs from the ACNM have been applied for by Barbara Harper of Global Maternal/Child Health Association.

Application for continuing education credit has been submitted to Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) and is pending approval. VUSN is approved as a provider of continuing education in nursing by the Tennessee Nurses Association which is accredited as an approver of continuing education in nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Provider Number 032113008. Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, 461 21st Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee 37240

CAPPA has approved this workshop for CEUs for certified professionals. Please check with your professional organization concerning CE/CEUS.


About Our Speaker
Barbara Harper

Founder and director of Waterbirth International Resource and Referral Service, Barbara has been researching and documenting waterbirth and gentle birth since 1983. An internationally recognized expert, she lectures and consults in hospitals and universities. She is the author of Gentle Birth Choices (2005) and the producer of the videos Gentle Birth Choices and Birth Into Being.

Barbara’s topics will include:

* How best to keep birth undisturbed
* Identifying fear and helping to resolve it
* Chemical pathways of labor
* Influence of birthing practices on bonding and breastfeeding
* Neuroscience of motherbaby skin to skin contact
* Getting women into Hot Water: everything nurses, doulas and midwives need to
know
* Local panel of midwives, doulas and nurses talking about how to institute
Gentle Birth in hospitals

To Register for either workshop visit BirthWorkshop.com

To inquire about sponsorship or advertising opportunities, contact us at info@birthworkshop.com.

New Breastfeeding hotline

La Leche League has a new 24 hour breastfeeding hotline. According to La Leche League

"toll-free phone help is available 24 hours a day, anywhere in the US, providing information, education, and support for women who want to breastfeed, healthcare providers, and others".

So let everyone know to call 1-877-4-LA LECHE for breastfeeding concerns for a warm voice, correct breastfeeding information and support.

Of course, they could use your help funding the phone line too. LLL has set up a Cafe Press store with items that you can purchase to support and advertise LLL at the same time. You can also donate directly to the helpline.

To donate funds directly to the helpline, please contact Carroll Beckham, helpline treasurer, at cbeckham@nc.rr.com or mail your donation to Carroll at 2101 Woods End Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28312. Donations are also being received by Pam Freedman, pmfree3@aol.com, in memory of Olivia and Elena Parry, grandchildren of LLL Leader Linda Parry. Olivia and Elena died tragically in a house fire in December, 2006. Linda was quite instrumental in the creation of the helpline. Donations in memory of Olivia and Elena can be sent to Pam Freedman, 104 Crofton Springs Place, Chapel Hill, NC 27516.

So, let your pediatrician, Lactation consultant, WIC office, OBGYN, friends, cousins, everyone know this helpline is out there for moms and healthcare professionals day and night for any breastfeeding related problems. It could be just the right support at just the right time.

Roll Tape...Camera 1

I have been slacking as a blogger lately...sorry to all who have been regular readers and have had nothing new to read. I have had lots of ideas for posts, but no time to post them. If you could only have access to my brain...oh, wait, that probably wouldn't be a good idea either. You would also have access to my anxiety over our family finances, post-baby weight gain and daily 4:30 freak-out over what's for dinner. I am sure one day we will be able to blog straight from our brains, but until technology catches up, you'll just have to wait for me to sit down and write once in a while.

Don't be shy, please write me or comment and let me know that you are reading so that I will keep writing and engaging the world in this discussion on breastfeeding in the Black community.

Okay, just wanted to update on my video project. You can see here back in December of last year I started doing research into putting together a video to encourage breastfeeding among Black women. In my head I envision a video that shows images of us breastfeeding children, playing with, loving and holding our children and sitting with our husbands (and significant others) and friends and discussing breastfeeding. Why did you choose to breastfeed? How did you deal with your family members that thought breastfeeding was nasty or inappropriate? How did the baby's father participate in baby care? Answering questions that Black mothers - all mothers want to know and showing that it really can work for real mothers. Working mothers, mothers in school, younger, older, large chested and small.

Well, this Saturday, we will roll tape. We will attempt to get mothers, babies, children, husbands, boyfriends, doctors and of course the crew (my dear husband and his professional camera-man friend) together to get enough usable footage to make a 5-10 minute waiting room video. Something that will encourage moms to "try" breastfeeding.

I am very excited. I am very nervous. I have never done anything like this and don't know that I can do it. All I know is that it is worth a try. We are trying to get it done in time for the La Leche League International Conference in a little over a month. If we do, I will hopefully show it during a session I am facilitating on Breastfeeding in the African-American community.

Thanks to Latchon.org - a place where those who have an idea or dream for a breastfeeding project can meet donors with support to give. More people need to visit latchon.org and more people need to give there too. Please consider sending some of your charity money to projects there. My project was fully supported because someone who went to latchon.org believed in my vision.

Keep your fingers crossed for us, say a little prayer and stay tuned for an update. Hopefully many happy, healthy families will show up Saturday ready to share their breastfeeding experiences with the world.

Reasons to Breastfeed in 1914 or 2007

I had to pass on this gem found by the Breastfeeding Daily Tips and News RSS Feed on the blog of a NYC husband, father and apparent breastfeeding supporter: Scott's Simple Story.

I am fascinated by things like this...it is interesting how public health campaigns are structured and worded.

For instance, today we usually hear "Breast is Best" or about the "benefits of breastfeeding" or "Breastmilk, the gold standard".

In 1914, however, they described it differently. See #4 below. "Mother's milk is the only safe food during the first six months of its life."

So, take a look at this information sheet put out by the NYC Department of Health and express your opinions on public health messages and breastfeeding of yesterday and today.

Shout out to NPR!

Never thought you'd hear a Black person say that, did you?

Apparently on May 11, 2007, the News and Notes program on NPR (National Public Radio) did a story titled The Black Blogoshpere Expands and discusses how more and more of "us" are getting involved in the world of blogging and thus increasing our presence in the online world.

Thanks to a comment by a reader I found out that they mentioned Mocha Milk by name!! They even talked about Mocha Milk being a blog dedicated to all things breastfeeding related in the African-American community! You can listen to the piece here.

They went on to encourage more African-Americans to blog and to comment on blogs. I encourage you to post here - join my online community - help me grow our presence in the internet world.

Maybe one day I'll reach the Lactivist status and be recognized at the grocery store.

Now back to your regularly scheduled breastfeeding information....

Give yourself and your family a gift this Mother's Day - Exercise!

Breastfeeding has always been an amazing weight loss plan for me. I am what you could call a "thick" or "healthy" girl. In high school, the biggest girl on the dance team. I wasn't unhealthy, just not thin. Then, when pregnant with the princess (baby #1), I gained a good 45-50 lbs. I was going to eat what I wanted. But, I did exercise and stay active.

I will never forget a conversation I had with a born-skinny mom with a young child who told me how she lost so much weight she was SKINNIER after having a baby than she had ever been before. I could have smacked her. It wasn't her fault, God bless her, she just wanted to share the good news that breastfeeding and chasing a baby can help you loose weight. That's not the kind of thing you want to share with a big-as-a-house pregnant woman. It's just too hard to believe when you can't see your toes.

Lo and behold, I was like my skinny mom-friend. I too became tiny as my little nursling got plumper and plumper. Not only that, I got thinner after baby #2. So thin in fact I started throwing out my "big clothes". Unfortunately, I started regaining as #2 nursed into toddlerhood. My weight loss plan was starting to fail me.

Now, 10.5 months after birthing the last little golden nugget, I am dangerously close to my full term pregnancy weight. For the first time in my life I am understanding the term "muffin top" and I am still not able to wear my normal clothes (why did I get rid of the "big clothes"?).

Did I also mention I turn 30 on Sunday? My metabolism is apparently screeching to a halt as I turn the corner on decade three.

So, I stop by the Motherwear Blog and see a post from Tanya about The WOMAN Challenge 2007 (Women and girls Out Moving Across the Nation). Apparently, she has a few extra baby pounds hanging around as well and has challenged everyone to join her team Breastfeeding Babes and get moving. The challenge starts on Mother's Day (May 13th) and goes for 8 weeks. And as much as I really don't have time to exercise or know how I am going to get around to it, I know it is a commitment I need to make.

So, I joined the team! Go to the WOMAN Challenge site and sign up. Make a commitment to yourself and your family today. They need you to be healthy so you can be around to take care of your family, make memories with your family, laugh with your family.
I am taking it as an opportunity to spend more time engaged in a fun and healthy activity with my children. We can go outside and play tag, throw a Frisbee, run races, walk the neighborhood or at a park or turn on some music and dance inside the house.

If you sign up, let me know, let Tanya know. Or even, start your own team, with your friends or colleagues, right where you are. Give a gift only you can give to yourself and your family - your health.

Where have I been and weighing in on the Gallagher Article

Apparently, I have been under a rock. I didn't realize I have not posted since April 19th! Yikes. But I have good excuses...I am launching a new Happiest Baby class at the local Gymboree, we are applying to a private school for the princess in the fall, I am working on my CLE workshops, I am running a breastfeeding support group on my own, teaching breastfeeding class, attending meetings and oh yes, I cook and clean for and keep tabs on three children and a husband. It is also dance competition season for the princess. However, that does not absolve me of my duties as the mistress of this little spot on the web you have come to know and love as Mocha Milk. I hope you have been kept "abreast" of current happenings in the lactation world by my fellow bloggers. Jennifer at the Black Breastfeeding Blog has been faithfully writing and had several interesting entries about wet nursing. She said everything I would have said and more (It's so nice to agree :)) so please check out what she had to say.

Apparently while I was gone, there was a big stir over an article posted by Jen at The Lactivist but written by Morgan Gallagher, a self-described Lactaneer. If you read some of the comments posted (strangely mostly by "anonymous" posters) they call the article "racist", say they are comparing the breastfeeding rights struggle to "slavery and its repercussions" and say it compares "racism to breastfeeding" and then some go so far as to call both Gallagher and Jennifer racist themselves and "using blacks for their dumb-a$$ causes".

Jennifer added a post on May 1, essentially stating that she understands why the analogy of being black to a baby's essential need to eat/breastfeed would be offensive, belittling and poorly placed. Jennifer, please don't feel the pressure to apologize, soften your words or even call the article poorly written. It was beautifully and properly stated. This is a case of the Jessie Jackson/Al Sharpton bullying so common in American culture today. Just because a White person said it, doesn't make it racist or wrong. I could have easily said the same thing, and in fact have made similar statements myself. I will address this more later.

Call me an Uncle Tom if you will (However I won't post your comment, because first off that's a dumb insult if you've even read Uncle Tom's Cabin and like on The Lactivist says, name calling will get you nowhere.), but I think race is a PERFECT analogy when discussing a baby's right to eat and a mother's right to breastfeed.

Gallagher wasn't talking about our struggle, slavery, the civil rights or lynchings. The point was biology. I am pretty sure the point was not to insinuate that women breastfeeding their children are under the same persecution as Blacks during the Civil Rights movement. The point is this: I can not stop being black any more than my baby can stop being hungry or wanting to breastfeed right at the moment he is hungry/scared/uncomfortable/thirsty, etc and needs to nurse. Breastfeeding is what baby human mammals do. A baby shouldn't have to eat in a toilet or under a blanket because they are a baby and get nourishment from a woman's breast. A mother shouldn't have to hide what she is doing because it is how a human baby eats. That was the point. Nothing more, nothing less.

One anonymous poster said that the struggle to protect breastfeeding and the baby's right to be breastfed is not a civil rights issue/can't be compared to the civil rights struggle. It is fundamentally a civil rights issue. Her argument is flawed because she says breastfeeding mothers aren't lynched, or crosses burned on their lawns. If that's the criteria for a civil rights issue than what about the rights of disabled people, Native Americans, religious minorities, etc. Most of those groups didn't suffer lynchings or cross burnings either (some actually did if they lived in KKK areas during certain periods of history). Regardless, this is not the struggle TODAY. Maybe the anonymous poster works for Jessie Jackson. He is always riding on the glory days of "the struggle". We have to realize that we are fighting a different struggle now. I live in the South. Are there still scary pockets with crazy racists loons? Yes. But we have a strong, educated, (biracial) Black man running for president, Black CEOs, entrepreneurs and some of the most powerful people in television and government are Black. If you are a Black child and want to go to college and make up your mind to do so, YOU CAN. We now struggle against self-perpetuated stereotypes (in entertainment), poor education, poor neighborhoods and our inability to work together (Bill Cosby says it much better than I). But I digress...we were talking about breastfeeding.

Maybe I have a deeper understanding of what she was trying to say because I live with the reality that the very life I live is offensive to some people - Black and White. My husband is White.(Which to some of you will disqualify everything I have to say.) I am Black. (Race in itself is actually a cultural construct not a biological one which actually makes the whole argument silly but I am making a point.) There was a time, about 40-50 years ago that the thought of the two of us holding hands or eating together in a restaurant would have made people sick. We would have been told to leave restaurants, not sit together on buses, told we can't "do that" here. Now, for the most part, we are free to do as we please, go where we want, be together and be who we are, without fear of harassment or danger.

No one is implying that a baby or mother is lynched for breastfeeding. However, being kicked out of a restaurant, having security called, having to bring in lawyers, being treated like a security threat on a plane, having your milk poured out as you weep, are all forms of intimidation, abuse and harassment. These are actions that may cause women to choose not to breastfeed, to wean early or supplement with formula when in public. These actions lead to health problems (whether you can see them or not - they may take years to manifest), infections, and increased morbidity and mortality rates (or at least no improvement).

And the problem is, having a culture that encourages the breastfeeding mom/baby pair to hide, stay home and not "offend" everyone else is hurting OUR PEOPLE the most. Our babies are dying in greater numbers, our babies have more disease, more infection, more obesity, less connection and bond to the family and die more often. So here we bitch and moan about how white women are exploiting us to promote breastfeeding when we are not doing enough to further the cause in our own community. When we are still looking at the lowest breastfeeding rates among all races in America. I hope those that were applying the racist label and recounting all the bad things ever done to Black people by White people are actually spending half as much time promoting breastfeeding - the single most beneficial, the cheapest and easiest health intervention among our people - as they were spending trying to shame someone for actually pointing out that it is wrong beyond all reason to tell a person to eat in a bathroom because of the color of their skin just as it is wrong to tell a breastfed baby (via the mom) to eat in a bathroom. The reason it is a powerful argument, is because today, virtually no one would dare suggest that Black people shouldn't eat in public (as was the sentiment 50 years ago), but we do that to babies when we say their mothers should not feed them in public.

That was the point, and it is a point well taken.

For further thoughts on this subject see my former post on Rosa Parks and Lactivism.

I would be happy to hear your thoughts as well.