I can't!

What can Emma not do?

Emma cannot (at this time) unhook her car seat buckle to unlock the car door from inside the car.

What can Emma do?

Push the power lock button before Mommy helps her into her seat.

Guess what happened today?

It seems that I am to be plagued by a lifetime of car lock travails. In Emma's first year alone, I locked us out of the car at least 12 times. When pregnant with Daniel, I locked us out 3 times in one week! The first day we moved in to our new apartment I met our new neighbors and then borrowed their phone to call a locksmith later. I honestly try so hard to avoid this problem. I know I am susceptible. I have two spares. I leave the key in the door until the kids are in their seats. I try to always have at least one car door open at all times. I told myself that if somehow Emma and Daniel got locked inside, Emma would be able to unlock the doors. But that was before we re-adjusted her car seat straps to fit more snugly. Today I unlocked the doors and put Daniel in his seat. It was super hot in the car, so I turned it on and cranked the air up. I left the front door open (gravity pulled it in so that it just latched). Emma was playing in the front ("I'm driving, Mommy") while I checked our plans with my sister. I buckled Emma in and closed the door. When I went to open the front, it was locked. I knew right then they were locked inside. I held it together for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes of explaining to, pleading with and (I'm ashamed to admit) yelling at Emma to unlock the door I gave way to panic. She was tired and scared and couldn't do what I was asking of her. My spare was inside the car along with our cell phone and my children. Emma began to cry which set Daniel off. She finally fell asleep. Tuan had a spare, but we had to wait for my sister to drive by his work to pick it up. While she was gone, Daniel had cried Emma awake and himself to sleep. I never want to feel again the feeling of being forcibly separated from my children. Being forced to watch as they scream and sob in vain for your touch is a torture no mother should have to endure.

Peet-a-boo!

I must hear that 100 times a day. I love it!

I don't particularly like Michael Moore. Regardless, I am looking forward to his exposé on the US health care system, called "Sicko." It came to theaters yesterday. I really must find time to go see it.

We are behind every industrialized nation and several third world countries in health care and infant/maternal mortality rates, for two reasons: The poor can't get quality care, and the rich are given more than necessary so they can be over-charged to make up for money lost on serving the poor.

For instance - A labor nurse's experience with differing treatments among those who can pay and those who can't. Read this interesting blog entry for a little peak

A friend of mine says it best: "I believe that for-profit health care is one of the most heinous crimes against humanity. When people can't get the medications and treatments they need without going bankrupt, when most of our homeless people are simply people with untreated mental illness, when over 30 countries have better infant and mother outcomes than we do, something is sinfully wrong."

Egypt joins other countries in the ban of Female Genital Mutilation!

Egypt takes a step in the right direction!

Thu Jun 28, 10:27 AM
"CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt on Thursday finally banned all female circumcision, the widely-practised removal of the clitoris which just days ago cost the life of a 12-year-old girl. (Thankfully all forms, not just clitordectomy) On Thursday, Health Minister Hatem al-Gabali decided to ban every doctor and member of the medical profession, in public or private establishments, from carrying out a clitoridectomy, a
ministry press official told AFP. Any circumcision "will be viewed as a violation of the law and all contraventions will be punished," said the official, adding that it was a
"permanent ban"."

If both Emma and Daniel were not sleeping right now, I would be jumping up and down, screaming with happiness!

Other countries' laws against female genital mutilation.

My dosh! - but it could be worse! ;o)

As many of you have probably noticed by now, there is a new graphic at the head of my blog. If you haven't yet, take a gander.


As I live my life, meet people, research and learn things and experience the views of ignorant people I find that I no longer wish to live a complacent life safe in my own bubble. There are causes and issues that I feel extremely strong about. If you read my posts about breastfeeding discrimination you understand! :o)


I toyed with the idea of creating a separate blog and linking to it from here, but then realized that doing so would rather deflate the purpose on posting such articles at all. I feel strongly about these things and want to bring more awareness to them. These issues are a part of who I am. So I will be posting them right along with my family updates. If you feel uncomfortable reading them, please feel free to skip posts and check back later. If you don't agree with me and would like to discuss the issue, feel free to comment.

Since the dates are imminent I am posting about the boycott first.

International Nestle-Free Week

A little background. I borrowed a book from my sister - The Politics of Breastfeeding. Included in the book was a history of the company of Nestle's business and advertitisement practices. I was shocked, apalled and sickened. Then I was motivated. Motivated to do what I could to bring about change. So - what is Nestle doing, why should you care and what can you do about it?

NESTLÉ VIOLATES CHILD RIGHTS
The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises the fundamental role that breastfeeding plays in fulfilling the right of every child to the highest attainable standard of health. Breastfeeding could prevent 13% of all under-5 deaths and is far
more effective than other preventive interventions such as water sanitation and immunisation.2 When Nestlé undermines breastfeeding it inevitably violates child rights. http://www.babymilkaction.org/pdfs/nprmeprint05.pdf

Nestlé is targeted with the boycott because monitoring conducted by the
International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) finds it to be responsible for more violations of the World Health Assembly marketing requirements for baby foods than any other company.

As UNICEF has said: "Marketing practices that undermine breastfeeding are
potentially hazardous wherever they are pursued: in the developing world, WHO
estimates that some 1.5 million children die each year because they are not
adequately breastfed. These facts are not in dispute."

Although Nestlé does dispute the facts. See the Your Questions Answered section for responses to Nestlé's denials and deception. The boycott will continue until Nestlé accepts and complies with Baby Milk Action's four-point plan for saving infant lives and ultimately ending the boycott.

What can you do? Use your buying power to its greatest advantage. Boycott Nestle! What products does Nestle make? You might be surprised.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This list includes all products from which Nestlé profits. So Nestlé ice cream is listed because, although Nestlé sold the company, it continues to receive payments for use of the brand name. We welcome new information regarding changes in ownership, but please remember that headline stories about brands being sold do not usually give all the details of the deal. A product is only removed from the list when we are reasonably confident that all links to Nestlé have been cut .

Coffee - Nescafé including:
Alta Rica, Black Gold, Blend 37, Cap Colombie, Cappuccino, Caro, Decaff, Expresso, Fine Blend, Gold Blend, Kenjara, Nescafé Ice, Organic, Partners Blend
Dairy products
Carnation, Coffee-Mate, Extreme Viennois, Fussells, Ideal, LC1, Munch Bunch yoghurts, Rowntree yoghurts and ice creams, Simply Double Ski yogurts, Sveltesse yogurts, Tip-Top
Confectionery & snacks Aero, After Eights, Animal Bar, Baci Chocolate, Black Magic, Blue Riband, Breakaway, Caramac Chocolate Cuisine*, Colgate Dental Gum, Dairy Box, Dairy Crunch,Double Cream, Drifter, Fab Fruit Pastilles, Heaven, Henri Nestlé Collection, Jellytots, Kit Kat, Kit Kat Chunky, Lion Bar, *Lyons Maid Ice Cream, Matchmakers, Maxibon, Milky Bar, Munchies, *Nestlé Ice Cream, Polo, Quality Street, Rolo, Rowntrees Fruit Gums, Smarties, Toffee Crisp, Toffo, Tooty Frooties, Walnut Whip, Willy Wonka, Yorkie
Contact lens care
Alcon
Mineral/bottled water
Aqua Panna, Aquarel, Buxton, Contrex, Perrier, Pow-wow, San Pellegrino, Santa Maria, Valvert, Vittel
Other drinks
Build-up, Milo, Nesquik, Nestea
Processed meals
Buitoni pasta & canned foods, Herta Maggi, *Osem/Tivall, *Rowntrees Jellies
*Cereals
Cheerios & Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon and Golden Grahams Clusters, Cookie Crisp, Shreddies, Fibre 1, Fitnesse, Force Flakes, Fruitful, Golden Nuggets, Nesquik cereal, Shredded Wheat including: Bitesize, Fruitful, Honey Nut Shreddies: Coco and frosted
*Cosmetics
Biotherm, Body Shop, Cosmence, Garnier, Helena Rubenstein, Innéov, La Roche-Posay, Lancome, L'Oreal, Matrix, Maybelline, Metamorphosis, Plénitude, Redken
Pet Foods
Arthur's, Bakers, BETA, Bonio, Felix, Friskies, Go-Cat, Go-dog, Gourmet, One, Pro Plan, Purina, Spiller's, Vital Balance, Winalot

If you don't feel that you can give up these products completely, please give them up during the week of the boycott - July 2-8. The boycott has forced some changes from the company, but it is still a long way from complying. Campaigners are also working for laws. Nestlé can comply when it is given no choice. It is not being asked to do something that is impossible, but without pressure it continues to put its own profits before infant health and mothers' rights. And of course, tell all of your friends to join in!

Next week, call their hotline and tell them you won’t be buying any of their products.
The number to dial in Canada is: 1 800 387-5536.
The number to dial in the USA is: 1 800 225-2270.
The lines are open from 8 am to 8 pm.
Follow the instructions that let you talk with a representative. You may have to hold for a few minutes. Tell them what’s on your mind or read from the text below.

Remember, let them know how strongly you feel, but be polite! I’m calling to
let you know that this week has been declared International Nestlé-Free
Week. I, and many others like me around the world, will not be buying any
Nestlé products this week because your company engages in the unethical
marketing of infant formula. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.5
million children die every year because they were not breastfed. Nestlé
contributes to these deaths by convincing mothers in poor nations not to
breastfeed through aggressive and misleading advertising. Until Nestlé stops
these immoral actions and complies with international marketing guidelines, I
will be Nestlé-Free.

If you would like to keep up on the progress of the boycott, add this blog http://boycottnestle.blogspot.com/ by Baby Milk Action's Campaigns and Networking Coordinator to your favorites.

Bidt Poot!

In order to help Emma communicate to us when she needed to eliminate we talk her how to say pee-potty, poo-potty and poot. She decided to call it pee-potty, poot and BIDT-poot. She also now informs us that bidt poot comes out of her bum and pee-potty comes out of her vulva.

This picture was taken when she found my discarded mascara tube.

wherz eopard? BOO!!

Emma's favorite stuffed toy is her "eapard". One day when Mommy must have been particularly preoccupied with Emma's younger brother, she began entertaining herself. She laid on the floor on her side. Said "wherz eapard?" Promptly rolled over and said "BOO!" Now that Daniel is not alwys sleeping while in the car, she loves to play peek-a-boo with Daniel using his sun shade. He just giggles and giggles. (I wish I had an audio of this as well!) She really is a dream 'big sis'.

oh, bummer!

I'm not sure why I was saying this often, but apparently I was because Emma picked it right up. Something would fall, or get knocked over or upset us and she would look up, tilt her head anday "oh, bummer" in a consoling voice. Priceless! I only wish I had made an audio clip of it.

Emma wanted to wear my socks and shirt. She looks cuter in them than I do!

two holes

I think that my daughter and everything she says (mostly) is absolutly adorable. You don't have to agree. :o) Since Emma has been using a little potty and/or the toilet since she was 3-ish months old (the sink worked well before that!) she was driven to put on and take off her pants (when she was wearing any) by herself. In the beginning she would inevitably put two feet into one whole and flop like a mermaid. We would explain that pants have two holes - one for each leg. The title of this blog is what she got out of it and used to say it all the time when putting pants on. Now if she is in a silly mood, she will stick both feet into one hole and flounder around exaggeratedly while declaring "two holes!"

Hannah all nated then!

Emma actually said this in January. Just after Christmas our family went to visit my sister. Emma's cousin is almost exactly a year older than her. While we were visiting, Emma needed to borrow some pants and my sister found some that her daughter had grown out of. Later at home I pulled them out of the dryer and Emma saw them.

Emma: "My pants!"

Me: "Nope, they're Hannah's pants."

E: "Emma wear them."

M: (after Emam pulled them on)"Are you wearing Hannah's pants?"

E: "Hannah all nated then!"

Of course! If Hannah wasn't wearing these specific pants, she must be wearing none and "all nated then!" I love toddlers and their fledgling reasoning skills!

P.S. These are Daniel's (at 1month) feet next to Tuan's

Mommy ‘mote

Translation: Mommy's remote.



Months and months ago I scribbled down a note to blog. I misplaced the note and it never got blogged. I have now found the note - prepare to get blogged! :o}



Daniel wasn't born yet so Emma was only 18 months old. One of Emma's favorite pastimes (aside from finding my buttons and pushing them) is to disect our remotes and play with/attempt to put back the battery covers. I found a remote with no cover on the floor and asked Emma where the battery cover was as I started to look. She walked over to the couch, lifted up the cushion and handed me the cover from where she had stashed it! It was so adorable and unexpected. It was the first time that I realized she could now understand what I was asking and do something about it!

Emma's first year

I was putting together my favorite pictures from the last year and couldn't believe how much Emma and Daniel have grown and changed! So here is Emma's first year - one picture per month. Grrr! I kept trying to get various phot hosting sites to host these pics in a slide show but couldn't seem to get any of them to work. So you will just need to scroll down. This is Emma's first year. My goodness, but they grow so fast!

The birth of an adorable drama queen!

One month old.

Super Emma!

Multitasking at 3 months.

Already getting stuck.

Grinning at 5 months
6 months and crawling!

Cutest ladybug ever.

Best pick in the patch - and the pumpkin isn't bad either!

Almost walking.
Learning how to accessorize.

Happy Birthday, Emma.

Danna myah

As you know, Daniel was about a week old before we settled on the name Daniel for him. Of the other's we were considering, Daniel was the only name that Emma actually tried to say. I think that helped me decide that it was the right one for our family. (Maybe that is silly, but there you have it.) She started out calling him baby. Then it was Danna. For a while it has been Dan-yer. Most recently it has become - well, I'm not sure! It sounds a lot like 'daddy' now. I sometimes get confused as to who she is referencing!

no, yes, no, yes!

This is a game that used to be a favorite of Emma's when she was just learning how to talk. It went like this:


Mommy: yes!

Emma: no!

M: yeeeeees

E: nooooooo

M: YEsss

E: NOooo

etc, etc. She would - and still - only says the no. I can't get her to say yes! Oops :o}

I want to/can do it all me-helph.

Well - it has been over a month since my last blog post. I have decided to catch you, mu faithfull readers up to speed instead of just skipping the last month and picking up with today.



First things first - my wonderful husband surprised me (I seriously had no clue!) with a beyond awesome anniversary present. An HP Notebook - otherwise known as a laptop (hey, he even has me calling it fuel now instead of 'gas' - there's a chemist for you ;o) I can now fix dinner using a recipie that I didn't have to print out (way to save paper!) and play a funny utube video for Emma while I use our DVD player to play my pilates! It is awesome and I absolutely LOVE it!

If you have scrolled down to this post first I will warn you that there are going to be tons of pics coming. Enjoy!

Emma is super independant these days. One sentance (yes, I must also admit she is using sentances at times now) we hear often is the title to this blog - "I want to do it all me-helph" Or "No, Mommy! I can do it me-helph". *sigh* toddlers! :o}

Lay baby down!

Emma has perfected the pronounciation of this phrase. Usually it is said in a tearful voice as in: "Mommy I just bonked my head/leg/back(insert body part of choice here), lay baby down so I can nurse."

In other news - Daniel got his first tooth on April 4th! He actually cut his bottom two at the same time. I know it's a month late, but I was waiting to get a picture of him showing them off. He is much like his Daddy in that he's more pragmatic and not as wont to ham it up for the camera like Emma would. Today I snapped this one and it will have to do.

mommy, my patience all gone!

Take a wild guess as to what an exasperated mommy says to her 2 year old? Yep - my patience is all gone! I like to think that I don't say it all that often, but perhaps not.

Oh - I got my hair cut. I love it - it's perfect for the summer!

I huve my Danyer

Emma Said the cutest thing yesterday. I huve my Danyer. The direct translation being: I love my Daniel. Can I hear the collective "Awwwwwwww!" 'K, thanks! She also says "I huve my mommy" but what she says the most right now is "I huve my daddy". Overnight it seems she has become an absolute daddy's girl! Hee! One problem - Daddy can't take her with him to work. The first thing she says when she gets up in the morning is: "Where my Daddy go?"

Prayers

So sorry to have two serious posts in a row, but such is life.

I have recently found myself the victim of a person suffering from Munchausen syndrome (http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/chronic/faking.html) This person assumed the identity of a mother of a 25 week preemie infant. They stole pictures from a web journal of the real family. They accepted money and gifts from honest caring people. We are all attempting to heal from this enormous breach of trust.

The following was written by a friend. with her permission I am sharing it here because she says so eloquently what I feel.

"Prayers and good vibes transcend time, space, and human intention. Prayer is a connection with the infinite, where time in not linear. Prayers offered in 2007 can help a deathly ill baby in 2005, and maybe they did. The intentions in prayers also transcend intent and human knowledge and understanding. Prayers offered for a person in one kind of distress can help a person in another kind of distress. People who commit massive frauds are usually in great pain and they need a lot of help and understanding to learn how to express themselves in a healthy way. Prayers offered on their behalf can help them, even when the help they need is of a different kind than what was intended by the offeror of the prayer. Prayers also help the world and the offeror in general. Sometimes we can slip too easily into a selfish desire to see a hard situation resolve as we want it to. When that situation does not actually exist, it may be that the prayer or intention is all the purer for it simply goes to make the world and the offeror greater, wiser, better, with no hope any longer of seeing the desired outcome. The discovery that the cause of one's prayers was false is a kind of death. How good it is to know that one's prayers and hopes already resolved, two years before their offering, into a good outcome! I'm so glad we prayed. A baby is well and happy and turning two. A mother is well and happy and hoping for another child. A woman received help and support and an outpouring of love, even though she was not able to tell us why she needed it."

"Forgiveness is like letting someone out of prison - and then finding out that person was you." - Brother of a Columbine gun violence victim.

Discrimination and a Weak Law

Statue of Mary Feeding Jesus

Argentina, In front of a local Catholic church

Picture taken by my brother while traveling South and Central America

Many states have a law protecting a publicly breastfeeding mother. Unfortunately some of these laws are weak and riddled with loopholes. For example, Texas.

Chapter 165. Breast-Feeding Subchapter A. Breast-Feeding Rights and Policies Sec. 165.001. Legislative Finding The legislature finds that breast-feeding a baby is an important and basic act of nurture that must be encouraged in the interests of maternal and child health and family values. In compliance with the breast-feeding promotion program established under the Federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. section 1771 et seq.), the Legislature recognizes breast-feeding as the best method of infant nutrition. Sec. 165.002. Right to Breast-Feed A mother is entitled to breast-feed her baby in any location in which the mother is authorized to be.

The loophole - authorization can be denied thereby eliminating the right of a mother to breastfeed her infant or child.

A Ronald McDonald House in Houston, Texas has decided to exploit this loophole and their victims are a mother and an aunt of a 17 month old boy recovering from brain surgery. Here is her story, shared with her permission.

"My sister and I are staying in the Ronald McDonald House in Houston because one of her 17 month old twins had to have brain surgery to remove a tumor last week. The RMH has been great and we have felt so blessed to find such a safe and homey place to take care of her other two children and my daughter while we are here for T's recovery. However yesterday my sister, who is nursing the twins, was asked to stop nursing in the communal area of the Ronald McDonald House and to take it up to her room. She was shocked! After his surgery her son will basically only drink breast milk and it is the only thing that eases the constant pain and anxiety he feels.

She told them that it was illegal, according the Texas state law, to ask a breastfeeding mother to stop nursing in any public or private place. She also tried to explain to them how inconvenient it would be for her to take all her children up 3 floors to their room every time her sick child needs to nurse. Unfortunately after 30 minutes of arguing, and being threatened with being kicked out, she was in tears and they weren't backing down. So I headed down there to talk to the administrator because I am also nursing my three year old daughter. I even pulled up the state law on my laptop and after a lengthy discussion the administrator acted as if she was going to examine the law so she understood it and move on. I thought that was the end of it. Today I find out they may be kicking us out of the RMH because we refused to comply with what they call their "interpretation of the law". Their interpretation is that if they provide somewhere else for us to nurse they don't have to let us nurse in public places.
Since when do laws get to be personally tailored to an organizations needs? This is a ridiculous and terrible situation for all of us, I am not sure what else we will do if we can't stay here but we can't just not nurse our children. The Ronald McDonald is such a great resource, why do they have to discriminate against nursing moms?

If you would like to send a letter(s) we would appreciate it. Arlene Whatley is The Director of Operations of The Holcombe location of the RMH where we are staying and one of the people who J spoke to about this. It is Arlene that seems to be making the decision here. Her email is awhatley@rmhhouston.org and her phone is (713) 795-3570. Also her higher ups, The Executive Director can be emailed at nscott@rmhhouston.org and the Director of Administration is srichard@rmhhouston.org. This message may also be shared and reposted as you see fit. Thank you all for your support."

"**Update** As of Saturday Afternoon(4/14) we are still being asked not to nurse anywhere but our rooms and Arlene, who I spoke to today by phone, has informed me that she will be contacting the Executive Director and their attorneys on Monday about the situation before any other decisions will be made. I have been told by Arlene that she will do what she needs to do and that I am to "be very careful" about what I decide to do. We are being told that we are not being asked to leave right now and that they never meant that we should have to...despite the fact that Arlene told my sister in front of another RMH employee on speaker phone that families who could not acclimate to the environment at RMH should find somewhere else to stay. She admitted this to me on the phone today, that yes she did tell J that...but that did not mean we actually had to leave. Also the day after she was asked to stop nursing(yesterday) J's social worker was contacted by RMH and was apparently told that she may need to help us make other accommodations. The RMH actually contacted my sister's social worker who handles T's case while he is in the hospital and got her involved...because J was nursing and they are not ok with that? I guess nursing means not acclimating to their environment and she was just trying to intimidate J into stopping the nursing of her sick son. I do want to say that aside from Arlene, and the original employee who asked my sister to stop nursing, we have been treated very well here and want to say that the RMH has great employees as well as the ones bullying us.

I just spoke to Naomi Scott, the Executive Director of the RMH Houston, and we(Me, J, Arlene and Naomi) have a meeting this afternoon (tentatively) at 4pm. She came back from her vacation early to handle the situation. Naomi needs to speak to some people before the meeting she said.

Unlike Arlene, Naomi was very pleasant on the phone but she told me that although they are not kicking us out right now that it is a guideline(an oral one) to ask all breastfeeding mothers to go to their rooms to nurse. This is the first I have heard of any oral guideline from anyone. It was never mentioned before. She told me this was because they had multicultural residents here and that they need to protects all the residents from feeling uncomfortable. Because of this they are not changing their stance on us breastfeeding downstairs. She also said that she has received calls from corporate but that each RMH is run independently. They have also received calls from national donors and she said that was uncomfortable and that all of our emails crashed their server(although they have fixed it now) which was costing them money.This is all I know for now but I will be contacting the LLL about representaion of some sort at the meeting and I am going to try and get ahold of corporate myself right now. Thank you all for your continued support..and please keep the pressure coming, we will need it now MORE THAN EVER to make sure all moms have the right to breastfeed at the RMH.

Ok here is the outcome of the meeting. We got out about and hour ago and I have been trying to find time to post here after returning some phone calls. The meeting was about 2 hours long and included myself and my sister, a representative from the LLL, and a doctor from the area who is responsible for some big research on breastfeeding. I will not mention their names as I have not asked them for permission to do that but we thank them both for their support! We could not have handled the meeting without them. I contacted the suggested LLL person in Texas(again no names) and she sent them right out. She was great as well and worked tirelessly for us today. From the RMH Arlene, the Director of Operations, as well as Naomi, the Executive Director, attended as well as a couple of their board members.
After a very lengthy conversion with many twists and turns the RMH is allowing us to stay. We are from now on allowed to breastfeeding in the communal areas if we follow some rules they have set forth and not too many people complain about it. They said if just one person complains they will tell them they support breastfeeding and discuss with them why they are concerned. If many people were to complain they will have to deal with that as it comes up, they could not say how as they have not encountered the situation.

The rules we are to follow are that we are to be discreet, this is at our discretion, meaning we choose what discreet means but they said they will obviously know if we are not being discreet if people are complaining that they are uncomfortable with us nursing. We are also being asked to inform the people around us before we begin nursing if we think there is anybody that may be uncomfortable with it. We are to tell them nicely that we are going to breastfeed, in case they want to leave or look away.There was alot of discussion about what discreet meant, but after some pretty silly possibilities for discretion they decided it would be up to us as to what that meant. They said they would not bother us about nursing again unless many people complained, which nobody felt was likely to happen.

The RMH wanted us to tell everybody that the RMH supports breastfeeding moms...they were VERY adamant about it. You can decide for yourself if that is true, I am only passing on what they said to us.

Now, at this point, this only applies to us. When asked how other nursing moms would be treated they said they cannot make any changes right in the room but that they will be examining the practice, or oral guidelines, of asking breastfeeding moms to stop. They said they did not have the power to make policy change, it had to go to the board; which they said they would seriously discuss doing. Obviously alot more was said in 2 hours but this is the gist of the situation. If they really do examine their guideline this could be a really good thing but we will have to follow up to make sure that happened. Please if you decide to write anymore letters(and they received ALOT of letters) please do so to encourage them to reexamine thier guidelines and to thank them for considering it.

Although they were not apologetic to us they have agreed to reexamine their stance and this could be really good for alot of nursing moms. If we handle this correctly this could mean national change for the RMH. We will be waiting to find out how this plays out in the following days and will will update as needed. Lots of media have contacted us from all kinds of large outlets and I am still not sure who, if anyone, I will talk to at this point. We are trying to decide how to best help ALL moms.We want this to benefit moms across the board so me and J will be working to change their guidelines as we go. And the LLL says they will continue to offer us support. We are not giving up on a full scale policy protecting moms, but we will have to wait for a board decision on that. This will take time but I am confident that we can make this happen.

THANK YOU ALL FOR OUR SUPPORT!!!!! Above all if you all had not done what you have done I suspect we would not have had the outcome we did or even had that meeting. Thank you."

This is an extrememly unsatisfactory response to say the least. Their treatment of the situation and people involved is inexcusable. Sad isn't it, the lengths people will go to discriminate against others. The RMH policy must undergo a nationwide revision and we have the power to precipitate this change.

What you can do. Call or email Naomi Scott at 713.795.3560 or nscott@rmhhouston.org

Call or fax corporate if you feel you can as well. Corporate RMH: Phone: 630-623-7048, Fax: 630-623-7488 Let them know that their apparent "oral guideline" as Naomi put it, of directing employees and volunteers to ask mothers to nurse only in their rooms is not acceptable and that every nursing mother should be able to nurse anywhere they are allowed to be at RMH. Especially since bottle-feeding is perfectly acceptable in these same communal areas as there was a woman in the common area feeding a bottle last night with no repercussions.

The state of Texas also needs to know that the nation is watching them and an unfavorable precedent must not and will not be set with them.

To contact the Attorney General of Texas. email: greg.abbott@oag.state.tx.us phone:1-512-463-2100 mailing address: Office of the Attorney General PO Box 12548 Austin, TX 78711-2548fax:512) 475-2994 Make sure you mention that the family was PAYING $15 a night to stay there, that may affect whether or not RMH can use the loophole in the law allowing removal of authorization to be there. If you CALL, make sure you make them take your name and some contact information (an email perhaps) and then ask them for their name. Makes them take you a bit more seriously.

A good sample letter:

Mr. Attorney General,

I am writing to express my outrage and disgust over the illegal harassment at the Ronald McDonald House Houston towards breastfeeding mothers. Breastfeeding mothers have been harassed at this insitution, banned from public areas, and warned that if they do breastfeed in public they must be "discreet" (a loosely interpreted term) and that they must "warn" other people in the room ahead of time before they breastfeed. This harassment is illegal and I implore your office to remedy the situation and demand that RMH Houston establish a legal breastfeeding policy allowing a woman to breastfeed in any place she is allowed to be, without any illegal conditions being placed upon her or her nursing child.

Sincerely,

xxxx