tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188723532012-02-13T09:50:33.826-08:00Aimed at supporting nursing moms by promoting issues like breastfeeding in public, milk bank donation and child led weaning. <br><br> <a href="http://www.thelactivist.com/store/cpshop.cgi"><img src="http://www.thelactivist.com/160x125lactivist.gif" border="0"></a>Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.comBlogger6811100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-52454860045507584142009-07-17T08:51:00.001-07:002009-07-17T08:51:32.782-07:00

If you are anything like me, you never, ever, EVER had problems with stretch marks until you had babies. Of course if you're like me you also got through at least one pregnancy thinking you were in pretty good shape. I didn't have much of a problem with stretch marks after Nora, mostly because she seemed to fill up my "insides" instead of stretching me outward. (I was a good 32+ weeks pregnant

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-41007945802363259942009-07-16T12:09:00.000-07:002009-07-16T12:11:04.849-07:00

In an ideal world, none of us would ever have to pick up a breast pump or express milk. Babies would always get it straight from the tap. In the real world, due to things like travel, latch issues, jobs and the need for temporary escape...babies often end up drinking expressed and stored breast milk.Now, any mom who has ever pumped milk knows how much work it is. The last thing we want to have

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-78735865110111817242009-07-15T09:41:00.001-07:002009-07-15T09:41:22.522-07:00

As a fairly well endowed woman, it always strikes me as just a little bit funny when women wonder aloud if they can have breast implants and still breastfeed. Why? Because I always wondered if I could have breast reduction and still breastfeed.I guess no one is happy exactly where they are, eh?While I've done some research into breast reduction surgery and given it a bit of thought, I knew there

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-14171895779873157542009-06-24T13:14:00.000-07:002009-06-24T13:16:35.329-07:00

It's always struck me as funny that breastfeeding is one of those things that requires a "course." After all, breastfeeding is one of the most natural things in the world. Moms and babies have been doing it for thousands of years. But now...moms who want to breastfeed their babies almost have to sign up for a course or class of some kind. After all, it's been generations since breastfeeding was

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-81208962868363789452008-07-31T08:00:00.001-07:002008-07-31T11:02:38.306-07:00

Seriously...did the world learn nothing from my run in with the National Pork Board?A few minutes ago, my brother in law pings me with a link to a story that brought back memories.'Got milk' lawyers huff at Talkeetna artist's parodyA snippet: Talkeetna batik artist Barbara Holmes heard from the group behind the "got milk?" brand this month.Holmes made the mistake of advertising T-shirts and "

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-998754847084565622008-06-16T13:17:00.000-07:002008-06-16T13:22:11.270-07:00

Hey ladies! There's a word for us now...It's Beta Moms.What's a beta mom?Beta Moms still want their kids to be successful, but they don't believe that helping their kids reach their goals necessarily involves overachievement or keeping up with what other people define as "norms." In their efforts to adjust to the myriad challenges and stressors in their lives, many moms are beginning to believe

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-42231991869533976532008-06-16T07:28:00.001-07:002008-06-16T07:35:22.362-07:00

So Emmitt absolutely loves the phone. Understandable, of course...I mean it's something you hold in your hand and voices magically come out of it. And unlike the Elmo remote control he has, the words and voices are different each time you use it. What's not to love? So I shouldn't have been surprised when I was working in the living room this morning and my mother popped up on Instant

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-87543140304981420692008-06-06T06:09:00.001-07:002008-06-06T06:17:18.897-07:00

One of the things that has really amazed me about watching the kids in the last six months is the sibling relationship that forms. Yes, I know that often means tears and fights, but it also means some of the most heartwarming (and hysterical) things you'll ever see. Elnora's three and a half right now and Emmitt is twenty months. While they do their share of fighting, they mostly get along really

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-37162557686117553982008-06-04T06:13:00.001-07:002008-06-04T06:13:58.920-07:00

Bento lunches for ToddlersOriginally uploaded by Jennifer LaycockThese were the kid's bento lunches for school on Tuesday.The top one is Elnora's. It's a single tier box with some divided compartments. By far my favorite box and the one you'll pretty much always see me packing for her.The very top part has a string cheese nestled under some Keebler Honey Wheat cracker sticks and a tiny little

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-90908055772728997452008-06-01T18:18:00.000-07:002008-06-01T18:47:10.825-07:00

I always thought the biggest challenge of being a mom was going to be time management. How in the world would I get everything done? How would I put in my hours at work, do the grocery shopping, pitch in with the laundry and cleaning, cook the meals, pack the lunches, maintain some relationships AND care for children full time?And there's some truth to that. While having a baby was exhausting and

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-17549432876825643722008-05-27T08:15:00.000-07:002008-05-27T08:19:18.717-07:00

Many thanks to my friend Amber Tardiff-Watson for letting me know about an FDA warning about "Mommy's Bliss Nipple Cream." Apparently use of the cream can cause some health problems in nursing infants. Here's a snippet from the warning:The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use or purchase Mommy’s Bliss Nipple Cream, marketed by MOM Enterprises, Inc., because the

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-67717182679029829342008-05-22T22:01:00.001-07:002008-05-22T22:01:09.082-07:00

Toddler bento lunchesOriginally uploaded by Jennifer LaycockAnother round of bento lunches for preschool days.The bento on the left is Emmitt's. Top tier has strawberries, mandarin oranges and sakura cut pineapple. The middle tier has macaroni and cheese, string cheese and some black olives. The bottom tier has two organic mint oreos and some Annie's natural cheddar bunnies.The box over on the

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-87413653568799262502008-05-22T04:02:00.000-07:002008-05-22T04:07:12.183-07:00

Lactivist reader "juliefabmom" left this comment on another post and after reading it and taking a bit to compose myself, I realized it needs to be placed as a post in and of itself instead of being left to flounder in the comments.Pull out your tissues folks and take in the love of a mother.from The Electric New Paper, SingaporeHere's the story. it made me cry for 1/2 an hour this morning (I'm

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-61707857276969537652008-05-18T17:23:00.001-07:002008-05-18T17:26:59.903-07:00

Kid's Bentos for 05/19/08Originally uploaded by Jennifer LaycockI'll be speaking at the Ohio Web Leaders conference tomorrow, so the kid's will have a long day at Mango's Place. Took some extra time to make sure I put together lunches they might actually eat.Emmitt's is the bento on the left. His top tier has strawberries, mandarin oranges, pineapple cut into flower shapes and (I know! I know! ew

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-42435915652174258832008-05-18T15:36:00.001-07:002008-05-18T15:36:03.708-07:00

EmmitOriginally uploaded by Jennifer LaycockApparently Emmitt is destined to be one of those old men sitting in the chairs in the center of the mall walkways, holding their wives purse.A few days back Nora came in and asked if she could carry my purse around. I said sure. Five minutes later, in wandered Emmitt wearing the purse around his neck. While I applaud her creativity in finding a pack

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-5848017003832364402008-05-18T15:22:00.000-07:002008-05-18T15:31:08.354-07:00

Ever run into your best friend from high school ten or twelve years later in some random location?Chances are, you either talked each other's ears off, or you made small talk for 2.75 minutes before you both started briefly glancing at your feet or watch and saying "well...it was good seeing you."That's kind of where I am with the blog. I miss posting here and I'd like to gradually get back in

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-75094614511689131542008-05-01T09:18:00.000-07:002008-05-01T09:22:46.551-07:00

First of all, thanks to all of you for your support, encouragement, birth stories and resources. It is definitely appreciated! I wish that I had time to respond to everyone's comments individually, but there are a few points that came up that I'd like to clarify:1 - Hospital birth with a midwife is not an option for me. I think there might be one practice in Columbus that still has midwives on

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796361688507973831noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-63383069177199098312008-04-08T10:48:00.001-07:002008-04-08T10:48:59.007-07:00

Sorry for the bland look here at the site folks. Having some server trouble. I'm moving hosts this week as a result, so things should be back up and running by the end of the week. Thankfully, the site still functions and you can still read, comment, etc... You just can't see any images. :)

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-86026994226526892652008-04-01T06:20:00.000-07:002008-04-01T07:31:46.065-07:00

I have never wished harder for the ability to see into the future in all my life. Or yearned more for some sort of guarantee... good or bad. "You will have no complications whatsoever and your babies will be absolutely healthy; go for the home birth," or "There will be trouble; birth in the hospital." Really, either one would be completely fine with me. I just wish there were some way to know,

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796361688507973831noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-41245902609590796942008-03-31T20:00:00.000-07:002008-03-31T20:03:53.439-07:00

Getting ready to call it a night after another hectic day, but had to share a story from this morning...Was on my way to the gym with the kids when I heard Emmitt laughing. I glanced over and noticed the guy in the car next to us had made some type of face at him. "That's sweet" I thought."At the next light, I glanced over again and the guy was gesturing to me. I rolled down my window and he

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-12983309603613733382008-03-31T09:59:00.000-07:002008-03-31T12:49:58.802-07:00

I am incredibly honored that Jennifer invited me to blog on The Lactivist. I hope I can meet the high standards that have been set around here! :)Figured I should introduce myself before I dive in and start posting my opinion on things, so here goes (don't worry - it's quick... I hate introductions!)Let's see... Hi! I'm Anna. I'm 34 and very much a Libra. I've been married to Lee for 6 years

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796361688507973831noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-74387987559047081072008-03-27T20:48:00.000-07:002008-03-27T20:57:22.242-07:00

Ever get a good idea, start to run with it and then find yourself racing downhill at breakneck speed with no ability to put on the breaks?That's kind of what the last few months have been like.For those who don't follow me over at my day job, I'm putting on a conference. Now you guys know I've traveled and done the speaking gig thing for years now...but this time, I'm actually planning and

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-75366910031050202752008-03-05T09:47:00.000-08:002008-03-05T09:50:23.294-08:00

(Yep, I'm back, but it will be another day or two before I can get a post up on my trip...)Need you guys to get clicking for me ASAP. I'm headed to NYC in two weeks for a search industry show. One of the vendors at the show throws a charity event every year to raise money for a different non-profit. This year, four of us got to put in our charity of choice and it's up to a vote to see who the

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-86339373125948933422008-02-19T16:54:00.000-08:002008-02-19T16:55:49.945-08:00

I know, I know, haven't been around all month.Leaving for London tomorrow, then on to Italy from there. Will be back on March 1st and will catch everyone up then.

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-39582158490844555672008-02-13T15:24:00.000-08:002008-02-13T15:26:48.469-08:00

(no, I'm not pregnant.)It's been about a week since a few of us found out, but until today's press release, we were sworn to secrecy.As it turns out, The Mother's Milk Bank of New England WON the $10K prize for January over at Ideablob! Thanks so much to all of you who voted and helped spread the word!Tanya over at Motherwear got to break the news earlier today.Nice job everyone! Way to see the

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-63460598258488334402008-02-05T19:24:00.000-08:002008-02-06T05:24:16.431-08:00

Exchanged a few emails today with Lactivist reader Shaylene. She was having a discussion with a group of women and wondered what my take was on the subject. After trading a few emails back and forth, we figured we'd throw it out for public discussion here.The question: If a mom is in a mall or store shopping and wants to breastfeed her baby in privacy, is the store obligated to allow her to use a

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-72899390010584544832008-01-30T05:34:00.000-08:002008-01-30T11:04:14.071-08:00

Ok. Here's the deal. I need to lose weight. 25-30 pounds to be exact.I'm done having kids, done nursing, done having "excuses" to lug around this extra weight. I started going to the gym three days a week again back in November, so I'm started on the exercise part, but I need some work in the "food intake" area. I've also found myself sucked in to a contest with some of my fellow SEOs. Basically,

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-12062754383971660442008-01-30T05:25:00.000-08:002008-01-30T05:33:58.348-08:00

The first of two posts today where I'll be asking for your help.I've been out of town (down in Houston preparing for our upcoming Search Engine Guide conference) which hasn't left me much time for posting, but I've had a few things come up.First, we had our appointment yesterday with the ENT specialist for Emmitt. You might remember that he had a killer of an ear infection around Thanksgiving

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-77236807821868022792008-01-22T12:53:00.000-08:002008-01-22T12:56:12.316-08:00

Thanks to everyone who voted for the HMBANA milk bank in New England in the Ideablob contest last week. Thanks to your help, they've made it into the finals!That means we need another push this week. For the next ten days, the milk bank will go head to head with seven other business ideas. Whichever one garners the most votes wins $10,000 in startup funds to get things moving.The milk bank

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-90208183219894480612008-01-20T18:39:00.000-08:002008-01-20T18:41:08.185-08:00

I'm honestly not sure I can do justice do this article if I try to add my commentary, so I'm simply going to link you up to an article about one of the most amazing pumping moms I've ever heard of.(Thanks to Lactivist reader Krista for sending it my way.)

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-15555521711675519332008-01-18T10:31:00.000-08:002008-01-18T11:08:33.021-08:00

It's time to mobilize again ladies (and gents.)Project The First: Help the Mother's Milk Bank of New England Raise $10,000There's a web site called Ideablob that is sponsored by Advanta, the company responsible for a huge portion of the small business operating loans in this country. It's a new site I discovered a little ways back while doing some research for my day job.When I saw it, I noticed

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-67871063691778832632008-01-14T12:18:00.000-08:002008-01-14T12:22:04.741-08:00

There's an article over at Babble today about mothers who choose to exclusively pump. I was interviewed for the article and you'll find several quotes from me. It's an interesting article. It addresses some of the challenges faced by moms who lead them to EP and some of the problems with EPing in terms of what the baby misses out on. (Proper jaw development is a major one, higher risks for

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-31913601256958487772008-01-12T11:20:00.000-08:002008-01-12T11:43:21.456-08:00

Last night I got to go have some fun. Greg, being the absolutely awesome husband that he is stayed with the kids while I went out with my best friend. It was the first time in nearly a year that we'd had a chance to go out and do anything.So, we went to dinner, went somewhere else to snag some dessert (note: if you have a BJ's Brewery near you, go eat a Pizookie right now) and then off to a movie

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-40839159706663246362008-01-08T13:44:00.000-08:002008-01-08T13:49:00.498-08:00

Wanted to pass along word I just received about a change in the rules for donating milk to the Mother's Milk Bank of Ohio.One of their long standing rules was that you had to stop donating when your youngest child turned one year old. (I'd never quite gotten a good explanation for that, but apparently it's a common rule for HMBANA banks.)I found out just this past week that the milk bank here in

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-23221028127957820532008-01-07T08:15:00.000-08:002008-01-07T08:25:24.283-08:00

I posted a week or so ago to let you know Emmitt had started sleeping through the night, thus eliminating his last nursing session without any help from me.At the time, I wondered if that really meant he was weaned, or simply meant he was sleeping through the night. While it had been 10 days since he'd nursed, I didn't really figure I could say he was weaned until it had been "tested."By tested,

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-51355966500540980862008-01-07T07:44:00.000-08:002008-01-07T08:15:31.869-08:00

Since I've already been accused (again) of being mean this week, let's also gear up to get me accused of being anti-breastfeeding. ;) (For you new readers, that's called me having a sense of humor. It in no way means I am mean or anti-breastfeeding. I can't speak to the former, but the latter couldn't be further from the truth.)Moving on...My friend Anna and I have both found ourselves in

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-73879059619102696612008-01-05T07:04:00.000-08:002008-01-05T07:08:40.156-08:00

Regulars here know it's nothing new for someone from the Lactivist movement to come in and call me mean or harsh. I knew what I wrote on Thursday wouldn't be popular, but I strongly felt it needed to be said.I just finished writing a response in the comments of the original post that further clarified my line of thinking and I realized it probably needed to be it's own

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-82886196300370265022008-01-03T20:01:00.000-08:002008-01-05T07:01:59.595-08:00

It's been awhile since I've had a chance to sit down and write a post on lactivism and what's been happening in that realm. I've been keeping an eye on what's been happening in Lubbock since I first got an email from a woman there last month.If you hadn't heard, the city manager's office of Lubbock, Texas decided to censor an upcoming art display at the city owned Buddy Holly Center because it

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-80543463058103812562008-01-01T06:26:00.000-08:002008-01-01T06:35:06.408-08:00

Ok, so as you know, I've been trying to figure out exactly what direction to take this blog as we move forward with me as a "retired" breastfeeding mother. I'll still be offering up my commentary and thoughts on the subject and I'll likely be inviting some guest posts on the topic as well. (I'll be roping my friend Anna in for a few since she's now expecting twins...a breastfeeding topic I can't

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-52890110916731532592007-12-31T10:04:00.000-08:002007-12-31T10:08:27.157-08:00

Ok, so I've realized I have about 200 oz of breast milk in the deep freeze downstairs. Most of it has been there for a year or more, so it's certainly bordering on the "been there too long to drink" stage. Besides, with Emmitt just now weaning, I don't think I want to remind him of how yummy that stuff is. :)WIth it being more than a year old, I'm also not sure I'm comfortable donating it via

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-66949178124070740062007-12-31T08:39:00.000-08:002007-12-31T10:04:32.959-08:00

I've held off posting this for a few days because I have an irrational fear of jinxing things. ;)But, for those who have wondered how our continued weaning efforts have gone over the holidays (especially now that you know we've all been sick) here's an update.I *think* (knock on wood, cross your fingers, say a prayer and all that jazz) we may be done.Emmitt hasn't nursed in 9 days. As you know,

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-11641959676216983702007-12-30T15:13:00.000-08:002007-12-30T15:17:09.795-08:00

Sorry for the silence. Hope you all had wonderful Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanza seasons. (We did!)Emmitt is now on cefdinir AGAIN. Eye drops too. Nasty sinus infection that came to a head on Christmas Eve. He's doing better, but still sick.Elnora got it a few days later. Had to take her to Urgent Care Friday night. She's on cefdinir and eye drops as well. Same thing Emmitt has.Then it got me. I

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-27503777775286087682007-12-19T10:30:00.001-08:002007-12-19T10:36:04.508-08:00

Imagine you name your child. Five months later, you're doing some paperwork with the government and you put your child's name down on the paperwork.Ten months later you find yourself embroiled in a legal battle with the government because they are forcibly changing your child's name to something they feel is more appropriate. You're told the name you gave your child would keep him from developing

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-30338831392645267852007-12-18T04:25:00.000-08:002007-12-18T04:41:19.297-08:00

One of the most interesting things about having kids is the ideas they bring home with them. While I'm home full time with Nora and Emmitt, they certainly have plenty of outside influences.They spend an hour and a half in Sunday School each week. They go to Mango's Place (Preschool) two mornings a week. They also now spend some time in the kid's center at the gym three mornings a week. (More on

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-32220448825568585122007-12-16T12:37:00.000-08:002007-12-16T12:43:07.743-08:00

Things have been chugging along pretty smoothly for the last two weeks. Greg is still putting Emmitt to bed each night with zero problem (I'm getting to put Nora to bed for the first time in nearly a year, which is kinda fun) and Emmitt is still waking up once (sometimes twice) a night to nurse.Overall, it's progress. Easy progress I've been pretty happy about. Last night, Greg put him to bed

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-20748374222637627112007-12-13T11:37:00.000-08:002007-12-13T11:41:14.604-08:00

This is totally off topic for the Lactivist, but it doesn't mean it's not a chance to spin it toward a Lactivist cause.There's a dealio going on in my industry right now where a site has put together the "Top 40 Most Influential People in Search Marketing." I've made the list, though that's not really why I'm posting this.They've opened the list up to votes. Whoever gets the most votes by the end

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-34363380244963489992007-12-12T12:47:00.000-08:002007-12-12T12:51:47.887-08:00

Remember how I've said my kids are as different as can be?Elnora refused the breast, Emmitt refused the bottle.Elnora slept through the night from 7 weeks, Emmitt still doesn't at 14 months.Elnora's never been an eater, Emmitt's a human vacuum. Elnora was always independent, Emmitt's a snuggler.Well, here's another one to add to the list.Up until about six months ago, anytime you put Nora in the

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-2724302571906732472007-12-11T12:06:00.000-08:002007-12-11T12:19:33.093-08:00

I'm not generally a video game person. We had an old PS One I got for Greg a few years ago (after PS2 came out) and Greg has an old Sega Dreamcast he bought on eBay.But last month, I decided to go ahead and get Greg a Wii for his birthday. My cousin has one and we'd played it a few times and I was impressed with how much activity is involved. (I went home and woke up completely sore the next day.

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-37026815365081564162007-12-11T11:59:00.000-08:002007-12-11T16:38:40.146-08:00

I'm wondering if I have any readers in the San Francisco area who happen to be organic food fans. I've had an email request from a company about doing a product review, but what they have isn't available in my area and is too expensive to ship. EDIT: I've got someone to handle this review, so no more emails please. :)(To note, since I'm moving out of the "I have a nursling" stage of life, I'll

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-5845279984181329202007-12-10T20:09:00.000-08:002007-12-11T20:20:11.191-08:00

NOTE: Yeah, yeah, so I changed my mind. I'd originally posted about doing the mom's lunch THIS Thursday, but it was way too last minute. So, we're going to do it next Tuesday instead.Ok central Ohio readers... we are going to do the mom's lunch NEXT Tuesday, December 18h at We'll be meeting up at the Northstar Cafe on High Street in Worthington. I know of at least three of us that are coming, but

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-87246404558211457622007-12-10T18:53:00.000-08:002007-12-10T19:01:45.261-08:00

Last week, I made a post about the fuss being raised over the removal of a breastfeeding video that had been posted to YouTube by the League of Maternal Justice. The video montage featured images of nursing mothers to a soundtrack of "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera.Just wanted to make a post saying I had an email from Kristen at LoMJ saying the video had been reposted by YouTube with apologies

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-1331345044025128302007-12-10T18:08:00.001-08:002007-12-10T18:51:04.782-08:00

Well, we've still got plenty of time for set backs, but the last week has gone fairly smoothly in terms of weaning.In fact, Emmitt has gone to bed without nursing for seven nights in a row now. It started last Monday. I was leaving for Chicago the next day to speak at a conference and was going to be spending the night while Greg stayed here with the kids. I thought it might be a good idea to try

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-31882745947520267862007-12-10T18:05:00.000-08:002007-12-10T18:07:20.952-08:00

Had to laugh at this Baby Blues comic in the Washington Post today.(Thanks to Lactivist reader Jennifer M. for emailing it to me.)

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-35323182426575295362007-12-03T14:33:00.000-08:002007-12-03T19:17:43.370-08:00

I'm a gift shopping junkie. I don't mean in the sense that I like to buy a ton of stuff. I mean it in the sense that I'm obsessed with finding unique and interesting gifts for people. I Christmas shop throughout the year, adding to a pretty sizable bookmark file whenever I find something unique. As I was out hunting for a ideas yesterday, I realized some of you all might be in the same boat I am.

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-91102967810112917502007-11-28T20:03:00.001-08:002007-11-28T20:16:47.650-08:00

I'm noticing more and more posters (and emails) from Lactivist readers in the central Ohio area. With that in mind, and seeing just how strong a community we're building here. I'm wondering if my local readers might be interested in a monthly meet-up.I had a great time meeting quite a few of you at least spring's Lactivist Bash and quite honestly, I don't feel like waiting until next spring to do

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-81297458021798476892007-11-28T13:41:00.000-08:002007-12-10T18:51:41.091-08:00

Waiting on the two steps back. ;)We're making progress and so far, it's going pretty smoothly. That's not to say I think it will continue this way. I'm sure for every step forward, we're going to have nights that take giant leaps back. But then, that's why I figured I'd need four or five months to invest into weaning.First, an update on Emmitt's ears.Things got ugly over Thanksgiving and we ended

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-45167068427857079372007-11-27T11:48:00.000-08:002007-11-27T11:50:19.936-08:00

Sara over at Suburban Oblivion (I love that blog name) dropped me an email today to point out a post at the League of Maternal Justice.The post is a press release claiming YouTube has "banned" a breastfeeding advocacy video they uploaded. Here's a snippet:A mom-produced internet protest video attacking Facebook's banning of breastfeeding pictures was itself banned by the popular video sharing

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-70144159215339744362007-11-27T07:24:00.000-08:002007-12-10T18:51:41.092-08:00

I've been doing some thinking this week. Thinking about the whole weaner-gate incident. Thinking about this blog. Thinking about the movement. I've been reading the lectures, tirades and "educational" posts aimed my way by other self-proclaimed lactivists. ...and I've realized something.This blog isn't for them. You see, what I'm hearing is that women are up in arms about my comfort level with

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-58849984367350925872007-11-24T15:36:00.000-08:002007-12-10T18:51:41.093-08:00

Well, still no luck moving forward with cutting out the before bedtime weaning session. As I mentioned, we came up to my parents' house for the long holiday weekend. We got here on Wednesday afternoon with plans to stay until Monday morning. I figured that gave us five nights for mom to try and put him to bed.A fine and dandy plan, but Emmitt refused to sleep much in the car which meant no nap

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-3942216617966210532007-11-22T18:23:00.000-08:002007-11-22T18:25:04.823-08:00

(I started this as a comment in response to Beth's post on the "Can You Believe in..." thread and quickly realized it would get lost in the comments. It needs to be a post of it's own, especially considering how much of the negativity these last few days comes from my comment about nursing toddlers. )It's interesting to me how willing people are to take things out of context.Beth just posted that

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-41937262117040716502007-11-21T20:47:00.001-08:002007-11-21T20:48:31.062-08:00

Does anyone else think it's funny that less than 12 hours after I posted about my lack of inspiration to write about breastfeeding, Weaner-gate breaks out and posts and comments start flying around like crazy?God's way of telling me I'm not done here yet? ;)

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-88205944307582509292007-11-21T20:41:00.001-08:002007-11-21T20:44:59.399-08:00

A little levity to add in to the heavy-duty "what's a lactivist" debate.Elnora is talking up a storm these days. I still can't always understand her and she's probably a good six months to a year behind where she should be for her age, but she's making good progress.Kids always seem to have their own unique ways of describing things, so I thought it might be fun to share two of Nora's requests

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-65885495071943849912007-11-21T16:33:00.000-08:002007-11-21T16:58:03.805-08:00

I'm finding the thread on what defines a lactivist to be pretty interesting. While the majority of posters seem to agree a lactivist is anyone who does their best to promote and support breastfeeding, there have been a few lengthy responses outlining some pretty extensive requirements for the title.A few of the comments (and several of the posts on the forum) have branched off in a different

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-13395834829443478832007-11-20T12:18:00.000-08:002007-11-20T12:22:32.536-08:00

One of my readers emailed this morning to point me to a discussion forum that's talking about me and my post about weaning Emmitt.The majority of them are not at all happy with me. Quite a few have declared you can't be a lactivist unless you practice child-led-weaning. It's an interesting read. I responded at the forum, so no sense for a big long post here. Curious to hear your thoughts. I'm

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-27363612149827573482007-11-18T19:54:00.000-08:002007-12-10T18:51:41.093-08:00

So I've alluded to the fact that I'm weaning in a few posts, but I've been so absent for the last two months, you're all sort of in the dark about the process. Now that I've decided to stick around a bit (and have had a burst of blogging inspiration), I figured it was a good time to bring you up to speed.Cause I know you all log in every day just wondering about the current state of my breasts. ;

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-91989267467740398182007-11-18T18:13:00.000-08:002007-11-18T18:18:55.470-08:00

I've been warned by many a parent of the need to watch what you say. Children are great mimics and the one and only time you blurt out #%@$@, they're bound to say it at the top of their lungs the next time you go to church.What I hadn't considered was how literally they might take what you say.This weekend we went to stay with Greg's parents for a visit. On Saturday afternoon the kids and I were

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-83450680940662606242007-11-16T21:35:00.000-08:002007-11-16T22:09:45.033-08:00

It feels like it was only yesterday I was blogging about Elnora's second birthday. They say time moves so fast when you're a parent, that you turn around and your kids are going off to school. It never feels that way when you're up with them in the middle of the night dreaming of the day you can sleep again...but then the sun rises and you're packing lunches and getting them dressed for

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-22477670713811181972007-11-16T20:50:00.000-08:002007-11-16T21:28:41.992-08:00

It's funny. I've been sitting here for fifteen minutes, staring at the screen. I've titled this post three different things. I've written four opening paragraphs. I'm hoping this one takes.It's been a rough couple of weeks. In fact, it's been more than a month since I blogged regularly. I do apologize. To be completely and utterly honest with you ('cause that's what I do here), I've been

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-41990509625945168972007-11-08T06:15:00.000-08:002007-11-08T06:18:16.070-08:00

Hey guys!Still buried here. (Emmitt has gotten four molars and three other teeth in three weeks and it's looking like the rest may bust through in the next week or so. Nothing like going from 8 teeth to all of them in a month to make a kid cranky as all get out.)I've had two emails in the last two weeks from folks working on documentaries about breastfeeding. One is specifically about wet nursing

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-3463559006241130382007-10-22T06:39:00.000-07:002007-10-22T16:29:18.533-07:00

Welcome to the latest Carnival of Breastfeeding! This month's topic is a spin on the NPR's "This I Believe" series of essays. You'll find my post here followed by links to other participants in the carnival.There's a phrase I remind myself of when the going gets rough. "The things most worth doing in life are hard."Maybe it's because I'm such a Robert Frost fan, maybe it's become I come from a

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-86540517822364336132007-10-18T18:28:00.000-07:002007-10-18T18:49:50.969-07:00

Check this out!In a press release issued to announce their purchase of Ameda, Evenflow also says:Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes. The WHO Code was created in 1981 as a guide for marketing practices of infant formula, bottle and nipple manufacturers to ensure that breast milk substitutes, feeding bottles and nipples are not marketed inappropriately. As part of its pledge, Evenflo will

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-90096463056392612202007-10-18T07:43:00.001-07:002007-10-18T07:44:21.576-07:00

Sorry folks. I've had some emails from people telling me I need to at least post an "I'm Alive" post on here.I am. So are the kids and Greg and everyone else in the family.Just have some private things going on making it difficult to post. I'll be back soon, I promise.

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-67256935571293969942007-10-08T07:07:00.000-07:002007-10-08T07:12:57.469-07:00

Aside: That may be my record for most uses of parenthesis in a post title...Now that I'm nursing a toddler myself (Emmitt's over a year and he walks, I guess that makes him a toddler, right?) I'm interested in seeing how my thoughts and opinions have changed over the years. I remember when I had wrapped up pumping with Elnora (at 13 months) and was writing this blog. My best friend and her cousin

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com69tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-22864797569772791732007-09-28T20:38:00.000-07:002007-09-28T20:45:44.087-07:00

Look for a reflection on 12 months of nursing coming up soon...For now, I want to throw this post up before it hits midnight and I'm too late. :)Happy Birthday Emmitt!We didn't have a big party, just my cousin and her boyfriend came over. Greg's parents are coming tomorrow, so I figured I'd do cupcakes. That way, even if we eat some, you can still "see" what the cake looks like. I ended up doing

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-66771571535977626272007-09-28T14:01:00.000-07:002007-09-28T14:02:00.185-07:00

I have no doubt that many of you have been wondering why I haven't mentioned Sophie Currier or her fight to gain time to pump during her medical boards. The reality is, I simply haven't felt prepared enough to write fairly about it. By that, I mean I didn't feel I had enough information to argue for or against her. Even now, I've heard a million different arguments on both sides and have a hard

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-75907094043269939532007-09-26T06:10:00.000-07:002007-09-26T06:13:01.862-07:00

There's a pro-breastfeeding shirt that reads "I make milk, what's your super power." It's always bothered me.Always. I see the humor in it. I understand why so many moms like it. But there's something about that shirt that really bothers me. Maybe it's because I don't see milk production as a super power. I simply see it as part of being a mom. In fact, I feel downright uncomfortable with the

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com63tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-6912744439905977672007-09-24T21:28:00.000-07:002008-01-02T12:43:11.130-08:00

Got in from Houston this afternoon. Feels good to be home after so much summer travel. I think I'll actually be around for a bit the next few months. No major travel planned until after Thanksgiving. I've got quite a bit to write about this week...several high profile NIP cases, and quite a few reader emails as well. I'll warn you though, npt all of you will like some of what I have to say. Story

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-18778881978656200902007-09-19T05:37:00.001-07:002007-09-19T05:37:43.258-07:00

They arrived this week!Yay!

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-75175756793978405342007-09-18T15:46:00.000-07:002007-09-18T15:51:20.544-07:00

I'm sick today. Started getting sick last night as I wrote my entry for the carnival of breastfeeding, but it hit full force today.It's a Mango's Place day (pre-school), so despite feeling pretty nauseated and achy, I packed up the kids and headed south. I went to Panera Bread where I suddenly had the chills added to the fun, but I did manage to get a fair amount of work done.Headed home, put

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-16519698204112143502007-09-17T18:53:00.000-07:002007-09-17T21:26:00.179-07:00

You'd think a topic like sleep would unite mothers everywhere. After all, who doesn't believe that getting some sleep is a good thing?The reality is that sleep is like anything else related to babies. It's unpredictable. What works for one mother and child may not work for another. In fact, my own family is the perfect example of this. Elnora began sleeping through the night (12 solid hours) at 7

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-60861587638242280142007-09-15T05:54:00.000-07:002007-09-15T06:30:29.941-07:00

I've never been a fan of Bill Maher. (Uh oh, here we go again, with me shocking all my readers who won't believe that I'm actually a conservative Republican.)While I understand that liberals and "progressives" find him amusing and think the vitriol with which he attacks Bush and conservative causes is amusing, I find him unimaginative and trite. (Oh and did I mention crass?) I've had things I

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com75tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-32944069570308830582007-09-13T19:22:00.000-07:002007-09-13T19:27:05.225-07:00

I used to think the Tummy Tub was the stupidest baby product I'd ever laid eyes on. After all, what could be dumber than having to hold your child by the head to keep them from sliding down into this bucket to drown? But hey...it "let's you view your baby from all sides" and "replicates the womb" so I guess it's a "must-buy" for a mom like me, right? ;)Well now I've spotted something even dumber

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-21226491151579528512007-09-12T12:25:00.000-07:002007-09-12T12:26:16.854-07:00

I remember growing up and eating fast food VERY rarely. It happened now and then if we were out shopping and it was usually Arby's...but it did happen now and then.In those days, if you went to McDonald's or Burger King, you probably got a cheeseburger, fries and a small soft drink. If your parents didn't want you drinking soda, you got Hi-C, the world's lamest attempt at "well, it's better than

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-48814202795675466632007-09-11T08:25:00.000-07:002007-09-11T08:33:44.286-07:00

I'm sitting here at Panera Bread...my home away from home two days a week while the kids are at Mango's Place. I come here to work so I have a chance to write without tiny adorable, yet often distracting children.The last three times I have been here, some mom has been here with a screaming child. In fact, about 20 feet away is a mom with two young kids having lunch with a friend. The younger

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-85257554446990202252007-09-10T18:13:00.000-07:002007-09-10T18:20:40.033-07:00

I'm here, but my sanity and time are not. Emmitt is teething and a very big and not fun way. For the last week, he's hardly eaten a thing (other than breast milk of course) and has been quite the unhappy boy. The not eating has led to diapers of the variety you never want to see, not to mention four, count 'em FOUR full blow-outs. Sleep is no better. He's been up four times a night and takes at

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-16802231354513779782007-09-10T17:39:00.000-07:002007-09-10T18:13:48.059-07:00

Reports are in and it seems there was quite the turn-out at the nationwide Applebee's nurse-ins this past Saturday. According to Birth Without Boundaries, more than 2000 breastfeeding supporters showed up at more than 100 restaurants in 44 states. That's a pretty hefty turnout, especially when you consider the Delta nurse-in garnered around 800 supporters at roughly 36 airports.On the down side,

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-24298069906119941092007-09-04T19:48:00.001-07:002007-09-04T19:57:16.838-07:00

We swooped back in to town last night, just in time for Elnora to start preschool this morning. She's going two days a week from 9am-11:30am at Mango's Place, the drop-in daycare center I've been using all summer.It was interesting to watch the dynamics at play in the other kids and parents that were there this morning. There were probably six kids there by the time we arrived. The class only

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-31916857868329347972007-08-31T12:07:00.001-07:002007-08-31T12:18:00.320-07:00

Looks like this one is going national ladies...There's been a new Yahoo group set up for those who wish to help plan their local nurse-ins against Applebee's on Saturday, September 8th. Now, normally I wouldn't get behind a national nurse-in for an incident that seems to center around the practice of a particular franchise owner......but...the word coming out of Applebee's corporate offices have

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-7064178009818119162007-08-31T11:55:00.000-07:002007-08-31T11:59:59.328-07:00

Here's the contact information for Mike Scanlon, President and CEO of Thomas & King, the company that owns the Applebee's that gave Brooke Ryan grief over trying to nurse her son.Mike Scanlon's email address: mscanlon@tandk.com.Someone sent me the address yesterday via email, but I only just had the chance to confirm that it was publicly available. (I don't like to post private email addresses to

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-56264132413936979652007-08-29T12:27:00.000-07:002007-08-29T13:10:18.138-07:00

It somehow seems fitting that I found time to sit down and write a post just as another national nursing fiasco is coming to light.Apparently, "Eatin Good in the Neighborhood" does not include breast milk. At least not if your neighborhood is the Nicholasville Road Applebee's in central Kentucky. I saw the story about Brooke Ryan and her run-in with an Applebee's manager over breastfeeding in the

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-82746994850890886942007-08-29T12:21:00.000-07:002007-08-29T12:23:33.264-07:00

With all the hype (even on this blog) about that great lessons on Yo Gabba Gabba lately...it was refreshing to see a classic clip from Sesame Street show up on YouTube.If you haven't seen it...here's a great musical montage of nursing mammals...including a nursing human mom and baby. :)Thanks to Jessica for pointing it out!

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-656571138704343022007-08-27T20:02:00.000-07:002007-08-27T20:06:01.525-07:00

Apparently I'm not meant to blog in the summer.I'm back from San Jose and have tons of pics to sort through and tons of updates to post...but I'm still trying to dig out from under nearly 2000 unanswered emails. To top it off, Greg's grandmother fell and shattered her shoulder yesterday, so we're staying up waiting to hear how surgery went before heading to his family's place tomorrow so we can

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-48756596328786624142007-08-19T10:26:00.000-07:002007-08-19T10:41:02.036-07:00

As you guys know, I just came home from Boston a week ago this past Thursday. At the time, I thought I had two weeks before my next trip. I was wrong.Emmitt and I head to San Jose tomorrow on a 6am flight. (yeegads!) That gave me all of 9 days at home to try and catch up on missed work, work ahead for missed work, spend time with family, do laundry, feed the hogs, water the chickens, etc...etc...

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-16762014042260774492007-08-16T06:37:00.000-07:002007-08-16T06:38:01.878-07:00

Breastfeeding and custody issues are a hot topic right now. Apart from numerous emails I've been receiving about these issues, I spent some time on the phone yesterday afternoon with a midwife who had a client facing the issue as well.Then I read my email this morning and find multiple messages about the case of Christa Burton. Burton is currently involved in a custody battle over her 15 month

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-42097018856396588192007-08-13T06:15:00.000-07:002007-08-13T18:36:03.838-07:00

Sometimes I think about the people that might have been. Not so much about someone not living up to their potential...but about just how close you came to not existing period.Emmitt wasn't planned. In fact, he was one heck of a surprise. Had it been up to our timing, it would have been another egg, another sperm and another child altogether. My mother had a miscarriage before I was born. If that

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-27909056028519051382007-08-10T06:58:00.000-07:002007-08-10T07:04:47.773-07:00

Oh yeah, you read that right.From the current (August 2007) issue of Parent's Magazine.THE CLAIM Breast milk is best for babies.THE TRUTH: Study after study has documented that breast milk can boost a baby's immune system and IQ and lower his risk for diabetes, obesity, even ADHD. So it's no wonder that the AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 mo. after birth. But not everyone

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-62063516886765588752007-08-09T17:59:00.000-07:002007-08-09T18:05:20.576-07:00

I'll be back tomorrow with some super-strength back-posting and updating (including fun topics like "why I'll never volunteer to bump from a flight," "the day I nursed in a moving taxi" and "having lunch with another breastfeeding blogger." For now, I'm trying to recover from three nights of sleep that added up to a combined total of about 9 hours and from an unexpected extra day in Boston.That

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-50503459518979446892007-08-03T13:29:00.000-07:002007-08-03T13:33:03.741-07:00

You know how your brain gets a little fuzzy when you get too little sleep and have too much work to do?In the last two hours, I've had two clear cut signs that I need to chill soon.1.) At lunch, the kids and I were eating quesadillas. I had a small bowl of salsa and sour cream that I was dipping mine in. Halfway through the meal, I dipped my quesadilla in Emmitt's plain yogurt instead.At least I

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-41571270188589175452007-08-02T20:02:00.000-07:002007-08-02T20:10:07.854-07:00

Lactivist reader Jess shot me an email last night to tell me about an email that showed up in her inbox this week.She writes...I don't know if you got the e-mail but I had to show you this! With National Breastfeeding Month I've been getting lots of "Breastfeeding E-mails." I got one today saying "FREE Breastfeeding Support Kit." I opened the e' and the pic didn't load so I don't know exactly

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18872353.post-48471784475860779052007-08-02T19:48:00.000-07:002007-08-02T20:02:02.605-07:00

Lactivist reader Kimberly shot me an email today to point out a photo studio that has a gallery of pregnancy and breastfeeding photos up on their site. Some of the shots are just amazing. (Especially the wide eyed little girl leaning against her mom's belly and the very close shot of a baby nursing in mom's lap.)These pictures make me think I need to get a really good posed shot of Emmitt nursing

Jennifer Laycockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101684626456012263noreply@blogger.com6