Um, can I take back the "at last?"
Well, while we were indeed pregnant a second blood test tomorrow will confirm that we no longer are. It's funny how these things can effect a person. I sort of expected to be devastated. I'm not really. Disappointed, sure. Who likes feeling like they just broke the tape at the finish line only to be informed that the gun misfired and they have to go back to the starting gate? It's mostly just frustrating. I mean, granted I get to have more guilt-free martini evenings with my sis-in-law, I get to keep my clothes and I won't be gaining any weight for a while but it's still kind of frustrating. It kinda makes me want to stomp my foot and say "dammit, how long can this take?!?!?" Who knows? I'm just happy that the feelings it causes are the drink-a-big-glass-of-vodka-and-bitch-to-a-friend-frustration instead of the drink-a-big-glass-of-bleach-and-don't-tell-anyone-devastation. I can totally work with the first one, but I can't really get excited about the second.
On another note, has anyone besides me noticed how this breastfeeding issue is heating up? I'm expecting the first reports of violence in the streets to appear on the news any day now. Apparently there was an article published entitled "Breast-feed or else" in the New York Times that stated that feeding a baby formula was tantamount to letting him smoke. I haven't yet decided if this is better or worse than the commercial depicting a pregnant woman riding a mechanical bull and being thrown to the floor whilst clutching her (large but obviously fake) pregnant belly. The caption basically said something like "you wouldn't risk your baby's safety like this would you? Why risk it after it's born."
This, in my opinion, is full-on, Gestapo-type bullshit. Don't get me wrong, I fully believe that breast is best. However, if the AAP are becoming such Nazis about something like this, do we really want to trust them with the health of our children? Keep in mind that I have posted several times about vaccinations and I have yet to see a commercial from the AAP that tells the realistically scary story about the diseases we should vaccinate against yet they are in such a hurry to promote breastfeeding that they seem to have forgotten the myriad reasons it doesn't work out for thousands of women. What about women who simply cannot breastfeed? What about women who have to go right back to work? What about women who are ill? What about babies who just don't get the whole "latch-on" thing? What about women who don't breastfeed for reasons that aren't anyone's business but their own? Did they ever stop to think about the women who are suffering from post-partum depression? The ones who are already devastated by the fact that they can't nurse?
And here's another question for them, why the hell is it that when someone is chosen for an interview about a subject like this it is invariably a man? It smacks of the interview with Tom Cruise. You know, the one where he slammed Brooke Shields in public for taking anti-depressants to deal with her severe post-partum depression saying she should have turned to vitamins and exercise instead. Like he's qualified to make that judgment. Ha.
I can't say I'd be real excited to get nursing advice from a man who has no idea what it's like to actually do it. I'm not interested in advice on post-partum depression from someone who is neither a mom, nor a psychiatrist. Hell, he's not even a college graduate for crying out loud. How this Dr. Lawrence Gartner got to be the chairman of the breastfeeding section at the AAP, I'll never understand, but I consider him to be grossly under-qualified (having A. no breasts, B. no milk, C. no uterus, ovaries or the accompanying plumbing, and D. presumably, a penis) to preach at me, or any other mommy about what she should or should not do with her breast milk.
If it had been a La Leche League leader and the term of the day was encouragement, I could probably listen and feel enthusiastic about putting forth my best effort. If, however, your plan is to push and shove and threaten and guilt-trip, well then you'd better expect an entire nation of new mommies to dig in their heels. And really, digging in their heels would be the best case scenario. My understanding is that when you combine post-partum depression (which I've had) with an inability to breastfeed (which I've dealt with) and throw in a dash of exhaustion or extreme youth or low self esteem or whatever you could end up with suicide.
I'd hate to see the commercials on that.
On another note, has anyone besides me noticed how this breastfeeding issue is heating up? I'm expecting the first reports of violence in the streets to appear on the news any day now. Apparently there was an article published entitled "Breast-feed or else" in the New York Times that stated that feeding a baby formula was tantamount to letting him smoke. I haven't yet decided if this is better or worse than the commercial depicting a pregnant woman riding a mechanical bull and being thrown to the floor whilst clutching her (large but obviously fake) pregnant belly. The caption basically said something like "you wouldn't risk your baby's safety like this would you? Why risk it after it's born."
This, in my opinion, is full-on, Gestapo-type bullshit. Don't get me wrong, I fully believe that breast is best. However, if the AAP are becoming such Nazis about something like this, do we really want to trust them with the health of our children? Keep in mind that I have posted several times about vaccinations and I have yet to see a commercial from the AAP that tells the realistically scary story about the diseases we should vaccinate against yet they are in such a hurry to promote breastfeeding that they seem to have forgotten the myriad reasons it doesn't work out for thousands of women. What about women who simply cannot breastfeed? What about women who have to go right back to work? What about women who are ill? What about babies who just don't get the whole "latch-on" thing? What about women who don't breastfeed for reasons that aren't anyone's business but their own? Did they ever stop to think about the women who are suffering from post-partum depression? The ones who are already devastated by the fact that they can't nurse?
And here's another question for them, why the hell is it that when someone is chosen for an interview about a subject like this it is invariably a man? It smacks of the interview with Tom Cruise. You know, the one where he slammed Brooke Shields in public for taking anti-depressants to deal with her severe post-partum depression saying she should have turned to vitamins and exercise instead. Like he's qualified to make that judgment. Ha.
I can't say I'd be real excited to get nursing advice from a man who has no idea what it's like to actually do it. I'm not interested in advice on post-partum depression from someone who is neither a mom, nor a psychiatrist. Hell, he's not even a college graduate for crying out loud. How this Dr. Lawrence Gartner got to be the chairman of the breastfeeding section at the AAP, I'll never understand, but I consider him to be grossly under-qualified (having A. no breasts, B. no milk, C. no uterus, ovaries or the accompanying plumbing, and D. presumably, a penis) to preach at me, or any other mommy about what she should or should not do with her breast milk.
If it had been a La Leche League leader and the term of the day was encouragement, I could probably listen and feel enthusiastic about putting forth my best effort. If, however, your plan is to push and shove and threaten and guilt-trip, well then you'd better expect an entire nation of new mommies to dig in their heels. And really, digging in their heels would be the best case scenario. My understanding is that when you combine post-partum depression (which I've had) with an inability to breastfeed (which I've dealt with) and throw in a dash of exhaustion or extreme youth or low self esteem or whatever you could end up with suicide.
I'd hate to see the commercials on that.
posted by The Writer at 12:10 PM
2 Comments:
I am impressed with how well you are taking your situation. You have my admiration and my prayers.
I totally agree on your stand on these commericials that try to create mass hysteria. Just as much as I hate those emails that say you are going to have bad luck and your cat will die if you don't forward the email. Bullsh*t all of it. Sometimes I think that the whole free speech thing is over-rated!
Amen to that. I like free speech, but I think that they totally forgot about things like manners, ethics, morals, tact and my personal favorite: Thinking Before You Open Your Pie Hole!!!
Someone should remind them!
:)
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