Thursday, August 23, 2007

GOVERNOR SIGNS INTO LAW LEGISLATION PROTECTING RIGHTS OF NURSING MOTHERS IN THE WORKPLACE

Hooray to Elliot Spitzer! Things like this make me proud to be a New Yorker!

GOVERNOR SIGNS INTO LAW LEGISLATION PROTECTING RIGHTS OF NURSING MOTHERS IN THE WORKPLACE



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 22, 2007
GOVERNOR SIGNS INTO LAW LEGISLATION PROTECTING RIGHTS OF NURSING MOTHERS IN THE WORKPLACE




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Governor Eliot Spitzer has signed into law legislation that protects working mothers. ability to continue providing nutrient-rich breast milk to their infants upon return to the workplace.

The legislation requires employers to provide uncompensated time, and make a reasonable effort to provide private space for women to express milk or nurse their children for a period of up to three years following the birth of a child. In addition, it also bars an employer from discriminating against an employee exercising this right.

"A woman should not be forced to sacrifice her ability to provide for her children economically or nutritionally," said Governor Spitzer. "Employers know the merit of retaining valuable employees, and this modest accommodation allows mothers who chose to breast feed to continue their invaluable contribution to the economy without fearing for their job."

The Assembly and the Senate unanimously approved this legislation.

Assemblywoman Roann Destito, sponsor of the legislation, said: "This new law is a major victory for all New York families as well as employers because it protects a mother's care for her child and strengthens her ability to be a dedicated employee. A young mother was fired in my district for expressing breast milk for her child. That will not happen again because today we recognize that all women may choose to work and that their children will have the best nutritional care available at the early stages of life."

Senator John J. Flanagan, sponsor of the legislation, said: "Where our current labor laws fail to protect individuals in the workplace, the government has a responsibility to step in and correct these deficiencies. More and more mothers are choosing to work outside the home or are being forced to return to work to make ends meet. This critically important legislation will enable these mothers to raise and provide for their families in an accepting workplace environment without fear of discrimination."

Kate Kahan, Director of Work & Family at the National Partnership for Women & Families, said: "This bill is an important, welcome step in making New York's workplaces more family-friendly. We have known for years that breast feeding has real benefits, but too many working women are unable to nurse their babies because their employers do not make simple accommodations. That will change for countless working moms in New York as a result of this law, and their children will be stronger and healthier as a result. We thank Governor Spitzer and every lawmaker and advocate who supported and advanced this legislation."

Liz Watson of the New York City Bar Association's Sex and Law Committee said: "This law is a win-win for businesses and families. Businesses win because employees who are new parents will miss work less often and have lower health care costs because breastfed babies are healthier. Families win because mothers will not have to quit breastfeeding when they return to work. The New York City Bar Association applauds Governor Spitzer, Senator Flanagan, Assemblywoman Destito and the mothers around New York State for their work to pass this important legislation that will benefit New York's children."

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Applebees breastfeeding ignorance and ignorant reporter Mandy Stadtmiller

No eating good in the neighborhood if your a nursling! Unless of course you ave a blanket over your head!
An Applebees restaurant repeatedly showed ignorance at its finest when dealing with a breastfeeding mother, this is the mom's story:

Kentucky mother promotes breast-feeding after confrontation

LEXINGTON, Ky. --A Lexington mother is launching a campaign promoting breast-feeding after a recent confrontation over nursing her infant at a local Applebee's restaurant.

"On a large scale ... I want breast-feeding to be accepted," Brooke Ryan, 34, told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

As part of her campaign, Ryan is organizing a "Nurse Out" on Sept. 8 with posters and breast-feeding outside the Applebee's in Lexington where she was confronted.

On June 14, Ryan sat down for lunch with her kids. Ryan said she picked a booth in the back of the restaurant away from other customers and discreetly nursed her 7-month-old son, Michael, when he got hungry.

A waitress asked Ryan to cover up with a blanket, though Ryan says it was too hot to carry one. After the waitress repeated her request, Ryan asked to see the manager and handed him a copy of the 2006 Kentucky law prohibiting interference with mothers breast-feeding in public.

Thirty-nine states, including Kentucky, allow women to breast-feed in any public or private location.

Ryan says she was told by the manager that he was aware of the law, but that customers were complaining about indecent exposure. He too asked her to cover up with a blanket.

Ryan left as her food came to nurse her baby in the car.

Her lawyer sent two letters to Thomas and King, the company that operates Applebee's in central Kentucky. A company attorney responded that the chain would consider keeping blankets in the restaurant so that breast-feeding women could cover themselves.

"That's like telling Rosa Parks she still had to sit in the back of the bus, but we'll give her a blanket to make her more comfortable," Ryan said.

Thomas and King President Mike Scanlon told the newspaper that he didn't know about the incident, though he said Applebee's had no policy against breast-feeding.

"It is perfectly legal to breast-feed in public and we support that," Scanlon said. "I'm not sure the manager said cover the baby's head, I think he said cover yourself modestly. This was by no means intended as interference, but a request to do it modestly, which I believe is an appropriate response."

Ryan says that as an experienced breast-feeder, she is extremely modest, and, in that instance, made sure that she was facing into the corner.

"Some women think it's fine to cover up with a blanket, but a woman shouldn't be forced to," said her husband, Michael Ryan.

State Sen. Tom Buford, R-Nicholasville, who sponsored the breast-feeding protection bill, agrees.

"She was not treated right under the new law," he said. "There should have been no comment made to her at all; the restaurant overstepped its boundaries."

Ryan also is asking for a public apology from Applebee's and training for its employees about the rights of breast-feeding mothers.

"I'm not trying to be provocative," she said. "I want to teach."

Lactivists have organized a national nurse in at applebees on September 8th 2007 throughout the country. The nurse in will serve as a peaceful protest that will hopefully result in an educational awareness regarding public breastfeeding
 LINK TO NATIONAL APPLEBEE'S PROTEST

Last but not least I bring you the article I have given the "uneducated, ignorant, asshat award":

FOR CODDLED TOTS, TAPS NEVER RUN DRY
By MANDY STADTMILLER
C-O-D-D-L-E-D: Gwen Stefani still nurses her 15-month-old son.I love when stars breast feed their children, it's really entertaining...
posted by nyClick here to commentAugust 23, 2007 -- ‘ONE of my friends’ sons pulled on his mother’s skirt at a party with friends while she was in mid-conversation, pointed at her breast and said, ‘Milk, mama, I want milk,’ ” recalls Darran, a 37-year-old in Manhattan.

“Another friend of a friend breastfed her daughter until the age of 6,” he continues. “No joke!”

We’re not laughing. These little New Yorkers are only part of what some consider overcoddling - Peter Pan syndrome in embryo. Gwen Stefani just revealed that she’s still nursing her 15-month-old son, Kingston, and Kate Hudson is regularly snapped wheeling around her tyke, Ryder, in a stroller. He’s almost 4 years old.

When are these children going to grow up?

“I was at a Gristede’s in Midtown,” reports Steve, 34, from Manhattan. “There was a lady with an older toddler in a stroller shopping. The kid was clutching his ‘woobie,’ sucking on a pacifier. Then he got up from the stroller, the woman placed her shopping bags into it, and the kid pushed the stroller out of the store.”

Not everyone, however, gets so worked up about it, pointing out that the longer you breastfeed, the better it may be for the child - and strollers can keep kids safe from cars, bikes and other urban dangers.

“It’s unfair to presume that mothers who breastfeed for extended periods of time are ‘coddling,’ ” says Jacqueline, 30, from Brooklyn. “For one thing, the American Academy of Pediatrics actually recommends breastfeeding for two years, if possible. As for Kate Hudson, even a big child’s legs are lot shorter than an adult’s. Since when does early childhood have to be boot camp?”

We’re not looking to draft the little ones just yet, but surely a bit of self-reliance is a good thing? Krissy, a 26-year-old nanny in Brooklyn Heights, once had a 6-year-old approach her with, “Wipe my butt,” and then followed this request with: “I like it better when someone does it for me.”

Of course, it does help to have a sense of humor.

“In our circle of friends with kids, the general rule is that if your toddler can say the word ‘breast,’ they are too old to be breastfed,” says Jim, 39, of Manhattan. “That rule has been overridden by one of my male friends. At a party recently, he revealed that this strategy is a win-win for all, since the kid gets extra vitamin D and he gets double-D’s.”

Overall, advises iVillage parenting expert Michele Borba, “There’s a real difference between mothering and smothering.

“Follow the commandment: Never do for your child what the child can do for him- or herself. Because then you are robbing the child of the ‘I can do it’ feeling.”

Not to mention creeping out the rest of us.



This is what I sent to the editor:
To whom it May Concern:

I am sure this will not be the only letter you receive regarding this, but I just want to express my disappointment in the article, FOR CODDLED TOTS, TAPS NEVER RUN DRY, By MANDY STADTMILLER.
On a day when any article you print about breastfeeding should have been on the fact that yesterday, Elliot Spitzer signed into law legislation protecting the rights of mothers in the workplace, instead it is an article riddled with passive aggressive humor at mothers who choose to breastfeed beyond what our society sees as a normal age.
I would like to pint out that this new law protects a mother for three years after she gives birth, so then they must have taken into consideration the benefits of extended breastfeeding.
I have heard this statement so many times by people who like to think they are funny, the statement along the lines that once a baby can say breasts, its time to wean, does not make it so. First off, due to the fact that numerous reliable studies have shown that breastfed children have higher IQ's, we must take into consideration that they may speak sooner than others. So we should wean them because they are smart?
Also the person who is uncomfortable with seeing the natural process of a woman breastfeeding her child should remove himself or herself the situation. Then maybe look within to identify what issues they have that something so trivial and natural would cause them such angst.

I have heard nothing back from the editor, but I did send a copy of my letter to the author of the article, Mandy Stadtmiller, this was her response:

Thanks, Heather - appreciate you taking the time to write.

Best,
Mandy

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Happy World Breastfeeding Week 2007!


To all my friends on here that are breastfeeding moms, were breastfeeding moms, or plan to become breastfeeding moms, I just want to thank you on behalf of your beautiful babies for giving them the very best start and lowering their riskes of illness, disease, and obesity. You are all truly the best!
Heather

History Lesson:

Why this week to celebrate World Breastfeeding week?

It commemorates the anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration.

INNOCENTI DECLARATION
On the Protection, Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding.

Recognising that:
Breastfeeding is a unique process that:
Provides ideal nutrition for infants and contributes to their healthy growth and development Reduces incidence and severity of infectious diseases, thereby lowering infant morbidity and mortality Contributes to women's health by reducing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and by increasing the spacing between pregnancies Provides social and economic benefits to the family and the nation Provides most women with a sense of satisfaction when successfully carried out

and that Recent Research
has found that: these benefits increase with increased exclusiveness of breastfeeding during the first six months of life, and thereafter with increased duration of breastfeeding with complementary foods, and programme intervention can result in positive changes in breastfeeding behaviour

We therefore declare that:
As a global goal for optimal maternal and child health and nutrition, all women should be enabled to practise exclusive breastfeeding and all infants should be fed exclusively on breastmilk from birth to 4-6 months of age. Thereafter, children should continue to be breastfed, while receiving appropriate and adequate complementary foods, for up to two years of age or beyond. This child-feeding ideal is to be achieved by creating an appropriate environment of awareness and support so that women can breastfeed in this manner.

Attainment of this goal requires, in many countries, the reinforcement of a "breastfeeding culture" and its vigorous defence against incursions of a "bottle-feeding culture". This requires commitment and advocacy for social mobilization, utilizing to the full the prestige and authority of acknowledged leaders of society in all walks of life.

Efforts should be made to increase women's confidence in their ability to breastfeed. Such empowerment involves the removal of constraints and influences that manipulate perceptions and behaviour towards breastfeeding, often by subtle and indirect means. This requires sensitivity, continued vigilance, and a responsive and comprehensive communications strategy involving all media and addressed to all levels of society. Furthermore, obstacles to breastfeeding within the health system, the workplace and the community must be eliminated.

Measures should be taken to ensure that women are adequately nourished for their optimal health and that of their families. Furthermore, ensuring that all women also have access to family planning information and services allows them to sustain breastfeeding and avoid shortened birth intervals that may compromise their health and nutritional status, and that of their children.

All governments should develop national breastfeeding policies and set appropriate national targets for the 1990s. They should establish a national system for monitoring the attainment of their targets, and they should develop indicators such as the prevalence of exclusively breastfed infants at discharge from maternity services, and the prevalence of exclusively breastfed infants at four months of age.

National authorities are further urged to integrate their breastfeeding policies into their overall health and development policies. In so doing they should reinforce all actions that protect, promote and support breastfeeding within complementary programmes such as prenatal and perinatal care, nutrition, family planning services, and prevention and treatment of common maternal and childhood diseases. All healthcare staff should be trained in the skills necessary to implement these breastfeeding policies.

Operational Targets
All governments by the year 1995 should have: Appointed a national breastfeeding coordinator of appropriate authority, and established a multisectoral national breastfeeding committee composed of representatives from relevant government departments, non-governmental organizations, and health professional associations

Ensured that every facility providing maternity services fully practises all ten of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding set out in the joint WHO/UNICEF statement "Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding: the special role of maternity services".

Taken action to give effect to the principles and aim of all Articles of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly resolutions in their entirety;

and enacted imaginative legislation protecting the breastfeeding rights of working women and established means for its enforcement

We also call upon international organizations to:
Draw up action strategies for protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding, including global monitoring and evaluation of their strategies

Support national situation analyses and surveys and the development of national goals and targets for action;

and Encourage and support national authorities in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating their breastfeeding policies

The Innocenti Declaration was produced and adopted by participants at the WHO/UNICEF policymakers' meeting on "Breastfeeding in the 1990s: A Global Initiative, co-sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (A.I.D.) and the Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA), held at the Spedale degli Innocenti, Florence, Italy, on 30 July - 1 August 1990. The Declaration reflects the content of the original background document for the meeting and the views expressed in group and plenary sessions.


Some great website to check out:

http://www.unicef.org/programme/breastfeeding/innocenti.htm
http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/
http://www.waba.org.my/