...the New Breast Feeding Assessment Test

Just so we're clear, I think this product is complete bull shit.

Here's my back story:
When my son was born I had no clue about breast feeding. At all. Period. Zilch. I tried doing it, really hard. I asked for all kinds of help, listened to every word the lactation consultant at the hospital had to say, and was doing all I could including tracking each time he ate and for how long. We had problems with him losing weight, and another "consultant" was sent to my home. Looking back now, she gave me horrible advice that I do believe made me dry up and not make enough. Within six weeks he was weaned and on formula. Oh the things I would change if I could go back...

When my daughter was born I knew a lot more. While I wish I could have breast fed for at least a year, I was able to breast feed for 8 months before she starting having health trouble and we had to add formula. Still, those 8 months were wonderful and she did fine.

In those 8 months, I MAY have pumped a whole ounce once. I would pump, and pump, and pump, and pump. If I got a good flow for more than 5 pumps I would be so excited. I had bags of breast milk in the freezer that you could see through because there was so little in each one. I TOTALLY get why they call that stuff liquid gold.

Here's my point:
You can NOT determine if you child is getting enough milk by how much you pump. I am, by far, not the only one who has/had a hard time pumping. Not even close. However, our breasts are not made to fill bottles, they are made to fill bellies. Babies are made to know exactly how to get that milk out in a way that a suction cup can't. Products like this breast feeding assessment test, which has you input information strictly on how much milk you pump and tells you if you make enough solely on this piece of data, can be down right harmful. I'm not here to sugar coat things. Breast feeding is hard. But, when you take a new mother and have her take an assessment like this and base it off of pumping alone, she may very well unknowingly believe she is not feeding her child sufficiently. Guess who this helps. Formula companies. Not you, not your child, and definitely not your pocketbook.

With that being said, please click on the link below and sign the petition to take this product off of the shelves!

Petition to Remove Breast Feeding Assessment Test from Store Shelves

*Update: This product was removed due to the huge response from petitions like these. Thanks for your help!*

...Being Stern with my Children

Apparently, I have a reputation going around that I'm a "stern parent." Guess what. Damn right I am! They may be the only ones in a group who come and ask me before doing something they see questionable, and they may not be running around the neighborhood alone daily, but my children are very well behaved. We teach our children things like respect, whether that is respect for an adult, their friends' belongings, or toward each other. We also teach manners. We let ladies go first, and doors are held for their elders. There is also responsibility taught in our house. For friends to be able to come over and play, their rooms must be cleaned. A dirty room means their friends can't come over. Period. We also set standards of behavior. If they are not met, for example in a restaurant, then punishment will indeed follow each and every time.

Here's what we DON'T have in our house. We don't have people complaining of our horrible kids. We don't have lying children. We don't have our children walking all over us as parents. Our kids don't abuse each other. Our children do not abuse us (nor do we of them).

We DO have elders thanking us for teaching our kids how to behave. We DO get told by our children how much they love us. We DO get thanked for the fun, quality time we do spend with them.

My job is to be their mother. Not their friend. Not their sibling. Not their doormat. So while some call me the "stern parent," I say to them "thank you."