#also everything has to be breastfeeding friendly these days which is a new and interesting challenge | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

randomly-a-fan · 3 years ago

Text

The Baby... IT is Here

[link to part 1] (The Baby... IT is Coming!)

[link to part 2] (The Baby... IT is Coming!)

[Link to part 3] (The Baby... IT is Coming!)

Part 4

After breakfast, MJ and Archie went out to the nearest store to buy something for the baby. “It’s very nice of you to take me out to buy my little sister a present, but are you sure you want to spend on me?” Archie asked. “Of course, I would love to buy baby clothes for your mother, just to make it easier for her and your dad.” MJ said. “I’ve never got to go out for baby clothes or items ever since I’ve met Jason... And now I can; so I’m more than oblige to help you buy a baby gift.” MJ added while rubbing Archie’s back.

At the baby store, MJ was looking through some cute baby clothes, she was having a hard time choosing just one, so she thought of going for a value deal; where people can buy multiples for one price.

While MJ continues browsing, Archie was looking through baby toys, he wanted to give his baby sister something soft and cuddly, to keep her well secured. Then he spotted a pink bunny, he was sure that she will love it; especially if it’s nice and soft.

“I think I’ve found something for my sister.” Archie called out to MJ. She took a look at the bunny, it was soft and adorable. The price is a little high, but she decided to not say anything. “You’ve made a fantastic choice, sweetie... If you want, you can also buy your mom flowers; they’re on sale for half price.” MJ suggested. Archie smiled big by the idea, so he decided to pay for the flowers himself, since it’s the only thing he can afford.

As MJ was going to pay for the products, she was having trouble getting the right amount of change, so Archie decided to use his hypno-powers; like he did for Malon a while back as she was trying to buy a mother’s day present. So the cashier stared into Archie’s hypnotic eyes and made the cashier say what he wanted him to say. “Actually ma’am, you can just pay half the amount for the products, I’d be more than grateful to pay the rest.” The cashier said. “Seriously? Well... I don’t want to get you in trouble--” “it’s fine...” The cashier cut off. MJ shrugged and only paid half the amount for the products.

***

When the two of them got back to the cabin, Archie noticed his dad waiting for his son to return. “There’s my big boy!” Pennywise cheered. It was very unexpected, but he assumes that it’s because he was excited. “What you got there, son?” Pennywise asked. I bought my little sister a bunny. Archie showed the bunny to his dad. Malon awed from the background as Pennywise smiled at his son. “That’s very kind of you, son, but you didn’t have to do that.” Pennywise said. “I know... But I wanted to.” Archie replied. Then MJ came into the scene. “I also took the liberty to pick out baby outfits for your new daughter.” MJ said before she passed the gift bag to Pennywise. “Gee... Thanks M’s, I feel like I’m being showered with gifts.” Pennywise chuckled. Then he looked down at his son. “We better get going son, Jason and I packed your bags already.” Pennywise explained.

Archie said his goodbyes to the Voorhees before he left with his dad to meet his mom and the new baby. “Mommy, when can I see the baby?” Malon asked her mom. “We’ll give the Grays a week or two, it’s a friendly thing to do; Archie’s mom will need lots of rest.” MJ explained. Malon accepted her mom’s answer, she just doesn’t understand why Star needed rest after getting her baby delivered by the stork; clearly she doesn’t understand the birds and the bees yet, which is good for now, since she’s still too young to understand or undertake.

***

Back at the Neibolt House, Aquarius was breastfeeding her baby while Cassandra fixes Papawise’s nose. “Is Aquarius always this violent?” Papawise asked. “She can be if it’s necessary; you have been making a lot of dirty jokes lately.” Cassandra answered. “You don’t seem to be offended though.” Papawise realized. “I’ve been hearing and seeing a lot of these jokes, back when I was in training at a Medical Training School, the guys love to make these jokes a lot with a silicone patient.” Cassandra explained. “A patient made out of silicone, I hope it doesn’t kick me in the nose.” Papawise chuckled. “If it did, then your nose wouldn’t be as bloody... Now hold still, I almost got it.” Cassandra said as she was relocating his nose. Papawise couldn’t stop staring at Cassandra’s face, sure she’s full human, but he can fix that if she’s interested. “So uh... If you’re ever free on Sundays, maybe we can--” Everything was interrupted when they heard the door opening. Pennywise and his son came back from a long walk from Camp Crystal Lake.

Cassandra was finished fixing Papawise’s nose, so Papawise can see his favorite little clown-boy. “Hiya Bucko: Big Brother Archie!” Papawise exclaimed as he gave Archie a playful punch. “Alright Papawise, I’m back now with my son, so you may as well head for home.” Pennywise said, as he finds that Papawise has overstayed his welcome. “I better get a move on anyway; let me know if you needed me to hunt for you...” Papawise said to Pennywise, before he looked down at Archie. “I’m going to enjoy going out hunting with you, son.” Papawise said before he left. Archie raised his eyebrow; what does he mean by ‘going out hunting’? He was going to ask his dad until he was being dragged towards his parent’s room. “You wait here son, I’ll go in first, just to see if your mom is ready to see you.” Pennywise said before he enters the room.

Archie waits patiently outside while he thinks about what his Papawise said about going out hunting with him. “Is being a big brother mean I have to do hard torture? Am I becoming a demon by force?...” Archie keeps thinking until he heard his dad coming out. “Your mom is ready to see you, are you ready to meet your sister?” Pennywise asked calmly. Archie looked up at his dad before he answered. “May I ask you something first?” Archie asked. Pennywise was surprised, he thought his son was anxious to see his new sister, of course he accepted his son’s request. “What’s up, son?” Pennywise asked after he sat down next to his son. “Dad... Why am I going out hunting with Papawise? is that what being a big brother is all about?” Archie asked. Pennywise made a calm smile before he answered. “Of course not, it’s only for at least a week or two until your mom is well rested; your mom won’t be able to do her daily routines like she used to, so she’s going to need my help with the baby. I just wanted to make sure you stay occupied and not feel left out.” Pennywise explained. Archie thought about what his dad said; it didn’t sound promising, but he didn’t want to argue, so he’s accepting this new temporary routine.

***

After the friendly conversation, Pennywise lets Archie in to meet his mom and his sister. “Hi Archie!” Aquarius greeted in a quiet tone. Archie smiled big with excitement, until he snapped out a little to give his mom flowers. “Hi mom, I bought you flowers...” Archie said before he places it on the side table. “Thank you sweetie, they’re beautiful... Are you ready to meet Kandy?” Aquarius asked with a calm smile. Archie nodded with a smile before he was gestured to get on the bed with her.

Aquarius lifted the top of the burrito blanket to present the baby to her son. “This is Kandy Gumdrop Gray; your baby sister.” Aquarius introduced. Archie made a slow happy gasp. “She’s... She’s so small... She’s got such curly hair... like a clown.” Archie said. “Dad gave her the middle name ‘Gumdrop’ did he?” Archie asked with a smirk, before he faced his dad. “Yes... I must admit it’s adorable...” Aquarius answered with a little giggle. Archie approached to his baby sister. “Don’t worry Kandy... I won’t let anyone make fun of you for your name.” Archie whispered, which made Kandy giggle. “Would you like to hold her, sweetie?” Aquarius asked. “Can I?” Archie asked in shock. “Of course, son, you’re her big brother; you two should acquaint with each other...” Pennywise said, as he sat next to Archie to help him hold the baby.

When Aquarius hands the baby to Archie, he couldn’t help but smile at his baby sister. “Hi Kandy... I’m your big brother...” Archie said before he gently booped her nose. Kandy looked up at her big purple-haired brother as she was checking him out; she stick out her little tiny hand as she wanted to hold his finger. Archie stick out his finger towards her so she can hold it. “Whoa, she’s strong...” Archie said as he was amazed by her strength.

Cassandra then came in with her camera, she wanted to take a picture of the family of demon clowns. “Alright, say--” “SAY ‘FAT CHUBBIEEES’!” Pennywise exclaimed. It was harsh but they had a great laugh, which gave them the perfect smile, and a perfect family picture.

[Bonus]

It was evening, so it means it’s time for Archie to go to bed, as Pennywise tried to find his son, he senses that Archie was in the nursery.

Archie was in the nursery, holding his baby sister close, Kandy was drifting off to sleep, thanks to Archie’s calm humming of a familiar tune that his mother hummed when he was a baby.

Pennywise smiled fondly before he quietly took a camera and took a picture. Then he quietly entered the room to meet his son. “Hiya son... What are you doing with your sister?” Pennywise asked quietly. “It’s bedtime, and Kandy was awake, so I’m rocking her to sleep.” Archie answered quietly. Pennywise looked over at his new daughter, seeing that she is indeed sleeping peacefully. “Somehow, I knew you’d be a fantastic big brother... I’m proud of you, son...” Pennywise said while gently rubbing his son’s head. “Thanks dad... I’ve learned that from the best.” Archie winked. Pennywise made a creepy giggle to his son’s response; his giggles actually made Kandy laugh in her sleep, which is adorable. “How about I put Kandy into her crib, while you get ready for bed?” Pennywise whispered before he carefully took Kandy out of his son’s arms. Archie kissed Kandy before he gets ready for bed. “Goodnight Kandy, I’ll see you in the morning.” Archie whispered. “Goodnight son.” Pennywise said to his son before he left the room.

Before Pennywise puts Kandy into her crib, he stares at her while smiling. “I will teach you how to be a murderous demon clown, just like your Daddywise...” Then he gave her multiple kisses before putting her into her crib. “Sweet dreams, my little gumdrop.” Pennywise whispers before he turns out the light to let his baby girl sleep.

It was exhausting, even on a first night... But it was worth it; Aquarius gets the special treatment from her husband, Archie is happy with his baby sister, and Pennywise has another little bundle of joy in his life. Still... Nobody knows how Kandy will turn out; will she be more devious like her daddy? or will she be more like her mom and her big brother?

No one knows until the next adventure story

The End... For now ;)

#Friday the 13th #Jason Voorhees #Fandom #Fan Fiction #IT #IT Chapter 2 #Pennywise #Pennywise the Dancing Clown #IT 1990 #Archie #Cassandra #MJ #Malon #Aquarius

5 notes · View notes

lonesomedreamereccentriclover · 4 years ago

Photo

This past decade(s) there have been few great horror movies. Lost in uninspired sequels/prequels and few original storytelling and mostly based on cheap jump scares instead of truly scary moments told in actual pictures, the modern horror movie seems to struggle with delievering horrifying sequenses and being, yeah well, truly scary.

Sure, there have been some great exceptions, like “The Witch”, “The Babadook”, Ari Aster’s first two full feature films “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” - but all in all they are just a few bad (as in really good) seeds midst all rotten fruits.

During the 2014 edition of Cannes Film Festival in France a director named David Robert Mitchell broke out with his truly original and horrifying “It Follows” and it was immediately praised for its original take on STD’s and stunning visuals even if shot on relatively low budget.

The film starts out in the suburbs on a calm evening, only a mother is out packing out her car of groceries, when suddenly a young lady is storming out in panic. The mom on the other side of the street packing out her car asks if everything is alright, and the young lady answeres “yes” but we can clearly see that’s a lie. But we really don’t have a clue what is going on. Not yet anyway.

The girl is running back to her house, now with her father worried sick, but only to get her (fathers) car keyes. She drives off and it now seems that she is being hunted by someone. Or something.

youtube

Ending up on a beach, a place for the youth to relax and enjoy one another (in one form or another), the young lady seems to feel safe - for the moment. But by the arrival of the morning she’s no longer alive. As so often in horror movies the first character(s) we meet is not the protagonist nor the heroine, but an establishment of how great of a threat someone - or by the state of the properly tufted young lady rather SOMETHING (more than a human)!

Shortly thereafter we meet another young lady. She, Jay, is much clearly “in focus” as we got to spend time with her in her room dressing up for a date. Just as her, the audience believes the date is something special - and as they meet up outside a cinema (that is showing Charade with Audrey Hepburn) it really seems so. They play a game, that first seems very sweet and innocent. They pick a person around them who they would like to switch lifes with. The guy starts, and as they bought tickets and have entered the lobby and without Jay guessing right about who he (her date, that she by the time think is “Hugh”) has choosen he reveals that he would like to change place with a little kid. They joke around that he can then poop himself anytime he wants, but when he later gets killed by the entity it has taken the form of his mother - that probably took advantage of him sexualy when he was younger - and just wants a normal family to be taken care of. But now I’m getting ahead of myself. Lets wind back!

In the movie theater, waiting for the film to start, Jay now take her turn in the game and chooses someone she would switch with. She does so pretty quickly and when he tries to guess who she have choosen he takes a wild guess at a girl in yellow dress. Which confuses her just as much as the audience - since such a girl is nowhere to be seen in the saloon. That freaks him out, but not for the obiously reason we might first think. They rush out of the saloon and he excuses himself with the need for air - and maybe some coffee.

If we “look” at the the girl only “Hugh” can see we are only given very little information. She cannot be seen by others than “Hugh” and 2). she wears a yellow dress. It sounds cheerful, pretty and warm, but in color analysis yellow also have negative associations. According to this site yellow also stands for cowardice, sensationalism and mental illness. Does that means that he is “seeing her” only in his mental state? It could appear so, but shortly after they have sex he then drugs her. Which is confusing, because he doesn¨t have to drug her to have sex with her - which the situationen otherwise suggest - and that the director really “playfully” uses to create confusion and uncertainty.

When she wakes up again she is constrained to a wheelchair. The situation is just as bad for her as for the viewer. Has he taken her there to kill her? It could appear so but soon he calms her down with the assurance that he hasn’t taken her there to harm her. But why? A person is walking towards them and he explains that now that he has “passed it on” by having sex (hence the interpretation that the film is about STD’s) and that she under no circumstances let those persons walking towards her touch her. Which might be confusing and scary for Jay, but the viewer now get the connection to the girl in the beginning. That is dramaturgically called an catalyst (or: plantation), where a person or happening is introduced but only to give the story bigger meaning later on.

Jay is dropped of outside her house, and then “Hugh” dissapears. Which could be seen as a comment on modern “dating” where a guy (or girl in some cases) dumps the “victim” right after having sex. We live in a society where we throw away stuff way to easily and that seems to have been taken on even socially.

From the porch, Jay friends and one sister Kelly, sees everything and rushes to her to make sure everything is alright. But it isn’t (obviously). So they call the cops. But as the sex was consensual and he didn’t really hurt her, and his identity seems scetchy they can’t really do anything. But he will play a part and has not yet been played out in the story. We just don’t know how yet.

The next day, when Jay is in school, she is approached by an old lady. She don’t recognize her, but was told to watch out for shady people walking slowly towards her - even if “It” is taking the form of a stranger or a more familiar person to get close to its victim. And if we now presses paus and goes back a bit to “Hugh” and his lady in yellow dress. WIth this new information we understand that she was “it” trying to get close to him. And with the older information about yellow being a “color of cowardness” we can now “read” that the “it” also can take the form of the fear and guilt of the victim. He feeling bad for taking advantage of her, simply put to get laid but in the context of the story to “pass it on” and no longer being the first target in line. We also learn that it’s only the first (latest) person in line to be haunted by “it”. Which only cements Jay’s role as the protagnoist - who ALWAYS should grow and evolve through the story (wheter it might be an childrens story, a book in general, a video game or in this case a movie) towards the morality of the story.

So, what might the morality of the story be then? Maybe the answere is in the way “It” approaches its victims - by assuming familiar characters thats also seems to hold some personal trauma to them. By running away from the fear and hide away and hopes the problem just dissapears, people die. Maybe it’s traying to say to us: don’t walk away from your fears, or trauma, but try to meet them and work against them so you by time can move on from them without taking to much psychological harm in the long run.

One of her friends is Paul (played by Kier Gilchrist that some years later would get a wider brakethrough in the Netflix-show Atypical where he plays a young man with Asperger syndrome) who seems to have a more than friendly history with Jay (played by Maika Monroe) which is made clear throughout the storyline as he tries to “get in her pants” but with his logic only to be “heroic” by letting her “pass It on to him” and thereby getting her out of the haircross of “It”.

But Paul is not her first choice. Maybe she doesn’t like him back, but probably beacuse she doesn’t want to put her friend in danger. The “lucky one” is instead a neigbhour with a car and a tough appearance. He helps her get to places and after an accident he sleeps with her - with the same motive as Paul, or at least he says so. Appearently, he doesn’t really believes in her “crazy theories” (since he doesn’t have all the information the other characters, and we as viewers, have) but just wanted to have sex. Which is going to punish him. But why? Because of the souless sex? Or because he doesn’t take the problem, the fear, seriously and tries to really solve it but instead live on with his life as nothing have happened? Probably both! Lying to get what you want is not very nice.

As she can see to the neighbour’s house across the street from her own window, she can see when a stranger (everyone who “has it” can see them walk around, but not anyone else) aproaches his house and throws a stone through the kitchen window - that also happened to her the evening after she “got it” - so now David (who both directed and wrote the film) plays with something that is called repetition - simply because something is happening more than once to improve the dramaturgelly effect, and the second time around escalate evertything - in this case by making “It” visible, and something Jay now can take action against. The first time, when it happened to herself, she only heard the noice of a window getting crashed (or, it was Paul sleeping on her cauch who heard it and then alarms her). This is very effective since Jay sees the intrusion as it happens and she now have a moral obligation (as the protagonist also always should be a moral compass for the viewer and always act “right” to not alienate the viewer to much) to help him. Which she’s really tries to do. But as “It” takes the form of his mother, probably by confronting him in form of someone familiar but also with a boob hanging out so maybe tries to comfort him by breastfeeding, who now is banging on his door - and as he opens she jumps him and his storyline is now literally over.

An interesting detail that is established early on in the story is that one of Jay’s friends - Yara (played by Olivia Luccardi) - is reading The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky on her “e-reader” and as she later on is hurt badly and put in hospital she use the text to “use it” on her friends and their situation. Especially Jay is reflected by it:

As she understands that she can no longer run from “It” but have to confront it (her fears, that seems to be related to giving birth as she sees “It” as a burned out woman who’s water just broke... and later as a very scary child that almost looks more like something of a monster in a video game) and no longer just run away frorm “It”. So they go to a swimming pool to set a trap for “It” and it finally seems that the gang has the upper hand in all this. A well telled story “always” make us feel like its all hopeless but then let a ray of light shine through!

As they are going, “It” now appears on the rooftopp in form of a naked man. As Jay drives out of the garage and out on the road, she gasps as she sees the man on the roof. Because he is naked? Maybe partly, but mostly because “It” probably have taken the form of her father - who have never been seen in the film, so he’s probably “out of the picture”, maybe because he was molesting her as a child and have been kicked out - or maybe, even better, put in prison for it.

As they set the traps around the pool they still feel they have the upper hand in the situation. But as Jay puts on her bathing suit and goes into the pool, some beautiful shots of her under water (and the reflection of her body on the surface) suggest that she no longer have a personal face and have lost herself to “It”. This goes hand in hand with the paragraph from The Idiot that Yara later reads to Jay in the hospital. The struggle and personal questioning gives her... if you all excuse my choice of words... depth.

As the final confrontation takes place nothing goes according to plan. All their planning and preparations is wasted in a blink of an eye. But as everyone who tackles with their personal problems in life realises that you can never plan your life to full - because so much other stuff is going to happen that you possibly can’t take into calculation, but rather have to be adaptive and improvise to overcome all obstacles - our group doesn’t give up but reorganizes and finally overcomes all problems. Together. Hiding all alone and trying to solve her problems all by herself wouldn’t help much but rather end in her death.

As Jay and Paul “find each other” (see: the gif where their hands toches) earlier on, they “finally have sex” but since it’s just for helping her, and he probably feels that she doesn’t really want, he doesn’t feel like it was so great that he hoped it would be. But as he stood by her all the time, and had more romantic intentions with her all along, they end up together. At least in a way. And as they walk down a road in the end, and we see a person walking behind them, we are suggested that they never fully killed “It” and that it’s still after them. Which probably both is a play with the expectations that horror movies ends with an “open road” to an sequel - but also tells us that even if we start to tackle our problems, trauma, with for exemple therapy, our ghosts will never really leave us alone. But that it’s getting easier by time, especially with someone on your side. Linou have studied film production for a year in Stockholm, and are now studying screenwriting in a program of three years (180hp) in Dalarna. This is what he came up with after re-watching the film and read “Hansel and Gretel” with his class and the teacher breaking down all terms for us.

8 notes · View notes

b-kitsune · 5 years ago

Text

Many ways to say I love you: Day Twenty-Nine.

Kidge-a-palooza 2019 Prompt: Elegance. Pairing: Kidge (VLD) Universe: Victorian!AU. Status: Part 4/4

She tightened his tie more tightly so that the knot was perfect enough and the collar of his shirt didn't get messy, earning a small claim from her son for pulling him while ordering the last details of his outfit made for that afternoon, where important figures and renowned people would visit the estate of her dear friend Allura that afternoon. Katie gave him a brief warning look to keep his still for a few more seconds as soon as she heard a refusal about the outfit that Katie chose so carefully while removing wrinkles from his suit with her hands to finish her job.

''Daddy, mom is squeezing a lot.'' The boy complained as soon as he saw his father enter the room looking for something in the furniture that decorated it. Katie raised an inquiring eyebrow.

''You are very wrong if you think that your dear father will help you escape, I still have to brush your hair.''

''Pope!'' The fearful boy groaned at his mother's words, but Keith just shrugged with a funny laugh as he continued searching through the drawers of the room.

''I'm sorry buddy, mom is ordering you properly so that all of our friends see how big you've grown since last summer.'' Keith said approaching his wife, drawing her attention with one hand on her shoulder. ''Pidge, do you know where I left the silver shirt cufflinks?''

''They broke up at Lance's house during your last friendly competition.'' Answered sardonic Pidge, hitting both hands in allusion to the fight they had months ago for drinking too much. Keith walked away ashamed of his wife. ''You can use the wolf shirt cufflinks, they will look good with your jacket.''

''Yes, I think you are right.''

She snorted in response listening to her husband head towards the bathroom with the ornaments on his hands while doing her best to battle with the hair of her beloved son. The knots that were created while sleeping could only be thanks to the genetic inheritance of the Holt family. So she would be lucky if she made Steven look presentable after playing around her dear friend's farm. Her son had the bad habit of jumping and jumping into the grass as soon as she lost sight of him for a few minutes, something he had categorically not inherited from her at all.

Katie had to make sure that her image looked impeccable at least until they arrived at Allura's house in a few more hours, or all her work during the morning would have been useless. Usually, they were the employees who had to take care of her son's attire, but Katie couldn't allow anyone to take care of Steven from birth, just as her mother did with her and her older brother, even giving him of breastfeeding during the first months. Something unthinkable for a woman in her class and strongly criticizing her social circle, but when Katie had given her son to a nurse the first days of his birth reluctantly, something inside her heart was removed from possession and jealousy.

She wanted to be the one to feed her son, take care of him, dress him and educate him in the sciences that her family loved so much. Having it only for her and that nobody dared to interfere in her upbringing. Keith on the other way, didn't turn mostly against when he learned that Katie dismissed the nurses he hired for the care of his firstborn, even thinking that it was much better for someone close to be in the care of his beloved son.

But Katie would never have thought that raising a child was such an exhausting task. Even at just four years old, Steven seemed to have a personal record of making his parents lose their temper before they could send him to military school. Keith used to have a little more patience with him, letting Katie know that during his childhood he also mediates his parents' patience with almost vandalism. Katie almost admired her mother daily when she had to deal with her son's attitudes in which she often saw her attitude and temper reflected in him.

In spite of everything, she loved her firstborn deeply.

''Keith, did you remember to lock the wolves before leaving?'' Katie asked when she saw her husband get in the car. He nodded securely indicating to leave.

''Yeah, Beezer will release them during the afternoon.''

''Mom, let's stay at home, Kosmo will miss us.'' Steven asked with a hint of affliction in his eyes. Katie stroked his head affectionately.

''Don't worry about him, you heard dad, they will be fine without us. Don't you want to see Uncle Matt and Uncle Shiro, honey? They have missed you all this time.''

''... Yes?'' Katie gave him a big hug at her innocent tone.

''Speaking of uncles...'' Keith said with a serious countenance. ''How long do you think it takes for Lance and Allura to get out of the shadows?''

''Who knows, sometimes I asked me which of the two is blinder to the interests of the other.'' Katie smiled wistfully. ''I remember that when I was waiting for Steven, they behaved quite collaboratively with each other... I thought they would finally realize their feelings, but I guess it wasn't enough.''

''This is ridiculous, at this rate they will die ignorant about what they feel for the other. Those cowards''

''Since when are you so engaged in the interests of others, dear?'' Katie asked somewhat surprised about Keith's recent interest, he removed himself uncomfortably from his seat, without connecting his gaze to her.

''How strange is my concern for a dear friend?''

''Yes, especially if it's Lance. You usually enjoy his misfortune.''

''... Okay.'' He answered resigned, he knew that lying to Katie was a useless task. ''I may have benefited economically from his indecision.''

''Have you been betting with Hunk again?''

-''With Shiro. And honestly, the game lost the fun for years.''

''Oh my god, you are terrible people.''

''That's what Matt said when he found out and started betting on Allura's favor three months ago.''

Katie was perplexed to learn that her brother had also lent himself to entertain the situation of her friends, preferring to change the topic of conversation before the new projects that her husband's company was starting and prevent her son from knowing the bad practices of his father. It was impressive how much Keith had changed since he began spending time with Hunk and Lance, but even for her to bet on her friends' private life was to cross the boundaries, she didn't want to deal with Allura's wrath as soon as she found out.

Steven just watched with disinterest through the window as if nothing they talked about had to do with him, which Katie thanked.

So neither of them realized that on their son's face there was a countenance highly concerned about the situation of his dear uncles, seriously thinking that that afternoon he had to prevent his uncle Lance from continuing to be ''sad''.

...

''Pidge, nice to see you again!''

''Hi Allura.'' She was greeted by a big hug from her dear friend who almost made her lose her breath. ''I see that my mother's plants have grown quite a lot in your garden.''

''Colleen was very kind in giving me the juneberries that remind me so much of my childhood, I couldn't help planting them as fast as I got home.'' She said looking towards the area where flowers were seen through the crowd. ''Romelle and Coran say they are the most beautiful and well-groomed flowers they have been fortunate to know.''

''That wasn't because of my mother, you have taken care of them with great care.''

Katie answered with fun; it was nice to see Allura smile when she talked about her past. After a terrible illness that took her father's life a few years ago, Allura's smile was difficult to appreciate for several months. But her mother's gift was certainly right.

Now her friend looked much livelier. As she remembered the first years.

''Steven, don't run around people!'' They heard Keith from the other side of the garden. Katie hoped her son wouldn't get in trouble just when they arrived.

''It seems that your son is still as energetic as I remember.'' Allura smiled, Katie growled slightly.

''Yes, I just hope that energy doesn't end by breaking a leg.''

''Come on Pidge, I remember that one of your biggest fears was to become a copy of your own mother. Let your child make his own mistakes while enjoying a good afternoon. I asked my pastry chefs to prepare peanut butter cookies.''

Katie nodded after a few seconds and wanted to taste the cookies that Allura ordered for her delight. She could enjoy a quiet afternoon at a party of great elegance without thinking that her child would get into trouble for a couple of hours, isn't it?

...

He took his son's neck before he dared to get away more than allowed and escaped again as he did fifteen minutes ago while talking with Hunk about his new recipes at his restaurant.

''You know you shouldn't walk away, Steven.'' He scolded him severely by approaching him, but his son just writhed on his grip trying to break free.

''I need to find uncle Lance.''

''Well, you found uncle Lance just the way you wanted!'' A jovial voice called the attention of both as soon as they saw Lance approaching his direction. ''I didn't know your son preferred me over you, mullet. I must tell you that it feels like a small triumph.''

''I don't think that's the case.'' Keith said irritably. ''He has been obsessed with you all day.''

''Oh yeah?'' He approached Steven to stroke his partially messy hair. His appearance was a vivid image of his father, with a malicious look very similar to his mother.

''Uncle Lance, I want you to stop being sad!''

''Ohh! Seriously?'' Asked surprised, Keith didn't seem to understand very well what his son was saying. But he preferred to follow the game. ''Very well, I listen to you.''

''Let's go to the garden.'' Steven answered determinedly while taking the sleeve of his suit with one of his hands.

''Do you know what he plans?'' Keith shrugged as he followed.

''My experience has concluded that it is better to follow the game. He won't tell you even if you ask him.''

Once they reached the garden where the meeting was on course, they saw how Allura was surrounded by many of her closest friends who enjoyed a pleasant chat under an awning, including his wife who was holding a tray full of peanut butter cookies just for her.

Steven started running towards Allura as soon as he located her among so many people around, taking him in her arms. Keith knew she was his favorite aunt and had a childhood crush on her since last winter.

''Aunt Allura, can you pass me your hand?'' Steven asked as soon as Allura left him on the floor. She nodded interestedly.

''Do you want to hold my hand during the afternoon?''

Allura said amused, Steven nevertheless effusively shook his head, placing it on top of Lance's hand without warning. A loud gasp came out of the mouth of everyone present who surrounded him. Allura, who kept her face from blushing when she felt Lance's warmth on her palm, watched her nephew confused.

''Do you want me to take Uncle Lance's hand?''

''Yes! Uncle Lance is sad, so if you take his hand as mom and dad do it when they are sad, Uncle Lance will stop being.'' Everyone's heart was tender at the innocent request of the child.

''But buddy, I'm not sad.'' Lance tried to talk with some fun in his eyes.

''No, you are. Mama said in the car that dad and the others were having fun with your misfortune because you like Aunt Allura and you are too coward to confess.''

A sepulchral silence traveled all over the place as soon as Steven's words came out without any bad intentions, causing both Lance and Allura's countenance to change from happiness to a stoic, almost contemplative face.

The next thing Steven saw was both his uncle Hunk and his father fleeing from his uncle Lance, and he didn't see Matt or Shiro again for the rest of the afternoon, listening to his mother who probably ran away from the party for fear of his aunt Allura. What seemed funny, since his mother didn't stop laughing for the rest of the day.

Steven remembered returning home early that day, his father seemed to have been irritated as his eye looked extremely swollen and his face bruised. His mother told him that he had fallen off a horse and didn't have to worry because he had earned it, nor the sadness of his uncle Lance.

A few months later, he learned that they were preparing for a long-awaited marriage. Steven was depressed for a moment knowing that his aunt Allura would marry a man other than him, but he knew that his uncle Lance would make her very happy.

#peith #kidge #kidgefanfic #monthofkidge #kidgeapalooza #kidgeapalooza 2019 #keith kogane #keith (voltron)#pidge gunderson #pidge holt #voltron #voltronship #victorian au

14 notes · View notes

babymilkaction · 4 years ago

Text

The Code and other safeguards threatened by UN Voluntary Guidelines on Food

The Code and other safeguards threatened by corporate friendly Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition.

The Plenary session of the UN Committee on Word Food Security (CFS47) ended on the 11th February, after several weeks of intense negotiations over the CFS VOLUNTARY GUIDELINES ON FOOD SYSTEMS AND NUTRITION (VGFSyN)

IBFAN has been a member of the CFS’ Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism (CSM) for many years and has contributed to the development of the 2014 Rome Declaration on Nutrition, spoken at CFS events and worked on these Guidelines. In recent years the CFS has moved to a ‘multi-stakeholder mode’ with a Private Sector Mechanism (PSM) that has become larger and more influential over the years. This commercial influence is evident.(1)

It has been painful to watch the negotiations on the Guidelines and see powerful exporting nations attempt to undermine the status of UN treaties and resolutions.(2)

The USA and the International Code

The CFS VOLUNTARY GUIDELINES ON FOOD SYSTEMS AND NUTRITION (VGFSyN) cover a huge range of issues and the near final draft contained several useful paragraphs on breastfeeding and marketing. However, during the discussions, the US shocked everyone when it single-handedly removed text that would curtail marketing.

We hoped that the statement of Dr Fauci, chief medical advisor to President Biden, at WHO’s Executive Board, signalled a welcome new approach to global health. Sadly, new US appointees are not in position everywhere and the delegates to the CFS did everything they could to undermine the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. They succeeded in removing all references to Regulations and to the Code’s subsequent relevant WHA Resolutions – safeguards that been been included in drafts since the start of negotiations (1). The final US-approved paragraph may look benign, but will certainly be used by baby food industry to advocate for weak measures to control harmful marketing:

3.5.1.d “Governments should implement measures or national mechanisms related to the marketing of commercial infant formula and other breast milk substitutes aimed at giving effect to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes (fn58), as well as other WHO evidence-based recommendations, where applicable, in line with national legislations. Governments should monitor and continue to assess the impact of their measures. (fn58) International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes. WHO, 1981. Geneva

How did this happen? On the final days of the negotiations we could not speak again because CSM had withdrawn from the negotiations. After all its strengthening amendments had been blocked by the US, Norway, supported by Canada, Russia and UN Nutrition attempted to correct the footnote 58 to ensure it included the Resolutions along with the correct link on the WHO website. (4) Canada stressed that the work done over 40 years to update the Code was very important. WHO, as part of UN Nutrition, explained that it has always been WHO’s position that the Code has to be seen in conjunction with the subsequent Resolutions, as one body. The fact that a member state disassociates itself from a Resolution, does not nullify that it should not be referred to. WHO created the new link to ensure that the Code and all the Resolutions related to marketing could easily be read together.

The US said it would not support any mention of the Resolutions because it had disassociated itself from a number of them.(5) It would, however, accept the original Code (which it didn’t vote for in 1981) and ‘evidenced-based’ recommendations ‘where applicable’ that are ‘in line with national legislations.’ In terms of increasing the protection of breastfeeding and maternal and young child health from harmful marketing, the paragraph brings everything down to the lowest common denominator, especially for those countries that have weak or non-existent legislation. With no support for their proposal, and the chair wanting to close the debate, the US threatened to open up the most contentious footnote (39BIS) knowing that to do so would trap everyone into endless further discussion. The Chair moved quickly to adopt the Footnote as the US wanted.

During the Plenary session on 10th February and later, a number of Member States made oral and written statements ((Norway statement ) about the weaknesses in guidelines, with some regretting the weak paragraph on the Code. Dr Yamamoto, Chair of UN Nutrition (the newly-merged UNSCN and UN Network for Scaling Up Nutrition(SUN) ) referred to the Resolutions, saying it was of the utmost importance that infant and young child health is not put at risk (see webcast Day 3 Afternoon 21-26 mins ). Dr Francesca Branca of WHO (Day 3 Afternoon 49-52) made a strong statement about the importance of tackling harmful marketing including through the Code and WHA Resolutions, regulations and fiscal measures, sugar taxes etc. Gerda Verburg, Executive Director of SUN (Day 3 morning, 2.40) said she did not want to see the Code weakened in anyway and that the Guidelines should not replace resolutions and Codes that have already been agreed, such as the International Code and Resolutions. However, since SUN is a Public Private Partnership, she also called on baby food companies to promote breastfeeding. It is not clear what was meant by this, because WHA Resolutions have clear Conflict of Interest rules regarding baby food involvement in infant and young child feeding. The last thing parents and children need is a Nestlé sponsored breastfeeding poster.

In frustration over the process the CSM decided to leave the Guidelines negotiations, remaining as observers. The CSM will make a decision on whether or not to endorse the Guidelines, only after consultation with its member constituents.

At the Plenary CFS47 the following week the Guidelines were noted and will go forward to the UN Food Systems Summit scheduled to take place in New York in September 2021 in conjunction with the UN General Assembly, preceded by a pre-Summit in Italy in July 2021.

(Page down to see what happened to the Code). Click here for the CSM statements that explain why the Guidelines are so bad. Also statements from the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Michael Fakhri. Below Isa Ivarez reads CSM Statement on 4 February 2021

Statement from the High Commissioner for Human Rights

“…The Guidelines should have acknowledged and promoted the responsibilities of the States in regulating businesses’ activities to promote the availability and accessibility of healthy diets, including through fiscal incentives and disincentives. In this context, the Guidelines could have stressed the responsibilities of the private sector to do no harm and respect human rights, including the right to food and the right to health of the population at large and of children in particular.”

For more statements page down

Speech by Shalmali Gutta, Focus on the Global South. 10 February

“…we have a document that does not protect broad based public interest, public health, our eco-systems; or the rights and capacities of the millions of small-scale food producers, workers and communities who have built multiple, diverse food systems around the world, and who are the proven lifelines of our societies, economies and environments.

Instead, we have document that protects a system of globalised, corporate dominated trade, investment and finance, that benefit the world’s 10 percent, but has wreaked havoc on our planet and majority of the world’s people …..We reiterate our concern that the Summit is advancing a dangerous, deceptive and insidious form of multi-stakeholderism in the multilateral system of the United Nations, which:

blurs the identities and responsibilities of rights holders and duty bearers;

through the language of “partnerships” enables wealthy, powerful corporations and their organisational extensions to assume crucial decision-making positions with no democratic accountability..”

CSM withdraws from the negotiations on 29 January 2021 by Sofia Monsalve (FIAN)

“It was with a heavy heart that we walked out of the session of the Friends of the Chair session earlier this afternoon. After all, the reformed CFS is an open body to the participation of the constituencies most affected by hunger and food insecurity.”

___________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Some notable Excerpts from Statements made on February 10th

WHO (and UNICEF)

In the context of the negotiation we have expressed the concern that, in the spirit of compromise the text of the Voluntary Guidelines does not fully reflect the recommendations of mandated international bodies and normative agencies. This is not going to be beneficial to public health. Examples include among others – removing recommendations on ’fiscal policies’ or ‘economic tools that may include taxes and subsidies’ in the recommendations on improving availability and affordability of food that contributes to healthy diets – removing the reference to “subsequent relevant WHA resolutions” in the description of efforts to support breastfeeding and implementation of the Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes; – weakening the language to “avoid inappropriate marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children” – the removal of reference to the elimination of use of antimicrobials for growth promotion

Statement from the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Australia

“…..We respectfully offer three reflections on the development of the guidelines that may be useful to consider in future processes.

“… There is a need for all Members and stakeholders to be mindful of the diversity in national circumstances and not try to insert their preferred approach into every paragraph of a document which, by design, must be adaptable to national contexts when implemented.”

Norway

UN_Nutrition

Thailand

______________________________________________________________________

(1) FAO and Danone team up to foster sustainable diets and food systems 17.10.19.

Hundreds of civil society organizations worldwide denounce World Economic Forum´s takeover of the UN 17.1.20

(2) One of the most contentious issues was a Footnote to Para 39 that undermined a whole range of Treaties and Resolutions. A US proposal (eventually not accepted) read: “Treaties in the list below are only relevant for the parties to each respective treaty; other documents listed are not legally binding and reference to them shall not be interpreted as a sign of support or acknowledgement by countries that abstained or voted against their adoption and have not since then expressed their support.” Friday 29th January the CSM to leave the negotiations on 29th January and we stayed on in the negotiations as an observer only.

(3) Chairs proposal for first draft October 2019 The 19 subsequent relevant WHA Resolutions are critically important in the protection of breastfeeding and maternal and child health and have helped governments forbid marketing techniques such as health and nutrition claims, free and low-supplies of breastmilk substitutes and misleading marketing of baby foods. Eight resolutions have called for conflicts of interest safeguards, not only in health care but also in monitoring.

(4) Proposed Amendment by Norway supported by Canada, Russia, UN Nutrition: (57) International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes. WHO, 1981 Geneva. ADD: and subsequent relevant WHA resolutions https://www.who.int/nutrition/netcode/resolutions/en/

(5) The US was the only country to vote against the Code in 1981. However in 1994, under the Clinton administration a consensus was reached to support a Resolution condemning company donations to health care systems. During the debate, African delegations vehemently rejected the assumption that Africa needed the donations, that are nothing more than a promotional technique. Kenya stated that if the issue came to a vote, it would insist on a roll call of member states “so that those who are unfair to babies, would be known by name.” (See Update 14, October 1994, Page 6) Since 1994 the US has endorsed all subsequent WHA resolutions – which generally recall all previous Resolutions. The Codex Infant Formula Standard which the US endorsed, The application of this section of the Standard should take into account the recommendations made in the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (1981), the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding and World Health Assembly resolution WHA54.2 (2001) [WHA54.2 recalls 11 previous WHA Resolutions]

__________________________________________________________

SAMPLE TWEETS

Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems & Nutrition, noted at the CFS47 this week undermine the importance of the WHO Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes and WHA Resolutions. Maternal and child health needs protection from harmful marketing.

Countries have negotiated Guidelines on Food Systems & Nutrition at @UN_CFS We urge govts to support safeguards against conflicts of interest in research and infant feeding care.

Negotiations on Food Systems and Nutrition have now finished at the @UN_CFS We urge govts to push for strong, mandatory marketing regulations for ultra-processed foods, including marketing in digital media and on product packages

______________________________________________________________

The Code and other safeguards threatened by UN Voluntary Guidelines on Food was originally published on Baby Milk Action

#breastfeeding #infant formula #Nestle

0 notes

mysteriouslyzealouspandalov-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Relationship drama and the Democratic convention took over Instagram this week

New Post has been published on https://relationshipguideto.com/must-see/relationship-drama-and-the-democratic-convention-took-over-instagram-this-week/

Relationship drama and the Democratic convention took over Instagram this week

Image: mashable composite: instagram and lindsay lohan/instagram and hillary clinton/INSTAGRAM and john stamos/INSTAGRAM

The Democratic National Convention dominated the news this week, and many attendees shared sweet photos capturing the experience on Instagram.

Insta was also a platform for some relationship drama Rob Kardashian made numerous changes to his account and left us questioning everything about his relationship with fiance Blac Chyna. Meanwhile, Lindsay Lohan asked her followers to respect her privacy during a difficult time.

SEE ALSO: Instagram may be making it easier to binge on a person’s photos

Of course, some Instagram posts simply made us smile. A blogger expressed her body positive epiphany and Amy Schumer ate cake in an innovative new way. Meanwhile, John Stamos gave us visions of Uncle Jesse circa 1989 and your favorite High School Musical gals rocked out together.

1. Hillary Clinton and President Obamas hug for the ages

We love you back, President Obama.

A photo posted by Hillary Clinton (@hillaryclinton) on Jul 27, 2016 at 8:59pm PDT

As if President Obamas 45-minute DNC speech wasn’t amazing enough, it ended with a moving embrace between him and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Honestly, we couldve watched that hug go on for 45 more minutes. We love you back, President Obama, Clinton captioned an endearing photo of them hugging on stage.

2. Amy Schumer invented a new dessert

@marieclairemag #handcake #roadmanagerjudgingme if you eat cake with your hands it becomes hand cake

A video posted by @amyschumer on Jul 26, 2016 at 4:04am PDT

Weve all had hand cake at one point or another. Amy Schumer inhaled a handful of yummy spongy goodness while on her Marie Claire photoshoot, and her judgment-free road manager luckily captured the elegant feast on camera. If you eat cake with your hands it becomes hand cake, Schumer captioned the video on Instagram. Amy, thank you for coining the name of this ingenious confection.

3. Rob Kardashians Instagram scandal

Image: robkardsahian/instagram

Breakup rumors were in the air this week when Rob Kardashian suddenly removed every trace of Blac Chyna from his Instagram account, unfollowed her, and deleted every single photo from his page.

A new, private Rob account just surfaced, listed under the name robkardsahian. Blac Chyna recently followed this new account which would suggest its legitimacy, although some older posts on the 14 week old account provide reason to believe its a fans creation.

Robkardsahian posted a photo with Blac Chyna captioned, I want to say that me and Chy haven’t broken up we are just going through some tough times and social media blew it all up. I would prefer if we could stay out of the spotlight and find a resolution .

Its still unclear whether the account is legitimate or not, but hopefully Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashians upcoming E! reality series will shed some light.

4. Liv Tyler and her new baby are a perfect pair

Sunday morning snuggles with my baby girl. So grateful for this precious gift.

A photo posted by Liv Tyler (@misslivalittle) on Jul 24, 2016 at 9:54am PDT

Actress Liv Tyler welcomed her third child earlier this month, and she proudly shared a photo breastfeeding baby Lula. Sunday morning snuggles with my baby girl. So grateful for this precious gift, she captioned the sweet Instagram post. Sharing breastfeeding photos has been the subject of controversy recently, and women have been crushing that stigma by sharing their own awesome breastfeeding photos.

5. Lindsay Lohan wants some privacy

Dear friends. I’m good and well. #ATM I am taking time for myself with good friends. I am sorry that I’ve exposed certain private matters recently. I was acting out of fear and sadness… We all make mistakes. Sadly mine have always been so public. I have done a lot of soul searching in the past years, and I should have been more clear minded rather than distract from the good heart that I have. Social media comes with the territory of the business and the world we now live in. My intentions were not meant to send mixed messages. Maybe things can be fixed… Maybe not.. I hope they can. But I am 30 years old and I do deserve a #GENTLEgiant Life is about love and light. Not anger Thank you to those who stand by my side

A photo posted by Lindsay Lohan (@lindsaylohan) on Jul 26, 2016 at 12:45pm PDT

Drama between Lindsay Lohan and her fianc, Russian businessman Egor Tarabasov, has been unfolding in interesting ways lately. Lohan has been in the public eye for 18 years, and earlier in the week she Instagrammed an old photo of a heart-shaped cloud along with a message asking fans to take their magnifying glasses off of her relationship.

A few days later, she took the post down and replaced it with a photo of herself on a boat. In the caption, she addressed her followers to reassure everyone that she is doing well and to apologize for publicizing matters she wanted to keep private.

6. Lena Dunham and America Ferrera are with her

the moment it became real

A photo posted by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on Jul 26, 2016 at 4:08pm PDT

Actresses Lena Dunham and America Ferrera spoke at the Democratic National Convention this week, and a photographer caught them feeling emotional about it. The moment it became real, Lena Dunham captioned the picture of her and America Ferrera tearing up on Instagram.

Dunham and Ferrara used their speech to endorse Hillary Clinton and to discuss the importance of feminism and combating hatred. Lets put Hillary Clinton in the White House, and lets declare: love trumps hate, was the last line they said to the crowd, and it was met with thunderous applause.

7. Blogger Kelsey Wells is measuring her happiness, not her weight

SCREW THE SCALE || I figured it was time for a friendly, yet firm reminder. YOU GUYS. PLEASEEEEEE STOP GETTING HUNG UP ON THE NUMBER ON THE STUPUD SCALE! PLEASE STOP THINKING YOUR WEIGHT EQUALS YOUR PROGRESS AND FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING PLEASE STOP LETTING YOR WEIGHT HAVE ANY AFFECT WHATSOEVER ON YOUR SELF ESTEEM, like I used to. To any of you who are where I once was, please listen to me. I am 5′ 7″ and weigh 140 lbs. When I first started #bbg I was 8 weeks post partum and 145 lbs. I weighed 130 before getting pregnant, so based on nothing besides my own warped perception, I decided my “goal weight” should be 122 and to fit into my skinniest jeans. Well after a few months of BBG and breastfeeding, I HIT IT and I fit into those size 0 jeans. Well guess what? I HAVE GAINED 18 POUNDS SINCE THEN. EIGHT FREAKING TEEN. Also, I have gone up two pant sizes and as a matter of fact I ripped those skinny jeans wide open just the other week trying to pull them up over my knees. My point?? According to my old self and flawed standards, I would be failing miserably. THANK GOODNESS I finally learned to start measuring my progress by things that matter strength, ability, endurance, health, and HAPPINESS. Take progress photos and videos. Record how many push-ups you can do, ect. And if you can, your BFP there is only a 5 lb difference between my starting and current weight, but my body composition has changed COMPLETELY. I have never had more muscle and less body fat than I do now. I have never been healthier than I am now. I have never been more comfortable in my own skin than I am now. And if I didn’t say #screwthescale long ago, I would have gave up on my journey. So to the little teeny tiny voice in the back of my head that still said “wtf is this- not 140!?” last week when I stepped on the scale, I say SCREW. YOU. And I think you should probably say the same to your scale too. #byefelicia . . #bbgprogress #transformationtuesday #fit #fitness #workout #fitmom #fitchick #fitfam #fitnesstransformation #beforeandafter #sweat #mysweatlife #girlswithmuscle #girlgains #strongnotskinny

A photo posted by K E L S E Y W E L L S (@mysweatlife) on Jul 26, 2016 at 8:55am PDT

Blogger Kelsey Wells of My Sweat Life recently had a revelation about body weight that she shared to Instagram. After having a baby, she struggled with maintaining her goal weight, and ultimately came to the conclusion that weight is just a number.

THANK GOODNESS I finally learned to start measuring my progress by things that matter strength, ability, endurance, health, and HAPPINESS, she wrote on Instagram alongside three photos of her at different weights.

So to the little teeny tiny voice in the back of my head that still said “wtf is this- not 140!?” last week when I stepped on the scale, I say SCREW. YOU. And I think you should probably say the same to your scale too. #byefelicia .

8. John Stamos

My favorite thing to do in Vegas. #Leave

A photo posted by John Stamos (@johnstamos) on Jul 24, 2016 at 11:13am PDT

John Stamos recent visit to Las Vegas is giving us some serious Uncle Jesse flashbacks. Who could forget Full Houses double-episode spectacular when Jesse and Becky almost secretly got married in the city of sin? Stamos used Instagram to document the highlight of his trip. My favorite thing to do in Vegas. #Leave, Stamos wrote alongside a photo of him giving Vegas the peace sign.

9. Hill + Bill 4eva

“She is still the best darn changemaker I have ever known. Bill Clinton

A photo posted by Hillary Clinton (@hillaryclinton) on Jul 27, 2016 at 10:20am PDT

Bill Clinton melted hearts with his doting (although long) speech about his wife and presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at the DNC, and she thanked him by sharing a fantastic #tbt photo of the couple. “‘She is still the best darn changemaker I have ever known.’ Bill Clinton, the Instagram caption read.

10. Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdales mini HSM reunion

When you and your best friend are performers and love snapchat @ashleytisdale

A video posted by Vanessa Hudgens (@vanessahudgens) on Jul 23, 2016 at 9:23pm PDT

High School Musical actresses Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale reunited for a little Snapchat singalong, which Hudgens shared on Instagram. Unfortunately they didnt sing We’re All In This Together, but their medley of Beyoncs Lemonade songs was definitely a suitable alternative. Its nice to see former enemies Sharpay and Gabriella getting on so well.

Read more: http://mashable.com/

0 notes

lotsofdogs · 6 years ago

Text

Postpartum Q&A: Part Two

My second postpartum Q&A post is coming at you today!

If you’re just catching up, you may find my previous postpartum blog posts here:

The Great Big Postpartum Post

Postpartum Q&A: Part One

As I mentioned before, I decided to break my Q&A post up into two separate posts to address all of the questions I received in a way that didn’t feel too overwhelming. Today I am addressing all of your questions related to breastfeeding and the two-kid transition. You may find answers to questions about my physical and emotional recovery, postpartum body thoughts, how I feel about having two boys and Ryder in my previous Q&A post.

Breastfeeding

How do you handle nursing hunger? I’m starving all the time!

Oh man, I feel you on this one!! I am so, so ravenous when I’m nursing. Thankfully my hunger has settled a little bit now that we’re three months into our breastfeeding journey but it’s still definitely elevated. In the beginning I truly felt like I could not eat enough and was a snacking machine. I still need to snack all the time and can almost feel like Ryder is physically draining my energy if I’m nursing and haven’t eaten in a while. Is that crazy!? I don’t know but I need to eat a lot and I need to eat often!

When it comes to satisfying my nursing hunger, I’ve found some of the more satiating snacks to be smoothies/smoothie bowls (I make them daily), chia seed pudding, nut butter (either on a spoon or on top of fruit, a muffin, toast, etc.), energy bites, a small wrap with leftover chicken or salmon, veggies, mayo and mustard, Greek yogurt with nuts and berries… Pretty much anything that includes a healthy combination of protein, fats, carbs and fiber.

Is this what my snacks look like all the time? Absolutely not, as convenience wins out sometimes and I grab whatever food is on hand in the pantry or fridge that is fast and appealing. However, when I take a moment to assemble a more well-rounded snack, it is waaay more satisfying and usually worth the little bit of extra effort. I actually want to do a post about some of my healthy prep-ahead nursing snacks that I’ll make in the beginning of the week to snack on, so stay tuned for that one!

Do you pump? Will you be bottle feeding?

I actually just started pumping and freezing breastmilk for the first time last week. Since I will be home with Ryder all day, I will probably do what I did with Chase which is mostly nurse but I do want to try to give Ryder bottles here and there so he’s comfortable with them should I want/need to be away from him for more than an hour or two.

Do you have the excess lipase issue with your breastmilk this time?

I’m not sure since we haven’t given Ryder a bottle since his time in the NICU but I really, really hope not!

For those in the dark about the excess lipase enzyme issue, according to KellyMom (<—a great breastfeeding resource for any new moms out there!), breastfeeding women who notice that their breastmilk turns bad quickly may have an excess of the enzyme lipase in their milk, which begins to break down the milk fat soon after the milk is expressed. Most babies do not mind a mild change in taste, and the milk is not harmful, but the stronger the taste the more likely a baby will reject it.

I had NO idea this was my issue with Chase rejecting bottled breastmilk and wanted to highlight this here again for any moms out there who might be scratching their heads and feeling frustrated when their breastmilk seems to turn bad so quickly.

Do you have a nursing bra you’d recommend?

YES! Without a doubt my favorite nursing bra is the Bravado! seamless nursing bra. It’s incredibly soft and comfortable and doesn’t make your boobs look weird through clothing. All the important stuff!

For sleep or just to wear under casual clothing, I also really love the Bravado! ballet sleep bra. It’s a pull-on style bra that doesn’t dig into my sides at all. It’s a great go-to nursing bra to have in a few colors.

What workout clothes do you wear that are easy for breastfeeding?

For some reason I haven’t really adopted a breastfeeding-friendly workout wardrobe. In addition to not wanting to buy tops I won’t wear for all that long, to be honest I find a lot of the nursing-friendly tops and bras just plain ugly. I’m mostly wearing my normal workout gear but I also don’t really mind simply lifting up my shirt, rolling up a sports bra over one breast and nursing Ryder that way. (This might be a little more feasible for me since I have a rather small chest… not sure!)

I do much prefer high-waisted leggings though since they keep my stomach covered during on-the-fly nursing sessions. My current favorites are the lululemon Align Pant (the same ones that were my pregnancy obsession — I bought four pairs!), Zella Live In High Waist Leggings and Fabletics High-Waisted Powerhold 7/8 Leggings.

As far as sports bras are concerned, I made the mistake of wearing a sports bra with no lining to boot camp last week and it was not the best idea. I dropped Chase off at preschool and then nursed Ryder in the car before boot camp and didn’t realize that the breast Ryder wasn’t nursing from apparently felt left out and decided to leak as he fed. Let’s just say I walked into boot camp with a wet milk mark in a rather embarrassing spot that day. Yeesh! Thankfully the Burn Boot Camp crew is a supportive and encouraging one and my friends just laughed it off with me but it’s not a mistake I plan to make again. I’ll be sticking to lined sports bras and am currently loving the Reebok CrossFit sports bras I’ve had for years, Montiel Teardrop sports bras, lululemon Free to Be bra and the super-soft bras from Balance Collection that I find at TJMaxx or Marshalls.

I’m wondering how you juggle getting out of the house with nursing? Do you nurse in public a lot?

Right now I try to be as flexible with my schedule as possible to accommodate nursing. I try my best to time leaving the house right after a good nursing session so Ryder is full and happy. Of course this is not always feasible and I’ve done a lot of nursing in my (parked) car. I keep a Boppy breastfeeding pillow in my car which helps a lot with both Ryder’s comfort and my own during on-the-fly nursing sessions.

I’ve also become fairly comfortable nursing in public and just look for more secluded areas to nurse since added stimulation around Ryder leads to distracted nursing. (He’ll come on and off my breast and I’ll end up spraying milk everywhere which is not the most fun.) I also always have a muslin blanket with me to drape over us if I’m in a really public place but many times I just forget a cover and do my best to be as discreet as possible. Ryder, like his big brother, doesn’t seem to like to be covered when nursing and I’ve pretty much adopted the attitude that if someone has a problem with me nursing in public, that’s their problem and not mine.

(Nursing in the airport last month.)

I feel like for the most part Ryder’s head covers the important areas when he’s nursing anyway so I’ve become a lot more relaxed about nursing in public.

What are your favorite postpartum clothing items? Loose clothing? Compression? Any other nursing-friendly tops you love?

I am all about casual, flowy tops and elastic waistbands right now! Like I mentioned above, I am opting for a lot of tops I can roll up if I want to nurse on the go and love comfy v-neck t-shirts in a size or two up from my pre-pregnancy size. I am living in Victoria’s Secret Perfect V-Neck Tees (size large which worked both during pregnancy and postpartum) and LAmade V-Pocket Tee which I love for the added length.

If I know I’m going to be nursing in public a lot, I will often wear a nursing tank underneath whatever top I’m wearing. My absolute favorite nursing tanks are the Gilligan & O’Malley camis you guys recommended to me after Chase was born. I’m wearing the same ones I wore after my first pregnancy and they’ve held up well.

As far as dresses, I LOVE my Gap Maternity Nursing T-shirt Dress. It’s comfortable and makes nursing in public much easier. I can dress it up with wedges or down with sneakers and a denim jacket and have worn it everywhere!

For nursing-friendly pajamas you cannot beat Nordstrom’s Moonlight Pajamas. I wore them in the hospital after delivery and have been living in them! I own both the pants and shorts versions and even gave a pair to my sister at her baby shower, too. They’re the best!

How do you explain nursing to Chase? What do you do when you need to feed Ryder but Chase needs attention?

Chase is incredibly curious and interested in just about everything in the world and nursing is no different! I’ve tried my best to explain nursing to him in a way he can understand and he seems to get it. When it came time to talk to him about nursing, I took a similar approach to the one I used to explaining potty training and his questions about private parts. I try my best to be as accurate and open as possible and use proper names for everything. Even though Chase says milk comes out of Mom’s “nibbles,” I think he gets it and he will often tell me that Ryder “needs some milk” when he gets fussy. I let him watch and sit next to me if he wants to but usually he gets bored and wanders off to play with his toys.

(I snapped that picture when Chase told me Elmo needed milk “from his nibbles” when Ryder was 10 days old. Ha!)

When Chase is in a mood or extra fussy and Ryder needs to nurse, I try really hard to speak to him calmly and explain that we can do x, y, z once Ryder is done eating. I’ll also often provide some ideas for things he can do while I’m nursing (play with trains, draw a picture and Mom will guess what it is, pick out a book for Mom to read to you, etc.). While I initially worried that emphasizing Ryder’s needs over Chase’s would lead to jealousy, I’ve let that go during nursing sessions because I think it’s honestly a good thing for Chase to learn from a young age that sometimes we need to be patient and wait to get whatever it is we want when someone else needs attention.

The Two-Kid Transition

How do you handle nap time with both boys? How do you get Chase or Ryder down when the other child is awake and noisy?

My answer to this question is admittedly kind of crazy and I have no idea why or how I started to handle nap time this way but it’s all about embracing whatever works, right!? We are ALL about a pre-nap time “picnic” over here these days. When Ryder is awake and playful during the time I need to begin to settle Chase down for his nap, the three of us head into Chase’s room with a snack for a “floor picnic” and some stories. Ryder will happily kick and look around the room while Chase eats a snack and I read some books. When I can tell Ryder is getting fussy, I wrap up story time and then tuck Chase into his bed and head out. This shockingly works REALLY well for us and we do pre-nap picnics ALL the time.

As far as how I handle naps for one of the boys when the other one is awake, needy and noisy, I try to be flexible on timing. If Ryder is crying and needs attention, Chase’s nap will get pushed back until Ryder is soothed. Ryder is thankfully still at the age where he can sleep in a rather noisy environment, so he naps in his Rock ‘n’ Play in our family room while Chase plays and it usually works out well. While this doesn’t happen every day, this strategy has actually helped get both of the boys napping around a similar time in the afternoon since Ryder is often awake for longer spurts when Chase is up and noisy and then he sleeps for longer stretches when Chase is asleep and things are calmer around him.

How do you handle bedtime with two kids when your husband isn’t home and your baby is cranky?

Sometimes bed time can feel like one battle after the next, especially on the nights when Ryan is working late or traveling. I’ve tackled bed time alone many times at this point and more often than not I feel like I’m making things up on the fly.

When bed time rolls around, I just try to be calm and firm but also flexible. It is much harder for me to soothe Ryder, nurse him, swaddle him and get him down for the night when Chase is still awake so I typically don’t even try. I try to take advantage of the time when Ryder is awake and happy to begin settling Chase. Only after I have Chase in bed does it feel possible to nurse and swaddle Ryder and get him down for the night. (Note: This is very different from the way I handle Ryder’s daytime naps which feel much more laid back and the daytime nap soothing often takes place with Chase around. Ryder sleeps in a bassinet in our room at night with a noise machine and I want nighttime sleep to feel different than daytime naps to hopefully cultivate deeper and longer stretches of sleep. Ryder also typically needs a very calm, stimulation-free environment to go to sleep at night which isn’t possible when Chase is awake.)

One HUGE thing I’ve learned about bed time with two kids is to start the process WAY early. We typically stay home in the afternoon and begin the winding down process immediately after dinner. If I want Chase in bed with the door to his room closed by 7:30 p.m., I try my best to make my way upstairs with the boys by 6:30 p.m. This gives us time ease into bed time which Chase responds to better than a rushed “we need to get to bed NOW” strategy.

What was Chase’s reaction when he found out you had a boy?

I like to joke and say it was a non-event to Chase. It was almost like a “duh” moment for him because he really and truly never believed we’d be having a girl. Anytime someone would ask him about the baby in my belly, he’d confidently tell them it was a boy named Thomas the Train and get almost defiant if they ever said it might be a girl. When Ryder arrived, I think Chase simply got the baby brother he expected!

How has Chase handled the adjustment/shift in attention?

You may read all about how Chase has handled becoming a big brother in the first few weeks of Ryder’s life in this post: Chase’s Three Year Update. To elaborate a bit more, Chase is adjusting really, really well and is so sweet with Ryder for the most part buuuut something happened around 9 weeks and a switch flipped and Chase was all of the sudden fussier and needier than usual. This coincided with a cold (which, in retrospect, I think was to blame for a LOT of his weepy emotions), a bunch of back-to-back dropped afternoon naps and Ryder needing more attention (he was no longer sleeping all day long) and we just seemed to have an all-around whinier and more tearful three-year-old. All Chase wanted all week long was Mom and my undivided attention. That was a really, really tough week. Thankfully that seemed to be fleeting and Chase is back to being his sweet and joyful self but just thinking back on that week makes me feel exhausted and tearful all over again. It was HARD.

Now, on a day to day basis, things are going really well with our two boys! Chase asks me to put Ryder on a blanket on the floor for him to play with multiple times a day every day.

Chase loves incorporating Ryder into imagination games and enjoys trying to “teach” him things as well as dancing for him and making silly voices to try to get Ryder to smile, coo and chirp. Chase gives Ryder kisses all the time and talks about being a big brother in a very positive way when people ask him about his little brother which melts my heart. Ryder is enamored with Chase and stares at him all the time! Overall, Chase has absolutely exceeded my expectations and handled the transition really well and we try really hard to praise Chase for his kind, inclusive, gentle and positive behavior around his little brother.

How are you finding time and energy to cook?

I seriously swear by meal planning. In the beginning I gave myself a lot of grace when it came to preparing meals and we did a lot of sandwiches, smoothies, wraps, pasta and simple one-dish recipes. Now that we’re emerging from the newborn fog, I’m trying to get back into meal planning and it’s making a big difference. I have a much stronger desire to put time and energy into meals when I have a plan versus when I find myself opening the fridge, freezer or pantry and waiting for inspiration to strike.

I also try hard to do a lot of food prep/cooking when Chase is awake. Chase loves helping in the kitchen and this makes cooking and food prep an interactive activity and also frees up any free time that might pop up during nap time for me to work. (Yes, this means our kitchen is often a mess but lowering my expectations for a sparkling clean house at the end of every day is crucial during this phase of life.) If Chase is content to play by himself and Ryder is napping or happy and awake, I’ll chop veggies, whip up a batch of muffins, begin dinner prep, etc.

I’ve also become a HUGE fan of Instacart. I never thought I’d be the type to order groceries delivered to our house but grocery shopping with both boys isn’t exactly a blast and since I usually do my meal planning on Sundays, if Ryan or I don’t make it to the grocery store over the weekend, I’ll often have an Instacart delivery come to the house on Monday. This may die down a bit now that Chase is in preschool but Instacart seriously saved us for a few weeks there and helped prevent us from ordering takeout all the time. Though there is a delivery fee, there are often promotions in place that make delivery free that I take advantage of and I truly think Instacart saves me money in the long run since I’m not impulse buying things during trips to the grocery store. Anything I can do to streamline the process of cooking/shopping/meal planning sounds great to me right now! We also love Blue Apron for easy, delicious meals delivered to our house and have ordered a handful of Blue Apron deliveries, too.

When it comes to lunches, I look to leftovers, smoothies or wraps and I am also still on a huge Daily Harvest harvest bowl kick. I love the way their harvest bowls come packed with veggies, herbs and good-for-you ingredients. The prep work is done for me and I typically just add something like leftover chicken, salmon or black beans to the bowls to make them a little more satiating. I chatted with one of my friends last week about how the first few months with a new baby is all about convenience and making things work and these are a few things that have helped me a lot!

Did you make any freezer-friendly meals to have on hand before you had Ryder?

I didn’t but I wish I would have! Pinch of Yum just shared an awesome blog post featuring 12 healthy freezer meals that seems like it would be incredibly helpful to anyone looking to prep some freezer-friendly dinners before baby.

More details on sleep! How do you get longer stretches?

I mentioned this briefly in my first postpartum post, but I am increasingly becoming a believer that some babies are naturally good sleepers and some aren’t and Ryan and I can now say we’ve had one of each. Looking back, Chase was a tough baby when it came to sleep and we were up with him constantly for months and months. (I don’t think he officially slept through the night until I stopped nursing at 15 months!) I would love to give more advice to help those of you out there struggling with baby sleep and while I do think following a schedule or certain sleep training methods can absolutely work, with Ryder we honestly haven’t done much to cultivate good sleep habits but I do have a few staples I swear by for baby sleep. None of these are anything new and you’ve probably read about all of them but just in case, I’ll detail them below.

With Ryder’s naps, I’m pretty laid back since he’s still young and not really on a schedule yet but I am already much more rigid with nighttime sleep. We always have a white noise machine on at night and try to keep our room as dark as possible for night time sleep. I also swaddle Ryder in his Ollie swaddle every night (that thing is a MIRACLE worker for those who struggle to snuggly swaddle their babies) and once he was around 6 weeks old and I got the okay from my pediatrician, I tried to hold off from responding to every little peep and chirp from his bassinet. (I still respond to any cries but in the beginning I was responding to everything.) I think this helped Ryder get used to longer stretches of sleep at night from an earlier age. Ryder’s weight is heavier than Chase by a ways (Chase was born in the first percentile for weight) and I have to think his extra weight also helps him go longer between feedings and sleep better through the night. Who knows if this is really the case, but I’m just counting my blessings for a decent sleeper this time around… and I am also well aware this could change at any moment!

I was wondering how Ryan finds energy to work out at 5 a.m. everyday while you have a newborn in the home? We are expecting our second child any day now and I know my husband is worried about having energy to get to the gym for his normal routine.

I should probably let Ryan answer this question but I know after Chase was born, he didn’t stick to his normal 5 a.m. routine for months because we were up so often in the night trying to soothe and settle Chase. This actually led to him outfitting our home gym so he could squeeze in a quick workout before work rather than have to take the extra time to drive to and from the gym before work.

With Ryder, I honestly have no idea how Ryan kept to his 5 a.m. workouts for the first few weeks there, but somehow he did. I think this may be because I was (and still am) really the only one up with Ryder during his nighttime feedings since we haven’t done the bottle thing yet. (This is by choice since I hate pumping and would rather just nurse right now.) Ryan is also blessed with the ability to not hear baby noises like my sonic ears do and can somehow often sleep through nursing sessions without realizing Ryder and I were just up. (You know that joke, “Forget sleeping like a baby, I want to sleep like my husband.” Yep, that definitely applies here!)

Ryder was also pretty good about nursing and going back to sleep fairly quickly (totally opposite from Chase) so this undoubtedly helped! So basically I don’t have any words of wisdom to offer here but if you have the space/ability to create a place where you might be able to work out from home, that might help with consistency once you’ve both emerged from the newborn fog!

How do you plan to balance working from home and being a mom to two? Will you have babysitting help?

Oh man this question is a tough one! When I was pregnant with Chase, I truly thought I’d have childcare help but never ended up going that route. I tried my best to do as much work as possible in the early morning before Chase was up, during his nap time and then during his preschool time once he turned two years old and was in preschool two mornings a week. I am not sure how feasible squeezing in small spurts of work is with two kids in the mix (especially when naps don’t align) and I am trying to figure everything out right now.

Honestly, focusing on being a mom is where my heart wants to be in this phase of life and if that means scaling back on what I have the time to share in this space for a while, I am okay with that right now. I absolutely love blogging and connecting with all of you and it’s something that continues to bring me joy, so I absolutely want to keep writing and sharing my life, recipes, workouts and randomness here with you guys. I also have a bazillion blog posts I’m dying to write!

My gut tells me I will likely not seek out childcare but if all of the sudden I feel like I’m drowning and need help, I’ll absolutely go that route and would probably look to find a nanny to help with Ryder a few mornings a week when Chase is at preschool so I’d have some solo work time. Buuut we will see!

Do you want to have more children?

The short answer to this question is yes. Neither Ryan nor I feel done having kids but I am admittedly a much more anxious person when I think about pregnancy and babies these days. Neither are a given in life and right now we’re focusing on our amazing boys and enjoying our family!

I didn’t get my cycle back until Chase was almost completely weaned at 15 months old and breastfeeding is a priority for me so even if we wanted to have another child ASAP, I think my body would want me to wait a bit. (And yes, I know breastfeeding is not a reliable form of birth control but I also know it can effect fertility.) Buuut when we talk about the future we definitely do talk about a shared desire for more children.

[Read More ...] https://www.pbfingers.com/postpartum-qa-part-two/

#health #fitness

0 notes

ionecoffman · 7 years ago

Text

Marijuana for Moms

Many a meme has been made about “wine moms”—mothers who joke online about their love for a relaxing glass of cabernet, or three. But a new drug is gaining popularity with the playgroup circuit. As it becomes more socially acceptable, more moms are using marijuana and its various incarnations to deal with everything from the daily aches and stresses of motherhood, to postpartum depression and anxiety, to menstrual cramps. And forget the simple bongs and pipes of the past; as the industry expands, it’s creating a whole new world of sprays, drinks, drops, and oils. The needs of this market of marijuana-friendly mothers have inspired a new crop of cannabis products.

In her recent High Times article, Jessica Delfino discusses the changing social attitudes toward motherhood and marijuana: “Mothers and women who use medical marijuana…are often put into a position in which they feel they have to explain themselves and what their condition is, and then steel themselves for the judgment that will inevitably follow,” she writes.

But also, Delfino tells me: “I think cannabis use in moms is becoming more widespread because it’s becoming more legal, and so people feel more willing and able to discuss it.”

Adam Grossman, the CEO of the cannabis company Papa and Barkley, has also noticed a burgeoning interest in marijuana from moms. “In the last month alone, we have seen the emergence of cannabis-and-parenthood workshops, new ‘parenting and cannabis’ publications like Splimm, and Facebook groups," he says. “More and more parents are starting to have the conversation about cannabis and breastfeeding, cannabis and pregnancy, and cannabis and parenting.”

But according to those in the pot industry, one new product in particular is spreading fast in mom circles: sublingual spray, a convenient, THC-infused ingestible liquid.

Once you spritz the liquid under your tongue, it activates quickly (within 60 seconds), it’s hard to overdo, and the high doesn't last very long, says Leslie Siu, the CMO and cofounder of cannabis company Mother and Clone. “After a minute you’ll start to feel this uplifting euphoric feeling, almost like a gentle rush,” Siu says of her sublingual nano-sprays. (Nano-sprays are a form of microdosing—Mother and Clone bottles deliver a metered dose of the drug.) By the five-minute mark, she says, you’ll know just how strong the effects will be for the next hour and you can decide to re-up and spray some more—in the industry this is called “stacking.”

Siu was moved to start Mother and Clone after she experienced postpartum depression. “Everything felt dark,” she recalls of that first “ominous” year after having her daughter Veda. Siu started searching for ways to ease the overwhelming, stressful feelings she was having. “Then a few things happened that got me back on track,” Siu says. "Time, therapy, running, and weed.”

Siu wanted to create a cannabis product that would be easy and safe for mothers in similar situations to use, and she landed on sublingual sprays. Because it’s easier to control the dose with sublingual spray, Siu says that it’s ideal for parents (her products also have child-resistant bottles). The sprays can also help with sleep, she says. “A lot of [postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety] sufferers develop terrible insomnia even if the baby starts to sleep through the night.”

Although they are ingestible, sublingual sprays are a gentler and more predictable experience than edibles. Edibles are more potent, and factors such as meal size and metabolism can make dosing with them unpredictable. A public-education campaign in Colorado (where Mother and Clone is based, and marijuana is legal) from the Marijuana Policy Project has a slogan for edibles: Start low and go slow.

When someone eats a brownie, candy, or other edible laced with marijuana, the cannabis is metabolized in the liver. Enzymes in the liver turn the active compound in cannabis, delta-9-THC, into the more psychedelic compound 11-hydroxy-THC. With sublingual spray, 11-hydroxy-THC is not a factor; you're only ingesting delta-9-THC because the drug is absorbed into the bloodstream under the tongue and doesn’t get processed by the liver. “This is more like a Xanax,” explains Siu. “It leaves you very clearheaded, you’re able to stay productive, and you don’t feel guilty or irresponsible around your kids.”

Siu says she doesn’t think it’s possible to go overboard with her sprays. “I took 30 times the recommended dose as an experiment once,” she says, “and it still only lasted just over an hour and I didn’t feel paranoid or weirded out.” Uma Dhanabalan, a physician and cannabis-therapeutics specialist, agrees that it’s difficult to take too much sublingual spray. Since you can feel the effects immediately, it’s easy to tell when you’ve had enough. “The worst thing that can happen is you may feel overwhelmed,” she says. “Nausea, vomiting, paranoia, anxiety. These are symptoms of overconsumption. You cannot die.”

Dhanabalan says she can see the appeal of sublingual sprays as a delivery system for new moms. “Because it’s discreet, and they can use it without anybody knowing.”

Other marijuana products gaining popularity in parent circles, sources say, are drops, drinks, and tinctures made with very low levels of THC, or none at all.

Papa and Barkley sells cannabidiol (CBD) tinctures, which, like sublingual sprays, can be a way to get controlled pain relief. CBD is a compound found in cannabis, and when isolated—as it is in Grossman’s products—it’s more predictable than smoking or edibles. Ingestible tinctures take effect in 15 to 20 minutes and can be mixed into foods like smoothies, or taken under the tongue. Grossman says a number of his clients who are mothers are drawn to cannabis because of its reputation for combating nausea and depression.

Carrie Hoffman, a mother and jewelry designer in Los Angeles, uses CBD products to help with the pain of breast cancer, and the stresses of being a single mom to a toddler. “By using it, I was able to reduce all the other drugs they gave me for nausea and pain,” she explains.

Another Los Angeles mom, Lauren Steil, even uses cannabis for breastfeeding-related ailments. “I felt mastitis coming on, so I just nursed a lot and rubbed some CBD pain relief oil onto my breast and it was all clear the next day,” she says.

Moms are finding that cannabis products can help with a range of issues that may crop up after having children. “I’ve been microdosing CBD capsules made from whole-flower cannabis (no hemp) for about two months and it’s really helped my osteoarthritis, as well as sleep and anxiety,” says Brandi Emma, a singer-songwriter and new mother.

As mom-conducive products have sprung up, so too have education and advocacy initiatives begun to see parents as part of their clientele.

Kristie Amobi is the founder of the cannabis-education company Rebalan, which advocates for the benefits of low dosing (using cannabis products with no more than 5 milligrams of THC per dose). “In my own experience of educating women—and moms—on this topic, I have been surprised by how many people are really having a hard time,” she says of the prevalence of stress and anxiety. “There’s no magic bullet, but I’m confident there is a place for cannabis in low doses to help people manage stress, especially when compared to the side effects of using alcohol and other prescription medications.”

“This industry is changing and growing at such a rapid pace,” says Royya Sardari, a Los Angeles mother who cohosted a “cannabis cabaret” last year to celebrate the substance and provide pot education. What happened at the themed event? Live music, a burlesque performance, photography, and cannabis treats, among other things. “[You] partake of course, and leave feeling good about your decision to use cannabis,” says Sardari, who opened her studio space to Katie Partlow of the cannabis-friendly events company Little Face. Partlow’s legendary parties (Rolling Stone dubbed one the “best pot party in California”) will soon get a maternal spin—she’s planning a “mommy’s marijuana picnic” for May. The event will be geared toward the needs and interests of mothers, both those who already partake, and those who are interested in learning more about cannabis. Says Sardari, “I think there’s a lot of misinformation out there and a lot of moms that still aren’t super cannabis savvy.”

Part of that may be because cannabis research isn’t yet super mom savvy. Psychiatrists and physicians are generally hesitant to recommend marijuana products to breastfeeding mothers due to lack of research. The InfantRisk Center—which provides research-based information on medication, pregnancy, and breastfeeding—warns that studies have shown that cannabis exposure via breast milk or in utero may cause long-term changes in the child’s mental health and behavior. However, the center also notes on its site: “We do not know much about the transfer of the active ingredient in marijuana into human milk, nor how much gets to a breastfeeding infant.” The InfantRiskCenter, which is affiliated with Texas Tech University, is currently working on a study to find out more, according to a post on their site. Marijuana is legal in 29 states for medical purposes (and in nine states and Washington D.C. for recreational use), but whether postpartum depression is recognized as a valid medical reason to use cannabis products depends on different factors: the state laws, your doctor, etc. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also discourages the use of marijuana while pregnant or breastfeeding, due to insufficient data. However, what has traditionally been looked at is the THC in marijuana, which gets you high. New cannabis products often feature CBD, which doesn’t have the same effects. (Even still, Grossman says he doesn’t encourage nursing mothers to use his tinctures.) Not enough is known about products featuring CBD and how they relate to breastfeeding at this point.

Nehama Dresner, a professor of psychiatry and obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, does not recommend using marijuana products to treat postpartum depression. “It may be calming, but that is the equivalent of putting a Band-Aid on a problem—like having a cocktail to manage anxiety,” she says. Dresner notes that there are no double-blind placebo-controlled studies showing marijuana’s efficacy in treating depression. “But there is evidence that regular marijuana use increases the risk of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia.”

Dresner also worries that using marijuana to cope may delay or prevent a pregnant woman or new mother from seeking treatment for anxiety or depression. She notes that though there is a greater sense of safety around marijuana due to recent decriminalization and legalization, she does not recommend it in pregnancy or breastfeeding. “Occasional use in the postpartum period under supervision may be considered on a case-by-case basis,” she says—for instance, with a patient who has already been using cannabis for medical reasons.

Though medical professionals don’t recommend that pregnant or nursing mothers use marijuana products, cannabis use for everyday stresses and pains is growing. It’s little wonder that business is booming for companies creating products designed for gentle highs and relaxation. Or that playgroups are trading their wineglasses for vape pens, sublingual sprays, and CBD tinctures.

Article source here:The Atlantic

0 notes

babymilkaction · 6 years ago

Text

IBFAN protecting child health at the 72nd World Health Assembly

IBFAN team in Geneva (l-r)Britta-Boutry-Stadelmann; Patti Rundall, Katie Campbell, Fedora Bernard.

With Fedora Bernard, Katie Campbell, Britta Boutry Stadelmann IBFAN’s team is covering this year’s World Health Assembly that is taking place in Geneva from 20-28th May. It will be followed by a 2-day meeting of the Executive Board (EB). You can find all the papers and links to live webcasts here

IBFAN will do what we can to protect breastfeeding while warning WHO of the risks of getting too close to corporations and the need for a sound Conflicts of Interest (COI) policy. A policy that will address WHO’s own institutional COI.

The main issues we will be covering will be: Emergencies (11.2), Health Environment and Climate Change (11.6), Non Communicable Diseases (11.8), Universal Health Coverage (11.5), Anti Microbial Resistence (11.8) Patient safety, Hygiene in health care facilities (12.5), Health of Refugees and Migrants (12.4), Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–2030) (12.8).

WHO Reform will come up at the EB (WHO’s relationships with NGOs and the Private Sector – lumped together and now called Non State Actors). See related press articles: worrying idea for a new ‘WHO foundation’. WHO Reform

Fedora Bernard Reading IBFAN’s statements on Emergencies and Climate Change.

Agenda Item 11.2 WHO’s work in health emergencies: IBFAN Emergency_WHA72. IBFAN Emergency_WHA72.

As a global network that protects breastfeeding, IBFAN is pleased to comment on this important topic.

Breastfeeding is a lifeline in emergencies. Babies are born with an undeveloped immune system and are at greatest risk of water-related diseases – with diarrhoeal disease the second biggest killer of under-fives. Breastfeeding provides food, care and immune support, and protects them from the worst of emergency conditions.

Despite this, all too often emergency responses are characterized by unsolicited donations of baby feeding products. This does not only put infant health at risk but also hinders women empowerment. Public appeals for funds often make this worse – with starving babies shown alongside the myths used by the baby food industry. Rarely do they highlight the resilience of breastfeeding or that artificially fed babies face many more risks to survival.

IBFAN’s World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative assessments show that implementation of UN recommendations on this is dismal. WHO can play a key role in reversing this situation by promoting the Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies – Operational Guidance for Emergency Relief Staff and Programme Managers, which is designed to give all those working in emergencies guidance on appropriate infant and young child feeding and ensure that when breastmilk substitutes are required they are purchased, distributed and used according to the UN’s agreed strict criteria.

We welcome the IOAC recommendation that WHO establishes long-term relationships with key NGOs on the ground and hope you will guard against COI and we look forward to working with WHO to ensure that families in emergencies have the support and protection they need.

Katie Campbell reading IBFAN’s UHC Statement

Agenda Item 11.5 Universal Health Coverage IBFAN_UHC WORD. IBFAN_UHC PDF.

As one of WHO’s longest-standing public interest partners, whose primary concern is to protect breastfeeding and child health, IBFAN strongly supports the efforts of Member States to ensure publicly funded UHC, with primary health care and prevention as a foundation.

It is worrying that many governments are now under attack from those pushing privatised systems, who pay no attention to how easily these can sabotage public health goals.

Innovative arrangements that can genuinely advance health are to be welcomed – but they must be carefully screened and monitored by truly independent bodies, without corporate involvement. Public Private Partnerships and Multi-Stakeholder arrangements inevitably lead to private sector involvement in health care planning, Corproate access to personal data, and most importantly privatisation of services. WHO knows well how easily this can happen, especially in the infant and young child feeding arena.

While WHO cannot police what happens at country level, it does have an obligation to warn Member States of the risks of inappropriate commercial involvement and how to avoid – not just manage – them. Indeed WHO now seems to fear being seen as ‘risk averse’ more than being seen as cavalier, even negligent. We call on WHO and Member States once again to protect their independence, integrity and trustworthiness and provide Member States with the reliable and independent evidence that shows clearly that public provision of services is the only way to achieve health for all. This issue is a slippery slope that needs to be navigated very carefully and WHO has a key role to play in getting it right.

Lastly, as a priority, Member States, must monitor and ensure full policy and programme support to the protection, promotion and support breastfeeding, including it in the indicators of monitoring SDGs 2/3 and ensuring full implementation of the International Code and resolutions, maternity protection and universal Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative.

Agenda Item 11.6 Health, Environment and Climate Change

IBFAN welcomes the opportunity to comment on the draft strategy on health, environment and climate change.

Much more should be done to protect, promote and support breastfeeding, a practice that has no carbon footprint, contributes to water conservation and helps in the reduction of air pollution. While we are calling for reduction of avoidable environmental risks, global sales of breastmilk substitutes increase rapidly every year, boosted by sophisticated marketing techniques against which breastfeeding cannot compete. These products are, of course, necessary for babies who are not breastfed, but they need energy to manufacture, materials for packaging, fuel for transport distribution and water, fuel and cleaning agents for daily preparation and use, and they generate Green House Gases. Between 11-25 kilos of CO2 and more than 4000 liters of water are estimated to be needed along the production pathway to produce just 1 kg of BMS powder. If breastfeeding was considered a public health intervention for climate change prevention and mitigation, more would be done to end misleading marketing of baby food companies and support women who want to breastfeed.

At the very minimum, all governments should fully implement the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and relevant WHA Resolutions. We regret that goal 12 of the draft strategy does not include the requirement that national and local governments set up proper safeguards against conflicts of interest and commercial influence when facilitating “cross-sectorial cooperation”. Like other green priorities, supporting new parents with breastfeeding now, will benefit future generations.

Agenda Item 11.8. Anti Microbial Resistence

As an NGO that has attended Codex meetings for more than 20 years, IBFAN is pleased that WHO is providing evidence to support the strengthening of Codex trading standards and texts to minimize and contain antimicrobial resistance throughout the animal and food chain, including through processing. We hope that all Member States will recognize that this is a threat to global health security that no country can eliminate on its own and that there are inevitable implications for global trade. Codex is a difficult fora that is dominated by powerful corporations and industrialised countries that protect their interests. WHO needs to be there and strong to protect the global health goal in these complex negotiations.

Among the many factors that increase the risk of AMR are poor animal husbandry and crop management, pharmaceutical promotion and over the counter sales that encourage inappropriate use of anti-biotics. We note that only 64 countries have limited the use of critically important antimicrobials (human and animal) for growth promotion in animal food production.

Strong health care systems, cross agency action, surveillance and regulation of all the industries involved is clearly essential. However, care must be taken to ensure that any public private collaborations do not muddy the waters, slow everything down and lead to weaker controls and action. There is evidence that a higher dependence on the private health sector and higher density of private health clinics is associated with increased AMR due to frequent overuse of antibiotics.

Lastly, we support the efforts to promote WASH components within National Action Plans to reduce the incidence of infections. WASH, alongside stricter marketing regulations will protect breastfeeding – a practice that is critically important in reducing the incidence of infections in infants and young children.

Agenda Item 11.8 Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases

The prevention of NCDs requires us all to tackle the power of corporations and their threat to public and planetary health.

WHO’s proposals rely on a mix of regulatory approaches alongside voluntary commitments and self assessments that are to be monitored by a consortium of institutions. This is a major undertaking that risks WHO’s name being exploited for public relations purposes. Indeed, some of the named institutions work closely with the companies on the presentation of their findings.

IBFAN recommends that WHO focuses on its own internal conflicts of interest and sends a clear message that binding regulations, independently monitored using public funds are what’s needed. Governments cannot be in the driver’s seat and at the same time in a corporate partnership.

WHO’s baby food marketing and conflicts of interest rules and the British Medical Journal’s recent decision to stop all baby formula adverts – are important models that could be followed by all. WHO’s work at Codex trading standards is also critically important..

Highly processed products, supplements and deceptive biofortification claims will not solve the NCD problem. Instead support small farmers, biodiverse and culturally appropriate foods and prevent soil depletion, deforestation and land-grabbing.

____________

145th WHO Executive Board. 29-30th May

IBFAN statement on Agenda item 6.1, “WHO governance reform processes” and sub-item “Involvement of non-State actors” (Document EB 145/4)

IBFAN has worked alongside WHO for about 40 years and has followed WHO’s reform process, often with alarm. In our experience, when WHA resolutions are translated into legislation, properly monitored, implemented and defended at Codex, they really can and do protect health and have probably saved millions of lives. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. The baby food issue can be used as a model wherever human health is under threat from harmful marketing practices. The call for increased engagement and partnerships with entities that caused these threats will not help. It will lead to misplaced trust, image transfer, confusion and a weakening of resolutions. To stop the public good being subverted, WHO must remind governments that effective legislation, not here-today-gone-tomorrow voluntary commitments, is what’s needed. We disagree with the statement in report 145/4 that WHO’s constitution ‘forsees’ the participation of NSAs in WHO’s governing bodies. WHO’s basic documents have always been clear that NGOs must be “free from concerns that are primarily of a commercial or profit-making nature.” This is one important reason why FENSA must be evaluated. In allowing Businesses and Philanthropies to enjoy Official Status, WHO has taken a huge leap into the dark. It is vital that the risks of such a fundamental change be evaluated, acknowledged and addressed. WHO has a constitutional duty to consult with civil society as rights holders. Corporations do not have these rights. The term “non-State actors” makes it impossible to see what’s really happening and who is really working for the public good. We even all wear the same colour badges. It also places a huge strain on WHO’s due diligence process. WHO is clearly under pressure to be less ‘risk averse’, to use FENSA as an enabling framework for undue public-private entanglements, to not bother correcting its own Conflict of Interest definition.[1] We call on WHO to resist such pressure, stay within its constitutional mandate, safeguard its independence, trustworthiness and integrity and its unique role as the coordinating authority in setting global health norms. Civil society is there to help.

(1) WHO definitions confuse conflicts of interest within an institution or person with conflicts between actors who have diverging or fiduciary duties (which in the case of corporations is to maximise profits).

IBFAN protecting child health at the 72nd World Health Assembly was originally published on Baby Milk Action

#breastfeeding #infant formula #Nestle

0 notes