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men are not “helping out” when they take care of their children… they’re taking care of their children.

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“Dr.” Amy Tuteur is at it again!

Trigger warning: rape.

Approximately 9 hours ago, Amy Tuteur posted an article titled “ Unmedicated vaginal birth and breastfeeding are natural. So is rape. “ (I’ve posted the link if you’d like to read this drivel yourself.) The headline caught my eye, and definitely not in a good way. I managed to set aside a few moments to actually read this because I mean I’ve butted heads with her before (she has compared the breastfeeding tree of life photos to Nazi propaganda once before), but I didn’t think she could surely want to dig her own grave yet again. Alas, here she’s at it again. She is using a triggering word in order to grab attention to her article. She’s reaching so hard, I am wondering if her arms are numb at this point. If you formula feed, FINE. If you breastfeed, FINE. But don’t you dare sit there and make a shitty article like this, then laugh at and mock those who disagree with your post. That is gaslighting 101.

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Source

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Some more quotes from the second book: “It is unwise to permit persons of a level of intelligence below normal, to marry and to have children, as children born from such parents are likely to have far less than average ability, and hundreds of these afflicted children form hopeless charges in institutions and private homes because of an ignorant or indifferent policy in this vital manner.” “It is the duty and privilege for a mother to nurse her baby.”

They REALLY made it a point to say that using a sewing machine would/can cause miscarriages.  Necessary outfits for baby: Three abdominal bands, 6 to 8 inches wide and 20 inches long, made of soft flannel. Three shirts, size 2, wool and cotton. Four flannel skirts, “Gertrude” style Three nightgowns or wrappers of outing flannel. Eight white slips. Three knit bands with shoulder straps, part wool. At least four dozen napkins. Three pairs of socks. Cloak. Cap. Carriage blanket of crocheted or knitted wool. “The mother should be in bed certainly for the first week or ten days. About the sixth or eighth day she may be permitted to sit up for a short time, and if all goes well on the ninth or tenth day she may be permitted to sit up in a chair for a little while. 

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I went to a vintage shop to pick up some adorable vintage canisters for flour/sugar/etc, and I saw these and had to buy them! The first one is from 1926 and the other is from 1927. Here are some excerpts: “One of the more significant signs of pregnancy is the movement of the child in the uterus. This is commonly called “the quickening,” and is usually felt by the mother about the sixteenth or eighteenth week.” “Most physicians prefer that meat should not be eaten oftener than once a day.” “Sweet milk is especially valuable in the diet of pregnancy since milk not only contains all the elements of a perfect food, but is valuable for stimulating the kidneys to healthful action.” They also go on to say that “a habit of drinking milk during pregnancy is an excellent preparation for maternal nursing.”  “Every effort should be made to cultivate the taste for milk, for there is no other one food so indispensable to the mother of a nursing baby.”

“A warm bath is necessary for the thorough cleansing of the skin.”  They refer to miscarriage as a “mishap” and it is usually caused by “heavy work such as washing, sweeping, lifting, or moving heavy burdens, running a sewing machine, or other forms of taxing labor, or it may result from indulgence in amusements that jar the body, such as dancing, skating, tennis, golf, horseback riding, climbing, or jolting over rough roads in a carriage or automobile.” “Within 6 to 12 hours after delivery, the mother will be sufficiently rested to give the baby the breast. If in the meantime the baby is restless, it may be given a few drops of warm water from a medicine dropper,”  “Most women are able to sit up in a chair for an hour on the tenth day; they may be walking about the room usually after two weeks and by the end of a month be able to go up and down stairs, but in all cases it is well for the mother to refrain from full activity for six weeks.” “To nurse her baby is the first duty of every mother.” “Now, although it is quite possible to modify cow’s milk in such a way that the proportions of fat, sugar, proteid, and water are not widely different from those in human milk, the latter has other qualities which can not be reproduced by any imitation, no matter how cunningly devised.” “Mother’s milk is the one perfect infant food.”

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These made my day (@kristinannphotography)

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Cute!

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NSFW ban

Due to Tumblr’s NSFW ban, I more than likely won’t be able to post breastfeeding pictures any longer. Maybe I’ll just photoshop male nips over the female ones to appease our Tumblr Staff overlords.

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Nipple shields, 1890  Made from lead. Found on Misfit History

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I just watched a video about traditional Moroccan postpartum medicine, and boy am I jealous! It made me really think about the differences between Traditional postpartum care compared to Western postpartum care. 

Currently, the U.S. has the worst rate of maternal deaths In the developed world. Let me give you a visual (x):

Every other developed country shows an increased decline in maternal deaths. Why could this be? I’ve heard a lot of opinions ranging from most hospital's viewpoint of “baby first, mother second” which can be extremely detrimental to a new mothers’ health. Obviously, if the baby is under some sort of distress, and the mother is fine the baby SHOULD come first. After giving birth to my son, I noticed how little visitation from medical professionals aside from the Lactation Consultants I had. One day after having an emergency C-Section, I was asked to leave the hospital. I asked if I could just have one more day to recuperate, and the doctor on call rolled her eyes right in front of me. The average stay after having any other major abdominal surgery is four days. In the US, to simply put: you are given mesh underwear, a peri bottle and sent on your way. 6 weeks later, you are told to make an appointment with your obstetrician to check for any signs of infection. In countries like Germany, you are not expected to do much within this time except focus on recovery and caring for your baby. Some of which I read said that: “In the first 10 days after delivery your midwife will visit you at home every day, then every 2-3 days until the end of the 8th postpartum week. She will give advice, teach, and help practically with everything related to taking care of the baby, e.g., breastfeeding, bathing, diapering, as well as your postpartum recovery and general well-being.” In countries like China, they have something called “zuo yuezi” or “sitting the month” where all of mom’s needs are taken care of either by family or hired care nanny. All mom has to do is focus on the care of the baby; in bed. In traditional Moroccan postpartum medicine, the new mother is honored with teas, she is never alone and always has support and is always provided for, and given nutritious foods for 40 days. So why, in the United States, are new mothers are figuratively left in the cold? Why are new mothers sometimes expected to return to work a mere week after experiencing birth? Why aren’t families helping new mother’s? What happened to the “village”?  Many countries offer jealousy inducing maternity leave, and even sometimes paternity leave. The United States remains the only country in the developed world that does not mandate employers offer paid leave for new mothers, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.  New mothers in Finland, for instance, are entitled to up to three years worth of paid leave. Norwegian moms get up to 91 weeks. The U.K. grants new mothers up to 39 weeks, while our neighbors in the frigid Canadian north get one year.

With the average birth costing mothers over $10,000 (sometimes up to $100,000 with complications), and employer-based insurance covering typically between 25 percent and 90 percent of costs (keep in mind that this is only if the deductible has been met, and sometimes there are separate deductibles for each family member. “ In other words, if each family member (including your newborn baby) has a $2,000 deductible, you’d have to pay the first $4,000 of expenses for both your and baby’s medical care, plus whatever else your plan doesn’t pay for. “ The United States also has the highest rate of unnecessary, expensive and even sometimes dangerous, interventions in the developed world. There are even instances in which doctors forcibly intervene without consent.   With all of these compounding factors, it’s not really surprising that the United States has some of the highest instances of postpartum depression.   In the end, the United States, and even Western culture, in general, has much to consider and I can only hope in the coming years, things begin to change for the betterment of pregnant mother’s everywhere. 

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Please share his photo. He is just 2 years old. American Staffordshire and weighs 80 pounds. He loves cuddles and gives random hugs and kisses. The volunteer there sent this to me. She said he didn’t take any of the treats so she placed them on the floor for him.   He is at the pet resource center in Brandon on Falkenberg. His ID # is A1937317. His adoption fee is just $5 “He was left out chained up to the fence with no food or drink for two days by a friend’s house.” 

He is so loving, and just a giant teddy bear. I don’t have that many followers, but please I fucking literally beg you guys to share this in the hope that someone in the area can take this awesome dog, or at least foster him. PLEASE!

PLEASE share this. This is his last hope.