I missed the big milestone

I think it is really cool when number line up on a clock. Like when it is 1:11 or 10:10. It is kind of like my own little surprise when I see this and it puts a smile on my face. Don't get me wrong, I don't stare at the clock until these "special" times happen. Nor do I plan activities based on the these certain times. But if I happen to look at the clock as I am going about my busy day and it says "12:12" or "3:33" I think to myself, "That is kind of cool" and then keep moving.

I do it with dates - if I was to have a baby on October 10, 2010 (10/10/10) or November 11, 2011 (11/11/11) that would be pretty cool! - and with addresses too.

But one of the "lineups" that gives the most thrill is my odometer. Probably because unlike the time, it only happens once. I have a pretty old car - 10 years old - and I have owned it most of the at time. Over the time I have had it, I have put around 70,000 miles on it. So needless to say, although these "milestones" only happen once, I have had a lot of them. I have noticed MOST every time it turned a 10,000. And I have noticed the cool little lineups in between such as "50,505" and "81,521" (my zip code) and "77,777".

Over the last few months I have gotten closer and closer to the infamous "100,000" mile mark. The mark that makes my car go from old to older, the mark that the dealer keeps telling my husband and I when we look at cars that we should trade the car in by. That 6 number mark would probably be disappointing to most people but to me, I felt honored to be coming up on such a milestone with my car. It has been a very good car to me - yes, it does that weird transmission thing (but really I blame myself for that - it was fine before I blew the motor because I let it run out of oil). And yes, the back passenger door does not open from the inside and the passenger front door lock no longer works with the automatic locks. Yes, the trunk latch is broken (although it could probably be fixed if I knew how to do that) and the automatic one touch window roll down on the driver side door quit working two days ago. But all in all, it has been a good car.

I knew that today was the day. When I pulled into my garage last night, the odometer read "99,980". I knew it would probably turn on my way to work but if not, it would do it in the next drive after that. So, I had it planned. I had my phone turned on camera mode and I would take a picture at "99,999" and at "100,000"! How exciting! The monumental odometer milestone!!

As I pulled into my parking spot this morning, it read, "99,998". Only 2 miles to go. I just had to remember that the next time I went I had to be diligent and watch it closely so I didn't forget. I could do that. How exciting! The monumental odometer milestone!!

I left work to run an errand this morning and as I was part way there, the odometer caught my eye. It read, "100,001". I missed it! I missed the 999 and 000. My car, that has never left me stranded, had a monumental milestone and I missed it. I didn't celebrate with it. :( I was so upset, that I forgot to take a picture. So as lame as a picture at "100,001" is, I did even better...

Another Reason Breast is Best

Not all women have a choice to breastfeed or not. But if you have a choice, although it is a very personal choice, more research has come out about the benefits of breastfeeding. On top of the already valuable list of reasons, a new study shows that breastfeeding actually helps to protect women who have a family history of breast cancer. Not only is that good news but the amount of time you breastfeed doesn't seem to be a big factor. According to the study, only 3 months worth of breastfeeding (and it doesn't have to be all at once, it can be split between babies) offers this protection!

Here is the full article:

http://www.typeamom.net/breastfeeding-protects-women-with-family-history-of-breast-cancer.html

Breastfeeding Protects Women with Family History of Breast Cancer

Written by Jodi Cleghorn

A new study into the link between breast cancer and breastfeeding provides new evidence as to why breastfeeding is especially important for women with a family history of breast cancer.

The study by Dr. Alison Stuebe and colleagues at the University of North Carolina found women with a family history of breast cancer radically reduced their risk of developing invasive premenapausal breast cancer by breastfeeding. The effect was comparable to taking an anti-estrogen drug such as Tamoxifen for five years. Unlike Tamoxifen, breastfeeding has advantages for both mother and child.

Previous studies have been mixed regarding the protective effect of breastfeeding. Dr Stuebe believes these studies may be flawed due to cancer patients being asked to recall their breastfeeding history after diagnosis.

Using a prospective study model Dr Stuebe and colleagues looked to collect information on breastfeeding and breast cancer before diagnosis. They drew their information from the Nurses' Health Study II using the data of 60,000 women who reported giving birth in 1997.

Women were asked also to describe their breastfeeding practises. They were also asked if there was a family history of breast cancer and if they had been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.

They followed the cohort through to 2005 to see how many developed cancer in that time. At the end of the study 608 cases of invasive premenopausal breast cancer were identified. The average age at diagnosis was 46.

Women with a mother or a sister with breast cancer were found to have reduced their risk of developing cancer by 59% as a result of breastfeeding. There was no difference found in women who did not have a family history of breast cancer.

"This could be because there's something about genetically caused breast cancer that's affected by breastfeeding," said Dr Stuebe, "or it could be because rates of breast cancer were so low in women without a family history that we couldn't see an association in this data set."

The good news is protection is not dependent on the length of time a woman breastfeeds. The important point in question is whether a woman breastfeeds or not. The protective effect is apparent with just three months of breastfeeding - which may be accumulated from one child to the next. This means a mother breastfeeding each of her two children for six weeks will still gain the benefit. There was also no difference in women who exclusively breastfed compared with women who breastfed and supplemented. (1)

There is still no answer as to why breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer. The researchers suspect when women do not breastfeed, inflammation and engorgement shortly after birth causes changes in breast tissue that may increase the risk for breast cancer. This inflammation may be prevented by breastfeeding and weaning.

A recent study by the Centre for Disease Control found half the women gave up breastfeeding before they wanted to. "Mothers and babies need supportive hospital policies, paid maternity leave, and workplace accommodations so that they can meet their breastfeeding goals," Dr Stuebe says. "Public health begins with breastfeeding."

One wonders in an era of public health policy which asks us to stop smoking, limit our alcohol consumption, eat better and exercise more, all of which attack big business profits and advocate no profit activities, if there should not be more room to aggressively promote breastfeeding on the same platform.

References

Based on the Chapel Hill School of Medicine Press Release at Media NewsWire

Alison M. Stuebe; Walter C. Willett; Fei Xue; Karin B. Michels. Lactation and Incidence of Premenopausal Breast Cancer: A Longitudinal Study. Arch Intern Med., 2009; 169 (15)

(1) Breastfeeding May Cut Breast Cancer Risk Kathleen Doheny at EmedicineHealth

Jodi Cleghorn is a Brisbane mother, writer, lactivist and natural birth advocate. When she's not writing breastfeeding articles she is working on her fiction stories including a new novella and a new publishing project Chinese Whisperings. Her new blog Writing in Black and White chronicles her journey as a writer, editor and publisher. This week she's enjoying a quiet house for the first time in two weeks!

The beginning of the harvest

One of my favorite things about our backyard (besides the waterfall and pond) is the garden than my husband built for me.  I only get to use it for about 5 months but it is SO worth it.  This year, I planted 4 types of tomatoes: Champion, Super Fantastic, Roma and Yellow Pear.  So far, I like all of them A LOT except for the Roma tomatoes.  The Roma's are good - way better than store bought Roma's but compared to the Champions and Super Fantastics they are very bland and dry.  I also planted two squash plants, which I unfortunately lost to evil squash bugs, a Sweet Banana Pepper and a green Bell Pepper.

Around the yard, we also have grapes, blackberries, strawberries, a red delicious apple tree, a golden delicious apple tree and blueberries. All are producing fruit this year, their second year, except the blueberries which we just planted this spring.

Most of the produce is not ready yet but we have been able to start enjoying the tomatoes and this weekend, grapes! We were all excited about the grapes.

I will post more pictures of the garden and the yard but to start, here are some pictures of my first big harvest this year!

All of produce is grown organically - no pesticides or toxins at our house!

It is World Breastfeeding Week!

August 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week and helps to remind us how important breastfeeding is for all babies across the globe. For information on why the breast is best, you can go here and here.

Here are a few great breastfeeding resources:

WABA Website

Best for Babes which includes tips on how to avoid Breastfeeding Booby Traps

Le Leche League International

Breastfeeding.com

Earth Mama Angel Baby wants to help you with breastfeeding.  They are offering 15% off Natural Nipple Butter, Milkmaid Tea and Booby Tubes for the entire month of August. Coupon Code: BoobyTubes04.

I fully plan on breastfeeding, for as long as possible, and I know that I need to start reading and researching so I can be prepared and have a better understanding what I need to do and what I can do to avoid "booby traps".

What are your tips, tricks and stories for successful breastfeeding or the trials and tribulations you had while trying to breastfeed? Did you enjoy it? Was it worth it? What would you do differently?