Doodah

So much

It was this really cool moment.

Someone asked Felix if he wanted to dance and he said oui.

The piano was played - we danced and clapped.

And he loved it.

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World Breastfeeding Week

“There are 4,000 species of mammals and they all make a different milk. Human milk is made for human infants and it meets all their specific nutrient needs” – Ruth Lawrence, M.D., Professor of Obstetrics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

19 months and still breastfeeding. I feel so lucky that I have such a great support system that has allowed me to go this long. And even though it will be coming to an end soon, it will always remain one of the greatest things I have ever done. I can't exactly explain why but it is.

While some may argue that breastfeeding and formula feeding are the same thing, I believe there are some distinct differences that make breastfeeding the best choice for me. This semester I wrote a paper titled "A Nutritional Overview of Breast Milk and the Breast Feeding Diet" and without copying and pasting the entire paper, I will share a few bits that stand out as important to me:

Fat intake in healthy adults should be around 20-35% of their diet but with babies fat intake is a bit higher at around 40%. Babies who are exclusively breastfed get all of their energy from this fat but as the baby grows and adds solid foods to the diet their percentage of fat will fall to within the average range. Fat provides the infant with the fat-soluble vitamins as well as lipids and essential fatty acids (p. 41). One unique aspect of breast milk is that it provides the infant with arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA), two long-chain polyunsaturated fats (LC-PUFA), in forms that are easily synthesized. “Dietary LC-PUFA affects positively the growth and development of the infant and ameliorates the visual and cognitive functions, particularly in preterm infants” (Gil, Ramirez, & Gil, 2003, p. S31). Margaret Lawson (2007) adds that “unmodified cow’s milk contains low levels of LCP’s [LC-PUFA], and infants who are fed on unsupplemented formulas have lower concentrations in nervous tissues” (p. 42).

In terms of other important nutrients, infant formulas tend to have much higher quantities but this is because their components are not as easily digested or absorbed as the components of human milk. With the exception of Vitamin D, human milk provides infants with all of their nutritional needs for at least the first six months of life. There are, in fact, several components that are found naturally in breast milk but are almost completely absent in cow’s milk or infant formulas, in particular the antioxidants Vitamin C, beta-carotene, and alpha-tocopherol as well as a variety of hormones and growth factors which have beneficial effects on the infant’s growth (Hoppu et al., 2005, p. 123). Breast milk is a complex substance containing over 300 different components many of whose functions are still unknown thus making human milk impossible to completely replicate (Lawson, 2007, p. 43).

It is the last line of this paragraph that is most fundamental for me. Formula is a good food for babies. Babies who are formula fed will grow up to healthy, beautiful individuals but my own choice is to provide my babies with those components that can never be replicated. Those components that are unique to human milk, milk that is designed for human babies.

So, why celebrate breastfeeding? I don't believe that World Breastfeeding Week is intended to compare breast milk and formula. The above information is my own standpoint. WBW is about continuing the work that has been made in enabling and empowering women to breastfeed. It is most definitely a women's choice to breastfeed but it should be an informed choice and access to that information and support should be provided to everyone. In our developed countries, the choice is not as crucial. We do not need to worry as much about the quality of water that goes into our formulas or a high risk of infectious diseases but there are many around the world who are not as fortunate. La Leche League defines World Breastfeeding Week as the celebration of the Innocenti Declaration on the Protection, Promotion, and Support of Breastfeeding. This declaration was created in 1990 when breastfeeding was much further from the public eye. If it seems that breastfeeding is everywhere now and maybe even be becoming trendy, it is only because of the hard work and effort that has been made in increasing the publics awareness. 10, 20, or 30 years ago things were very different. I am happy that the playing field is starting to level out allowing women to make a fair, informed, and supported choice whether they choose to breastfeed or formula feed.

And while I believe that breast milk is the best for a baby, the BEST thing for a baby is a happy and relaxed mom. Mothers who feel confident and happy about the choices they make will provide more for the baby no matter the type of food.

Time

Lazare's Sandals (1), originally uploaded by sarahwoo.

This weekend has been flowing so nicely so far. It is great to have time. Time to do nothing. Time to change plans and then change them again. Time to sit in the backyard with friends until past midnight. And then do it all over again the next morning.

Time to try on shoes that are too big. Time to play with a new camera.

While our life is no way structured around a daily routine (well, except Felix's of course) it still feels like we have broken away a bit from the shackles of the  mundane.

The goal is to do this all the time not just the weekend. If we can manage to change our state of mind and our perspective we can approach everyday like a Saturday.

We really do have all the time in the world.

Staring at my feet

originally uploaded by sarahwoo.

This is what today looked like. Well, not exactly. More like me, in the bedroom, at my desk all day. The job anticipation coupled with a few heavy teaching days put me behind in my classes online. So today I was doing homework. All day. I felt such a relief after all my exterior work ended that it is hard to force myself to work here at home. Needless to say, I moved very slowly and distracted myself a lot.

I took a break at one point and wandered around taking photos of the bedroom. Not much came out well, it was a very grey day today but I liked this one. Something about the light coming from my big toe.

Getting past the road-blocks

I am grasping little moments here and there to work on various projects. Today I was inspired to start fixing up this blog a bit. Perhaps it was my fun new purchase that inspired me. Or maybe it is a secret project that I am working on with a friend. Or it could just be the mellowness of another grey day here in France. Whatever the reason, you can see that I managed to make a little progress. (It is far from being finished though.)

We leave for the states in two weeks. I can't wait. Life has been a whirlwind lately and this trip really represents rest and relaxation for me. We plan on staying very low-key with a few trips planned throughout the Northeast but mostly spending the month in Vermont. I hope to find some time to organize my thoughts about this blog. I have a lot of ideas (especially at 2 am) but they take time to implement and a certain level of commitment to see them through. Am I up for it? We'll find out...

Tomorrow is Tibo's 31st birthday. We happen to have a few zucchini ready in the garden so I think it is time to whip out the Chocolate Zucchini Cake recipe again. Yum...so good.

In the meantime you can enjoy one of  my favorite things: