How did "Bring BFing Back to Sesame Street" get started? And Pediatricians Reactions!

Art Credit Joni Rae

Bring Breastfeeding Back To Sesame Street Started As One Mom's Wish.

While on pregnancy bed-rest I was searching the internet for videos and information on breastfeeding in an effort to learn as much as I could about breastfeeding. I was so afraid I would be unable to breastfeed that I began to research every possible problem so that I would know how to fix any that could happened. That is when I came across the Sesame Street videos from the 70's and 80's depicting breastfeeding.  I thought to myself, "I would love to see those come back to television."  Recently, after endless news stories regarding nursing mothers being publicly harassed while breastfeeding, I  blogged asking Sesame Street to bring breastfeeding back.

My Favorite Post about "Bring Breastfeeding Back to Sesame Street"

Image By Joni Rae

This has been an amazing two weeks! I never thought that this would happen! The momentum is unbelievable, as I am typing we have over 25,000 signatures and they are continuing to go up! The Petition was only posted 13 days ago. I have come across a lot of post about my blog post / the petition these are my favorite.  First some amazing places that my blog has been discussed on. The most exciting was TIME.com, I was ecstatic when that showed up in my Google Alerts and it is so supportive!  Huffington Post was our first big break in the online seen. Annie from PhD in Parenting did an amazing article on Care2 which set the ball in motion. Thank you Annie! Now for my favorites! 

Natural Birthing Celebrities

For the next few Friday's I will be featuring Celebrities that have helped bring back Natural Parenting in one form or another. It all starts at birth. See who has had a Natural Childbirth and their thoughts on it.  

Cesarean rates in the United States have reached an all time high of 35% and this number is climbing. This may be why there was a 20% increase in the number of home-birth in the United States over the last five years, this number is climbing as well.  Home-births may still only count for 1-2% of the births in the United States, but this increase shows that women are becoming more educated about their birthing choices. Realizing that it is possible to have an intervention free birth at home, or in water, or even at a birthing center.

Ricki Lake "BBB"

Ricki Lake has definitely become one of the Hollywood faces advocating natural birth. Her documentary, "The Business of Being Born" (BBB) gives a look inside hospital births, how they are setup to go a certain way and it can be very difficult to brake that cycle.  She also shared her home water-birth of her second son. The four part series “More Business of Being Born” also includes “Celebrity Mother’s Talk Straight Birth”.  Against popular opinion, not all of Hollywood wants a scheduled designer birth followed by a tummy tuck. 

Take a look at who in Hollywood have had a natural birth, home-birth, water-birth, and even some unassisted births. See what they have say about there amazing experience. I was sure to included some of the proud celebrity dads who have supported the wives!

Jessica Alba

Actress Jessica Alba and husband Cash had a Hypno-Birth. She told Us Weekly about the delivery of her daughter Honor saying, "I didn't scream. It was really Zen. The labor was more like a meditation. I did yoga breathing."

Pamela Anderson

 Actress Pamela Anderson with then husband Musician Tom Lee Jones, said on Larry King “I gave birth at home both times natural with a midwife, in water with nothing. Not even Tylenol."

Erykah Badu

Singer Erykah Badu, had all three of her children at home. She says. “Maybe to some it’s scary, but preparation is the whole key. When a mother has found out she’s going to have a baby, her whole life — her diet, her mood, her energy — should kind of prepare her. After she prepares herself, fear is never a part of it. I expected success and health, so I made sure I surrounded myself with it. By the time I had my third baby, childbirth seemed a very natural part of life to me.” Erykah, now works as a Doula and is training to be a Midwife, she says her clients refer to her as “Erykah Ba-Doula”.

Mommy's View

Last week I posted,  What Nursing in Public REALLY Looks Like!

This week it's MOMMY'S VIEW!

Even in these very close up views I can't find anything offensive, can you?
What is it about nursing that has the country in such an uproar?

My ~B~ Heaven in my Arms!

Experiments in Natural Family Living - Natural Toys!

Welcome to the January 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: 

Experiments in Natural Family Living

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have reported on weeklong trials to make their lives a little greener and gentler. 

Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

Dress Up with Hat and Mom's Headbands

I am excited to join in the Carnival of Natural Parenting for 2012 year. One of my goals is to participate every month. This month challenge was pretty fun for us and liberating for me. Our goal was to only use natural toys for at least a week maybe longer. My criteria was the following;
battery = put away, plastic = put away, if it manipulated the child = put away, and if it did not inspire open-ended or imaginative play = put away. We also tried to do no television. We don't watch much as it is, but I wanted to eliminate that as well. My son is 19 months so it was not to hard. I was surprised at how many toys we had that really are useless when it comes learning and developing. Being the fourth boy in our family as far as cousins go he has received a lot of hand-me-down toys.

Elephant

A couple of exceptions to the rules above were; plastic animals figures, Legos, and puzzles. These are the reasons I chose to keep them out. The animals; he loves them, he plays with them constantly. ~B~ does things like make them kiss (if you ever see an elephant and a lion kiss it’s very cute), puts them boxes and carts, lines them all up, and takes them for rides on his train. I feel that they do inspire imagination, open end play, and of course love for animals. The Legos; stimulate creativity and lateral thinking, they help build dexterity and aid in developing simple math and pattern skills. The way they interlock helps children learn problem solving skills as well. The puzzles; I was on the fence about this one. They don't inspire open ended or imaginative play. They stayed because they help develop problem solving skills, build dexterity, they help teach concepts like colors, shapes, and language skills when done with an adult.

What Nursing in Public REALLY Looks Like

There is a HUGE  misconception that nursing in public is indecent and women are exposing themselves just because they can. But as nursing moms we have no more interest in showing you our breast as you do in seeing them. These are pictures of real moms nursing in public. 

Are they indecent? Exposing themselves? Flashing the world?  I don't believe so.
They are simply feeding their babies the way nature intended. 

Thank you to all the moms who shared their beautiful pictures.

Me and ~B~ nursing on a walk in a Baby K'Tan Carrier.

Sunday Surf ~ Nursing In Public

I am still going with Nursing in Public Theme for This Week

Breastfeeding and The Law

Basically breastfeeding in public IS legal in the United States, though sometimes people simply don't know it and therefore might complain about it.

Why Children Should Witness Breastfeeding in Public

Children learn by observing and interacting with their world, and every moment adds up to form the basis for the values, beliefs, habits, and memories which will carry them into adulthood.

Breastfeeding in Public is Offensive - See for Yourself

I’m thankful for not having boobs thrown in my face all the time by offensive and indecent breastfeeding mothers.

Easy Decreet Way to Nurse your Toddler in Public 

There's absolutely nothing wrong with breastfeeding, because it's the normative way to feed your baby. But just because it's the biological norm doesn't make it the cultural one, which is why breastfeeding in public can take some getting used to, even for the boldest mamas among us. 

What Happens When Children See Breastfeeding?

They learn that it is normal, natural, and beautiful.

Me! Coping my Mom!

My Niece Emma Copying Me!

Barbie Breastfeeding Baby Doll

Breastfeeding his plush doll.

Breastfeeding his Doll!

They learn to feed babies.

Desiree's Kylee 18 Months Old

  

Code Name: Mama's son Kieran.

They learn how Babies are fed!

Sunday Surf: Happy New Year and new to me surfing!

This week has been all about Breastfeeding and making Nursing in Public the norm, acceptable and common place.

Timeline of a Breastfed Baby

A timeline detailing the journey of the average breastfed baby.

Lactivism, Breastfeeding, Bottle Feeding, Formula 

and Mothers at War

If you’re easily offended or like a good fight, now might be a good time to look away. 

I’m talking about the World War 3 of parenting: breast vs bottle.

Baby Food Court

Nursing mothers have no more interest in flashing you a breast than you do in seeing one.

 5 Reasons Breastfeeding is the Ultimate Convenience 

Most of us have heard about the many benefits of breastfeeding. These are the 5 reasons why I don’t want to give up the convenience of breastfeeding.

Bring Breastfeeding Back to Sesame Street

My little guy has been sick lately, we have been doing lots of cuddles, usually reading books or doing puzzels. We definitely have been watching Sesame Street as well. I found these great Classic Sesame Street video's that I thought I would share. I love Classic Sesame Street.


I wish they would redo this scene for the current series! Maybe with a Celeb. It would help normalize breastfeeding to a culture that has completely sexualized breastfeeding. It look's like we need 1999 version, and a 2010 version. Well maybe we will get lucky and by 2020 it will be the norm and they will redo it then!!! These scenes are beautiful!