Officially Etta

Etta's official documents arrived in the mail this week!  A year ago, I would have thought you were crazy if you had tried to tell me I would have a baby with a "City of New York" birth certificate.  I may have been equally surprised to know that the "home delivery" box would be checked.  Life is a crazy journey.

 

Even though Tye was born in a hospital, applying for and receiving her birth certificate and social security card was a months-long process that I only hurried along because we needed her own passport when she was several months old.  This time, our midwife sent in the paperwork for us and the documents arrived before Etta was seven weeks old.  Another unadvertised perk of homebirth with a midwife.


Along with her SS card, NYC sent a pamphlet titled "Your New Baby."  Alongside information on the importance of well-baby doctors visits, methods to soothe a baby and the importance of not shaking it, and the vital importance of window guards, was some really great information on breastfeeding, including a nursing mom's legal rights.  Apparently new moms can also call 311 to receive information on where to find help breastfeeding.  

 I especially love that according to NYC, you should "Breastfeed as long as you and your baby want- six months, 18 months- the longer the better."  Since many new moms haven't thought about the duration of their nursing relationship, this is a great introduction to natural-term breastfeeding.  Way to go, NYC.  Etta officially approves.

Rally Time

Yesterday afternoon, Tye and I went to Grant Park for the American Rally for Personal Rights.  We sat at the Holistic Moms Network table with two other HMN moms and their babies, both about 10 months old.  We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather, and just taking the L into the Loop and walking to the park was fun.  


During the two-hour rally, we sat with the kids in the shade.

Tye loves balloons, and was super excited to see all the yellow and red helium-filled balloons (happily, they were biodegradable).  

At one point, a band came on stage to rock out with some good old-fashioned protest music.  Tye was a fan!

I didn't know what to expect from the Rally, as many of the speakers have been labeled "anti-vaccine," but I was happy to hear from the start that the organization is strongly not anti-vaccine, but rather anti-vaccine regulations.  The keynote speaker was Dr. Andrew Wakefield, a giant in the vaccine world.  The crowd was small, but sizable for this being the first rally held by the Center for Personal Rights.  We handed out a few HMN pamphlets and talked with people about our organization.  If nothing else, people came by to check out the cute kids.  It's hard to beat a beautiful Chicago afternoon in Grant Park.

Hot Topics

When we lived in Germany during the 2004 presidential election, we avoided all political conversations by telling our German friends and acquaintances that in American culture, it's considered rude to discuss politics and religion over beer.  This worked brilliantly, perhaps because we didn't spend much time drinking coffee while we were there.  The idea was that we didn't want to create opportunities for offense- we wanted to concentrate on enjoying our time soaking up the amazing German culture (I mean, who wants to talk about Bush during Oktoberfest anyway?).  


In many ways, I want to keep Mama Em free of politics as well.  I believe good mamas come in all shapes, sizes, and political minds.  There are just some topics, though, in which politics and motherhood intersect.  Preserving our natural resources: political, yes, but my interest is on behalf of Tye and the future generations of babies.  It's the mother in me that drives my argument, not my political ideals.


Similarly, my interest in vaccine programs is fueled mostly by my concern for my children.  I want them to be safe, and I'm not convinced that our current vaccine protocol is safe.  I don't understand why infants are given the Hepatitis B vaccine (a vaccine for a sexually transmitted disease; a vaccine tested on adult males, never proven safe for infants) within hours, even minutes, of birth.  I have serious questions about the safety of vaccine ingredients, and even more concerns about administering multiple vaccines in one day.  These are my concerns as a parent.  My political concerns are related, but different on this topic: I don't want to give the government power to decide what goes into my body.  That's my choice. 

Next Wednesday, May 26th, I'll be in Grant Park for the American Rally for Personal Rights.  I'll be uniting with other concerned individuals, parents and political minds alike, who want to defend their right to choose whether or not they vaccinate themselves and their children.  This is important to me as a mother, and it's important to me as an American Citizen.  Check out the web page and read what it's all about.  If you can't attend the Rally, sign the petition and look into all the ways you can watch the Rally live.  You may have a better view on your laptop than I will at the Holistic Moms Network tent, where I'll be volunteering.  If you can attend, come by and say hello!  Tye will be in her carrier, hanging out with us Holistic Mamas.


Okay, I'm stepping off of my soapbox now.  You may resume drinking your beer.  Prost!