My daughter was born at 32 weeks in 2003. I had been planning on bfing but I had more of the "I'll see how it goes" attitude and planned to bf for six months or so. I also planned to use a crib, use CIO, etc.
One day I noticed extreme swelling in my face, hands and feet. Over the course of the next few days, I was admitted to the hospital with severe pre-eclampsia and delivered within about 12 hours of going to the hospital. My daughter was born via an emergency c-section. I spent a week recovering in the hospital and my daughter spent a month. Immediately following my c-section a breast pump was wheeled into my Intesive Care room and an amazing nurse named Michelle, helped me pump and get started. My husband brought my tiny bit of colostrum to the NICU and the nurses there cheered. Although my daughter received breastmilk fortifier in my expressed milk never had any formula in the hospital or once she came home with us. I pumped almost exclusively for one month and continued to pump and supplement with the pumped milk for several months after. The only thing I would change is the delivery method - she received the pumped breast milk in bottles. In hindsight, I would not have done that and am fortunate that she took the the breast so easily. My daughter was tiny, 3 1/2 pounds at birth, but she thrived on breastmilk. I nursed her until she was three years old. She is now a happy, healthy and amazing five year old!
Following my daughter's birth, I found out that I have the Prothrombin Gene mutation for blood clotting. The pathology on my placenta showed blood clots all over. When I became pregnant with my son, I was referred to the high risk unit of one of Canada's best hospitals (I had also given birth to my daughter there). While I could not have the pregnancy or birth experience that I wanted (I had to stop working at 6 months, needed to be monitored twice a week at the hospital, required placental scans every two weeks and took fragmin injections twice a day, plus had a week long hospital stay prior to the birth of my son at 37 weeks, and again had a c-section) I did my best to maintain peace while doing daily yoga, meditating, getting massages and reike and eating a natural diet.
My second hospital experience post natal was entirely different from the first. My son was small, 5 pounds 7 ounces, and had his blood sugar tested immediately. It was low and he was given formula despite the fact that I was breastfeeding him. This terrible experience continued for a few hours until I was moved to my room. A pediatrician came and wanted him to be exclusively formula fed for at least a few days. I refused and continued to breastfeed him. He was slightly jaundiced and they almost did not release us from the hospital. I went to see my doctor immediately after his birth and I supplemented my son with breastmilk from a cup for a few weeks. My doctor is amazing and very breastfeeding friendly. My sons weight gain was great and he is now an adorable, alert, moving around like crazy little nearly nine month old. I plan to let him self wean.
I have dealt with a lot during my time as a mother with respect to breastfeeding, but to be honest, it feels like nothing. I would do it again in a second.
Thanks!
I want a new theme and layout. Can anyone recommed anything? I like layouts that clearly delineate between one post and the next. I am also quite minimalist. What about themes? Are there places I can go to get free (and easy themes/banners)?
Also, should I do Basic, Plus or paid account? I used to have a paid account, but it expired, so I am trying Plus and notice all the ads.
Also, I am not sure what I want to use my journal for anymore. I love reading some people's blogs and want to do more of a witty life commentary. I don't really care if people read it, but I think that's what I want to do.
Thoughts?
Tara and I are starting up a V-day draco/hermione exchange at the community.
I really hope to get into journaling again. In the meantime, I want to say hello to all my lj friends. I have missed you and look forward to "seeing" you again!
Popular Blogging Site Restricts Some Breasts
LiveJournal cites breastfeeding images as ‘inappropriate’ and sends mothers to the virtual restroom
Women on the popular blog site LiveJournal are calling foul at the company’s decision to brand images of breastfeeding as ‘inappropriate.’ Many users of the site have joined together to urge LiveJournal’s parent company SixApart to address their concerns and reevaluate the policy.
Small “userpics” of no more than 100 by 100 pixels represent LiveJournal members throughout the site. Users can define one of these icons as “default icon” which plugs it into the user’s public profile. These default icons were originally not permitted to be ‘sexually explicit or graphically violent.’ Recently, icons which depicted breastfeeding were cited as being ‘inappropriate’ by the LiveJournal abuse team, a group of volunteers who monitor complaints on the site. After clarification was requested, LiveJournal changed their FAQ to reflect a no nudity rule and is claiming that icons with visible areola or nipple are not permitted. Whether or not areola is visible in a photograph is dependent on a number of factors, including skin tone of the mother and physical changes during pregnancy.
Claimed Live Journal Abuse Staffer ‘Erin’ in a post on the site, “That’s really a matter for the FCC to decide. LiveJournal’s policies on this mirror what would be allowed on primetime TV or in a PG-13 movie.” However, this is not true. The FCC does not consider the act of breastfeeding on television to fall under the definitions of indecency or obscenity.
Breastfeeding is exempt from nudity laws throughout the United States as well as countries such as Canada. Advocates are urging LiveJournal to adopt the same criteria. “It is regrettable that LiveJournal has chosen to target breastfeeding mothers instead of standing up for the protection provided them by law,” says Carrie Patterson, executive director of ProMom.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing public awareness and public acceptance of breastfeeding.
“It is regrettable that LiveJournal has chosen to target breastfeeding mothers”Advocates state that the feeling that breastfeeding should be hidden only fosters the idea that the natural act of nourishing a child is scandalous.
Breastfeeding bloggers who have refused to change their default icon have been suspended from the site. These users, as well as others questioning the policy, have been treated poorly by the site’s volunteer abuse team, something that is not unusual according to other site users. More than 1,000 LiveJournal users complained, and SixApart issued an apology to the group. However, the company refuses to consider modifying their policy and continues to suspend users whose default icons are deemed inappropriate. Although LiveJournal stated a clarified rule, mothers are still reporting major inconsistencies in its application.
The breastfeeding debacle is only the most recent in a long line of incidents that have people wondering if the abuse procedures as a whole should be reviewed for fairness and propriety. Complaints have been raised about users’ privacy, inconsistent enforcement of the Terms of Service, conflicting information and responses from abuse team members, and discourteous replies to users seeking clarification on the rules.
Activists are now working together to get this policy changed and to clarify the policies and procedures of the LiveJournal abuse team. While some are refusing to continue paying for the service, others have moved to different journaling websites to protest what they feel is a violation of their rights.
Here is the link: http://onestarrynight.com/index.php/one
This is disgusting in my opinion. Breastfeeding your child is normal and natural and what nature intended. Breastfeeding is the standard.
I will be doing
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dmhgficexchange stuff this weekend.I have been seriously swamped at work and at life and haven't been on the computer much. I will take some time soon to update and to read all of your journals.
Hope everyone is well!
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jiayi:| Culinary: | Pizza | I love pizza so much, it's ridiculous. I try not to eat it that often though. |
| Literary: | John Grisham | This is a guilt right? The shame. I love the fast paced, mindlessness of the books. |
| Audiovisual: | Prison Break | Who am I kidding? I feel not guilt! ;) |
| Musical: | Clay Aiken singing Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch | Do I need to explain myself? It's sooooo humiliating! |
| Celebrity: | Wentworth Miller | Wentworth is the new Ryan. |
Now I tag:-
anothersadsong acony_bell streetscribbles kataclysmic and reetinkerbellto complete this same Quiz, Its HERE.
I'm so busy. I know I owe some people emails and things, and will get on it. Seriously.
I do sort of feel like having a discussion though...
Topic One
People have always done this, but it seems to be more prevalent these days, the idea of posting a fic and then disclaiming it with:
"This is unbeta'd", or "This is my first fic", etc, and then "Please be nice/gentle".
What are your overall thoughts on these comments? Do you look at the author's lj to see if English is their first language or to see their age? Do you not comment? Do you comment?
Topic Two
What do you think about cliques on lj? I've seen a few people mention the word lately and have noticed that at least within my circle there tends to be small "groups". I think it's normal that we gravitate towards those we like the most and have the most in common with. I also think it's normal that we gravitate towards those whose involvement mirrors our own. Someone who is online a lot likely corresponds more with someone who is on an equal amount.
Thoughts?
I can't even BELIEVE it.
For real. First time.
| maplesugrrrl's LJ stalker is inell! |
| inell is stalking you because they heard you are awesome in bed, and they want to find out. They are also in jail for murder! |
I watched it with my Jewish inlaws and while I'm not Jewish, I'm married to one and feel like I get a lot of the "culture" jokes, and some of the stuff that Jon said was just too funny, I was literally rolling around. The bit about Steven Spielburg (spelling) and Schindler's List and Munich and would there be a TRILOGY... we literally LOST it with laughter. And Ben Stiller and the green unitard representing the Jews... hahahahahaha. Too much.
I actually watched the entire broadcast this year for the first time in YEARS and I had fun. I think it helped that I was watching with my mother and father in law and my sister in law. Plus my talent in life is pop culture so I knew who was with who and in what movies and what dresses etc. No really, my talent is pop culture. Like some people are math experts and amazing at golf or something, I'm good at pop culture. SHUT UP. You can't help what your talent is!!!
All in all, a funny show. I liked all the winners and their speeches, especially my Idol, Reese, who proved again that she is the real role model that our daughters should aspire to be and to look up to.
Who woulda thought that she was the "bad" one. LOL at how Tom is like Mr. Perfect Nice guy fisherman lover of children and old people but he plays Draco!
waxbean, because she had recently posted about awards in her journal and I just wanted to bounce off some ideas.Mary, I agree with a lot of what you said regarding awards for exchanges, and it is something that I am always thinking about. I know in the first exchange for
dmhgficexchange, I was mainly thinking that awards would draw more participants (ie. paid lj time, banners, icons, etc). By the second exchange, it was growing fairly obvious that the awards do tend to go to the more "popular" although not in any way undeserving, writers. For myself as a moderator, I like the award component because it sets an end date and forces people to have their fics in by a certain time because something happens (the voting) past the date. All fics not received by that date, go into the free for all. Certainly, we could just set a date, but I think with the voting, people do actually seem more intent on getting their fic in. A lot of people also ask for the voting, etc, so I am under the impression that there are people that really like that aspect of the exchange (or exchanges in general).
I think as the exchange grows, it becomes more and more difficult for the voting to happen the way that it is. For one thing, there are simply too many fics for people to vote on. Most people do not have the time to read all of the fics in that amount of time, and tend to rely on recs from friends, number of reviews, who the author is, etc. I found it interesting that both
gravidy and bambu345 won despite the anonymity of the exchange. First, I think it shows that they are both really great writers deserving to win whether anonymous or not, but I also think that there is certainly an element of knowing who they are despite the anonymity and people tending to gravitate towards those fics anyway (ie recs from friends, speculation, style of writing, etc). I do think though that a big name will likely always win in exchange awards. I can't decide if it's good or bad, because most of the people who win, are pretty deserving, but I think they may win over a slightly more deserving fic, because of their name. Who knows?
We have tried to make more categories, and I think that there is much room for improvement. I think (hopefully
eucalyptus agrees) that maybe having an award for "first time participants" where only those who are participating for the first time are eligible for a "best of" award to showcase new talent, or more "style" awards for genres rather than a "best overall". I also think that we need to bring back the reviewer award, although I think that the voting on that should be reworked. I don't mind paying my own money out because when I look at the number of reviews in the second exchange where there was a paid reviewer award vs. this exchange where half the authors didn't even get thanked for their fic by the requester, I think it's necessary.Overall, I'm not sure that everyone can be happy with the awards for an exchange. I guess I'll keep trying to find a way that satisfies more people in the end though!
OH, and this message is not just for Mary, so if anyone wants to comment, feel free to do so!
I know this was not pretty the last time around, so this time I just want to get preachy for one second. For every person who finds this stuff HAWT and to every person who says "it's no big deal to read or like this stuff", when this "stuff" is written in a manner to make it seem "hawt" or full of great sex while ignoring all issues, please remember that somewhere out there there is a child, being sexually abused by an adult (likely in a position of power), who has no voice, who lives in fear, and who does not find what is happening to them "HAWT".
I very much support freedom of speech and the freedom to read what one wants to read, but I also support and believe in a world where children are not sexually abused, and where fandoms do not glorify it in a "HAWT" way. If just one child comes onto a site and finds Chan/Shota and reads it like it is something good, then we (society, fandom, etc) have failed that child.
:(
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/2006
Click above link. That's seriously a nightmare of mine. I'd be sooooo sorry and humiliated. Awful. Poor guy!
What is the difference between paying for art that depicts the HP characters and paying for fic? I hear that people are paying upwards of $200 US dollars for paintings/drawings etc, and before I wank myself, I want the goods, the info, the news!
Thanks!
I want to compile a list of sorts on fanfic exchanges from both the perspective of the moderator/runner of the exchange as well as from the participants. I was thinking maybe a "do and don't" list.
Anyway, a lot of people on my flist have partipated so... THOUGHTS? IDEAS?
Help!
itsbeenvery hint? If it doesn't fit across a 42 inch plasma screen, then it's too small.It should basically be subtle, yet in your face.
I plan on using it as an ode to all of my posts.
( Posting Signature )
ETA: My banner rules the world.
I am so in love with Fall Out Boy.
If I listen to Dance Dance or anything by them one more time, I'll become the fifth member.
The lead singer is the ugliest cute guy EVER!
He's like totally unaristocratic emo draco.
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