Formula: the new big mac?

So, I wouldn’t exactly say that I’m back, but I’m certainly around again, which is a start (although woefully behind on all the latest news). Moving is a drag, and this move has been a very long, drawn out process. Would you believe that most of our stuff is still in boxes??? We’ve spackled and then primed and finally painted our entire apartment; the painting is almost finished, but we still have a final coat of trimming to apply in the livingroom, and then the next chore is finding or building bookshelves to accomodate all of my books. And then finding me a desk, preferably before the start of the school year. Speaking of school, I’ve already been sent me my first homework assignment!! Good lord, it’s not even August yet.

Anyway, enough about me. Here’s an article (The Formula Follies) by Jennifer Graham from last friday’s Wall Street Journal Opinion page, nicely summing up the debate which surrounds the Dept. of Health and Human Services controversial breastfeeding ad campaign.

The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition announced plans for a nationwide “Ban the Bags” campaign at the International Lactation Consultant Association meeting in Philadelphia last week. Dr. Melissa Bartick, the coalition’s chairwoman, has promised that formula marketing in hospitals won’t last. She adds: “We’d never tolerate the thought of hospitals giving out coupons for Big Macs on the cardiac unit.” So baby formula is not yet the new cigarette. But it’s already the new Big Mac.

In other news, at some point I’m going to have to write a (several?) long post(s) about the Birthing From Within mentor workshop I attended at the end of June, and which was, to say the least, a complete and total mindfuck, in the absolute BEST possible way. Longheld beliefs which I have been gradually forming for years were unceremoniously dumped on their heads. Paradigms were shifted. Walls were torn down. The end result has been a student who’s still somewhat reeling from the overall effect, but beginning to incorporate this brand new way of looking at birth into her world view. Lots of cool stuff to say on that subject, but it’ll take some time to write a post like that, and I just haven’t had much time lately (and things are still stewing and simmering and sinking in). But I’ll get to it, I promise.