#breastfeeding

In honor of national breastfeeding week, I thought I would share some thoughts on breastfeeding. 

Doing what’s best for my baby is my priority despite the ridiculousness I have encountered…I will share some of that with you now.

Since day one I have been very on top of my needs for breastfeeding. I let my employer know what I needed and the company has been fantastic. One particular employee, however, on more than one occasion failed to realize the importance of my pumping schedule and asked me to hurry up and be back by a certain time. HE also told me to pump in a bathroom once.

Let me tell you that my boobs work on their own time, I can’t just tell them to hurry up, it does not work that way. More importantly, how about I prepare your lunch in the bathroom, I bet you might be a little hesitant to eat it…That’s unsanitary so NO I will not make my baby’s lunch in there either.

Once while feeding the baby, I had a guy stare at me the entire time, and YES I was covered up. I finally called to Slim because it was just weird. I’m not sure why he couldn’t look away, nothing was showing and I’m sure it’s no mystery why I have a baby covered up like that.

My own brother recently asked me if I wanted to go into a different room to feed the baby. In his defense, he wasn’t really sure how it worked and was trying to be helpful. I think he was a little afraid he might witness something,  I told him we were ok and I fed her without anyone seeing anything. I think it was a teaching moment and he won’t ask a lady to leave the room again.

What saddens me the most when it comes to the breastfeeding battle is that it is still a battle. How on earth did something so natural become taboo? Today after this photo was posted on someone’s Facebook timeline, all hell broke lose.

a woman posted that women who breastfeed at restaurants have no manners and were not raised right. She proceeded to say that if you couldn’t find a sitter than stay home, that breastfeeding your baby while SHE was eating in the same vicinity was offensive and that we should get up and take our babies into the bathroom (again, what the hell is wrong with people). That we were as bad as people who bring their children to bars.

It was easy to figure out that she did not have kids. She admitted that no she didn’t have any but that she would take being polite any day over feeding her child in public.

I remember a long time ago a lady at work crying because her cat had died. I remember thinking, wow lady it’s just a cat-years later I felt pain like I had never experienced when our family cat passed away. Sometimes it’s best not to speak on something before you’ve lived it- lesson learned for sure. I hope this is also the case for crazy hide your tit woman.

If one day this illogical woman’s child is screaming bloody murder because she is starving ( in some unideal place) and she looks around the room and is worried about the individuals in that room more than the life that she created, than I firmly believe she has issues.

There isn’t a place in this world or a person who I would be worried about offending if and when my baby girl needs to eat.

I applaud the women who have made the decision to breastfeed! Good for you, I know first hand that you literally can’t just go spend hours doing anything because you either have to feed your child, or find a suitable place to pump.

Breastfeeding moms, I totally get it. I appreciate your hard work and commend you for sticking with it! Happy National Breastfeeding Week!

And to those that we offend, maybe you should be offended by the women who flash their boobs for Mardi Gras beads, or to get some guys attention-and if given the choice would you want your daughter showing her boob to feed her child or…doing something strange for a little bit of change?!

Maybe you should be offended by the parents who do harmful things to their children instead of the parents who are trying to do something beneficial. More importantly I wrote this blog boobs out and baby on my lap! Yeah I said it.

Ok ladies I want to hear some nasty stories…taboo stuff you have done…threesomes foursomes lesbian stories…forbidden stories…messed with your sister or mom or other female relative? been pissed on? whatever wild and crazy tell me about it yeah?

It’s October and the pink ribbons have descended: Breast Cancer Awareness month is upon us!

When dealing with the threat of breast cancer, it’s important to know what you personally can and cannot control. Glow’s here to help with two lists. 5 breast cancer lifestyle choices well within your control. And 5 breast cancer risk factors out of your control. Get ready to turbo-charge your breast cancer savvy :)

5 Breast Cancer Awareness Tactics Well Within Your Control

1. #YOLO- You only live once, so take care of that body. Stay in control when it comes to alcohol (no more than one drink per day is best advised), stay away from those cigs and all smokey smoke. Remaining physically active and in a healthy weight range will also help!
   
2. Breast-feed - If you’re a baby momma, know that breast-feeding may play a role in breast cancer prevention. The longer you breastfeed, the greater the protective effect.
3. Genetic testing-Genetic testing can identify mutations in genes that increase breast and ovarian cancer risk (like BRCA1, BRCA2, and 19 others). If the test shows that a mutation is present, that does not mean that you will definitely contract breast cancer! Instead, it is a sign that you should talk to your doctor about getting screened for breast cancer more frequently. Genetic testing can be expensive, but this October, Glow partnered with Color Genomics to offer free genetic testing for breast & ovarian cancer to all employees. Thanks, Glow! <3
4. Mammograms - The American Cancer Society just changed its recommendations, and now advises that women should start getting annual mammograms at age 45. 
5. Limit hormone therapy-Hormone therapy was once routinely used to treat menopausal symptoms and protect long-term health. Then large clinical trials showed health risks. And one of the health risks is that undergoing hormone therapy for more than 3-5 years increases the risk of breast cancer. Avoid hormone therapy if you can.

5 Breast Cancer Risk Factors Outside Of Your Control

1. Your vagina - Kind of, not really. But simply being a woman is the main risk factor for developing breast cancer! It is possible for men to develop breast cancer. That said, breast cancer is ~100x more common among women.  
2. Aging- Breast cancer risk increases with age—about ⅔ of invasive breast cancers are found in women age 55 or older.
3. Genetics & Family History - About 10% of breast cancer cases are thought to be hereditary, the result of gene defects (called mutations) that are passed down from a parent. Having a mother, sister, or daughter suffer from breast cancer almost doubles a woman’s risk :(
4. Breast density - Yes this is a thing. So breasts are made up of fatty tissue, fibrous tissue, and glandular tissue. The less fatty tissue, the more dense the breasts are. Dense breast tissue makes mammograms less accurate and increases risk of breast cancer. Boo.
5. P-p-p-periods galore - Women who have had more menstrual cycles because they started menstruating early (before age 12) and/or went through menopause later (after age 55) have a slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer.

Bring it on, pink ribbons.  The more we discuss and share, the more we become aware.