What articles and features of Mothering issue 150 did you enjoy?

[Ms. Mom]

Mothering would like your opinion on the articles you enjoyed most in the September-October 2008 issue 150 of Mothering Magazine. Please vote for the articles you enjoyed in issue 150. Feel free to post your input about the articles as well as other things you might like to share about issue 150. Thanks

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Posting Guidelines
Welcome! Mothering Magazine would like your opinion. We've created this forum to hold polls on the current issue of Mothering Magazine.

Peggy will be reading these polls, so this is a great opportunity for everyone to give their thoughts and opinions on the current issue of the magazine. We will create a poll for each issue of the Magazine.

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Thank you for taking the time to give your thoughts and opinions.

[oregonmama79]

I loved the article on Keeping your Birth at Home. I had a hospital birth with my son and many things happened that made me feel uncomfortable and I now regret. Although I wanted a homebirth, fear overtook me and the mainstream ideal won. This article was great to empower mamas to be that that are fully capable of having homebirth abd how to make that happen. It has encouraged me that I can do it for the birth of any future children. Thanks again Mothering :

[janasmama]

This was sort of hard to choose one favorite article. I really like Peggy's A Quiet Place Article as usual.

Thanks Peggy for sharing such an intimate part of your life. Your dad sounds like such a wonderful person.... one to be proud of.

I voted in the poll for the "My Birth Tiger" article. When the author explained what her tiger was it actually brought tears to my eyes...but of course I'm also 35w pregnant so....

I just really related to it though because even though this is going to be my third both with the first two both being homebirths.... There are days when I am still nervous or scared and think that I might not be able to handle labor and childbirth all over again.

The article was encouraging and I think while I labor this time, I want to envision myself on a breezy beach at dusk with a fire in the sand.

[asoulunbound]

I liked "Reel Milk." I was a sociology major in school, and find it very interesting that there are very few positive breastfeeding scenes or references. I could not name one movie where a child was breastfed. I could only come up with one movie (V for Vendetta) that even said the word "breast fed." Go figure.

[Clairesoula]

I anxiously read, "keeping your birth" at home as I hoped it would give me some additional ideas for my next birth. I attempted a home birth with my first, but he was a surprise breech (flipped during labor). I had asked my midwife about breech presentation and she tried to comfort me by telling me how few cases of breech there really are. I had no idea that she wouldn't be able to deliver my baby at home breech. I kicked myself afterwards that I hadn't done more preparation for the possibility of breech presentation (I was breech which is why I was concerned) or how to handle the possibility of a cesarean which I'd done so much to prevent. I was glad to see your list of things to go over with your midwife included breech presentation, but wished there would have been more than the scant paragraph about not regretting whatever decision you ultimately made. It took me over a year to come to terms with the birth I actually had since the home part was wonderful and the hospital part was ok and awful. Of course, that could probably be a whole different article. Thanks for going deeper into what you can do to be prepared for a home birth if that is your choice. I had assumed that if I was positive about my labor and not scared that only a true emergency would take me to the hospital. It's much more complicated to sort through something like breech delivery which should be mostly safe except for inexperience of attending folks.

[MommyJoia]

I enjoyed Reel Milk, but I haven't finished the article... there are a couple of other movies I can think of off the top of my head: Shoot 'em up where clive owen tries to rescue a pregnant woman from men shooting at her. The stress of the situation brings on labor. Clive owen then delivers the baby and immediately puts the baby to breast. The mother is killed in the gun battle and clive owen recruits the aid of a lactating prostitute to feed and care for the baby. the entire movie (while gratuitously violent) was pretty much about protecting the baby and insuring that it is fed breastmilk.

Another movie was Girl with a Pearl Earring where artist Johannes Vermeer is commissioned a painting of a young teen (which apparently was borderline porn) in order to fund growing bills from having a 'round the clock wetnurse for his baby.

Anyway, thanks. the scene in Marie Antoinette where she wants to feed her own baby and they take her baby away to be nursed always makes me very sad.

[Kerr096]

My husband really enjoyed the recipe using beets featured in the issue. We have been getting a lot of beets from the CSA and this was a great way to use them

[mummyofan]

Gosh, made me cry, but beautiful and poignant. Wish we had done that ritual for my Maternal Grandparents; want to do it for my parents (in many, many years, hopefully). Thank you for sharing that.

[Queen of my Castle]

I also the 'Reel Milk' article- I haven't read the whole magazine- but I also immediately thought of Shoot 'em Up as a movie she missed. As ridiculous, violent and empty this movie is, I was tickled by the 'attachment parenting' inclusions- the 'wanted' baby is born via very natural childbirth, and immediately breastfed. Once the mother dies, there is not concept of feeding the child formula, and there is great insistance that it be fed breastmilk. The baby is worn/carried, 'cloth' diapered, and obviously not circumsized. I thought this was the best part of the movie! And, in reviews, Monica Bellucci who plays the lactating prostitute was herself, 'breastfeeding every 2 hours'. Woo hoo!:

[SunnieP]

i loved the 38 weeks poem

[Briannasmom]

Thank you Peggy for sharing about the passing of your father, and the way you celebrated him. The article made me cry - which I rarely do. My goal is to have the same perspective about death as you have. Thanks so much!

[Nanu]

I thought Reel Milk was great. Hollywood has such an impact on our culture, it's important to consider how films portray breastfeeding.

Last night we watched the old classic Raising Arizona. Midway through the movie, two escaped convicts watcheEd formula-feeding her kidnapped infant and ask, "Why aren't you breastfeeding?" Then they launch into a rant about they were not breastfeed and that's why they ended up in prison.

Sure, it was tongue-in-cheek but what a neat surprise to hear somebody discussing the risks of formula instead of the "benefits" of breastfeeding.

:

[yokiwimama]

I only just discovered your magazine on Friday - the Reel Milk headline caught my eye - were there images of breastfeeding in Hollywood movies? I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there were - and some of them were very positive. I would have said no previously. This article was a real eye-opener.
Would be interested if there was a similar study being done about positive images of breastfeeding on US television as well. Every time I have seen something on tv - it is a plot device for a running gag (eg Friends), or the women are draped in blankets hiding baby from view (eg episode 1 Desperate Housewives). Heaven forbid that Lynette expose herself while feeding a child, yet it was okay to show breasts in a raunchy sex scene.

PS I am curious to know if draping is commonplace in America (if tv is to be believed), I tried it when I was a new mum with my firstborn but soon gave it up as burdensome.
Will look out for this magazine again!

[aussiemum]

I just got my magazine yesterday in the post. Last night after the kids were asleep I sat down at the kitchen bench with a glass of wine & read it from cover to cover (as I do usually- one of life's little pleasures ).

I loved Peggy's piece about her father, Oliver- thought that was just beautiful & so pertinent to what we are all trying to do as attachment focused/natural living parents.

I also loved the two articles on homebirth/natural birth, liked accidental bedshare dad's perspective. And I am passionate about good food, so Peggy's kitchen was great as usual. I thought it was spot-on in terms of how we should be thinking about healthy eating & providing good food choices for the people we love & cook for.

However, I didn't like the eco-baby shower article at all, tbh. : I thought it was kinda elitist. And there is no way I would ever consider asking on an invitation for what I wanted the guests to bring. Call me old-fashioned, but it's just not gonna happen here. I might drop hints before the event if people ask, but on the day every gift is graciously received.

[New_Natural_Mom]

I really liked the new nutrition article. I learned quite a bit and it made me interested enough to research further. This was a very useful article.

[joeys_mom]

'Birth Tiger' was my favorite article. I read "Birthing from Within" when I was pregnant and felt the birth art was an amazing tool for identifying your biggest fear in terms of childbirth.

[my2sons0930]

I enjoyed REEL MILK, the best part was that it had my hubsand hooked too!

[*LoveBugMama*]

Oliver. My absolute favorite article. What a wonderful, loving portret of what seemed like a wonderful man. Thank you soo much for sharing him with us, Peggy.

[bobchee]

Really enjoyed the recipes....HMMMM

[samrawet]

this is your poem