Posts by Tag: community

Breastfeeding Community of Practice

Posted by on January 1st, 2013 | 8 comments »

I sat down at 1pm AST today and I nursed my baby.  We didn’t make the news.

Though I was in a retail setting while feeding my baby I wasn’t at a nurse-in (nor was I asked to leave for doing so).

Though I run a small business and brought my child to work today I’m not the owner of an Italian restaurant (nor was I served a complaint by a health official).

I am closing out the year feeling blessed to raise my child in an uplifting environment encouraging of and nurturing in my relationship and care taking of my baby.  I live and work in Halifax Regional Municipality.

I fed my child at Nurtured today.

 

I fed him while customers were milling about boxing week specials and in my place of business.  I fed him in our breastfeeding friendly area, outfitted with signage and lounging furniture (including a specific armless chair purchased through a government grant in fact) in an area filled with resources for parenting (both breastfeeding and bottle feeding friendly mind you).   There is a plaque hanging nearby stating this place of business is a proud member of the Breastfeeding Community of Practice.  There is a sticker on the door with the international symbol for breastfeeding.  My customers and coworkers likely saw my chest.  The way my toddler feeds he likely exposed my breast.  Heck, he put his hand down my shirt.

I also fed him at the grocery store this week while I was buying eggs and again at the checkout.  We didn’t make the news then either or receive any complaints.

Yet twice in the span of a week two mothers in HRM and their breastfeeding babies made national news shining light on the discouragement of our province’s breastfeeding community.  In a recent opinion article by the Chronicle Herald’s Lezlie Lowe she cited the “wretched” 12% breastfeeding rate for babies in Nova Scotia still nursing after 6 months.

Indeed public places are also for babies  as we’ve seen in other media of 2012 and a message from our Minister of Health.

But are they for babies in HRM?  Lezlie Lowe’s article this past year questioned that. This week’s news questioned that.   If your jaw didn’t drop over the news this past week perhaps it did over the fact these mothers are still nursing their eight month olds.

Congratulations to Kendra-Ann and Hannah for continuing their breastfeeding relationship past our province’s “norm”.

Alas, that part didn’t make the news.

Nursing your baby at your place of business while clearing a table or in a busy retail setting while sitting down shouldn’t make people pause for questioning whether this is in or out of place, convenient, healthy or good for business. The past week’s unfortunate events wouldn’t have happened were we a true utopia of a breastfeeding community.  To contrast, Mongolian mothers will commonly lift their shirts, grab their breasts and wave them at their hungry child [from birth to 6 years and up].  I know this isn’t Mongolia nor do I particularly want it to be.  However, I do wish we supported women breastfeeding publicly as if they could unabashedly charade such intentions. Call me a lactivist. I wish all mothers could breastfeed.   I wish expecting and adoptive parents knew more about the possibilities of lactation. I wish there was a local milk bank. I wish someone higher and mightier than me would realize the health stats for mothers and children of our province would be better simply by an increase in our breastfeeding rates.   Rest assured you don’t have to be able to breastfeed to be pro-breastfeeding.

No matter what I wish, let’s agree in the new year a mother’s arms are the safest place for a baby to be.

I have a resolution for 2013 I’d like to suggest:

On the eve of a new year as a business owner, a breastfeeding mother, a member of the Breastfeeding Community of Practice and a resident of Nova Scotia, Canada,

I’m resolving to consider a child feeding or being comforted as a human right.  I hope you’ll try the same. I’d like to think Nova Scotians are ready for it.

Your baby or your neighbour’s baby  may not file taxes yet or vote, but he is the future of our province.  He’s a stat in the health, the educational well being and economic outlook of the province.  I don’t feel a sense of entitlement in pointing this out.  Frankly, I feel ignorant I didn’t put more weight into this fact any earlier.

I sat down at 1pm today and I nursed my baby.  So what?

I feel like the immediate community nurturing my breastfeeding relationship is newsworthy. Free drop-in breastfeeding support with Pampered Mamas Doula Services was at 1:30pm AST today at Nurtured. I met a brand new mother that I hope is well on her way to a great start after today’s meet up. Personally it’s fourteen months going strong; I’ve surpassed where I my first weaned. My child is healthy.  I’m healthy.  His immunity benefits in this second year of breastfeeding are now higher than those in the first.  My rates for developing breast cancer continue to lower.  I am privileged to bring him to work with me and I nurse him in plain view of my coworkers and customers without much thought, air of arrogance or complaint.

Generally I am caught off-guard by the community of well-wishers while I am nursing.  Let’s make that the news in 2013.  Let’s promote the health of our children and the support we receive from HRM and Nova Scotia.  Become a community cheering on breastfeeding goals be they learning a proper latch while still in hospital or just when your milk has come in, establishing a healthy supply during maternity leave or returning to work.  Continue a community of encouragement as you watch these babies reach milestones and live a healthy lively life well into adulthood and parenting their own tiny Nova Scotians.

For 2013 when you notice a mother feeding her child just walk on by or give her a thumbs up.

Happy new year.

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Thank you for everything

Posted by on July 7th, 2011 | 9 comments »

Over two years ago I joined April MacKinnon on her quest to improve the lives of families and to make babies healthier. I’d been a customer of hers since my son was born in late 2007, and she was one of my “Mommy Mentors”- someone that I looked up to and trusted.  She opened the store with me by her side, and I continued to be her right-hand woman until she sold the store in March 2011.  She was able to collect a wonderful group of women to help grow the store and everyone worked together to find products that you, our loyal customers, wanted to buy. More than that, all of us worked hard to develop a COMMUNITY for you, a place where you could come and talk about anything you wanted to (and boy, did you ever!).  There was hardly a day that went by that we didn’t talk about how much we loved the fact that you would come to us and talk about your birth experience, your breastfeeding struggles and successes, and even more intimate things. We were always willing to listen, to comfort, and to let you know that we had been there too, and that it was going to get better.

I have learned so much from you; lessons I’d never otherwise have learned, and I can’t thank you enough. We all try our best to make the right decisions for our families, especially for our babies, and it was you who showed me, loud and clear, that I don’t know it all, and that the choices I made for my son are ones that you may not have made for your children, and that’s okay. Sometimes it feels like we’re all walking around with blindfolds on, not knowing up from down, and the only advice I have to give you is to follow your instincts.

Along with the customers who’ve allowed me into their lives, I have found a sisterhood among the staff (past and present) at Nurtured. We were all brought together out of our desire to help people, to change lives, even if it’s something small as cloth diapers. I’ve been lucky enough to get to know people I never would have otherwise met, and I love them all despite our differences. Our hearts have always been with Nurtured and the people we meet because of it.

I’ve never had a job that I’ve cared this much about, that I’ve looked forward to going to every day, that I’ve had so much passion for.  It’s because of you- each one of you who have allowed me to teach you about cloth diapers or carriers, who’ve sat around and spoken to me for hours, who trust me to help you choose healthy alternatives for the ones you love the most. You are the community that we worked so hard to build. Thank you for making our dreams come true.

We all come to crossroads in our lives though, and this is one of mine.  There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t feel some “Mom Guilt” for being away from my son (who was 18 months old when the store first opened, and is now nearly four years old), despite me completely loving my job.  I would like to spend more time with him. I’d also like to focus on growing my own business, Pip Robins, and so that’s what I’ve decided to do, at least for a while.

Thank you so much for answering 300+ of my Parenting Questions of the Day, talking to me about your life and asking my advice because you trust me. Thank you for supporting local, for contributing to the growth of the business and making sustainable choices for your family. I will miss you all incredibly- coworkers and customers. I look forward to seeing Nurtured continue changing people’s lives for the better.

If you see me at the playground or around Halifax, please keep saying hello!  If you want to keep in touch, I can be reached via email, pip AT piprobins.com, or through the Volunteer Doula Program at the Chebucto Family Center. Thank you for everything!

Gillian Hyde

 

 

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Father’s Day 2011

Posted by on June 20th, 2011 | 2 comments »

BirthDAYS, Father’sDAY, EveryDAY

My son Sam turned five last Thursday and because he has a mid June birthday it is always around that “special day” for dads. Each year Father’s Day takes on a different meaning to me. The one question I always wonder is what my son will think when he thinks back about the kind of dad that I was. Just asking myself this question implies that maybe I could be a better dad. As I read over the posts about other dads on our Nurtured Facebook page I am certain that I can sometimes do things a little better. There are some powerful and emotional feelings that one gets from reading over those submissions about others. I tip my hat to the many dads that were mentioned. Keep up the good great awesome work!

I have had the good fortune to be a stay at home dad since March 2010. It has been within this time that I have seen so many things through the eyes of my little guy – this little person that I really only knew when I was home after a day at the office or back from another 2 or 3 night trip away from home; and there were many of those in his first 4 years. I’m still embarrassed that when my son wasn’t even 8 days old I was hopping on a plane to cross the country when I probably could have skipped the trip entirely. I guess it takes some of us a little longer to put perspective in place!

My wife was doing an amazing job of helping Sam grow and prosper but I was missing many of those moments – moments that I could never get back. To make matters worse I was missing some of the moments even when I was home because it always seemed that something else had to be done or I was too tired, blah, blah, blah. What a crock…

I am a better man now that those times are behind me since living the past 15 months through the eyes of my little man Sam. He is a good boy (well 90% of the time anyway). I’m so glad that we will be welcoming another child in October – there is no way I will miss any of those future moments with him or her and those yet to come with Sam.

I wonder what the response would be if I asked the dads from the Facebook comments yesterday whether a birthday, a Mother’s Day, a Father’s Day, an anniversary or any memorable date is really any different to them from any other day? Of course, the actual dates will always hold special sentimental meaning, but do these men really think that these are special one-of-a-kind days that happen only once a year so they need to be on their best behavior? I don’t think they do.

I think those gents have chosen to make sure that they try their hardest to make everyone’s “everyday” feel like it is their Mother’s Day, their Father’s Day, their birthday, their anniversary or whatever day it is that makes that person feel special. What do you think? If I am right then what a wonderful way they live life.

There is truly no way to know and / or quantify the best dad in the world. I suspect that there would be a lot of ties for that so called first place. Just close your eyes and imagine a bunch of cloth diaper cladded 2 year olds play wrestling over whose dad is the best. There would never be a winner – there never could be a winner. (And no I do not subscribe to violence ☺)

Reading about one dad’s journey really moved me after a few short sentences from his wife. I have never met J.P. Bremner but I am truly inspired by him to be a better dad. I contacted his wife Sacha to learn a little more about what life has been like for them since being diagnosed with his illness. With her permission I am sharing that with you now:

“My husband was set to leave with the military to Afghanistan, but an optometrist appointment (for pressure he was having in his eyes) 2 days prior to his deployment changed our lives in a way that could never have been imagined. J.P was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma Multiforme which is a very aggressive stage 4 Brain Cancer. He has had 95% of it removed by surgery, has undergone 6 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy, and continues to do chemo monthly. The prognosis of this type of cancer varies, but can be bleak as the cancer usually returns within a year we are told. We are hopeful that with J.P being so young, this will help him beat the average survival time of this horrible disease.

As of right now J.P is doing well. We are taking things day by day, and as with any cancer there are certainly good days and bad days. We try our best to take in the good days as they come, and try to get through the bad days the best that we can. J.P continues to go to work as much as he can despite how sick he feels some days (we are very fortunate to have the financial support of the military to cover all of his medical expenses etc). He can be described as someone who loves to work: work on cars, work on our house, whatever can keep him busy. Since I have known J.P he has always wanted a garage, so we built one for him with funds from a benefit family and friends had for us, and it makes me smile every time I see him working in it. He is an amazingly strong husband and father, who our little girl (Sophie) adores, and as I mentioned in my post, he always makes time for the little moments with her, and I know he will continue to be the same amazing father to our baby boy that is due in September.

Sometimes I look at our situation and try to understand why this is happening to us, and it breaks my heart when I think about what the future may hold (which I try not to do) But I try to remember that we never really know what life is going to hand to any of us good or bad. It sounds so cliché, but we really do have to live each day to the fullest that we can. I read a quote by Oprah the other day that really expressed how I try to live each day, it went: “Breathe. Let go, and remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”

At Nurtured, we would like JP to accept our Nurtured Dad of the Year Award on behalf of all of those other awesome dads out there.

I cannot imagine facing every day with the reality of having Stage 4 Brain Cancer – that fact alone would make me try harder to be the full potential of the parent I can be, and that my child wishes I were. I would cherish every moment with my family, not knowing what the future holds. It would be so easy to give up, to give in, to stop fighting, but instead one needs to remember that having a family should inspire you to live each day to the fullest with no excuses and no regrets. All of us at Nurtured sincerely hope that JP will beat this disease forever and be there to see the birth of his second child, to see his children’s first day of school, their high school graduation and live a long healthy life. We know that there are other men in the world facing seemingly overwhelming challenges. We wish them well also.

I’ve been told that JP is kind of shy. From one Dad to another JP I want to say that you didn’t win the right to accept the title on behalf of dads out there because of pity. You won purely on the strength it must take you to get up out of bed and live not just for yourself, but for Sacha, Sophie and your yet to be born son. You deserve to represent other dads as they try to be the best they can be.

JP and family will enjoy a two-night stay at one of the fantastic inns and resorts in our beautiful province, White Point Beach Resort. A well deserved opportunity to take a break on behalf of all Dads (and Mom’s). A well deserved opportunity to just breathe in the air.

I would really like to thank Jolyn and Gillian for helping me with my inaugural post on the Nurtured Blog – my first ever blog posting on any blog. I really only wanted to put a few things down for others to read so if you have made it to the end I thank you.

Happy Everyday Everyone!

Follow me @NurturedDad

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Easter habits dye hard

Posted by on April 21st, 2011 | 0 comments »

My oldest sister has the greatest opportunity for an Easter full of memories for her little ones: A large farm yard with two brand new baby ducklings waddling around will be their backdrop during their Easter egg hunt in the coming days. To me this sparks the festivities of dying hard-boiled eggs over the weekend and timing out just when to hide the goodies, crossing your fingers it doesn’t rain or snow and setting out the baskets after the little ones have gone to bed.

Just as I recall the Easter egg hunts of my childhood, I’m also caught red-handed in remembering a plethora of plastic as part of the nostalgia: hanging plastic Easter eggs on the fruit trees in our front yard and around the garden. My mouth still waters over the black licorice jelly beans inside those eggs!

However, in this day and age, it’s apparent this sweet and childish delight reeks of something other than the after effect of a diet heavy in eggs! How and when did so many plastic Easter eggs enter the scene?

As quickly as drinking water out of a plastic bottle is becoming passé why isn’t use of the modern North American plastic Easter egg being questioned by big box stores or developing conspiracy theories of how one ages or develops later in life? I’m simply curious. Thankfully, my yoga instructor has shared with me that a daily inversion pose should help the endocrine system filter years of plastic exposure and also calm an anxious mind!

It all comes down to simplicity in the choices we make for holiday décor and making conscious efforts for what becomes ingrained in our family traditions. I do recall one of my favourite Easter baskets had a box of brightly coloured chalk, crayons, a coloring book and just two tiny packages of candy. The candy was consumed on the spot of course and I coloured all the way through spring break and into the summer months. I might have lost every time I tried to beat my sister for the most pictures coloured without leaving the lines, but I loved those basket contents.

It’s been fun to see our Buy Local coloring books arrive at Nurtured just in time to make it into Easter baskets this year. Paired with a set of Stockmar beeswax crayons for a bright array of your favourite little artist’s handiwork, you’ll have never seen a prettier purple and blue striped cabbage!

Food for thought: try passing on something that is renewable, sustainable and green without involving strands of plastic eggs or grass! This time of year marks such a lovely tradition and welcome to new life and beginnings. Keep it fresh for those little ones in your life!

Happy spring, everyone, from your friends at Nurtured

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Thanks for the warm welcome! Hello!

Posted by on March 9th, 2011 | 0 comments »

In 2005 I was pregnant, had just moved to a new community, was newly married, and new to staying at home.  Thankfully pregnancy allowed me some time in which to read and learn to adapt to my new role. Although I had a new life growing inside of me and opportunity for new experiences around me, I felt alone and isolated. In those early months most women turn to their family and friends, of which I had none close by. In the end, I relied on doing the best I could with the resources I found…and I learned a lot! (In retrospect, I still wish I had a practice run!)

As a woman I am proud to say I am a daughter, a sister and a friend to a community of mothers whom I respect. Part way through my pregnancy I realized I needed to reach out and ask for advice. This allowed me the insight I needed to sift the information I had read into ideas on how I would parent.  Motherhood quickly became a ticket to listening and sharing experiences within a parenting community I hadn’t realized existed. Luckily, for me, the communities we build as parents allow us to learn from each other and evaluate what works (and what doesn’t).

The last five years of parenting have boiled down to a few simple rules I fall back on:
1. Ask questions and keep asking them until the answer resonates within you
2. Trust your instincts
3. Keep it simple
4. Pat yourself on the back for your efforts

In 2010 my husband had an opportunity to become a stay-at-home dad. He became more involved in the daily parenting of our son. Our child is in no way, shape or form (or behaviour) perfect, but we narrowed the gap of parenting our child together. It was a turning point I will always be grateful we came to and one that widely impacted our decision to look at Nurtured for 2011.
When we learned of the opportunity to become the new owners of Nurtured, everything came down to the “fit”. For us, this transfer of ownership allowed the opportunity we had sought out for years to move “home”, be near family and be a part of an amazing community outreach.

The last few weeks have had me laughing at how circumstances create opportunity. Just as April was beginning a new business in 2006, I was finding the ground to stand on! April is an amazing woman (have you seen how pregnant she is right now?!) and has certainly left big shoes for me to fill. I am so grateful for the life experiences that have led me to where I am at today. I am also thankful to have April’s blessing to now steer what she began as an outreach and resource to her local community. She will always be integral to the foundation of what Nurtured is and what you see at Nurtured on Robie Street and www.nurtured.ca.

I look forward to meeting you as a customer, a fellow parent and friend, and continuing to provide this resource along with an amazing team of parenting enthusiasts who can say, “I’ve been there”.

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The Nurtured Community

Posted by on June 19th, 2010 | 0 comments »

nurturedWe have been featured this weekend on SouleMama, one of my favourite blogs.

For those of you who may not know, we also have an active and vibrant community on Facebook where (to date) 515 people are part of a daily “Parenting Question of the Day” discussion, cloth diaper discussions, new product updates, and information sharing of all things parenting related. If you haven’t joined us already, here’s your invitation!

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