Radical Moms Union Digest #3
Honey and napalm from your favorite radical moms.
I hit one year of breastfeeding my giggling meatball baby! It's been an incredible adventure inward and despite having more chins than I’d prefer and no clothes that currently fit—for the first time— my body feels perfect.
Andrea fired our opening salvo against Emily Oster, the Ivy-league economist turned parenting guru. We have much to say about her “data-driven” style of parenting that has made her a media darling and giant influence on frazzled moms. We started with looking at the main studies Oster uses to claim that ‘breastfeeding benefits are overstated.’ In short, Emily Oster is full of shit.
Next, I decided to go sacred cow-tipping and throw in my spicy, unassailable take on the rise of Ms. Rachel. This pre-K teacher and her $10 million Youtube channel, with ads, claims that her content can help babies under 4 learn to talk. This is a lie. There is not a single study that says babies can learn from screens. It’s the opposite, they are more likely to be speech delayed from screens. Ms. Rachel is good for distracting your kids not anything else. Thus, Ms. Rachel is full shit.
Andrea closed out the week with a wonderful and searing essay on what it’s like to parent young children with a brain that from can convince her that, “I’m riddled with cancer, married to someone who doesn’t love me, and am raising impossible children.” Turns out, Zoloft works better than raw carrot salad.
Boob News: Good and Bad
Both items come out of the Golden State.
First the bad!
*Dramatically grips bridge of my nose and let’s out a irritated sigh…*
In response to the formula shortage from 2022, a CA lawmaker is proposing a bill that would invest millions of dollars in a stockpile of infant formula. The bill just passed the health committee unanimously last week and is headed to appropriations next month. It looks certain to pass. Of course, this is terrible use of resources and would not prevent tainted formula from circulating due to the toothless inspection and regulation of formula manufacturing. Speaking of which, here is a ‘Call to Action’ from the FDA pleading with formula manufacturers to do a better job of policing themselves.
Than CA Breastfeeding Coalition — a tightly organized, politically charged group of lactivists — are battling against the measure by lobbying legislators and in general creating trouble. Your state likely has a breastfeeding coalition to pushback against dumb ideas like this one. You should join it! Or take it over! OR START YOUR OWN!??
OK, SOME GOOD NEWS???
WIC, the federal and state program for needy women, infants, and children is the biggest purchaser of formula in the entire country. Through the 1980s and 1990s, vulnerable women and children, a cohort that would benefit THE MOST from breastfeeding, were handed cans of formula instead of any breastfeeding support. But over the last 10 years, the program has been making massive efforts to, in their words, go “from a formula feeding program to a premiere breastfeeding promotion, support, and advocacy program.”
In CA, the protocol for underweight WIC babies is 10x more boob friendly than most pediatrician office. Their main tool for combating too much weight loss: BREASTMILK. Only when the baby is in serious danger do WIC workers offer formula, and even that is supposed to be limited with the goal of resuming exclusive breastfeeding. I attended a whole webinar about it. Fascinating stuff!!
NOW WE ENTINCE YOU WITH MERCH!!
If you upgrade to a paid subscription ($5) today, you’ll get a union pin mailed for free to you (in a paper envelope, with a cute ‘lil stamp, with your name written in marker, like we’re pen pals who met at summer camp). Once you subscribe, we will send you an email and get your address and then you can wear this pin to your next women’s circle, nurse in, lactivist ritual mom-shaming meet up! This a subscription is the only way you can get it. Get your union pin and let everyone know: YOU ARE PRETTY RAD 😎