A letter to my local MP

I've not done this before, it's a big step writing to an MP. There's a lot of things floating around saying that they can block the referendum vote being acted on. If this works I'll be very happy. This was written to Andrew Tyrie, the Chichester MP and I've included his details below on the off chance someone else wants to send him something.

.........

Andrew Tyrie

House of Commons

London

SW1A 0AA

andrew.tyrie.mp@parliament.uk

Dear Mr Tyrie

The implications of the recent EU referendum are far reaching and quite possibly worse than we can all imagine. I'm writing to you hoping you can address my concerns with your fellow MPs. 

From your constituency I've heard an absolute horror, one of my mother’s narrow minded friends voted leave simply because she doesn't like having Polish neighbours. I cannot comprehend this idiocy, and I fear racism is abundant in the area. Sadly, my Dad and I as proud Scots suffered casual anti-Scottish comments in the area, to the point where someone even destroyed my Saltire and the police in your area don't take these hate crimes seriously. My real concern is some people have taken the Brexit victory as a license to be racist. It's not even been a week but look at the anti-Polish sentiment that's spread like a cancer across England. I'm yet to hear stories from the rest of the United Kingdom. 

With the utmost respect for the leave campaign I feel that their campaign was one of scaremongering, propaganda and lies at best. It was full of casual racism, and now the referendum is over European migrants, and other nationalities have suffered from disgusting comments telling them to leave the country. This is appalling. The British public seem to have no idea how Europe works and some don't even know what the European Union is. Until they're educated I strongly think this referendum should only be taken as advisory. I honestly don't think a referendum on this scale can be, let alone should be, organised in as little as four months. 

Life is an adventure and my adventure is currently in France. I came here in 2012 and I've been around Paris ever since. I've been working and studying and I profit fully from the freedom of movement act. I have a normal life in France with French colleges and friends, I know one English person and about twenty other Scots. We've all been affected in varying degrees, a woman from church was crying on Sunday because she's in despair. My French friends and colleagues are horrified at seeing the news on the racist attacks, incidents or whatever you shall call them, when I tell them that sadly this is normal but usually hidden they're even more disgusted. Sadly people will be seeing this image as the new independent Great Britain. Although the leave side wasn't full of xenophobia I feel the xenophobes have won.

I'm scared to bring my three year old son to Chichester as he only speaks French. As a mother I understandably want to protect him and I'm worried people will jump on us with all their hate speech, so for now I'm postponing all holidays. I sadly know this is a possibility as when I received a phone call in the town centre and was talking on the phone in French someone yelled at me to “fuck off back home” along with many dirty looks thrown at me by complete strangers. I have a terrible accent when I speak in French, but people don't care about that. They're more keen to see me as yet another foreigner. 

There is no exit plan. Nobody on the leave campaign reflected on that before the public made this life changing choice. Look how Labour have fallen apart since the vote was announced. There is too much division in the government. I worry that with these divides it could be the worst time to go through with leaving the European Union. A step in the dark can easily cause a fall, I don't want to see the UK flounder because of one gigantic mistake. 

The pound has fallen in value, this means the world marker doesn't have much confidence in the United Kingdom outside of the European Union. Not to mention the United Kingdom is barely united these days. Is it any wonder Scotland wants to leave?

Another concern of mine is that the majority of leave voters are apparently over 65, if the exit plan fails and the consequences are long lasting they won't have long to live through it. My generation, I'm 23, will have decades of suffering to put right this one monstrous mistake. The European Union has taken decades to build to its current status, and we have been involved for a long time. We could lose so much progress in leaving. 

You, as a member of Parliament can voice these concerns and I am sure that I'm not alone in contacting you, and other MPs across the country. To make it easier for you to reply I've included my mother's address, she still checks my post when I receive things. I look forward to receiving your response. 

Yours sincerely,

And obviously I signed it. 

Mother's Day Mugs

In France Mother's Day isn't the same day as in the UK. This year it's the 29th of May.

I wanted to do something special but not too difficult with the children I babysit. Something they'd be capable of doing that had a functional purpose, but could also be decorative if it was too sentimental or pretty to use. 

I chose painted mugs, proposed the activity to them and they happily accepted. 

Who with? 

With children aged 3 and up, I found this fun as an adult. They have to be able to hold a pen and ideally draw or write. 

Where?

Ideally outside where if they make a mess it's leas of a problem. Otherwise on a low table with plenty of sheets of paper. Ceramic paint is a nightmare to clean up. 

Materials

I found these paint liner pens in Hema for 5€50 and tested them. They seem to work as ceramic paint pens would but I got four for the price of one real ceramic paint pen.

• - Ceramic paint in pen form (or paint form with brushes for older children)
• - Pale or white mugs
• - Newspaper to protect the surfaces
• - Aprons
• - An oven to bake the paint 

Objectives

• - Make something for Mother's Day with a practical use. 
• - Involve the children in their Mother's Day presents. 

Secondary objectives

• - Drawing or writing with the kids.
• - Talking about the colours in English, as I'm meant to be teaching them basics. 

Before, preparation  

Obviously before involving the children in this activity I did a trial run to avoid any disappointment. I didn't want them making beautiful mugs and then the paint washing off. 

Once I found out it had worked we went to the shop together to choose our mugs. I asked L what kind of coffee her mum drinks in the morning (small or large) and she said large and choose a large mug. Then I asked R and he said small. L decided she preferred the small mug and wanted a small one for her mum. So we ended up with two espresso mugs which they both started calling coffees in English. 

We paid, went back to the house and the children cleared off the table. They got their drawing books, because I said where the pens were a bit difficult it would be one at a time. We also put paper on the table to avoid getting paint on it. 

I washed the mugs and the kids took off their jackets so they were in short sleeves. 

During, the activity

R went first because L was drawing out on paper what she wanted to write on her mug. 

I asked R which language he wanted to do his mug in and he said the language he speaks with his dad. I got the translation and he asked me to write it and chose a colour. Then I asked him if he wanted to draw something on the other side. He said a flower. We drew it in together and then he drew his family without any help next to the flower. I also wrote his name and year around the bottom. 

Then it was L's turn. She's much more inderpendant so wrote on "maman" with a heart for the middle m on her own. Then I wrote her name and the year on the bottom. 

I was making a mug at the same time and I'd written on the handle and they asked me to do the same on their mugs.

After, finishing 

I swore them both to secrecy and we hid the mugs in L'a room. The following day I did a second coat on the paint and baked them in the oven. 

The children actually put their own into the oven because they go into a cold oven. Warm to 180° and then leave for 30 minutes. Then turn off and leave to cool.

Once cool we filled them with sweetie hearts. 

Both children wanted to give them to their mums on the same evening we'd finished them to they did it a bit early than normal but everyone seemed happy. 

Mine is for my Italian  friend, hence the lack of sense.

Making a pear tart

For my classes I have coursework. I have to write a report on what I do with the kids. In the report I have to put in a creative activity and a daily activity, for my creative I've chosen to write about a pear tart we made. The kids are a girl called L who is 3 and a half, and a boy called R who is 3. They aren't siblings they're neighbours and we alternate between houses.

Planning 

L's mum likes baking and has a really well equipped kitchen. I think she'd made a tart because L found a cook book full of tarts and she asked if I'd read it to her thinking it was a story. I decided to show her the pictures while telling her about the flavours. R didn't want to read the story with us but I told him be could come join in later if he wanted. We drooled over this book for a good quarter hour, it was full of sweet and savoury tarts and they all looked good. 

It's not the first time we've baked together, we've made cakes, biscuits, salt dough, and we either worked in a team or the kids took turns. So I asked if they wanted to make a tart. They said yes and we chose a lovely chocolate and pear tart. We waited for the parents to get back and asked L's mother if she could get us the ingredients for tomorrow. 

She said yes!

The activity 

The day we made the tart we got back from school at the normal time and as I settled the kids at the table I said something about the pears and the roll of pastry in the fridge. L reminded me about the tart and I said something about making a chocolate and pear tart. The kids ate and I drank my coffee.

We went off to get the footstools so the kids were at the right level to use the kitchen and see what they were doing. Then we all washed our hands. One child went at a time with me supervising. I made sure they washed their hands properly and helped them rise all the soap away. And then They put in their aprons. First L helped me find all of the ingredients because they're in a high cupboard. I knew where they were but she likes being showing off a bit. Then R and I found all the things we'd need like bowls and a tart dish.

The tart base had to be forked first. So I gave them both forks and they stabbed quite well. Then I did the silly thing of saying it was done and stabbing it more for luck. They laughed. I put it in the oven to cook while we mixed everything else. I also put in place the no touch rule around the oven. The oven is child safe but I don't want them near it. 

Both kids helped me mix the ingredients. We had to do two lots one with and one without egg. So R mixed the eggs in the mixer and L mixed the cream and sugar by hand while I melted the chocolate in the microwave. Once the chocolate had melted I told the kids we needed to mix it with the cream while warning them it was hot. I gave them a spoon each and gradually added the chocolate in reminding them it was hot. Then we took half of it and mixed it with the eggs using the mixer. 

After this we drained the pears and I had to put the tart together. Which was in a burning hot tart dish. I sent the kids off to play and poured the eggless sauce into the base. I put the pears in and spread the egg sauce around them. The tart went back into the oven to cook. The kids were still fine playing with the toys at L's house. 

I asked them if they wanted the lick the bowl and I got a resounding yes. So I got them a spoon each and gave them the bowl. They sat at the table and L was helping R to begin with but did try hogging the bowl a few times. 

While they were doing that I started in the cleaning that they couldn't do. Wiping the surfaces to actually clean them and taking apart the mixer. Then when they'd finished with the bowl L helped me with the dishwasher but R didn't want to. I didn't insist because he's small and not used to doing the cooking. 

We read a story while waiting for the tart to cook. It seemed to take a long time but I think it was my first tart so I'm sure it was normal. When it had cooked and cooled we all sat at the table and had a tiny tiny piece each. 

We waiting for the parents and gave them a bit each and it was admired by everyone. 

Notes and to improve upon 

L is more keen on cooking that R. He will do it because we are but doesn't ask to and doesn't seem hugely interested. L bakes with her mum and sometimes asks to bake. 

R does like to try but is quickly frustrated if it's not working or he can't play with the mixer. Pay close attention to him to avoid the mix doesn't get damaged. Once he actually put an egg shell in it. 

Both kids try to eat the mix while making the cake. Normally they stop when I tell them there won't be enough to make a cake they stop. 

Next time I don't think I'll make a tart with a hot tart base. It wasn't great because the children weren't involved with the entire project and couldn't be because of the burn risk. 

Otherwise this was a very good activity and I don't think there's a lot to improve on.

This was the tart we made. 

This is the same recipe made at my place with my two temperature oven. (Off and inferno) 

Things I have learnt from a month at my mother's

I've spent a month at my mother's house this summer, due to housing problems and a month long gap between studies. I'll probably not have another holiday for a year, possibly two depending on the work situation.

To begin with it was a novelty, being back in the dead end town. I spent years here and I've always hated it. However when I come back here on a holiday it's nice to wonder around aimlessly amongst people who don't seem able to or don't wish to see past the façade of emptiness. This town hasn't moved past it's history. It's quaint, but there's no future, no life. I've always described it as a retirement town, and although I see a slight change, there's more things in the town centre, I've not changed my opinion.

The other thing I understand more and more every time I come back is I was never here. I barely contributed when I was here, because I wasn't here very long and after excessive bullying when I was at high school I barely went out and had few to no friends. I can safely say I have no friends, seeing a total of three old friends while here for a month. I don't bump into people I've not seen for aeons because everyone has either moved away like me, or forgotten me completely.

At the start with it was nice, now I'm just lonely. I've not seen anyone for two weeks and it's like I've been here for too long. It's not my place here, that's what I've grown to understand.

I really understand how humans are temporary now, we'll be forgotten soon after death unless we're famous, and few people receive that level of fame. How many dead people can you remember outside of your own family? How many other people remember them? Case in point, we all forget. I'm not even dead yet.

Brambles grow quickly and they're a good anti-paedophile defence, because that bastard living here is still alive, and I'm not around to defend my family I'm glad to see that the brambles have grown meaning he now has to come up the front drive, rather than jumping over the fence and in through a window. However I have seen him looking over the fence. Hopefully he'll be dead soon because of his age, he has to be over 60, at least 70.

Too much free time is always a bad thing. Yes, I've cleared up a lot of things, got rid of many things I no longer want or need, but now I'm perpetually bored. I've run out of things to do, I'm still kitting but even that gets tedious after three full weeks.

I did go camping, but that was a disaster when one of the bags broke. I'm still working on my angry letter to Karrimor. Although I still raised £250 for Cancer Research, which I'm very proud of.

Soon I'll be back in France, next week I'll be signing my contract and starting my classes and work. Life is getting better. But my place is no longer here.

The risks of bottle feeding.

This is a work in progress of an ongoing story.

As you can see mymalnourished son is so thin you can see his bones.

So I'm off to the doctors tomorrow because Sandy still isn't growing enough. He's 6 and a half months old and has only just hit 5.9kg. Typing also hurts because I fucked up my wrist/hand/arm, I have no idea which hurts, but it hurts. Anyway, after this doctor's appointment I'm probably going to get the typical bollocks of "give him bottles, supplement him!" but I know he grows less when I do that, I end up exhausted from expressing, and then he won't take breast milk, I end up engorged and pumping all day long and it just doesn't work.
So I am writing this to defend myself, meaning I can just go onto my blog, click the translate button and show it to the French without having to battle in some stupid language that I hate. Yup, I'm still insulting their language, nope, their guillotine doesn't scare me yet.

Now I'm scouring the Internet for the risks of bottle feeding, because I feel it's not natural, and the way they say breast is best when breast is normal makes me feel weird. If breast is normal then clearly when they say it's better than bottle feeding artificial milk isn't as good, therefore it is inferior.

Boobies in my family

I just want to clarify my family background. My mum was bottled fed, we're not 100% sure why, all we know is her mother was told she couldn't breast feed, which is very strange because nearly every woman can. She was 38 years old, and widowed at two months of pregnancy, so had a pretty stressful time, but there shouldn't have been any effect on her milk supply, but for whatever reason my mum was bottled fed. I was breast fed at birth, like my brother, because my mum just did it, she made milk, it seemed normal she did it, to clarify why I asked her on Skype, because it's now 2013, even the elderly have Skype.

Andi: WHY DID YOU BREAST FEED ME?! I need to know for mah blog!
Gin: It seamed like the natural thing to do; and it was also encouraged by the midwives.
Andi: I need ALL the reasons, even if it was cost, laziness, natural, blah blah blah, or for your (non-existent) weight loss (you fat cow) 
Gin: I was told it would help get the weight off, and it did save us buying formula. But money was not the main reason though.
Andi: OKAY! Next question, how did you feel when you stopped boobing? Were you pressured? Did you hate washing up bottles? Was it a pain in the ass? Did you want to go back to boobies? Do you love boobies? I love boobies, maybe I do show lesbian tendencies and that last guy was right and that I was obsessed with his GILF of a mum.
Gin: With the boobs there was no need to worry about things being sterile.I gave up gradually half boob half bottle then just the bedtime feed, because you were sleeping through the night. Then it dried up. By the time I gave up boobing I was used to making up formula. But we used to prepare 6 bottles at a time and store them in a fridge
Andi: So tell me how much you liked/hated bottles, any problems with colic/reflux or nipple confusion too. Did I refuse boobies to get a bottle?
Gin: I stopped when the milk dried up. Bottle was easier when we were out as your dad could do a feed then. He always said he could not breast feed as he did not have the equipment. [My dad was really funny around 90% of the time] I don't remember you getting colic at all, I used mothercare's own silicone teats, I tried the latex ones as they came with the bottles but they went hard when sterilised. You liked the bottles you could hold which were sort of oval shaped wit a hole in the middle. And there was only one place to breastfeed in in town, mothercare
Andi: Didn't you feed in public? Why?
Gin: I fed you on a train and once in a pub but embarrassed one of the men there even though he had 2 daughters of his own, probably because breast feeding in public was not really accepted. It is quite hard to remember all the details it was a long time ago
Andi: CAN YOU MAKE SANDY A CARDIGAN?! IT NEEDS TO BE REALLY GOOD AND IN COTTON
Gin: But I stopped partly because the teeth thing that was advised by a friend, breast feeding with teeth is meant to be painful.
Andi: and the other partly?
Gin: advice from health visitor, she said it was probably time to think about changing.

So in summary, I should be nicer to my mum and stop calling her fat, and she breast fed me because it was natural and she thought it was normal. Which is cool, so it seems like we did it for the same reasons. I love my mummy. However on a side note breastfeeding was normal at my house. When I was six and my pet brother was born I even tried to boob him with my t-shirt on, because I didn't understand how these things worked and I heard him crying and I'm a good big sister, or something like that.

Now, I didn't grow great as a baby, neither did my brother, however, we both grew worse on the formula, and my brother ended up constipated. I was part and part from three months and then exclusively bottle from six months, my brother was bottle fed from three days because the idiot doctors said it was better. I sound very bitter towards bottles, I'll admit that, but I'll also admit that I don't care because I fucking hate them.

I think this pretty much covers my family background on breastfeeding vs bottle feeding, so I'm going to pull up the medical research I've stumbled across that I didn't even look at until after I gave birth. What angers me is that in the UK everyone compares the two milks as similar or the same when clearly they're not and shouldn't be.

Ingredients

I found this list here, it's dated 2008 so it's not the most up to date, it's just a very good website, and has a lot of information on everything.

Formula contains

Water Carbohydrates, Lactose, Corn maltodextrin, Protein, Partially hydrolysed reduced minerals whey protein concentrate (from cow’s milk), Fats, Palm olein, Soybean oil, Coconut oil, High oleic safflower oil (or sunflower oil), M. alpina oil (Fungal DHA), C.cohnii oil (Algal ARA), Minerals, Potassium citrate, Potassium phosphate, Calcium chloride, Tricalcium phosphate, Sodium citrate, Magnesium chloride, Ferrous sulphate, Zinc sulphate, Sodium chloride, Copper sulphate, Potassium iodide, Manganese sulphate, Sodium selenate,
Vitamins; Sodium ascorbate, Inositol, Choline bitartrate, Alpha-Tocopheryl acetate, Niacinamide, Calcium pantothenate, Riboflavin,Vitamin A acetate, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Thiamine mononitrate, Folic acid, Phylloquinone, Biotin, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B12, Enzyme Trypsin, Amino acid, Taurine, L-Carnitine (a combination of two different amino acids), Nucleotides, Cytidine 5-monophosphate, Disodium uridine, 5-monophosphate, Adenosine 5-monophosphate, Disodium guanosine 5-monophosphate, Soy Lecithin.

Boob juice contains

Water, Carbohydrates (energy source), Lactose, Oligosaccharides, Carboxylic acid, Alpha hydroxy acid, Lactic acid, Proteins (building muscles and bones), Whey protein, Alpha-lactalbumin, HAMLET (Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumour cells), Lactoferrin, Many antimicrobial factors, Casein, Serum albumin, Non-protein nitrogens, Creatine, Creatinine, Urea, Uric acid, Peptides, Amino Acids, Alanine, Arginine, Aspartate, Clycine, Cystine, Glutamate, Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lycine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Serine, Taurine, Theronine, Tryptophan, Tyrosine, Valine, Carnitine, Nucleotides, 5’-Adenosine monophosphate (5”-AMP), 3’:5’-Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (3’:5’-cyclic AMP), 5’-Cytidine monophosphate (5’-CMP), Cytidine diphosphate choline (CDP choline), Guanosine diphosphate (UDP), Guanosine diphosphate - mannose
3’- Uridine monophosphate (3’-UMP), 5’-Uridine monophosphate (5’-UMP), Uridine diphosphate (UDP), Uridine diphosphate hexose (UDPH), Uridine diphosphate-N-acetyl-hexosamine (UDPAH), Uridine diphosphoglucuronic acid (UDPGA), Several more novel nucleotides of the UDP type, Fats Triglycerides, Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids,
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), Arachidonic acid (AHA), Linoleic acid, Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), Conjugated linoleic acid (Rumenic acid), Free Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated fatty acids, Oleic acid, Palmitoleic acid, Heptadecenoic acid,
Saturated fatty acids, Stearic, Palmitic acid, Lauric acid, Myristic acid, Phospholipids,
Phosphatidylcholine, Phosphatidylethanolamine, Phosphatidylinositol, Lysophosphatidylcholine, Lysophosphatidylethanolamine, Plasmalogens, Sphingolipids, Sphingomyelin, Gangliosides, GM1, GM2, GM3, Glucosylceramide, Glycosphingolipids, Galactosylceramide, Lactosylceramide, Globotriaosylceramide (GB3), Globoside (GB4), Sterols Squalene, Lanosterol, Dimethylsterol, Methosterol, Lathosterol, Desmosterol, Triacylglycerol, Cholesterol, 7-dehydrocholesterol, Stigma-and campesterol, 7-ketocholesterol, Sitosterol, β-lathosterol, Vitamin D metabolites, Steroid hormones, Vitamins, Vitamin A, Beta carotene, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B8 (Inositol), Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, a-Tocopherol, Vitamin K, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic acid, Pantothenic acid, Biotin,
Minerals, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium, Iron, Zinc, Chloride, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, Iodine, Selenium, Choline, Sulpher, Chromium, Cobalt, Fluorine, Nickel,
Metal, Molybdenum, Growth Factors, Cytokines, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), Macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), Platelet derived growth factors (PDGF), Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Hepatocyte growth factor -α (HGF-α), HGF-β, Tumor necrosis factor-α, Interferon-γ, Epithelial growth factor (EGF), Transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α), TGF β1
TGF-β2, Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), Insulin-like growth factor- II, Nerve growth factor (NGF), Erythropoietin, Peptides, HMGF I (Human growth factor), HMGF II, HMGF III, Cholecystokinin (CCK), β-endorphins, Parathyroid hormone (PTH), Parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP), β-defensin-1, Calcitonin, Gastrin, Motilin, Bombesin (gastric releasing peptide, also known as neuromedin B), Neurotensin, Somatostatin, Hormones, Cortisol, Triiodothyronine (T3), Thyroxine (T4), Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), Thyroid releasing hormone (TRH), Prolactin, Oxytocin, Insulin, Corticosterone, Thrombopoietin, Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), GRH, Leptin (aids in regulation of food intake), Ghrelin (aids in regulation of food intake), Adiponectin, Feedback inhibitor of lactation (FIL), Eicosanoids, Prostaglandins (enzymatically derived from fatty acids) PG-E1, PG-E2, PG-F2, Leukotrienes, Thromboxanes, Prostacyclins, Enzymes, Amylase, Arysulfatase, Catalase, Histaminase, Lipase, Lysozyme PAF-acetylhydrolase, Phosphatase, Xanthine oxidase, Antiproteases (thought to bind themselves to macromolecules such as enzymes and as a result prevent allergic and anaphylactic reactions), a-1-antitrypsin, a-1-antichymotrypsin,
Antimicrobial factors (are used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects, such as bacteria and viruses), Leukocytes (white blood cells), Phagocytes, Basophils, Neutrophils, Eoisinophils, Macrophages, Lymphocytes, B lymphocytes (also known as B cells), T lymphocytes (also known as C cells), sIgA (Secretory immunoglobulin A) (the most important antiinfective factor), IgA2, IgG, IgD, IgM, IgE, Complement C1, Complement C2, Complement C3, Complement C4, Complement C5, Complement C6, Complement C7, Complement C8, Complement C9, Glycoproteins, Mucins (attaches to bacteria and viruses to prevent them from clinging to mucousal tissues), Lactadherin, Alpha-lactoglobulin, Alpha-2, macroglobulin, Lewis antigens, Ribonuclease, Haemagglutinin inhibitors, Bifidus Factor (increases growth of Lactobacillus bifidus), Lactoferrin (binds to iron which prevents harmful bacteria from using the iron to grow), Lactoperoxidase, B12 binding protein (deprives microorganisms of vitamin B12), Fibronectin (makes phagocytes more aggressive, minimizes inflammation, and repairs damage caused by inflammation), Oligosaccharides (more than 200 different kinds)

Yes, there's more ingredients in breast milk, but breast milk is actually meant for human babies, it wasn't made for a cow and then tweaked. Due to human evolution this milk is safe, and as nature intended for humans. There are things there that help brain development that formula lacks, does that mean bottle fed children are less intelligent? Some people seem to think so, and most agree that it leads to obesity later in life. Remember what I said about my mum being bottle fed? And how I called her fat? I see a link here.

The harm from bottle feeding

• Increased risk of asthma (I have this, possibly because I was bottle fed from three months)
• Increased risk of allergies (again, another problem I have)
• Formula feeding increases the rate of ear and respiratory infections
• Reduced cognitive development (I got pregnant twice with contraceptives, possibly got this too)
• Dental malformation (I had how much dental work last year?! Yup, got this)
• There is a risk of infection from contaminated formula
•  Increased risk of nutrient deficiencies
• Increased risk of childhood cancers
• Increased risk of chronic disease
• Decreased maternal bond
• Increased risk of diabetes
• Increased risk of obesity
• Increased risk of gastrointestinal infections
• More diarrhoea and/or constipation. (I've seen both, neither is very pleasant.)
• Increased risk of mortality. SIDS/cot death. (But I don't want to die!)
• More nappy rash
• Increased risk of eczema (all babies in my family have had this, Alexandros seems to be the worst, so no formula for him!) 
• The World Health Organisation estimates that more than a million babies still die every year as a result of diarrhoea picked up from unhygienic bottle-feeding, usually from contaminated water or unsterilised equipment (this one really scares me)

 Nutrient deficiencies really stands out to me because my son isn't growing very quickly, why would I want to add this extra problem to him as well?  

Nutrient deficiencies: e.g., fatty acids, essential for brain development, and amino acids, essential for central nervous system development, as well as calcium and iron, are not in the correct proportions and/or as easily absorbed from formula as breast milk.

  
What's also worrying are the risks for the mother.

• Increased risk of breast cancer
• Increased risk of being over weight
• Increased risk of ovarian cancer
• Increased risk of endometrial cancer
• Increased risk of osteoporosis (my grandma has this, it's horrible, I do not want it)
• Reduced natural child spacing (not really an issue for me)
• Increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis
• Increased stress and anxiety
• Increased risk of maternal diabetes

 People actually choose to bottle feed?

This one is all new to me, I found out about it a month ago because I never really considered it as a choice, I just breast fed because it was normal, and now I've found out there's loads of people who don't bother trying, it's so weird. So I've been doing some googling trying to find out why and the reasons are pathetic.

•  "It just wasn't right for our family. I didn't like the idea of whipping out my breasts in public, or attaching a milking machine to my nipples, or being the only living source of food on the planet for my child." This just seems stupid to me, because combination feeding would have been better I thought. However she then goes on to write "I liked that I might be able to sleep for more than four hours at a stretch." implying she didn't really care about having a baby, but that's irrelevant.
•  "I just think its more convenient, and in my experience bottle fed babies are just as healthy" This was from a forum, but I can't see any covenice in washing bottles, faffing about with water and powder and trying to find a milk that doesn't get the baby constipated when I make one on demand with no extra effort.
• "Baby had a really strong suck and I didn't have enough milk to fulfil her." Sounds like a latching problem and someone who doesn't know how breasts work.
• "I breastfed for the first 2-3 months. He's now bottle fed because I'll be going back to work on Monday. As for convenience, I honestly feel that breastfeeding is far more convenient than bottle feeding. With bottle feeding, you've got bottles to wash, sterilise, pack when you're going anywhere, buying and measuring out formula. I've never found it the more convenient option to be honest. I enjoyed breastfeeding. It was "our time"  I know you can get that with bottle feeding, but no one else could breastfeed my baby - only me. I also wanted to experience breastfeeding, as well as giving Harry what was best for him. The only restrictions I found with breastfeeding were diet and drinking alcohol - but then, if you've been eating healthily and not drinking alcohol for 9 months, you're already used to it! Plus, I found the healthy eating was what kept me alive during the first few weeks with all the sleepless nights!! Of course, you, not have to get up during the night to feed baby. So whether we were bottle feeding or breastfeeding I'd have still got up in the night instead of him anyway I found it very easy, and convenient, and never found myself restricted. You can express breast milk and allow someone else to feed sometimes too." Okay, I'll admit, work would be a valid reason.
• Some of the posts say people bottle fed their first because of lack of education, which is interesting because given the facts I can't understand choosing bottles.
• Medications! But then, if you take a medication that means you shouldn't breastfeed I don't see that as much of a choice.  

Something else

These are just things that come to mind. I don't want to bottle feed my son, I never have done, and I didn't even consider it until he was two days old and I found out the hospital had already started it without asking me.

• Formula and breast milk are not the same thing; meaning health outcomes from their use are different. It's really important to remember that breast milk is species specific, designed to promote brain growth and protect against both acute and chronic diseases, formula has no such effect. Breast milk promotes development of the infant's genetic potential, there is a difference between being OK and developing optimal health and cognitive potential
• all formula are not the same. Standard ones are based on cow's milk (many people are unaware of this). Some babies are allergic to cow's milk and some of these babies also are allergic to soy formula. Use of cow's milk is not recommended until after the baby is one year old, so to me it seems weird to use it for formula.
• formula is expensive to use; I make it for free.
• Formula feeding is time consuming.
• I have no need or desire to do so either! 

I will not bottle feed my son either. We've done that, it doesn't work for us because I can't pump enough milk and feed him at the same time, I end up too tired to do anything with him, always hooked up to a breast pump and then struggling to do the next feed because I've pumped all the milk off, or he won't take the breast because he gets confused and wants the bottle, however the last time I had to give him something in a bottle it didn't work because he wouldn't take any of the teats. When I moved he stopped wanting his dummy too, this was all at the same time, but he wouldn't take anything other than the breast, even for comfort, and I tried different teats and bottles, I tried five, he wouldn't have any of them.
I also don't want to make his eczema worse because mine got worse at around 3-4 months when my mum started intoducing modified cow milk into my diet. I've had to deal with his skin bleeding when he won't stop scratching and he won't stop crying because he's uncomfortable. It's heart breaking to see him like that, formula could make that worse and I don't want to risk that.
And then there's the colic/reflux thing he had. He would eat and start squirming, he still does it sometimes, but it's a lot rarer now, all he does is scream, he's still hungry, when he calms down and bit and stops arching his back he will eat a small amount, then it will start over again. I think it's reflux but I'm not sure as I'm not a doctor, but I know it's some kind of digestion problem and they are always made worse by formula. Another thing I didn't like was how he was getting constipated. He wouldn't shit, he would strain, he would cry, he would be unhappy, I am not going though that again. My first had the same problems, the solution was a suppository, and I don't want that for him.

I've seen pictures of breast milk and formula under a microscope. Breast milk is alive, formula is dead, now if my son is meant to be eating a living liquid I will not feed him something dead and inferior.


[22:56:51] Gin: hmmm, what can I say?
[22:59:14] Andi: that you're a negligent mother and my boobs are better than yours
[23:07:57] Gin: I did what I thought was right at the time

And I've just had a massive revelation, it's not the mother who has to deal with the aftermath, it's the child, because of the cunts who pressured my mum to stop breast feeding I have lifelong health problems.


http://infactsecure.com/wbwresources/bfi-risks-english.pdf
http://www.infactcanada.ca/RisksofFormulaFeeding.pdf
http://suite101.com/article/the-risks-and-disadvantages-of-formula-feeding-a85064
http://jezebel.com/5934750/sorry--you-cant-guilt-trip-me-about-bottle-feeding-my-kids
http://www.infantfeeding.info/RisksofAF.htm 
http://www.ivillage.co.uk/the-controversy-surrounding-infant-formula/81871?field_pages=1

Why are paedophiles allowed to live outside of jail?

I've been thinking, where I live there are at least three families with children under the legal age of consent. All three of these families are next door to a paedophile. I've informed the police about this sex offender several times, yet still they allow him to live in an area with children. Why is this allowed? Why are paedophiles allowed to live outside of secure units? Shouldn't they be locked away where they can't do any harm.

These are the ordeals I've had to endure over the last decade, I don't see how they're 'harmless' as the police have said. I've not even had anything that bad, I know of people who have been raped by paedophiles, they've had their lives destroyed by them, now wouldn't it be better to banish them somewhere they can't hurt other people? Or better yet, give them to firing squads.

When I was a small child, probably around eight or nine, he used to always call me over to the fence, he'd make comments about how I was "growing nicely" and "developing as a woman" I thought it was weird at the time, but none of us knew he was a paedophile. He used to give me sweets, and things as well, which I accepted, but now I regret it. It wasn't until I was about eleven that he started gardening for my family. He would come into the garden when nobody was home, cut the grass and things like that, but then he was starting bonfires where he was burning tyres and roofing felt. This continued for a couple of years, and he then started playing with my brother, which I found strange.
 We've never been able to get anything out of George about what the two of them got up to. That makes me wonder. Whenever we ask him what they used to do he goes all quiet and looks at his feet. That's not like George.

When I was thirteen he got a gun from somewhere, he used to walk around the garden when I was home alone with it. The other thing he'd do was knock on my window with it, if I didn't open the curtains he'd yell things like "I know you're in there, open the curtains or I'll start firing" I'm scared of guns. I have been for years, I don't really know why. He expected me to keep the curtains open all day, but I don't really like people watching me, I know at one point he used to stand in one of his upstairs rooms and take photographs of me or watch me through binoculars. It was at this point I decided I wanted black out curtains, but at this point my dad got cancer, and this pervert went away for a while.
Until one day, my dad needed driving 40km for a consultation, I was home alone, the door bell rang. I was in my pyjamas and didn't really want to answer it, but I did anyway. It was the paedophile, he wanted to come in and talk. I didn't know what to do so I let him in. I must have been fourteen, and he wanted me to sit on his lap, which was beyond scary. I refused, he said that I was a "naughty girl who needed a spanking" thank fuck my parents got home at that moment. It makes my skin crawl thinking what could have happened.

There were other times when George and I had a paddling pool in the garden, I was wearing a bikini and George was in swim trunks, and he was watching us, taking photos. It was scary so we went inside.

Eventually when I was fifteen my dad died, he stopped hanging around not long after the funeral, he used to talk to us, say hello and things, and sometimes he'd light a bonfire in our garden. Then one day when I was sixteen, the idiot I live near who insists on hitting his kids out in his garden until they scream and cry was pissing me off. I put my music on to drown it out, I could still hear it, I turned my music up, I couldn't hear anything other than Black Sabbath. I sat back, ate my sushi, and relaxed when suddenly, BOOM.

He hit one of my windows shut, then he hit another one shut, then he went to the last one and started shouting and screaming at me. I panicked, I dropped my sushi, which had a massive knife with it, I stood up, and I yelled something back. He reacted by tearing down my bedroom curtain, he then climbed in and started hitting my things and attempting to hit me with this wood plank he had. The worst thing is he was wearing gloves and didn't leave any prints, and because there were no witnesses the police wouldn't do anything about it. I was left traumatised for weeks and had to sleep in the living room until I got something done about my curtain. I was horrified when the police released him on bail and wouldn't let me press charges. It was at this point I started hoarding knives in my room.

I moved into a youth hostel after that, I couldn't stay here, but then I was so ill I had to come back, I was helping my mum burn some garden waste when I noticed someone watching us, he had his hands up to his face and there was a flash of light. He was photographing me in my garden again. I went in, we left the fire unattended to burn itself out. He also photographed me in the garden during the day when I was assembling a hutch. I phoned the police both times, they went and spoke to him, but it hasn't stopped. I now avoid going into the garden when he can see me.

There's been some strange things going on since March, he's been tapping on my window and waking me up, the way he used to, which I went to the police over, they wouldn't do anything though. This pushed me into sleeping with a loaded crossbow. I hate sleeping with a loaded crossbow, it's too easy to accidentally kill a member of my family, but the police leave me with no choice.

Recently I came back from a holiday. I'd been traveling since 11am and it was now midnight, my first thought was to go to bed, I was exhausted. I put on my pyjamas, turned off my light and then I froze. Someone was shining a light into my bedroom window. I made my way over to my wardrobe where I'd locked my crossbow, cocked it, grabbed a bolt, loaded it and took the safety off. As I approached the window the light turned and then went out, I flicked the safety back on, and ran through to the back room of the house, which has a big glass door. I couldn't see who it was, but it's obvious to me, I can't think of anyone else around here who'd want to watch me get changed. I called the non-emergency number for the police thinking I'd be asked to see an officer in a few days and make a statement, to my surprise they sent out a squad car and did a sweep of my garden. They didn't find anyone; but by this point it was 1am and all his house lights were on. It's not that hard to link the two up.

There has since been once more incidence of tapping on my window, but nothing major, I'm just waiting for him to try attacking me again, manslaughter isn't a very harsh sentence in this country.