Blogs imitate real life

My doula friend and I were talking about knitting. Many midwives and doulas knit. It’s a great way to pass the time and remain present at a birth. She sent me a link to this nice story by Pam England about a knitting midwife and what her pastime meant to hear patients.

Two days ago my book group was debating whether lead could be passed to a baby through breast milk. One of the women’s daughters had high lead levels. The mother asked whether it could be something she was passing on to the baby through her milk. He didn’t know. Now there’s the internet, and in two quick clicks I found out that lead can indeed be passed through the breast milk. But unless the mother has lead poisoning, she should continue to nurse as the level of transmission is quite low.

Then today I got this link sent by a former doula client, about how perchlorate, a toxin found in rocket fuel, is showing up in breast (and cow) milk across the country.

It makes me think again that if mothers could organize, they would be a lobby far more powerful than any corporate-based group. Does any mother want perchlorate in her breast milk? If mothers marched on Washington demanding better environmental standards for their children they could flood the district and several surrounding counties. Not to mention the economic impact of a boycott (or a strike).