Re: baby in the mall, lost bottle, not picking up the crying baby:

So sad that people don't pick up babies when they cry, *especially* in a
scary place like a mall! I come unglued in malls myself, and frequently go
home stunned and weepy. One of our WIC clinics used to be held near the
mall, so we would eat lunch there in the "food court", and we would always
see our WIC clients there dragging their poor little babies around, carrying
them in those bulky plastic pods they use, or way down there in a stroller
where the poor baby has no idea where his mama is or what the heck is going
on.

I remember once sitting right across from two teen mothers; the very new
baby (like 5 days!) was in a plastic carrier-seat thingie (it drives me nuts
to see them swing the kids along in those things, like it was just a big
purse or something!)on the floor, the baby was crying at the top of its
little lungs, screaming, screeching, all purple & everything, and every now
& then one of the girls would reach out with her foot and give the carrier a
little kick, to rock it, I guess. With no effect whatsoever, of course. But
neither one of them even *looked* at the baby, let alone made a move to pick
it up! I was so distressed that I couldn't eat, so I just went over and
offered to hold the baby "so you can eat your lunch". They looked at me like
I was insane! Like they'd never thought of actually picking up a crying
baby! Well, of course the newborn was happy as a little clam when I held it,
and was so exhausted from its ordeal that it immediately fell asleep, and
after they'd finished their french fries and cokes they stuffed the poor
thing back in its carrying case and off they went for a smoke.

I don't "blame" Nestle or Mead-Johnson, though, unlike whoever posted this
to Jack. This is a situation we are ALL responsible for, every single one of
us. Even us "good guys"! It's the job of every single one of us who knows
better to show others, especially the young ones, that this is no way to
treat babies! Maybe I'm just an old busybody, but I consider that all
children (including teenagers) come under my general supervision. If their
parents and grandparents and teachers and other grownups haven't shown them
how to behave, or how to treat babies, animals, each other, how else will
they learn, unless we show them?

And how else will they learn the concept of community, the idea that we are
all connected and we all have obligations to each other? It's too easy to
just point the finger at a formula company & say "their fault", when it's
really a failure of the obligation we all have to keep each other on the
common path of humanity.

My "sermon for the day"...it just riles me up to see so many people who
don't seem to have the brains god gave geese!

Cathy Bargar, RN, IBCLC Ithaca NY

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html