Breasts on a Plane...

You no doubt have heard of Snakes on a Plane...

What is it about the airlines and breasts? See my last posting...

Here is the story as related from one of the Midwife lists I subscribe to:

Emily Gillette was flying with her husband and 22 month-olddaughter onOctober 13, 2006 out of Burlington, Vermont. Their flight had been delayedby several hours and when it appeared they were ready to take off, Ms.Gillette began to nurse her daughter.

It was then that aflight attendant approached her and asked her to cover up with a blanket. Ms.Gillette declined and told the flight attendant that she was within her legal rights to nurse where she was without any covering. Ms. Gillettewas sitting near the rear of the plane in a window seat with her husband next to her,nearest the aisle when she began nursing. After Ms. Gillette refused to cover up, the flight attendant then allegedly told Ms. Gillette that she was offending her. (Can you believe this!?)

The family was then approached by a Delta gate agent and told that they were being removed by the flight attendant from the flight. Ms. Gillette and her family complied and although a conversation with a co-pilot did take place off theplane and the family requested to be re-boarded, they were not and instead were rescheduled on a different flight the following day. Ms. Gillette has filed a complaint with the Vermont Human Right Commission regarding the incident.

A woman's right to breastfeed wherever she is, is legal and is protected in Vermont under the Public Accommodations Act. Freedom Airlines has issued several statements, although they give contradictory information. In one statement, Paul Skellon, a spokesperson for Phoenix-based Freedom Airlines, said that they were aware of the incident and that Freedom expects mothers to nurse in a discreet manner(which is assumed under a blanket). In a second statement, he recanted and said that Freedom welcomes all nursing mothers and would not expect them to use a blanket in the future. As well, the second statement issued by Mr. Skellon is full of inaccuracies, including the statement that the family refused to re-board, when they were in fact asking to re-board and were denied that request. Ms.Gillette and her supporters are very upset that Mr. Skellon and FreedomAirlines are both trying to minimize a very grave situation where awoman's basic civil rights were violated and are attempting to shift the blame from themselves to Ms. Gillette, who did nothing wrong and was perfectly within her rights.

Toddlers and babies are especially susceptible to the cabin pressure changes during take-off and landing and nursing them is a natural and convenient way to help them continually equalize that pressure in their ears. Nursing is also a soothing and calming activity for both mother and child and a goodway to calm travel jitters.

Save the Breastmilk!

It has come to my attention that breastmilk is one of the fluids being disallowed on airplanes for security reasons. Any breastfeeding mother knows how precious pumped breastmilk is, but I am sure there are many out there who do not understand the issue.

I have added my name to a petition being sent to the Transportation Security Administration. Click this link to learn more:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/738223140?ltl=1161738944#body

Please educate yourself on this issue and consider signing on...

Equality Now & Search Engines

My Belly dance company, The Goddess Dancing, supports an organiztion called Equality Now. It is an an international human rights organization dedicated to action for the civil, political, economic and social rights of girls and women. We donate 1% of our annual profits to this group.
Some of the issues of concern to Equality Now include:

RAPE
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
SEX TRAFFICKING
FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
GENDER DISCRIMINATION

Now here is a really easy way you can help support this excellent orgnaization - by using GoodSearch as your search engine.

You use GoodSearch.com like any other search engine—but each time you do, money is generated for their work on behalf of women and girls around the world. Each time you search $.01 is donated to Equality Now. Last year, search engines generated close to $6 billion in revenue from advertisers. With GoodSearch part of this advertising revenue will now be directed to Equality Now.

Save the Foreskin!

Over the past few weeks I have been driving my husband's car and listening to his pre-set radio stations. He listens to those stations that target the male aged 18-45 demographic - rock music and typical "yakkity-yak" morning shows. One morning as I was driving home I caught part of a show where people were calling in with their "worst circumcision" stories and of course there were a lot of laughs...

I'm thinking: Is this supposed to be funny? Is this supposed to be entertaining?

Most people have at least heard of so called "female circumcision" now more accurately called "female genital mutilation" or "FGM" and most everyone who hears about it agrees that it is horrible, and that the practice should be stopped.

It is about time that male circumcision is recognized for what it it - male genital mutilation. It is not funny, rather it is tragedy.

The USA is the only country in the world that routinely circumcises newborn males, even thought the evidence does not support this practice. Most of the Medical Associations from the USA, Australia, Britain, and Canada, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American College of Obstetrician and Gynecolgists now agree that routine circumcision is unnecessary and is no longer recommended.

I encourage you to check out all of the information at NOCIRC and ICGI and educate yourself about this important human rights issue.

Progressive

PROGRESSIVE: This word describes both my politics (mostly) and my new eyeglasses!

Yes, I just took the plunge of moving from single vision glasses to progressives. They definitely take getting used to. Lot's of head movement to find "the sweet spot" where what I am looking at is clearly focused. I have this idea that I must look like a bird moving it's head to see...

More on Net Neutrality

This is important stuff!! The House of Representatives prepares to vote this week on whether to protect Internet freedom...

Corporations like AT&T are spending millions in paid advertising, lobbying, and campaign contributions to convince Congress to give them control over what you see and do online. Regular Internet users are fighting fight back by using the magic of the Internet. By letting others know about this humorous video, you are indeed helping the Internet to save itself.

Let's not let big business take control of what we have access to via the internet!

Check out this video clip http://www.savetheinternet.com/moby to find out more about what you can do! And pass it on...

A word for today

I came across this word recently: Pulchritude

pulchritude \PUL-kruh-tood; -tyood\, noun: That quality of appearance which pleases the eye; beauty; comeliness; grace; loveliness.

Want some more? Here are a couple of dictionary links:

http://www.wordreference.com/definition/pulchritude

http://www.wordsmith.org/words/pulchritude.html

Internet Freedom

Let's not let corporate America take away our Freedom of speech on the World Wide Web!!

The House of Representatives will soon vote on whether or not to preserve Internet freedom—and the fight to protect Network Neutrality is gaining huge momentum.

The SavetheInternet.com Coalition now has 524 member organizations, 637,386 petition signatures to Congress, 3,251 blog links, and 5,634 MySpace friends. We will only win this fight if the public is mobilized, Congress is bombarded from all angles, and word spreads around the Internet like prairie fire.

Here are some resources compiled by MoveOn.org you should check out today about the current threat to Internet freedom:

MoveOn's blogger resource page is full of facts and links to help you inform people about Net Neutrality:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1771&id=7594-6827355-AW6zb35XGn_qVT4_HmV71w&t=3

MoveOn member Mari Fetzer designed a FANTASTIC image with links to 5 things people can do today to preserve Internet freedom. The coding is available at the bottom of: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1769

Check these out! Several fun videos are now on the SavetheInternet.com Coalition website, including a great Halo mimick on Net Neutrality: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1770

Comedy site "Ask A Ninja" has a unique perspective on Net Neutrality: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1768

Mother's Day

I have not posted in a LONG time, but it is my plan to begin posting regularly again. Call me the reluctant blogger!

I want to share two upcoming events of interest for this coming Mother's Day:

The first is a Peace Vigil:

A Mother's Voice~The Power to Pacify!

~ Please join us on Mothers' Day ~A peaceful vigil to express opposition to the Iraq war ~ Monument Park ~ Central Street, Gardner, MA

12:00 - 3:00 PM

And the second is a Mother's Day Parade:

Mother's Day Parade

featuring a giant puppet "Great Mama" who will give birth to the world

attended by a band of belly dancers (myself included)

Downtown Northampton, MA

1:00 PM

Followed by a forum of birth professionals - midwives, doulas - and birth activists

in Pulaski Park

Many of you may already be aware of the origins of Mother's Day, but just in case you don't, let me tell you that before it was taken over as a "Hallmark" holiday, it was a political event organized by women to protest war. A friend recently sent me an eMail with a copy of Julia Ward Howe's Mother's Day proclamation written in 1870, that I wanted to share.

Mothers' Day Proclamation:
Julia Ward Howe, 1870

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise all women who have hearts,whether our baptism be
that of water or of tears!
Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided
by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage,
for caresses and applause.

Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that
we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one
country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be
trained to injure theirs.

From the bosom of the devastated earth a
voice goes up with our own. It says "Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not
the balance of justice." Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate
possession. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of
war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest
day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the
dead. Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after their own
time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God. (Goddess?)

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I
earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may
be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest
period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different
nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and
general interests of peace.

Belly Dance as Birth Dance

There are some of us who believe that belly dance was the first prepared childbirth exercise. I am one of the proponents of this concept, even though there is relatively little historical documentation for this...Let me tell you why...

My belief stems from my personal experiences of attending hundreds of births(possibly over a thousand, combining my nursing experience and my midwifery experience - I have stopped counting...), combined with my experience of learning and becoming a belly dancer. You can read my article, where I describe my research into, and my personal thoughts and experiences which lead me to this conclusion, at my website, (follow the links to the Birth pages).

Recently, ePregnancy Magazine published an article on Belly Dancing During Pregnancy in which I was interviewed as the "expert". The author, Barbara Atkinson, who stuided belly dance with my troupe, did a nice job of capturing the elements that I, as a birth professional, felt were important.

One of the most often referenced writers on this topic is Morrocco, a NYC based dancer, anthropologist, and all around smart person on the topic of belly dance. Her series of articles tells about her experience of witnessing a traditional birth ritual in the Middle East. Click here to read one of the several related articles she has written.

On my website, I have compiled a resource list of articles and links addressing the topics of belly dance, pregnancy and birth. If you are interested in this subject matter you must check it out! I believe mine is the most comprehensive list on the WWW, and I am always updating and adding new things as I find them. I invite you to let me know if you find an article or reference that I should consider for this list - you can send me an e-mail through my website addressed to "Attn: WebGoddess".

Cathy Moore, CNM
The Goddess Dancing
Belly Dance for Body, Mind and Spirit
www.thegoddessdancing.com

MotherBirth

In my last post, I promised to tell you about another dance related to the Maiden/Mother/Crone trilogy that my troupe conceived of and created. We are calling this dance MotherBirth.

I was the lead choreographer on this one. I had already developed a solo dance depicting my interpretation of the Birth story, informed by my work as a Midwife. This troupe dance grew out of that one, and added in the Maiden/Mother/Crone mythology.

The dance opens with the Crone, danced by Karen. She is coming to the end of her life and must pass on her wisdom attained through the years. She dances with two veils - one black and one white. In the second part of the dance, the Maiden enters and she and the Crone dance together. The Crone is transmitting her wisdom and leaves the Maiden with the white veil.

I danced the role of the Maiden (who is also the midwife), and I used the archetype of the Goddess Artemis as my inspiration. Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo. Her mother Leto gave birth to her first, but then had a prolonged labor with Apollo. Artemis midwifed Leto during this difficult labor.

In my Maiden dance, I begin with innocence and joy, I remember what grandmother Crone taught me, and I soon realize that I must prepare myself for my adult role as the midwife.

The Mother dances next. It is a dance of abundance and anticipation of meeting her child. Anita-Cristina is costumed all in red and draped in three red veils. As she dances, she removes the veils, and leaves them scattered on the stage.

The Crone and the Maiden dance again together to prepare for the birth. We push away the darkness, we ready the cradle, we boil some water, we prepare the depression in the earth to receive the baby... When all is ready, the Mother enters as her labor begins. The labor builds in intensity until the birth - and this is where the dance ends.

We got some excellent photos taken by Allison Perkel, and you can see them here at our website (Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see the photos).

The Crone's Cauldron

I was rehearsing with my troupe last night. We are creating a new dance based on the archetype of The Crone. It will be one of a trilogy of dances depicting the goddess archetypes of the maiden, the mother and the crone. Anita-Cristina is the lead choreographer for this project. It is turning out to be a very cool dance - we are using some dark, eerie music for the opening. But, I don't want to give away anymore...

We will be presenting the dance at our year end show in June. If you live in the Boston area, you might want to check our website www.thegoddessdancing.com for information on the show...

As a troupe, we have been working with the Maiden/Mother/Crone archetypes in our dances over the past couple of years.

This began when we designed and performed a dance that was an adaptation of a dance play created by playwrite and scholar, Jeffrey Fiske, called Eve and The Serpent.

The characters are Eve - maiden, The Serpent - crone, and The Tree of Knowledge - mother. The dance re-tells The Garden of Eden story and focuses on the experiences - initiation, loss of innocence, coming of age- of the maiden. You can see photos of this dance at our website. You can learn more about Jeffrey Fiske's dance plays at Yasmina's Joy of Belly Dancing site.

The following year, we created a dance based on The Mother archetype, called "MotherBirth". I'll tell you more about this dance in my next posting...

Cathy Moore
The Goddess Dancing
Belly Dance: Body, Mind and Spirit
www.thegoddessdancing.com

Belly Dancing during pregnancy

This is my first posting...

I was interviewed for an article about belly dancing during pregnancy about 6 months ago by Barbara Atkinson, a free lance journalist who was at the time taking belly dance classes from my group. The article was recently published in ePregnancy Magazine. In the print copy of the magazine, the article was given a front page blurb that stated "What's the sexiest way to prepare for labor? Belly Dancing?" OK, so it was the February issue featuring lots of references to love, sex and Valentine's day... and the cover model wearing sexy lingerie...

The article itself, is well done, and actually reflects my thoughts about belly dance as a prenatal exercise and as preparation for labor. Barbara did an excellent job with the material I gave her. You can read the article here.

And if you would like to learn more about belly dance for pregnancy and birth, visit my website www.thegoddessdancing.com and click on the links to my resource page.

Cathy Moore, Certified Nurse Midwife and belly dancer
The Goddess Dancing: Belly Dance for Body, Mind & Spirit
www.thegoddessdancing.com