Janet Johnson of Longsview, Texas recently gave birth to a big baby boy. At 16 lbs, JaMichael Brown was more than twice the size of your average newborn. Fortunately for mom Janet, he was born by caesarean section.
At two-feet-long, and 16 lbs. and two ounces, with a good head of red hair, Baby Brown is being fed through a tube, and doctors are closely monitoring his blood sugar.
Mom Janet had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, which doctors credit to the baby's size.
Attending nurse, Mary Beth, said she'd never seen a newborn so big in all her 20 years. "[He's] a beautiful baby," she said. "But for health reasons, we'd rather not see a baby this large."
But by Guinness World Records standards, Brown is by no means the biggest baby ever born. We Canucks hold the record for that. In 1879, weighing more than 23 lbs, the infant died 11 hours after birth. No mention of what befell the poor mother. Shudder to think.
Image Credit: today.msnbc.msn.com
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What it is about breastfeeding that remains so controversial? Not a week goes by without some incident making the headlines in North America. The latest: a woman was ordered off a public bus in Michigan for nursing her newborn in a sling.
Detroit mom, Afrykayn Moon, was shocked when the (female) bus driver confronted her:
‘What is that you’re holding that way? I know that’s not a baby…’ she said to Moon, leaning over for a better look.
‘Yes,’ Moon replied, taken aback. ‘That is my son. I am feeding my son.’
‘You’re going to have to cover that up!’ said the driver, known only as Darcell. ‘You’re going to have to cover THAT up!’
As the mom continued to nurse and explained that it was her legal right to do so, the argument escalated, with the driver eventually asking Moon to leave the bus. Officers were called when the driver refused to move the bus. What is possibly even more disturbing about this story than the harassment itself is that none of the other passengers rushed to this mom's defence.
For her part, Moon stood her ground and is now speaking out against the harassment she suffered. Darcell the Driver has reportedly been "taken off service" for the time being, while the "SMART" bus line issued a statement and apology stating that breastfeeding if of course legal on Michigan buses.
I'd like to think this sort of thing is only happening south of the border, but I'm not so sure. Have you suffered any hassle for breastfeeding in public, be it overt as in Moon's case, or a more subtle kind of harassment?
The assault against babies continues this week. Further to Malaysian Airlines' decision to ban babies on their first-class flights, a Pennsylvania restaurant has now refused to let kids under the age of six dine there.
Mike Vuick, owner of McDain's Restaurant and Golf Center in Monroeville said, "McDain's is not a place for young children. Their volume can't be controlled and many, many times, they have disturbed other customers."
Vuick insisted doesn't dislike babies but obviously dislikes them in his restaurant. Although many parents find his decision objectionable to say the least, there is currently no law in the U.S. against it. (However, interestingly, there is a law against banning senior citizens.)
In an ideal world, parents would have the sense to take their children to family-friendly restaurants, and save the upscale ones for date nights. Or at the very least, grab a "doggy bag" if their child is wailing.
Clearly McDain's isn't McD's. Do you think restaurants should be entitled to determine their own patronage? Or should the law be extended to protect children's rights, too?
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