I’ve always been a huge advocate for breastfeeding. I guess it’s weird for a man, but I try to look at the bigger picture. Not only is breastfeeding healthier for the baby and the mom, but it would also be a huge asset to the economy. It would help the healthcare system with lowered rates of obesity and other diseases.
I guess one of the biggest reasons why I support it is because it’s so natural. It’s a part of life. I remember watching my wife, Kristin, nurse our son and it was just beautiful.
Kristin always jokes, calling me a treehugger or a hippie. I guess I am!
I bring up breastfeeding with every pregnant mom, but somehow the “breastfeeding is not supposed to hurt” conversation doesn’t usually go over that well.
I took a sip of my coffee. It had started to get cold, but it was still so good. She always made me the best coffee.
Kristin and I have been married for about ten years now. She’s a dance instructor and has had aspirations to open up a studio for years now. The problem is that we just don’t have the funds to do it. Turns out dietitians that work in government programs don’t get paid very well.
So, she works nights at someone else’s studio and takes care of Mason during the day. It actually works out better this way than to pay for daycare.
When the economy took a nosedive a couple years ago, it hit us hard. I had been working for a consulting company for years. I made my own schedule, got paid for mileage, and had great benefits. Not to mention that the pay itself was really good. My days were never really boring either. I was in a different place every other day and then I didn’t go back there for another week or so.
Suddenly, I was laid off. We found ourselves looking for an apartment because living on unemployment wasn’t really cutting it. In the end, we chose to live with family for awhile. I am so blessed to have such a supportive family but talk about a punch in the gut! I thought I had everything and then we lost so much so quickly.
My cousin Brian was the one that came to the rescue. It seemed so odd being the one that needed help. He was my younger cousin, and I guess I felt like it should be the other way around. He lived in a large house with his wife, Leighanne, and their son, Baylee. Brian’s a gym teacher, but his wife had started a company selling purses and other accessories. The company took off, and now they’re pretty well off.
I’m extremely happy for them, but it’s really hard to swallow sometimes. I guess I can be a little too proud sometimes, and I find it hard to accept help. But I had a family to think about so I did what I thought was best for us.
I guess I’m just a little jealous.
But extremely grateful.
While I was living with Brian, I was constantly looking for jobs. I still remember the night when I saw a posting for this job up on Craigslist.
I started reading off the job description and qualifications to Brian. He got home a couple hours before, and he looked exhausted. But he always made time to catch up with me at night.
“What’s WIC?,” he asked me.
“It stands for Women, Infant, and Children. It’s a federally funded government program that provides food vouchers to low income families. It’s actually only for pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding moms as well as babies and young children. But they don’t just give out vouchers to them, the participants have to sit in on nutrition counseling. The dietitian counsels all high risk participants.”
I knew quite a bit about WIC. One of my rotations during my internship was at a WIC clinic, so I was there for a month.
“That sounds pretty cool. But how do you feel working in that environment? Weren’t you working in nursing homes or something?” He chuckled.
“Yeah I was working for a consulting company that contracted with nursing homes. But Brian, I did get educated on all of this stuff. I’m not paying off my student loans for nothing! I took an exam to become an RD. Plus you know, I do have a child.”
“You’re right. I’m just kidding with you. No need to get defensive!” He laughed, and I knew he was just kidding. I felt bad.
“I’m sorry. I know you are. I guess I’m just stressed, you know? I just don’t know about this. Working for government programs like this usually means low pay.”
“Well, you know you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need. But this actually sounds like a pretty good opportunity for ya’ll. I mean, this job has been posted for a while and here you are looking for a job. ”
Maybe he had a point.
“You know…God knows what He’s doing, Kev. I know when you lost your job you thought everything went down the tubes. But look, here you are. You’ve got your beautiful wife and son. And you have this possible opportunity in front of you.”
Sometimes I was annoyed by my cousin’s overzealous spirituality. Other times I needed it. Like now.
“And you know you don’t have to move out right away. Wait til you get some paychecks and pay some of your bills off and then you can start looking. You know this house is big enough. You’re not in the way at all. And you know Leighanne is loving having Kristin around.”
“I’ll sleep on it Bri. I will. There’s just some things to think about. Thank you for everything.”
I stood up and hugged him tight.
“I love you.”
“I love you too, man.”
“And I really do appreciate what ya’ll are doing for us.”
“Forget it, cuz. You would do the same.” As he walked to his room, I started to feel a little better. He’s right. I would do the same. I guess that’s what family’s for.
And now, here I am. I was right…the pay isn’t good. At all. They’re taking CHUNKS out of my paycheck for health insurance. The schedule sucked, and it was far from home.
But what can I say? I’m employed. We got caught up and moved out to a place on our own. Which is a lot more than some other people have.
Not to mention, I love what I do. I’m passionate about child nutrition. I just wanted to know that it was working. I wanted to know that people were learning. I wanted to be a part of change.
