I’ve never really been a purist when it comes to my kids. I must admit that they’ve consumed more than their share of Kraft macaroni and cheese. And when a friend announced that she was only going to give toys made of wood to her children, I just rolled my eyes.

A year ago, when I sat down to write about my five-year-old daughter’s hospitalization, I had no idea it would lead me to testifying at a hearing in Sacramento before a California State Senate subcommittee on Health and Social Services.

I also didn’t know how it would feel to publicly stand up for a cause I believed in – but I was about to find out.

We moms do our best to keep our families safe. But in light of recent safety news, I think we're going to go find Saddam Hussein's worm hole and take up residence there.

This breaking news story from Charlotte, North Carolina has me truly outraged and ashamed of my home state: a Brazilian woman was jailed in Charlotte on Friday for immigration charges, and has been denied the opportunity to pump breast milk for her son, who is younger than two months old.

You can imagine what it means for a breastfeeding infant and mother to be separated and needlessly denied the opportunity to at least pump her milk to be delivered to the baby.

The Charlotte Observer reports that Danielle Ferreira's baby Samuel is "crying incessantly and keeps spitting up baby formula."

I feel intensely angry about this situation, but rather than compounding that with helplessness, I am doing what I can to at least magnify the awareness of this situation. I have reached out to local advocates and my legislators. Now that you know, is there anything you can do to help?

Cross-posted on MotherTalkers.