I am so excited to announce that I am a contributor to a new book about African American women breastfeeding called Free To Breastfeed: Voices of Black Mothers. (My picture is included and everything - Woot! Woot!)
About a year ago, I saw an open call for submissions on a mommy site that I visit often. The call was for Black moms to submit short stories about their breastfeeding experiences. Now I
am huge proponent of breastfeeding (when its medically possible) and
try to encourage new moms and provide support whenever possible. Like they say "breast is best". There are so many nutritional benefits to nursing and let's keep it real.. its FREE!! ahahahha. So you'd wonder why wouldn't everyone do it?!?! Well for starters, its not easy. Nursing a newborn is literally a 24 hour commitment. Infants nurses every 2 to 3 hours! Plus the movies portray nursing as the baby comes out and gently suckles on the mom's boob. Not.So.Much. Infants have some strong jaws! Sometimes the latch is correct and you and baby may need assistance from a lactation consultant. It truly is a learning experience for both of you - as is mother/childhood.
Thankfully, when I started nursing I had a
few "been there done that" momma friends that helped me along the way
through poor latching, decreased supply, etc. so my submission to this book is my way of
returning the favor to the masses I guess :-)
This book provides short passages
from a multitude of women detailing their experiences - good and bad -
with breastfeeding. Not only does the book touch on clinical issues, like lactation consultants, nursing twins, tandem nursing, nipple confusion, nursing shields, supplementing, etc, it
also talks about Black America's cultural perceptions of breastfeeding.
My entry talks about how my Grandfather changed his view on nursing from my son to my daughter. I guess he gave up on trying to get me to cover up - shooooooot baby's gotta eat! If you're not hungry then stop looking at my boob. hmph!
Here's a short synopsis of the book:
Free
to Breastfeed: Voices of Black Mothers outpaces other books on the
topic because it gives privilege to actual women. Facts about
breastfeeding and statistics can be found in numerous pamphlets and with
professional lactation consultants. However, there is no other book on
the market that can give a new or expectant mother the experience of
seeing her experience reflected in the stories and pictures of other
women. While there is growing coverage to the disparities in
breastfeeding rates, the actual thoughts and experiences of
African-American nursing mothers are overlooked. It is precisely these
first-hand experiences that breastfeeding mothers seek from other women.
http://freetobreastfeed.com/
