Yay! After a long time of just considering it, I’m finally blogging. Such a relief.
As we approach the longest night of the year here in the northern hemisphere, I’m celebrating a couple of big events in my life, which I’ll mention in chronological order. On October 1, my new book, Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding, was released by two publishers: the US version by Bantam/Dell and the UK version by Pinter & Martin Ltd. I am thrilled to have this book out there at last, and I hope that people (men, too) will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Breastfeeding has always been one of the arts of survival that belong to a sustainable way of life. We all know that breastfeeding has been so invisible in US society for so many generations that ignorance about how to prepare for breastfeeding and how to go about it has made this natural way of infant feeding more difficult than it needs to be.
Virgin and Child, Artemisia Gentileschi, 1609
Whereas American puritans, during the first two centuries of their existence here, used to argue—often from the pulpit—that mothers ought to breastfeed their babies (instead of giving their babies over to be fed by wet-nurses), they now try to keep breastfeeding to a minimum and definitely out of sight. I want to see breastfeeding happening wherever mothers want to be (as we did here in The Farm community). In my opinion, this is the best way for our country to get over the ridiculous, destructive, (and entirely curable) mental disorder that I call “nipplephobia,” so rampant here.
I hope that my book will inform mothers-to-be how much a rather simple change in a common birth practice (the routine immediate clamping and cutting of the umbilical cord) can help to get more babies off to a good start in breastfeeding. Later cord clamping is evidence-based and the most practical way of keeping the baby from being separated from mother (when relatively few babies actually require this separation).
Big Event #2 for 2009 was being awarded an honorary doctorate by Thames Valley University at a ceremony in London. (See the press release below). Several people have asked if I got to keep the “Hogwarts” costume that you see me wearing. The answer is No; the outfit that I wore was returned to the costume department for the next fortunate awardee.
Oh Ina May,
What a blessing your life has been and is to this world. You’ve been mightily used to inform and educate so many.
Even though I’m a 51 year old mom of 3 grown babies, I am just now becoming a certified birth doula…my passion.
So very proud to be walking part of the journey of the path you have paved.
Thank you!
Ina May, you’re taking the blogging plunge- awesome! I’ve met you just a couple times (in Baltimore in ‘06 and in Eugene in March of this year)and found you to be a sweet and continuing inspiration for my own life and work. It’s great to see your efforts bear fruit, and yours certainly are doing so. How fulfilling!
Like Marty Wallace (Hi, Marty and thanks for your comment- I feel, reading your words, that we are kindred spirits), I am 51 with grown children. I am now a certified doula and a midwifery student in an apprenticeship. Additionally, I’m also a parttime parenting support worker with a local community, faith-based non-profit where I meet mothers and families all the time.
Just yesterday I met a young mom and her friend, a young mom-to-be. We talked about breastfeeding a lot! She is breastfeeding and her expectant friend is going to also. These girls are maybe 21 years old (that’s about the age that I was when I first discovered Spiritual Midwifery), so I feel hopeful.
All best with your shiny new blog and many bright blessings on your path onward, Ina May (and Marty Wallace).
And again, Ina May, thank you for everything. Much love.
I’m so glad you are blogging! I love your books, Ina May. Thank you so much for all your good work in promoting normal birth!
I just bought your new book last night at the Park Slope Food Coop! I can’t wait to read it all, but it looks fantastic so far. I am a mom of an 11 year old, an 8 year old and a 2 year old, and I breastfeed anywhere and everywhere. I noticed that with my youngest, when I was in a mother’s group, the trend was for everyone to have these lovely patterned clothes to help keep themselves modest while nursing in public. You likely know the ones, one brand is marketed with the name “Hooter Hiders”. At first glance, I thought oh what pretty material and patterns and then as I found myself surrounded by other moms hiding their babies behind this material, I couldn’t help but compare the hooter hiders to Burkas. Anything could be under that cloth. I really feel the more people see children nursing, the more comfortable everyone will be with it.
Thank you for all the work you do Ina May. Hoping to contribute to the cure of Nipplephobia by continuing to nurse my toddler in public in New York City
Katharine James mom of 3, LLLL, RN and Labor Doula
So very glad to find your new blog and to share info on your new book. You have many fans here in VT. Love, Karen G
What has been your experience so far with nursing your 2 year old in public in NYC? Are there nursing-friendly places to be found? —Ina May
I can’t comment on nursing toddlers in NYC because my little boy is only 5 months old, but I can say that I feed my boy everywhere in public in NYC without hesitation, and I have gotten no comments at all. I’ve fed him in Central Park, in restaurants galore, in rehearsal studios, office buildings, clothing stores… I feed him in church almost every Sunday, either during the sermon or during the coffee hour. No one seems to notice or care, except to compliment us on what a cute boy we have. I use one of those cloths – BebeAuLait – but I can tell that the time will soon come where that will be impossible as my boy *loves* to bat at the fabric and grins as it floats up and then back down. Pretty soon, it will just be me, the boy and the boob out in full view, and people can just deal with it! (Although I don’t have the feeling that they’ll care.)
We recently saw a woman in our church clutching what looked to be a 1 1/2 year old boy to her breast while walking (!!) and wrangling an older child (!!). My husband thought she was a superhero. I at least need to sit!
I’m an Australian mama of a 21 month old girl and 4 month old boy and breastfeed my bubbas when and wher they need it, parks, cafes, shopping centres, supermarkets (sometimes both at once!) and have never once been told off or even looked at like I need to cover up. I’m not a mama who covers up under a blanket (despite my mother-in -law suggesting that the baby might like it, to which i quickly responded that we were fine as we were thankyou) as i feel as a breastfeeding mum it is my obligation to show people, particularly young women how natural it is. my favourite story is at a dinner party with a 4 year old who had not been breastfed who was fascinated and kept asking what i was doing and why, which we explained to her simply. as her mum put her to bed that night it finally clicked for her “oh, i get it, she’s like a cow!”. i love it!
Hi, maybe our post could be off topic but anyways, Having been surfing around your web site and it seems very awesome. It is obvious you know your subject and you are passionate about it.
Hi Lisa,
Is it unusual to breastfeed in public in Ireland? I doubt if it could be as controversial there as it is here. I’ve seen plenty of breastfed babies in Ireland, but mainly in people’s homes and at midwifery conferences, but that’s the kind of people I spent most of my time with while there. I’m thinking that there are more nursing madonna and child images available to the public in Ireland than here in the U.S, if I’m not mistaken. Who would dare complain about Jesus nursing, even if he’s depicted as a toddler?
Perfect timing on your BF book Ina May, my second boy was born Oct. 5th. (With much thanks to all I learned from you through your books, I delivered a 10# 10oz baby all natural, only two stitches!) I threw a recieving blanket over my shoulder when we were out the other day and my husband says “I thought you were going to help cure nipplephobia!”
)
We absolutely love you Ina May!
Hi Ina May,
I gave birth on The Farm in ‘75, and the pic of my newborn daughter smiling in my lap was the promo pic for “Spiritual Midwifery”. I’ve worked as a midwife and nurse among Spanish speaking families, in hospitals, homes, and clinics. I live in the Yucatan and the US. Breastfeeding has decreased and bottle feeding increased among Spanish speaking women,in my observations. I hope you are considering having your book translated into Spanish. Thanks, Ronda
Whats up, i I found your site on msn and read most of your other pages. I just added you to my RSS feeder. Keep up the superb work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future. You know, I have to tell you, I really enjoy this blog and the insight from everyone who participates. I find it to be refreshing and very informative. I wish there were more blogs like it. Anyway, I felt it was about time I posted, I?ve spent most of my time here just lurking and reading, but today for some reason I just felt compelled to say this.
I look forward to reading your new book! My mother was born in Germany in 1943 and my grandmother was such a prolific milk producer she would donate her milk to war babies in the local hospital.
Unfortunately my mom couldn’t nurse me due to a probably unnecessary C section from which she remained unconscious for 3 days. She is still hurt by this 36 years later as well as the fact that she was the last to “meet” me and that I was already named by my dad when she finally woke up!
I hope that as a society we can get away from the taboo of nursing as well as becoming more accepting of donating milk to those who need it. Formula should be an absolute last resort. Someday women may be ashamed to admit they chose NOT to breastfeed.
Ina May, you have been my greatest inspiration for years – as a young high school girl devouring a tattered copy of Spiritual Midwifery, through my first years as a doula and now as I read through your guide to breastfeeding while I nurse my second baby. I am new to the blogging world as well, mostly writing for the moms that I have served as a doula and women in my community, and I just mentioned you and your new book here: http://sagefemmemama.blogspot.com/2010/02/nipplephobia-and-nursing-covers-part-1.html
Stay tuned with my blog as I am in the process of sharing my personal breastfeeding story of battling very low supply after gastric bypass surgery, receiving donor milk from several friends, and nursing my daughter through a pregnancy and into her second year inspite of it all.
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On October 1, my new book, Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding, […….
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Yay! After a long time of just considering it, I’m finally blogging. Such a relief…..
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http://rel” rel=”nofollow”> Yay! After a long time of just considering it, I’m finally blogging. Such a relief…..
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http://rel” rel=”nofollow”> On October 1, my new book, Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding, […….
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http://rel” rel=”nofollow”> On October 1, my new book, Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding, […….
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http://rel” rel=”nofollow”> Yay! After a long time of just considering it, I’m finally blogging. Such a relief…..
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