News journalist turned mom Beth Cooper has recently published her first book
The Greatest Breastfeeding Tips in the World
Available online at www.kalahari.net, Amazon, www.loot.co.za or from June 2008 at all leading book stores, including Exclusive Books and Fascination Books.
I'll be reviewing it just as soon as it gets to me.
There is so much to say on this subject and it's one that gets people passionate, as well it should. Feeding a baby is important stuff. But you don't have to tell most new mommies this. They know. At no time does this feeling feel more urgent than in those confusing early days when both mom and baby are trying to find their feet. Often very well meaning supporters believe they have the solution. There is a sense of urgency to ensure baby is getting enough and new moms can end up feeling pressurised and judged. Often it feels like what is hanging in the balance is one's adequacy as a mom. Remember you have years and years of motherhood to go. Go easy on yourself!
Aside from a very lucky few, anyone who has given birth knows that just because something comes naturally, does not necessarily mean it comes easily. The same is true of breastfeeding. But I think we're a little less well prepared for the initial difficulties. Sometimes it takes time to settle in and like with giving birth having good support is crucial.
I've had the privilege of having many mom's share their experiences with me. In the end the two most important things in feeding your baby is that your baby gets fed and that the two of you bond. We are privileged to have alternatives now for those babies who really cannot be latched, because of prematurity, birth defects and other health problems and for those moms who for their very valid personal reasons, or because of their own more severe health problems, cannot feed. That said with support most moms can manage breast feeding, but you may need some time to get it right and support. That's why a book like Beth's is helpful. So is consulting a good breastfeeding consultant. Expectant Mother's Guide, published yearly has a good listing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF The Greatest Breastfeeding Tips in the World
News journalist Beth Cooper swapped her notebook for nappies after giving birth to her daughter a few years ago. Now a writer and columnist for several top magazines and websites, including BBC Online, Femina, True Love, Your Baby and Living & Loving, she finds chasing deadlines and dodgy criminals a picnic next to parenting.
Former assistant news editor on The Herald newspaper, she has worked as a senior reporter, specialist writer and news editor, but considers typing a feature one-handed while bouncing baby with the other to be a career best.
A hard news journalism tutor for SA Writers College and former English teacher, Beth and her family live on the Eastern Cape coast.
A FEW WORDS FROM BETH
I became passionate about breastfeeding quite by accident. While pregnant with my daughter, I was more interested in morning sickness and maternity wear than the art of milk-making! To me, lactation was simply a biological process sandwiched between conception and motherhood. I had no idea that nursing a child was such a momentous miracle of nature.
My newborn’s first brush with the breast was a comedy of errors. Neither of us knew what we were doing – and well-meaning nurses and doctors seemed hardly more clued up than we were. Ironically, it was probably my ignorance of the whole process that cemented my success. I didn’t know at the time that breast was best – I just knew it was the natural aftermath, as it were, of giving birth. This meant I was blissfully naïve about formula feeding too; it never occurred to me to give Samara a bottle!
Modern society has made great strides in medicine, not least of all in the fields of reproductive health, pregnancy and birth. Unfortunately, this has also caused interference in some natural human practices, such as breastfeeding. For years, Western mothers were encouraged to nurse their babies on a fixed schedule and to swap to formula milks at the slightest whiff of trouble. Thanks to enlightened experts and savvy parents, these outdated policies are changing.
Being a journalist, I’m instinctively curious and as a mum, fiercely protective of my child’s well-being. When I started researching breastfeeding in-depth and discovered a wealth of information about the power of human milk, I was sold. More than two years later, I’m still nursing – and still loving it.
I’m not a lactation consultant or medical professional. I wrote this book because mums-to-be deserve a helping hand with producing the world’s most phenomenal foodstuff. In the words of playwright, author and mum of two Karen Jeynes :
“Try it. Just try it. It might seem weird to you, your friends might tell
you not to bother, but once you've got baby latched, the bond between the two
of you is unbreakable, and you feel like a wonderwoman. Sometimes you also
feel a little like a cow, but mostly - you feel like a wonderwoman”.
In the end whatever you choose, trust yourself to ulitmately, with help, time and advice, be the authority on what is best for you and your baby in your unique circumstances.
