The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

Book review and give away: Making Babies

I'm pleased to review a new book on, you guessed it - making babies.  You can win one of five copies (see entry instructions at the end of this post).

Making Babies, by Dr. Sami David and Jill Blakeway, LAc presents a three-month program for 'maximum fertility' as naturally as possible.

What sets this book apart from others on this topic is that the authors - a reproductive endocrinologist and an licensed acupuncturist and herbalist - bring both Western and Chinese medicinal traditions to the task. 

Like other books, the authors discuss conception, common problems and solutions, and assisted reproduction. 

But unlike other books, but they also present five "fertility types" (tired, dry, stuck, pale, and waterlogged) based on Chinese medicine.  The authors then provide a fertility plan for each of these types, addressing foods to eat and avoid, exercise, and supplements, and Chinese medicine treatment.

The book isn't as detailed at Taking Charge of Your Fertility, but this makes it a bit more accessible, I found.  It's full of case studies from the authors' practices, and the information is presented in a friendly, supportive, and optimistic tone.  I think it would be a welcome addition to both mothers' and practitioners' bookshelves.

To enter to win a copy of this book, leave a comment below by November 11, 2009.  One entry per person, and entries must come from U.S. and Canadian residents.  No P.O. boxes, please.  Winners will be chosen using random.org and announced in the comments section of this post.  Copy will be sent directly to you by the publisher.

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Want to read "The Wet Nurse's Tale" with me?

A little while back I read about The Wet Nurse's Tale on Elita's Blacktating blog, where she posted an interview with the author.

I got a copy through inter-library loan and really enjoyed it.  I'm wondering if any of you would like to join in a mini-book group reading of this book. 

The Wet Nurse's Tale, which was a top ten finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel awards, is set in Victorian England, and tells a fictional first-person account of a wet nurse.  From the book jacket:

Susan Rose is promiscuous, loveable, plump, and scheming—especially when it comes to escaping life as a kitchen drudge in Victorian England. Luckily for Susan, her big heart is coverd by an equally big bosom, and her bosom is her fortune—for Susan becomes a professional wet nurse, like her mother before her.

But while scullery maids and cooks live below stairs, a wet nurse lives upstairs, and if she’s like Susan, she makes it her business to know all the intrigues and scandals that the upper-crust would prefer to keep to themselves.

When her own child is caught up in a family scandal, Susan must use her plentiful street-smarts to rescue her baby from the powerful mistress of the house. The scheme she weaves is bold, daring, and could spell ruin for her if she fails—but Susan Rose has no shortage of gumption. Bright, clever, and with a crackling wit all her own, Susan is an irresistible heroine. The Wet Nurse's Tale is a rich, rollicking portrait of love, life, and motherhood in Victorian England—where things are much less buttoned-up than they seem.

As you can see, there is some content for mature audiences here.  If you'd like to join in, leave a comment below.  I'm not sure how we'll do the discussion, but I'll figure it out.  I'm thinking that we'd take a month or so to read it.

Anybody in?

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Join the October Carnival of Breastfeeding: What I wish I'd known then

The theme for our next carnival of breastfeeding will be "what I wish I'd known then."  Here's your chance to join in!

Please send your submissions by October 19th.  The Carnival will be on October 26th.  As usual, we'll be looking for posts that are:

- Well-written and grammatically correct
- Thoughtful and directly on point for the carnival subject
- Submitted by blogs that pertain to subjects of interest to our readers (breastfeeding, parenting, etc.)

If your post is selected for inclusion, you will be asked on the day of the carnival to edit your post to link back to each of the other participants in the carnival. Examples of past carnivals can be found here.

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Do you have questions about breast cancer and breastfeeding?

I'm planning a podcast interview with Dr. Kathleen Arcaro of the University of Massachusetts about breastfeeding and breast cancer. 

Do you have questions about breastfeeding and breast cancer?  If so, leave them in the comments section, and I'll ask her during our interview!

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Aren't there any breastfeeding stickers out there?

A few weeks ago I announced a contest in which you'd send in pictures of breastfeeding stickers you've seen in public places and be entered to win a $25 gift certificate.

So far I've received very few entries.  So I'm extending the deadline until October 9th.  

Send me your pictures of breastfeeding stickers or signs posted at public places and establishments  - like shops, offices, parks, etc.  Try to get a shot of the place itself, if you can.  I'll post all of the pictures I receive, and will pick three runners up to receive our breastfeeding coalition's 'breastfeeding welcome here' sticker.

When you send a picture you'll be entered into the contest.  Send your picture by October 9th, 2009.  The winner will be picked by random.org and posted in the comments section.  U.S. addresses only, please.  Please note that by sending it in you give permission to have it posted on the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog. 

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What do you want more of?

Back when we started this blog we polled you about what you'd like to see.  I think it's time that we do it again!

Let me know below what you'd like to see more of on the blog.  You can check more than one answer.  If you can't see this poll, you can use this link.

What would you like to see more of on the Motherwear Blog?

Practical information about nursing

Personal stories

Advocacy/activism

News and research updates

Podcasts

Contests and promotions

Nursing clothes and products

Other

Please Specify:

sheepskin boots

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The Motherwear Blog turns three! Celebrate with a sticker.

Now we are three!  Seems like yesterday that I wrote the first post on this blog.  It has been such a pleasure to host this blog for the last three years.

I'll be posting my favorites from the last three years later in the week.

A big thanks goes to Motherwear, for sponsoring the blog and for providing such great support to nursing moms for over 25 years!

To celebrate, I'll be giving away 20 'breastfeeding welcome here' stickers, created by our local breastfeeding coalition.  Be among the first 20 people to leave a comment telling me that you're a subscriber (through email updates, an RSS feed, or through the iTunes store), and then send me an email with your mailing address.  When you email, please also tell me the name you commented under (i.e. "I comment as tanya@motherwearblog").  U.S. addresses only, please.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Motherwear is on Twitter!

You can now follow Motherwear on Twitter!

Subscribe to Motherwear's feed and you'll get updates about sales, special offers, and updates about the blog and podcasts.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Book review: Birth Day, with copies to give away.

Pediatrician Mark Sloan had a trial by fire introduction to childbirth.  As a 24 year old resident whose only knowledge of birth came from the 20 minutes of reading he had crammed the night before the first day of his obstetrics rotation, he wasn't sure what to do with his first patient, who was well into labor. 

"I killed time," he writes, "by rearranging the contents of my pockets, cleaning my stethescope, and, once I overcame my shyness, talking to the woman who was to produce the head I had been ordered to be on the lookout for."

He was so frightened of delivering the baby on his own that when the head did emerge he actually tried to push the baby back in.

Despite this introduction, Dr. Sloan became a pediatrician with a clear respect for childbirth and the instincts of the newborn.  This is evident in his new bok, Birth Day: A Pediatrician Explores the Science, the History, and the Wonder of Childbirth. 

In Birth Day Dr. Sloan presents a thorough history of childbirth, including several chapters on the history and politics of pain management.  He writes about the history of birth attendance, and particular about fathers and birth.  And he provides a 'guided tour' of the newborn baby and an explanation of babies' five senses in utero and at birth.

The sections on babies' instincts and the theory that human babies aren't quite ready to be born when they are reminded me of Our Babies, Ourselves (a favorite of mine), but told with a less anthropological and more historical eye. 

There is not too much in Birth Day about breastfeeding, but Dr. Sloan does write about babies' instinct, and ability, to "self attach" in the first hours after birth, writing about how babies are drawn to the breast by the smell of secretions from the mother's breast which are similar to amniotic fluid.

Birth Day is written in a very informative and entertaining style.  Dr. Sloan presents a lot of information in a way that conveys complexity but still remains accessible.   I think you'll enjoy it.

I have five copies of Birth Day to give away.  To enter the drawing, leave a comment below by September 24th.  Winners will be randomly selected using random.org, and announced in the comments section of this post.  U.S. addresses only, please. 

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Enter to win a $50 Motherwear gift certificate.

Motherwear wants to hear from you! 

Take Motherwear's fall survey and you'll be entered to win a $50 gift certificate.

Your answers will help Motherwear improve and expand its line of nursing tops, dresses, pajamas, and tanks.  When you're through, be sure to enter your name and email address to be entered into the contest.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.