Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

A book I love

I have been reading 'Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing' by Sheila Kippley. It was recommended on Cave Mother's blog. Sheila is a Catholic Author who founded Natural Family Planning International with her Husband John. With the excessive amount of information I've read about NFP, I've never heard of this book until I heard about it on her blog. So I was excited to find another resource. It seems as though there is lots of NFP information (the easy part) but not as much about after childbirth.
Anyways, I haven't gotten to much NFP yet but I absolutely LOVE the parenting view in this book. Particularly chapter 5, 'Schedules, Sitters, and Social Life'. It talks about how nature designed Mother and Baby to be together as one and how scheduled feedings and baby sitters disrupt this natural togetherness. She talks about how in Africa, most mothers are with their babies up until 15 months old vs our culture where there is a huge need for parents to 'get away' from their babies. 'It is obvious that nature intended mother and baby to be one. In fact, a nursing mother who gives her total love and care for her baby will experience a relationship that she may never have with other persons.' (pg 38) Then the book goes on to say 'It apears that some of our cultural theories care lack common sense and feelings. Mothers sometimes are told that they should let their baby cry, that it is good to frustrate the baby. The baby seems to be looked upon as a 'thing' with out feelings, almost lacking any human rights to be heard, understood and loved.' I love quotes from books like this where I actually feel like they way I feel about my baby is normal. I have a really strong urge to not be separated from my baby. (with the exception of a little bit when Ben watches him and I go for a jog, or to eat icecream in the living room) But getting a baby sitter, even if it was family, feels really strange to me still. I know that is so counter cultural and probably who ever reads this is going to think 'get over it, you have to leave sometime'. While I do appreciate Luke's long naps where I can play on the computer or watch tv, I feel that it's my natural instinct to want to be with him. And there will be a sometime when we will separate, it won't be now. He really needs his mom, and I really need him.
'Could it be that the abrupt severing of the physical relationship between mother and baby that is so common today is responsible in some way for the impared relationship between many of our young people and their parents?' (p 50)