Anon, CA, USA In December 2015, my husband received a call from a social worker informing him that his sister had given birth to a little girl who was now under protective custody. The social worker wanted to know if we were willing to foster and possibly adopt our baby niece. To be honest, … Read More
Summer Dun, Sherwood, Arkansas, USA A pumping story In January, 2014, we welcomed our third child into our family, our sweet baby, Rose. She had a rocky start. I am rhesus negative and was carrying antibodies to the rhesus factor. Rose was in the NICU for three days after she was born and then readmitted a few days later … Read More
Español Elvira Germaná, Madrid, Spain Translated by Gina Nigro, Seville, Spain I so wanted to have a third child, and at age 45, my wish came true. My previous two experiences of pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding were smooth and easy. I had no doubt that things would be the same the third time around. I … Read More
Tammy McKinney, Dover, Pennsylvania, USA Beating the baby blues at the start of motherhood. The day my daughter was born was filled with emotion, exhaustion, and expectation. I remember wanting nothing more than to rest and stay awake all at the same time. There lay a little being whom I had anticipated meeting for so long. … Read More
Dawn Tucker, Uzbekistan & Florida, USA I live in Uzbekistan, but flew back to my home in Florida to have my baby girl, Josephine, and to be near friends and family. We stayed for three months: six weeks before and six weeks after the birth before returning to Uzbekistan. Reaching out to La Leche League Since I’d … Read More
Vanessa Pinto, Sag Harbor, New York, USA Newborn weight loss: getting back on track with breastfeeding. None of the mothers in my family or my husband’s had ever breastfed. They disapproved of my desire to do so, explaining that it was too exhausting and telling me stories of women they knew who had tried and … Read More
Italiano Rachel Simpson, Marblehead, Massachusetts, USA Spending time with my family as an American in Rome. In Italy and other parts of the world there exists the “transumanza.” This is the Italian term for the traditional twice-yearly migration of sheep and cows from the highlands to the lowlands, and vice versa. The word literally means “crossing … Read More
Amy Denton, Wharfedale, Yorkshire, UK Isaac’s birth was traumatic. My labor started when I got up to pee at 3 am with my water breaking. Contractions became gradually more intense until 8 am, when they stopped altogether. On reaching hospital I was a couple of centimeters dilated and meconium was detected. A drip, which took a … Read More
Deutsch Español Français Diana West, BA, IBCLC, Long Valley, New Jersey, USA Mothering after breast reduction surgery When I became pregnant for the first time, the one thing I knew for sure was that I wasn’t going to breastfeed. I’d had breast reduction surgery and my surgeon had said it wasn’t possible. At the time of … Read More