Love Yourself, Feed the Baby: An Honest Guide to Reflective Breastfeeding

The trauma we experience as infants and children is carried in our bodies throughout our entire adult lives. We go into pregnancy with preconceived ideas about the type of parents we will be based on what we received (or did not receive) from our parents as they raised us. What did we need? What were we missing? What did we most enjoy and why? Where do we want to be better? The thoughts and ideas we have throughout pregnancy can ignite and activate many feelings and emotions we had no idea we were carrying. These questions, uncertainties, and feelings can be overwhelming and tough to articulate. Confronting these questions can be challenging, but facing the parts of ourselves that need to grow and change as we navigate the development of this new tiny human can be one of the most beautiful and messy things we ever attempt to do. I'm here to help you do just that. As a mother and practicing lactation consultant for over ten years, I believe that breastfeeding is a tool we can use to forge a relationship with our newborns that helps us to heal, one feeding at a time. This is not your typical breastfeeding education book. You will learn about the anatomy, function, and benefits of breastfeeding while also empowering yourself to examine your inner world. I will share some of my most vulnerable stories with you as I take you through my own birthing, breastfeeding, and postpartum anxiety. I will walk you through what might happen at the hospital and how those experiences may activate some emotional trauma you've been carrying. I will address the most common questions I encounter from breastfeeding parents worldwide and do my best to answer them in a way that is easy to understand. We will travel through the many ups and downs of breastfeeding, from caring for your newborn and your breasts, pumping bottles, returning to work, and eventually weaning. The goal of this guide is to help you determine the type of breastfeeding parent YOU want to be, and to feel confident both physically and emotionally as you enter the transition into parenthood.