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From: ekh@machaids.UUCP (Gene)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: On Natural Mothering
Message-ID: <730@machaids.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Dec-83 00:10:15 EST
Article-I.D.: machaids.730
Posted: Wed Dec 14 00:10:15 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 20-Dec-83 01:35:02 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Holmdel
Lines: 50

I have been meaning to add to the recent discussion on  net.kids,
and figured I should let the real expert (my wife) contribute:

I'm writing because recent articles in net.kids have reminded  me
of  a  subject that's very dear to me--natural mothering.  What's
that?  Well in many ways it is a  lot  like  natural  childbirth.
Both  require  knowledge,  a  positive  attitude,  a  respect for
nature, effort, and support and help from the father.  Both offer
great  rewards,  although  those  who  haven't  experienced these
things may not understand.

Natural mothering involves frequent breastfeeding "on demand," to
feed  and  to  comfort the baby.  It involves meeting an infant's
needs day and night.  It involves nightime and daytime  closeness
with  the child.  It involves freely giving up some of your sleep
for the sake of your baby.  (I imagine some of you folks  out  in
"netland" give up some of your sleep occasionally for the sake of
your job, right?)

The rewards include: 1)  a  close,  loving  relationship  with  a
wonderful  little person who just happens to be your child!  2) a
child who knows what love is and feels deeply loved, 3)  a  sense
of  satisfaction  that  you  gave  of  yourself to do your job of
parenting as well as you could.

It still amazes me that our culture advises parents to  get  away
with   doing   as  little  as  possible  to  nurture  an  infant;
bottlefeed, overuse pacifiers, prop the  bottle,  get  away  from
your  baby, don't spoil your baby, let your baby cry it out, make
your baby sleep through the night!  When this advice is taken  to
extremes,  the job of parenting becomes the menial, boring job of
custodial infant care.  No wonder our culture goes  on  to  label
mothering as "unfulfilling!"

Here are some books that I recommend:
"Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing, The Ecology of  Natural
Mothering," by Sheila Kipley, 1974, Harper & Row.
"The Family Bed, An Age  Old  Concept  in  Child  Rearing,"  Tine
Thevinin, 1976, published by the author.
"Motherlove, Natural Mothering,  Birth  to  Three  Years,"  Alice
Bricklin, 1975, Running Press.
"The   Womanly   Art   of   Breastfeeding,"   La   Leche   League
International, 1981.
"To love a Baby," Sandy Jones, (probably Houghton Mifflin).

These books include references  to  scientific  studies.   Jone's
bibliography is particularly fascinating.

From Joann Harvey, mother of Robin (4 1/2) and  Eugene  (2),  two
very natural kids.