The Cover Shot Heard Round the World

Shockwaves still reverberate from the Mother's Day issue of TIME Magazine; you know the one with mother Jamie Grumet and her nearly three year old son (at the time)breastfeeding standing in a chair in his camos. Well, I'm happy, no thrilled to report that there's been a "do over" of that infamous cover shot. One of the most frequent criticisms by those who support child-led weaning is that a) it was exploitative and intended to create a visceral reaction and b) the TIME cover didn't accurately portray how a mom would actually nurse her toddler. So the editors of Pathways to Family Wellness Magazine decided to right this wrong and sent a photographer to photograph Jamie's beautiful family...check it out, it's gorgeous! The photographer is a former doula, Lori Dorman, who spent four hours photographing the family. Many other beautiful photos are included in this September issue. Here's how she felt about the whole thing: “Most mothers are shoved into the closets when it comes to nursing toddlers,” says Dorman. “It’s considered taboo in our culture, when in fact millions of women do it every day. The Time cover made it more difficult for those women to find acceptance. My goal was to correct the misperception that was created on the Time cover. Its message was that nursing a 3-year-old was outrageous and inappropriate, when in fact nursing a 3-year-old is a normal, healthy activity in the world today. There couldn’t be a healthier interaction between a mother and a child.” Also, I'm proud to say that Barbara Nicholson and I also have an article in this issue on The History of Attachment Parenting that is an excerpt from our book Attached at the Heart. After all we need to look at the big picture from a historical and theoretical perspective. Pathways to Family Wellness is an international, nonprofit, educational magazine with over 250 gathering groups meeting worldwide through Pathways Connect, an outreach project where families can safely explore holistic insights and empowering resources and find respectful support for their individual wellness choices. Order your own issue today at the Pathways to Family Wellness website.

New research on breastfeeding- It's more than just nutrition

Here's an interesting article on breastfeeding research at LaTrobe University that examines other aspects of breastfeeding other than nutritional value or the physical mechanics. The research found a phenomenon that describes the mother and baby's relationship as "interembodied, an intense connection in which they exist as one entity rather than two separate entities. (We moms could have told them that) They observed that when an infant cried, the mother's body responded because it knew just what to do, produce milk! Breastfeeding moms have long known about the "let down" reflex that happens when they just think about their baby, the milk gushes forth- with the sole purpose of keeping baby nearby. Mother nature is incredible and so wise. If only we humans would listen and respect her design.