Since I had my daughter, I have been involved in breastfeeding groups and met mums from so many different countries in the process, all with different stories and breastfeeding experiences. I’ve noticed how they all are anxious to ‘get it right’, to soothe their babies and get the hang of motherhood without losing their sanity. I observed that some societal pressures – to have newborns sleep through the night, to go back to work early, to ensure infants can self-soothe, to not nurse in public, etc. – are, in most cases, significantly adding to the stress of new mothers.
Once I had finished writing “We Drink Milk”, I decided I wanted to send a loving message to mums to remind them that, if we allow our instincts to take the lead and let go of other people’s guidelines, we will feel more calm and connected to our bodies, our babies and our motherhood journey. It was by far the hardest part of the book to write as breastfeeding can be such a sensitive topic, especially for new mums. But I didn’t want to pass on the opportunity to send love and support to other mothers and remind them that, even though it is in our nature to breastfeed our young – just like all other mammals, it doesn’t mean that it’s easy or that we can do it without the support of family, friends and society as a whole.
Since publishing “We Drink Milk” in May of this year, I have found that children as old as six or seven love reading the book, even though it was originally intended for toddlers. Kids I’ve met enjoy hearing about what makes mammals special, as well as talking about how they too were likely nursed by their mothers at some point, for whatever length of time. I realised that if kids grow up reading that it’s normal for little humans to drink milk from their mums, hopefully we won’t have to continue to “normalise” breastfeeding – we can just grow up knowing that it is.
Nanda Gasparini is mum of one little mammal. Originally from Venezuela, she has been living in Southeast Asia and has recently moved back to Australia with her husband and daughter. We Drink Milk is self-published and currently available for sale on the Facebook page We Drink Milk or you can contact Nanda directly.
