How cool is this...
...story from BBC Radio Merseyside?
For the most eloquent and balanced writing I’ve ever read on breastfeeding – see Yarn Harlot here. This is just another way for knitters to support mothers who are trying to succeed, often in particularly difficult circumstances.
There is a downloadable pattern here
I know what I’m going to spend some of my week off doing…
six comments:
What a wonderful way to put your knitting skills to good use! I saw in the BBC article that the hospital is looking for more knitting volunteers, but I couldn’t find any contact information (either in the article or on the hospital’s web page). Do you know how to contact them?Tracy WW () (link) - 06 March '07 - 15:52
What a fab idea! And thanks for the link to the Yarn Harlot – read with interest. I must knit some boobs…Daisy () (link) - 06 March '07 - 16:54
Anne – sorry – read about your “week off” and clicked away….and then realised how I hadn’t said how envious I was to have a week off, resting, and knitting no less…..seriously though. Enjoy your “break”. Rest. Take care of yourself. Knit boobs.Donyale Grant () (link) - 06 March '07 - 23:05
I hope your back is better soon! Those are some seriously gorgeous pix of the sunset and some pretty knits!Carrie K (link) - 06 March '07 - 23:56
Hello Anne! I enjoy my visits to the Yarn Harlot’s blog, but disagree that her argument in this particular entry is balanced. Those who succeed in breastfeeding do tend to assume that mothers who don’t simply haven’t tried quite hard enough … It’s not always simply a case of “making decisions” about one’s baby, or one’s breasts. I completely agree with her that the slagging off of women who do things differently is a Bad Thing, but she does seem to assume that women who do not [continue to] BF lack information and support and switch to formula feeding because it is “easy”. It certainly wasn’t easy for me – a mother who always imagined I would exclusively BF my baby. I’ve come across this attitude so much since I had to stop BF’ing, and to me it seems merely another way of imposing your own experience on others and failing to empathise with them because of an existing agenda.Sorry to get so serious!!
I hope I’ll get to meet you again at a KTog sometime soon?
E-J () (link) - 14 March '07 - 00:31
I’m sorry – I guess that having been one of the extremely lucky ones, Ididn’t read it with the eyes of someone who struggled. And yes, having
re-read it, I see exactly what you mean.
The whole baby-feeding issue is naturally a very emotive one, but I do
despair sometimes at the rudeness people encounter at whatever method they
use.
Why people can’t be more accepting I don’t understand – the whole idea of
“supporting breastfeeding” by the medical profession has desperately badly
misfired – I have a friend who was been scolded by her health visitor for
choosing to bottle-feed (in the case I’m thinking of it was a choice), and I
have been met by blank incomprehension from a consultant for breast-feeding.
Having a small baby to look after is hard. It’s hard however they are fed.
It’s a very emotional time however they are fed. Adding layers of guilt is
just plain cruel. It’s not a pass/fail thing. It’s about caring for your
baby in the best way possible – whatever that best way turns out to be. The
babies are individuals, the mothers are individuals – there cannot be a “one
size fits all” approach.
Having said all which, I will continue to support organisations that I
perceive as genuinely supporting women. Convincing a woman on a limited
income to at least try breastfeeding when she may have previously not even
considered it seems to me to be well worth doing. But then I guess I’m
starting to preach to the choir at this point.
Please don’t apologise for being serious.
Anne - 14 March '07 - 15:30
