Breastfeeding in Children's Books

How many of you have children’s book that actually shows a baby breastfeeding? How many show a women breastfeeding out of the home? I have none. Which is really sad; I am a lactation Consultant! SO… I wrote and illustrated one!!! Breastfeeding All Around The Bay

I am so excited about this book that I am putting aside my fear and all the uncomfortable feelings I have with asking for help. Seriously, I quit Girl Scouts because I hated selling cookies. There are rewards for helping (not girl scout cookies though).

Women should feel comfortable and supported to breastfeed their baby out in public. The need for children’s books, TV shows, and movies to start showing babies breastfeeding is real.
 
As a lactation consultant, I often hear that moms haven’t seen or been around breastfeeding women until they themselves got pregnant. How wonderful would it be for children to be exposed to this normal biological process not only directly from breastfeeding, but also indirectly in our books, TV shows, and movies?
 
I am weeks away from launching a Kickstarter so folks can pre-order the book. The pre-order funds will help with the costs of running the first large batch print of the sturdy board books. There are cheaper options, like paperback, but this book is targeted towards infants and toddlers and my toddler can destroy a paperback book in a matter of seconds. 

From the perspective of a very hungry newborn, Breastfeeding All Around The Bay:

• Normalizes breastfeeding in public, a right every women has!
• Features a Black women breastfeeding. Rates for initiation and duration of breastfeeding for Black women in the United States are the lowest comparatively to other races. #BlackBreastfeedingWeek #BlackWomenDoBreastfeed
• Highlights an interracial couple, something that is also rarely seen and reflects the my family <3 I wanted my daughter to grow up reading stories that have families that look like ours.

 
Rewards for backing this Kickstarter campaign include: 

• Printable PDF flashcards with fun human and non-human breastfeeding facts and illustrations from the book.
• A copy of the E-Book
• Human milk storage guidelines refrigerator magnet
• A copy of the physical book 
• Signed copies of the book by the author/illustrator
• Top tier backers have the opportunity to be listed in the book itself on the dedication page