A resource to inspire, inform and empower parents.

Archives for January 2013

Normalizing Happiness

By Josh Wilker

I.
There’s a great photo of my wife and son in a park near our house. It was taken just after our son was safely over an illness that had required a trip to the emergency room. In the picture, my wife is breastfeeding Jack and the sun is shining down on both of them. Abby posted this happy picture online, wanting to share it with friends and other mothers, and doing so led her to realize that there are people capable of acting negatively to a picture of pure happiness, a mother feeding her baby in the sunlight. To some people, it was an eyesore.

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder, breastfeeding in public,

II. [Read more…]

Kindness Begets Kindness

I often wonder how I will be able to continue with The Badass Breastfeeder Facebook page while maintaining my sanity and my good name. I feel the reasons for my frustration have been misunderstood. I am frustrated not only with trolls. I can delete their comments and ignore them. What has become difficult for me is seeing the gentle parents that have become the voice of this page alienate people who have differing views. We have been lucky to be given this opportunity to teach and pass on our information to others who may not know a gentler way to parent. I did not expect this page to become so big. I did not expect to be given the platform that I now have. [Read more…]

I’m Quitting Breastfeeding

Read this blog post at Breastfeeding Basics!

I’m Quitting Breastfeeding

Nurse-Ins: What Are They Good For?

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder, breastfeeding in public,
As I reflect on the Hollister Nurse-Ins of this past weekend (January 2013) I am moved to write a post to address a recurring theme among a minority of responders. I have heard that nurse-ins are “radical,” do more harm than good for the cause and make breastfeeding mothers look like “crazy hippies.” I am saddened and angered by this attitude. It appears to me that this is misdirected negative energy in order to avoid facing the ugliness in society. If a person believes that we can fight for a cause by simply nursing in public as we normally would or that people who organize and agitate are “crazy” then I would suggest that this person has never cracked a history book. Let me explain.

[Read more…]

NIP at the Post Office: Not My Usual Positive Experience

Read this blog post at Breastfeeding Basics!

NIP at the Post Office: Not My Usual Positive Experience

A Badass Is Born: Breastfeeding Advocacy

In March 2012 I started a Facebook page called The Badass Breastfeeder. 10 months later there are more than 14,000 fans, growing business opportunities, Mama Tribes around the world and a steady stream of Mamas reporting that they receive a unique type of support from this community. I spend my days monitoring comments, writing blog posts about my adventures in Attachment Parenting, studying the world of breastfeeding support and trying to fill the gaps, providing support on the page and brainstorming with my Admins on how to better support the Mamas. [Read more…]