Tag Archives: childbirth educators

The Real World of Attachment Parenting

We haven’t post much in the last few months because we have been diligently working on the new edition of Attached at the Heart, due to be released on Aug. 6, 2013. We couldn’t be more excited because it gave us the opportunity to update and add a lot of new information!

Since our book was first published in 2009, a lot has happened! Attachment parenting was introduced to the world by TIME Magazine just in time for Mother’s Day, 2012. A year later, people just can’t stop talking about it! Celebrities are coming out of the shadows to proudly announce they are practicing attachment parenting, which is great but can create more confusion. While it’s been disconcerting to hear the same misinformation repeated over and over at least now it’s part of the consciousness of the world. According to most media reports AP requires three things: breastfeeding, babywearing and bedsharing. Surely many countries are asking “What is so strange about breastfeeding, wearing your baby and sleeping with your baby?”

Thirty years ago it was unheard of to talk about a child nursing six months let alone one year. Now we are talking about four year olds and older (not that you have to do that to be AP). So with all the criticism and misunderstanding, progress is still being made and we are so happy that API has helped in doing that. Attached at the Heart is also doing its part in clarifying, raising awareness and informing parents and professionals about best practices that are supported by a wealth of scientific studies.

The truth is that attachment parenting isn’t about what you do as much as it is about an overarching understanding of what children need from us to develop into whole and happy adults and why it is so important for our future. At the heart of attachment parenting is a level of empathy and respect for our children as precious human beings; values that are uncommon in our culture among adults not to mention children. In the real world of attachment parenting, we are kind and compassionate, we respect and support each other knowing that we can make a difference in our families and in the world one generation at a time.

Our revised and updated edition of Attached at Heart is coming soon! (HCI Books, Aug. 6, 2013) There’s new information that every parent and professional needs to know. You can preorder now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble online.

Reclaiming our birth rights

Having just attended the Lamaze conference in Orlando, Florida, it is alarmingly clear that women have to become proactive in reclaiming our rights to give birth the way we want.  We spoke with several Lamaze instructors who shared their own personal experiences in hospitals and the obstacles they are up against in providing all the evidence-based information in their childbirth classes. Many if not most hospitals are NOT practicing evidenced-based care when it comes to delivery and postnatal care of mother and child.

The most important thing we learned that can be very helpful in creating change is this; hospitals are sensitive to a certain rating based on the number of complaints (or not) received by patients.  The problem is that women aren’t complaining because they really don’t know what their choices should be in regard to having their best birth. So all of us have to play our part in educating women, our friends and family members, about healthy birth practices and also encouraging women to write letters of complaint to their hospitals if they aren’t satisfied and request changes be made to improve outcomes that are in line with the healthy birth practices outlined in our book Attached at the Heart and at www.lamaze.org.

Let’s do it!

Lysa