Happy Holidays!!

Dear Family, Friends and Colleagues,

Warmest Wishes and Holiday Greetings!

I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a happy holiday. May your family and friends be blessed today and everyday with love, joy and the ability to ride the waves of life with courage and grace.

For my families that I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with, you are my role models and inspiration. I am eternally grateful for having met and worked with you. I am blessed with such an amazing job!

I am a better person for knowing each of you and for having received words of wisdom, encouragement and faith. Though some of us have never met, the Internet has brought us into each others lives; how cool is that?

Happy holidays and in deepest gratitude,

Dena

Dena Ferreira

Certified Birth Doula CD(DONA)

Prenatal and Mommy & Me Yoga Instructor

Personal Trainer

EOL Doula

Rape and DV Advocate

www.abirthinggoddess.com

646.982.8611

When in doubt, be of service.

Dena The Doula

Mothers Judging Mothers: Where Is The Love?

Recently I read a thread line on breastfeeding. The question posed to women was, "what age is appropriate to stop." Boy it got heated. I breastfed both of my girls for 19 and 18 months. I would have gone longer but that is another story. There seemed to be a lot of judgment of one another on mainly the side of stopping nursing sooner rather than later. I asked myself if we could ever free ourselves of being so critical and judgmental of one another and turn in the direction of support?


One woman made an excellent argument for continuing breastfeeding into the toddler years: Basically she compared the health benefits of human milk (for a human) to cow's milk. I thought it was a good point. Wouldn't it make sense that our own milk is what was intended for our children and since milk is a necessity long after toddler years wouldn't it be better to provide them with the best? 

I admit, I do feel a little uneasy when I see a mom nursing a six year old, but that is my issue. I cannot say that the mother is getting some sick pleasure out of it and I have to admit that being raised in a society where breast were seen a purely sexual and formula feeding was the norm, my societal upbringing has tainted my initial reaction.

What is truly sad for me is how quickly I see women turn against one another when we already have so many obstacles outside of the home. We are seen as the weaker sex, get paid less for doing the same job, overlooked on promotions, and experience harsh bias in family courts even when faced with domestic violence and so much more. I look to my sisters to find support in loving and supporting myself and my children.

How can we support mothers who do it a little different but love their children the same? Are we capable of making a universal network that supports each one of us without harsh judgment or criticism? I’d love to hear others thoughts on either of these issues (breastfeeding and/or support vs. judgment).

Lovingly,

Dena The Doula

www.abirthinggoddess.com