By Sarah W.
Considered one of my favourite books ever – and I imply ever – is Amie by Terry Stafford. It was really initially revealed by La Leche League Worldwide in 1983! It’s onerous to search out in print, now, sadly. It’s a loving story of a nursing toddler, round three years previous.
The story is a collection of vignettes in Amie’s life. It consists of mattress sharing, breastfeeding, play, time together with her dad and mom, understanding that typically nursing must be discreet, and seeing different households with nursing toddlers. I all the time notably loved the image the place she’s smiling whereas nursing and is barely nonetheless hanging on. I’ve undoubtedly seen my son do this (he’s practically 4)!
The guide opens with Amie introducing herself. She exhibits the readers her room, introduces us to her household, and talks about how nursing is an integral a part of the beginning of her day. The illustrations are tender and loving pencil illustrations.
All through the guide, we see Amie main a buddy to get “milky” from his mother when he hurts himself. The tales additionally cowl studying about find out how to nurse discreetly. We see Amie nursing and snuggling at first and finish of her day. Non-nursing occasions are included too, like enjoying costume up, with playdough, within the sandbox, and different particular experiences with household. Each web page is nice and non-judgmental. It presents breastfeeding as merely part of Amie’s day and part of her household dynamic.
I can quote practically the whole guide and fondly keep in mind my dad studying it to me after I was a nursing toddler! It’s pretty to see breastfeeding past infancy and toddlerhood normalized and easily a part of the life of a kid on this guide. It actually was formative for me, having a guide “about me” that I might determine so strongly with. And after I was rising up within the late Nineteen Eighties, there actually weren’t many books exhibiting nursing, a lot much less nursing toddlers! Breastfeeding was a core worth for our complete household, and Amie helped us really feel seen.
My son likes Amie, however he doesn’t appear to really feel a have to determine with it. Perhaps we’re beginning to enter an period the place books will be helpful for representing normalized nursing for a number of years, however don’t should be the lifeline they as soon as have been. I certain hope so! Nursing, for my son and me, has undoubtedly been a essential level of calm and connection in his hectic toddler and preschooler life. I’m very glad that I’m not experiencing the sort of side-eye and criticism I keep in mind seeing after I was a child.
Amie did additionally affect a number of the language that we selected after we began our nursing journey. Within the guide, Amie says, “Milky, milky, milky it’s my finest!” Milky, whereas not the time period that was primarily utilized in my childhood, was actually current in our household too, as a quote and reference all of us knew. Once I began nursing my son, I used the identical vocabulary I grew up with (nursing and “mommy milk”, which became “mama milk”). However after we known as it “milky”, my kiddo is aware of precisely what I imply and precisely what I’m quoting!
Simply the opposite day, I used to be repairing our copy of the guide (the duvet had come unfastened from too many loving readings, I suppose!), and my son got here up and requested me to learn it to him. I informed him it was one in every of my favourite books, and he stated, “It’s my favourite guide, too! It goes in my room, so it’s mine.” It warms my coronary heart to see him benefit from the guide meaning a lot to me. Even when he by no means hears a detrimental phrase about prolonged breastfeeding or doesn’t want that illustration, he nonetheless loves the guide, the story, and the mama milk snuggles he usually will get whereas I learn to him – identical to Amie!
Share your guide critiques, tales, and reflections with Kylie at [email protected]
Supporting Breastfeeding Households–At present, Tomorrow, At all times
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