As women continue to bear children all parents should ask the followingquestion how can a woman fulfill her unique responsibility as mother to herchild when pre... » 

As women continue to bear children all parents should ask the followingquestion how can a woman fulfill her unique responsibility as mother to herchild when prevailing parenting practices deny the importance of breastfeedingand maternal care? Maternal care is now thought to be impractical and a luxuryfor those who can afford it. Thus many women need to defend their right andresponsibility to care for even the youngest of babies. Dr. Kawasaki apediatrician and stayathome mother of two asserts in Mothering withBreastfeeding and Maternal Care that current attitudes toward mothering havenot evolved naturally. Over the course of a century childrearing expertssociologists and feminists have made systematic efforts to undermine theimportance of a womans role in the home. Dr. Kawasaki offers compellingreasons for parents to think seriously about the unique role women play intheir childrens lives particularly in early childhood. She argues that thepriceless benefits of breastfeeding and handson maternal care help to ensurethe optimal growth and development of young babies and children. «