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             Dear Friend:

 I am writing a book about women's breastfeeding experiences and am
seeking
first-person accounts from women who are currently nursing or have done
so in
the past.

 Bosom Buddies: Women Talk About Breastfeeding will be a candid
collection of
women's voices, discussing the joys and rewards, frustrations and
challenges,
sorrow and anger, pride and satisfaction, and humor and poignancy that
accompany
the nursing experience.  Many books today give women the chance to read
first-person accounts of labor and childbirth, helping them to
anticipate and
prepare for the birth of their children.  But absent from bookstore and
library
shelves are similar books on breastfeeding.  I have yet to read a book
that
places women's diverse nursing experiences and feelings at the center; a
book
that offers past, present and future nursing women the kind of support
and
camaraderie that many desire.  This is the goal of Bosom Buddies.

 Bosom Buddies will not sentimentalize breastfeeding or motherhood.  Nor
will it
be a how-to book.  Rather it will reveal the myriad and complex ways
that women
go about creating a breastfeeding relationship with their children, as
well as
how breastfeeding affects their identity as mothers, women and lovers.
My goal
is to create a book that affirms the worth of women's mothering and
insists that
women have the right to nurse their children with dignity and without
apology.

  Breastfeeding a baby is not always easy.  Although millions of women
nurse
their babies, millions more get discouraged and frustrated along the
way.
 The statistics bear this out.  Although current research abounds with
the
nutritional, immunological and developmental advantages to babies fed
mothers' milk, the United States has one of the lowest breastfeeding
rates
among all industrialized countries.

 In ways both big and small our society discourages nursing and
undermines a
woman's ability to develop a satisfying nursing relationship with her
children.
While many health care professionals are supportive and knowledgeable
about
breastfeeding, others give women inaccurate advice and information.
When
nursing is established, strangers may make women feel uncomfortable
about
nursing in public, employers may make it difficult for mothers to
balance
employment with nursing, and well-meaning significant others may
pressure them
about weaning.   While some women are blessed with supportive family and
friends, others are not.  Nothing can take the place of supportive
significant
others.  But Bosom Buddies, I hope, will give women the next best thing
- a
community of nursing women instantaneously available to those who desire
it.

 My desire to write this book arose, in part, out of my desire to help
create a
culture in which breastfeeding women are accepted, visible, and valued.
 For this to happen, breastfeeding must come out of the closet.  Women
must
begin to talk about it - honestly, unabashedly and unapologetically; to
break
the silence and shatter the myths that surround the breastfeeding
experience.


 With this in mind I am seeking submissions from women who are willing
to
share their experiences with others.

 Listed below are some writing ideas that are intentionally broad in
scope to
allow you to tailor your writing to fit your experiences.   You can use
them if
you like, or disregard them at will.   Please don't feel that you must
limit
yourself to these suggestions or break your experiences down into these
topics.
Real life is much messier and more complex than this!  Most importantly,
write
from the heart!  Don't worry about grammar, punctuation or even your
writing
ability.  Stream-of-consciousness writing often results in wonderful,
honest
stories!  (Please note that while the stories are subject to editing,
each
writer will have approval over the final piece.)

 Writing Ideas:

 ** My expectations of breastfeeding compared to the reality.
 ** Obstacles I had to overcome to breastfeed successfully (including
not
only the more typical problems such as sore nipples, sleepy babies, and
engorgement, but situations that involve breastfeeding a premature baby,
breastfeeding an adopted baby, relactation, medical complications, work
considerations etc.).
 ** Positive or negative experiences with health care providers.
 ** My favorite nursing moments or most meaningful nursing experiences.
 ** Humorous breastfeeding experiences (including those involving
toddlers
and preschoolers).
 ** Encounters with people who expressed approval or disapproval for the
way I
nurse(d) my children.
 ** Positive or negative experiences I had while breastfeeding in public
or in
front of others.
 ** Nursing a toddler or pre-schooler.
 ** Interesting or challenging places where I've nurse(d) my children.
 ** How breastfeeding has affected the way I mother(ed) my children.
 ** How I combine(d) breastfeeding with non-mothering work - i.e.,
employment
 ** How I experience(d) breastfeeding physically.
 ** The affect of nursing on my sexuality and/or my relationship with my
partner.
 ** Feelings and thoughts that come to mind when I think about
breastfeeding.
 ** How breastfeeding has changed me as a woman and as a mother.
 ** Weaning and moving on (including reasons, strategies and feelings)

 I view this book as a collaborative effort, the quality of which will
lie in
the stories that each woman has and in the honesty and candor with which
she
tells them.  While I cannot offer you money for your time and
participation (I
cannot even guarantee that for myself at this point!) I hope that you
will feel
the rewards that come from helping other women by sharing your story.

 If I am able to use your story I will send you an Agreement of Informed
Consent form to complete, which will give you the opportunity to tell me
how you
wish to be identified in the book.  (While my preference is for real
names to be
used, I realize that some women do not feel comfortable with this.)

 Please send your stories to me at the following e-mail address:
[log in to unmask] with the heading: Bosom Buddies.  Or, you can mail
them to
the following address: P.O. Box 6677; Ithaca, NY 14850.   Please include
your
address, phone number, and e-mail address.

 Finally, please pass this message on to whomever you feel may be
interested in
contributing to this collection.  Although the book is focusing on the
breastfeeding experience in the United States, my hope is that the
voices
included will represent as diverse and multi-cultural group of women as
possible.

 My sincerest thanks to each of you for reading this far and hopefully
for
your time and effort in helping to make the idea of this book into a
reality!
   If you would like to talk about the book or if you have any
questions,
please don't hesitate to contact me.

 With appreciation,

 Barbara Behrmann;   E-mail: [log in to unmask]  Address:  P.O. Box
6677;
Ithaca, NY 14850