We do not live in a perfect world. Many new mothers have experienced abuse and adversity as children. Recent studies have found that breastfeeding helps mothers mother—even when there is a history of abuse. It not about the milk; it’s the physical act of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding improves maternal sleep, lowers the risk of depression, lessens anger and irritability, and even attenuates the negative effects of past sexual assault. Breastfeeding offers mothers a chance to do things differently. When it comes to overcoming adversity and stopping the intergenerational cycle of violence, breastfeeding makes all the difference.
Breastfeeding Makes All the Difference: Breastfeeding’s Role in Overcoming Adversity
About the Speaker
Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD, IBCLC, FAPA
Kathleen Kendall-Tackett specializes in women’s-health research including breastfeeding, depression, trauma, and health psychology, and has won many awards for her work including the 2019 President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Trauma Psychology from the American Psychological Association’s Division of Trauma Psychology. Dr. Kendall-Tackett has authored more than 470 articles or chapters and is author or editor of 39 books. Her most recent books include Depression in New Mothers, 3rd Edition (2017, Routledge UK), Women’s Mental Health Across the Lifespan (2017, Routledge US, with Lesia Ruglass), The Phantom of the Opera: A Social History of the World’s Most Popular Musical (2018, Praeclarus). She is editor of the Clinical Lactation Monograph series, which has 11 volumes including Breast and Nipple Pain, Milk Supply, and Tongue-Tie (Praeclarus).