Just Call Me Daisy - voting opens

I told you about Just Call Me Daisy in August.

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It's an online book, a collection of breastfeeding stories and poems, written by Mums.

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The project is complete, and now is up for voting for publication.

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So there's a lot of online reading, that's fun, enjoyable, illuminating and inspirational.

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And a voting form if you are so inclined. (It contains two poems from me, so I'm not actually asking you to vote, just telling you you can. :-)

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The site is a bit complicated, if you're a Net newbie. So this is what you need to do:

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Follow this link.

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It takes you to the facing page of 'the book'. On the RIGHT hand side, there is a "Start Reading" column. This is a long box, with the original story listed, and several others underneath. There are two pale blue triangles above, and below, this box. Press the bottom one, to allow the titles of all 30 stories to scroll up and down. If you see one you'd like to read, hit the lilac "read it" button.

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A new page, containing that story, or poem, opens up.

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The stories are submitted directly by mothers. There is no editing or control. There is no making sure they are 'on message'. Each one is a little slice of life. Together, they illuminate the realities of the struggle to breastfeed successfully, in a culture that is bottle led. In a culture that is not supportive of breastfeeding. You'll gnash your teeth at the litany of failure on behalf of family and medical support staff, as mothers were encouraged to 'give up'. You'll thrill when someone says...

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In walks my Angel, a midwife who had come to give me my intrevenous antibiotics and turned out to be my angel. My mum told her why i was upset and she came back in the room with a knitted breast and a doll. She gave me a few tips and explained how the baby stimulates the milk and just because i couldn't hold baby i could still feed. LAYING DOWN! So when my baby woke for his next feed we buzzed this amazing lady who came back and showed my mum how to help put my baby boy to my breast then i fed him laying down and squeezed in a lovely cuddle. AMAZING x For the next few days my mum and my husband helped latched my beautifull boy on and i fed laying down. Breast Breast BREAST by Saribo*

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You'll ignore the housework as you just want to read one more.

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If you want to vote for this book, you need to sign in. It's only your eddress and a password. There is then a BLUE vote box, on the facing page, bang in the middle under the info box. (Don't hit the 'vote' tab at the top of the page. You'll get lost in a hundred books to vote for, but if you do do this... this book is on page 3).

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You won't like every entry in this book. You will rage at the inadequacies of those who supported these mothers in their earlier pregnancies, that resulted in a depressed and defeated mother bottle feeding. You'll bite your knuckles when you read kooky advice, and cringe. You'll cry in oxytocin rush, at the gentle love you'll find there.

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Moment of Satisfaction

by Anita MacCallum*

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Proudly sitting anywhere
and everywhere, deliberately.
Showing how it's done.
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Milk drawn from deep inside,
complete openess, eyes drinking,
moments that are imprinted.
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Skin to skin, feeling
utter satisfaction, gently drifting,
sleepily falling, into dreamland.

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As I said, it's a slice of real life. A thumbnail representation of what it's like to birth, and attempt to breastfeed, in our culture. And it's by Mums, for Mums. Go read! :-)

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*copyright retained by original contributors, 2008