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Unbuttoned: Book Group Discussion Questions
Posted by hcpadmin
Monday August 3, 2009Is your book group reading Unbuttoned: Women Open Up About the Pains, Pleasures, and Politics of Breastfeeding ($14.00, The Harvard Common Press)? These questions can help start the discussion. You can also join others at the Facebook group for the book to continue the conversation!
- Some of the women who write about their experiences in Unbuttoned had mixed feelings about breastfeeding. In what ways has breastfeeding been a positive experience for you, and in what ways has it been negative?
- If you plan to have more children will you make the same decisions about breastfeeding? Why or why not?
- Many of the writers in Unbuttoned had unrealistic expectations of breastfeeding. Why do you think this was so?
- Some of the writers in Unbuttoned got fixated on pumping; one even practiced competitive pumping. Do you think that many women are overly dependent on breast pumps? If so, why?
- Breastfeeding rates in the United States are among the lowest in the world. Why do you think this is the case? Do you think pediatricians and government health experts should play a bigger role in encouraging women to breastfeed?
- Have you ever felt uncomfortable breastfeeding in public? Did anyone ever confront you while you were nursing? What was your reaction?
- Do you think that women who have chosen to breastfeed are too judgmental of women who have chosen not to? If you’ve fed your baby formula, have you ever felt that you needed to justify your decision to do so?
- Do you think that women from previous generations felt the same angst about breastfeeding that the current generation seems to? What is it about our modern culture that seems to provoke so much discussion about the topic?
- Breastfeeding can sometimes be a divisive issue. Did you ever have a friend or family member criticize your choices about breastfeeding—whether it was because you opted not to breastfeed at all, or because you nursed your baby into toddlerhood or beyond? How did you react?
- When your children eventually have their own babies, what will you tell them about your breastfeeding experiences? If you didn’t breastfeed, will you encourage your daughters (or daughters-in-law) to try it?
tags: Breastfeeding, Unbuttoned
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