Postby HelenBirthBaby » Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:57 am
I was greatly looking forward to reading this book but was surprised to read in the foreword to the 2nd edition that Liedloff proudly stated that a previous reader had found the book cruel and had considered ending it all; not the most auspicious start but it set the tone for me.
I think Liedloff lost me when she wrote of the unheld baby,
“There is no mechanism in his early life that can take account of an inadequate mother, a mother without a working continuum, one who does not respond to infant signals, one who is set against, not for, the fulfilment of his expectations.”
I think that would be very difficult for some mothers to read. Western mothers generally are more detached but I believe parents do instinctively carry on the continuum through rocking, singing and making ‘shhh’ing sounds.
I work with expectant and new parents (teaching BabyCalm classes) and lean myself towards attachment theory but I felt this book was too much about criticising Western mums rather than telling us the positive of attachment theory.
What did you make of it?
