Charles Moses Martin Goodrich began his life as a motherless baby. His mother died of an
amniotic fluid embolism (a very rare and very fatal obstetrical complication) less than12 hours after she gave birth. What happened next was nothing short of miraculous. Over 20 women in the community of Marquette, Michigan arranged to nurse baby Moses round-the-clock.
The more than two dozen other women who've nursed Moses know they cannot replace what was lost hours after he was born. But the father they've reached out to help says they've given his son something he could have never provided on his own. He's a healthy, happy, well-adjusted boy," he said, "who has always known a mother's love."
Read the rest of the story
here.
Hi Rixa! Thanks for sharing this story. I was honored to make the quilt square for Susan for Ina May Gaskin's Safe Motherhood Quilt Project. Her husband and several of those nursing mamas have contacted me with such genuine gratitude and sadness. Because of her story and far too many others like her, Ina May has decided to create a special quilt devoted only to women who have died of AFE, many of whom were induced with Cytotec, a drug never approved by the FDA for labor induction. If any of your readers would like to honor a mother with a quilt square, they can email me. Thank you so much for your great words and happy holidays!
ReplyDeleteneed to learn not to read these touching stories at work *sniff sniff*
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful, touching story. Those mothers are really special people.
ReplyDeleteKelly - you and me both! I'm a receptionist and I'm all *sniff* "Good morning *sniff sniff* How can I help you?" *sniff*
ReplyDeleteRixa, you find the coolest stuff! I'm not a mommy yet (crossing my fingers this month) but I faithfully check it to get all the info I can! Thank you for what you do!
What a beautiful story. I think cross nursing can be a wonderful, supportive way to help in certain situations, and wish there wasn't such a stigma associated with it.
ReplyDeleteI read this story to Rob last week. He thought it was the coolest thing. we have discussed milk donation and wet nursing to great extent. I don't see why I wouldn't do it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this!
I'm so happy a story like this appeared in main-stream media. Social opposition to cross nursing is so silly. Women have been nursing each other's babies as long as there have been mothers and babies. I was a milk donor and it was a beautifully rewarding experience (which I highly recommend to all nursing mothers), but cross nursing is so much more so, because it's really nurturing a child and building a community in the face of a devastating loss.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful and generous thing for those mothers to do. I would not think twice about doing this for anyone who needed it. Breastmilk and nursing are So important to a newborn. What a blessed little guy.
ReplyDeleteThough I'm the laziest commenter ever, I enjoy everything that you post so much. Your birth stories have been so inspiring to me, especially Zari's as I was preparing for my daughter's birth. I've just given you an award on my blog - thanks for writing!
ReplyDeleteOK now you have made me cry. And I never cry. I am not a cryer!!!
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