Kate Carothers

I have worked as a labor and delivery nurse and lactation consultant over the past 15 years. In this time, I have been blessed to witness countless beautiful moments in those hours and days following the birth of a new baby.

But I have also watched too many families struggle when it comes time to feed the baby, when their other children are present. Many times, these older siblings have no idea how human babies eat. The awkwardness of these parents can be confusing for their children, and even gets uncomfortable for me!

My daughter Carly was a little over two years old when I was pregnant with her sister Claire. Carly and I would talk about her baby sister every day. When her sister was finally born, Carly already knew how she got milk. She knew that her sister would need to nurse, A LOT. Sometimes, Carly would even tell me to hurry up and give Claire her milk.

Carly’s transition into having a new sibling was pretty easy for all of us. I strongly believe that one big reason why Carly was so protective and loving to her baby sister, was that she never felt left-out or unprepared. Breastfeeding wasn’t embarrassing or some secret thing I did only with the baby. Breastfeeding was just normal.

That’s why I created Best Milk. The story is told from the perspective of an older child, like Carly. In Best Milk, breastfeeding is portrayed simply as what it is, just normal.