About the Author

Barbara Behrmann is the author of The Breastfeeding Café:  Mothers Share the Joys, Challenges and Secrets of Nursing, available from the University of Michigan Press.  As a first-time mother-to-be, Barbara was completely unprepared for a baby who refused to latch on for close to six weeks.  Breast pumps, bottles, and nipple shields had no place in her prenatal visions.  While eventually successful, getting her firstborn to nurse was the hardest thing she had ever done. 

This intensive period of mothering – during which she ultimately nursed far longer than she had ever anticipated - came on the heels of completing a Ph.D. in which she specialized in gender studies, women’s health, and work and family issues.   Her ability to intimately understand the onslaught of emotions and challenges new mothers face, along with a critical and analytical understanding of the issues surrounding motherhood, infuse the writing of The Breastfeeding Café.

Endorsed by La Leche League International, and lauded by health care providers, lactation consultants, doulas, parenting experts, and perhaps most importantly, moms themselves, The Breastfeeding Café presents a candid tapestry of women’s stories that together show there is more than one way to nurse and more than one meaning of “normal.”  Barbara’s sociological insights, commentary, and warmth, weave the stories together and create a supportive community for breastfeeding moms. 

Barbara’s commitment to breastfeeding and empowered parenting extends beyond her book.  She maintains a growing website at www.breastfeedingcafe.com, offering information, resources, articles and products for parents and health care providers alike.  Her writing has also appeared in international journals, local and regional parenting publications around the U.S., and on a host of websites, including BabyZone.com, Storknet.com, Brandnewdad.com, FamiliesOnlineMagazine.com, SheKnows.com and KeepKidsHealthy.com.  The overall emphasis in her writing is to explore how individual choices parents make are informed and influenced by social and cultural factors.

Barbara is a frequent speaker around the U.S. and Canada, offering talks, presentations, and workshops that center around breastfeeding from the perspective of women’s lives and what it means to nurse in a bottle-feeding culture.  She has appeared at regional, national and international conferences, has addressed breastfeeding task forces, universities, and other audiences, and has appeared on local television and radio broadcasts. A full list of appearances is available upon request.

Barbara lives with her husband and two school-aged children in upstate New York, where she is beginning a book that will critically and compassionately examines women’s experiences of giving birth.  Empowering women and families remains her number one goal.  

Speaker Info

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Contact Barbara for rates and availability.

Freelance Info

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