Raising Primates

Melvin Konner, PhD, anthropologist and author of The Evolution of Childhood, and I sit down to talk his time spent with the !Kung San tribe. We discuss: -what a typical day for a !Kung mother/father looked like -how mothers were cared for during and after birth, and how babies were welcomed into a social community from the first few hours of life -typical co-sleeping, breastfeeding, and child spacing in this band -the emphasis on community and shared childrearing (alloparenting) -what we can learn from the !Kung's "indulgent" parenting style -practical ways we can incorporate aspects of a hunter gatherer lifestyle into our modern-day lifestyles Check out Mel's books and articles: www.melvinkonner.com RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE to the podcast! Become a PATRON to support our efforts and receive exclusive episodes not available to the public: www.patreon.com/raisingprimates Visit us at www.raisingprimates.com

Theresa Morris, PhD, sociologist and author of "Cut It Out: The C-Section Epidemic in America", and I sit down to talk about the history and implications of the C-Section epidemic in our country. We discuss: -The history of how/why the C-section rate exploded from 5 to 33% in the US in the past 40 years -How OB-GYN's current medical training has turned to a focus on surgical skills rather than knowledge of physiological birth (including variations of normal birth, such as breech and twins) -How malpractice lawsuits and the prospect of being sued plays into the prevalence of C-section rates -Ultrasounds, fetal monitoring, inductions, epidurals and other aspects of medicalized birth that can lead a birthing mom down the C-section path -The lack of informed consent in hospital births, and what pregnant women need to know about their rights and responsibilities in pregnancy and birth. -Roadblocks to women getting the support they need when attempting a VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean) with a second child -Practical ways pregnant women can avoid C-sections as much as possible. Check out Theresa's book here: www.amzn.com/9780814764121 and see more of her work here: https://sociology.tamu.edu/morris-theresa/ RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE to the podcast! Become a PATRON to support our efforts and receive exclusive episodes not available to the public: www.patreon.com/raisingprimates Visit us at www.raisingprimates.com

Today we are joined by Kristen from the MotherWise blog (www.motherwiselife.org). We chat about her family, how she came to practice and promote Attachment Parenting, and the critical intersect of parenting and social change in our current world. Check out Kristen's work: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherWiseLife/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/motherwise.life Become a PATREON to help support the podcast and get exclusive interviews that are only available to subscribers: www.patreon.com/attachment RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST! Visit www.attachmentparentingpodcast.com for more information

Angela Braden, co-founder/director of the Evolved Nurturing Initiative (ENI)(www.evolvednurturing.org) and parent coach, and I sit down to talk about how our species evolved to nurture our young, and why our society should return to our heritage of compassionate and caring parenting. We discuss: -the intense pressure from our culture to act in ways that are discordant with maternal instincts and the way humans evolved to treat babies -the importance of allowing women adequate bonding time with their babies postpartum, and how we can incorporate our children into our work lives -pulling in community to help support mothers, parents, and children, for optimal psychological and emotional help -the father's role in providing nurturing care -why we should educate women and men before they have children on babies' intense needs in the early years -"high needs" babies and how they seem to need even more nurturing (but all babies need lots of compassionate care!) -how the Evolved Nurturing Initiative is educating parents/caregivers on babies' biological needs; and how the meeting of these needs influences the neurological and emotional development of our children Check out Angela's blog and coaching work: www.sciencemommy.weebly.com http://www.smartbabysleep.com https://www.facebook.com/sciencemommy/ Kindred: https://kindredmedia.org/author/angela-braden/ ...and look for her forthcoming book titled "Primal Parenting" in 2019 with Darcia Narvaez! RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE to the podcast! Become a PATRON to support our efforts and receive exclusive episodes not available to the public: www.patreon.com/raisingprimates Visit us at www.raisingprimates.com

Helen Ball, PhD and director of the Parent-Infant Sleep Lab at Durham University (https://www.dur.ac.uk/sleep.lab/), and I sit down to talk all about infant sleep, SIDS, cosleeping, and "sleeping through the night". We discuss: -the surprising (to some) prevalence of cosleeping/bedsharing in the Western world -the myriad of factors that go into a parent's decision to cosleep, bedshare, sleep train, etc. -safe bedsharing and actual SIDS risks, including alcohol, smoking, and couch sleeping -ways parents can still cosleep and remain close to baby if they have some risk factors for SIDS -physiological importance of sleeping in close proximity to young infants -the variability of normal infant sleep duration -the importance of maternity leave and breastfeeding support in the act of bedsharing/cosleeping -what the AAP SHOULD be recommending to parents with regards to cosleeping Visit the Infant Sleep Information Source (www.isisonline.org.uk) for more information about infant sleep safety. RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE to the podcast! Become a PATRON to support our efforts and receive exclusive episodes not available to the public: www.patreon.com/raisingprimates Visit us at www.raisingprimates.com

Peggy O'Mara, author and former editor of Mothering Magazine (www.mothering.com), and I sit down to talk about myths and misconceptions about parenting practices that go under the name "natural parenting". We discuss: -why natural parenting is not a "fad" -"natural parenting" as a set of parenting practices our species had been doing for millennia prior to the industrial revolution (responding to baby's needs, breastfeeding to term, bedsharing, holding babies, etc.) -do you have to breastfeed for 10 years to be an "natural parent"? -is cosleeping dangerous? -will your baby be in your bed forever? Check out Peggy's blog and books: www.peggyomara.com Become a PATREON to help support the podcast and get exclusive interviews that are only available to subscribers: www.patreon.com/raisingprimates RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST! Visit www.attachmentparentingpodcast.com for more information

Adrienne Carmack, MD, urologist, and I sit down to talk about the harms and lifelong consequences of routine circumcision in America. We discuss: -why circumcision became popular in the US, and why it's only popular in the US and certain religious groups today -the lack of solid evidence-based research to back up the commonly cited “benefits” of circumcision -how the CDC and AAP have manipulated medical literature and leave circumcision up to the parents (and why they shouldn’t) -complications that can arise from the procedure -how to care for an intact penis -circumcision (female AND male) as a human rights’ issue This month (October 2018) we are running a campaign to support Your Whole Baby, a nonprofit organization that aims to educate the public about the lifelong harms of circumcision. When you become a Patreon to the podcast this month (www.patreon.com/attachment), 50% of your donation will go to YWB! Or, consider donating directly to YWB: www.yourwholebaby.org Check out Adrienne’s book here: www.amzn.com/0990306038 The website we mentioned in the podcast is www.circumcisionharm.org Become a PATREON to help support the podcast and get exclusive interviews that are only available to subscribers: www.patreon.com/attachment RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST! Visit www.attachmentparentingpodcast.com for more information

Teresa Graham Brett, author of Parenting for Social Change, and I sit down to discuss “childism” (or “adultism”) - our society’s bias towards children’s unique human rights, and our tendency to manipulate, control and coerce children into fitting into our agendas. We discuss: -What childism looks like and how it is perpetuated in the language we use and cultural ideas about children -How (often unfounded) fear can cloud our decision making and actions towards our children -Why we "set limits" and aim to control our children, and how we can parent in a healthier way -How the way we treat our children is often very similar to the way we were treated as children, and how we can break habits of coercion, bribery, and punishment. Teresa's book, Parenting for Social Change, can be purchased here: www.amzn.com/B004MMEG4S Her website is www.parentingforsocialchange.com Kindred page is: https://kindredmedia.org/author/teresa-graham-brett/ Her nonprofit initiative is the Parent Liberation Project at: www.parentliberationproject.org Become a PATREON to help support the podcast and get exclusive interviews that are only available to subscribers: www.patreon.com/attachment RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST! Visit www.attachmentparentingpodcast.com for more information

Today's AP Mama is Amanda Warren from Vermont. She is the mother of 1 daughter, Hattie. AP MAMA is a NEW series within the podcast where I sit down and chat with fellow moms across the world who are practicing attachment/ gentle/ natural/ evolutionary parenting. We will talk about how they found AP, how their parenting journey has evolved, and how they deal with challenges and criticism in parenting. Become a PATREON to help support the podcast and get exclusive interviews that are only available to subscribers: www.patreon.com/attachment RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST! Visit www.attachmentparentingpodcast.com for more information

Naomi Aldort, author of Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves, and I sit down to talk about a variety of ways that fear, control, and our own egos can show up in parenting, and how these can negatively affect our children. We discuss: -how children really learn social skills (not in a group of other children who don't have social skills) -unreasonable expectations that are put on children today, at increasingly younger ages, such as sleeping alone, having to share with strangers, saying "please/thank you", etc. -knowing when it's right to leave your child overnight -breaking free from punishments/rewards/bribery cycles, especially with regards to academics/learning -dealing with sibling rivalry and fighting -how our culture focuses on "teaching" children skills that are not necessarily developmentally appropriate, and how we can instead model these skills and be the person we want our child to be -shifting the focus from modifying your child's behavior (control) to modifying your OWN thoughts/behavior (freedom) Naomi is a wonderfully wise voice in the attachment parenting community, and constantly challenges parents to examine their own egos, expectations, and thoughts, so that we can move from reactive to peaceful parenting. Find out more about her, including her books, articles, workshops, and more: www.naomialdort.com Her book can be found here: www.amzn.com/1887542329 RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE to the podcast! Become a PATRON to support our efforts and receive exclusive episodes not available to the public: www.patreon.com/raisingprimates Visit us at www.raisingprimates.com

Alicia Simpson, RD, IBCLC, and I sit down to talk about common breastfeeding myths and outdated advice that continues to circulate in hospitals, media, and social circles. We discuss: -how medicalized birth can affect breastfeeding -how breastfeeding can work with NICU, premie, and/or jaundiced babies -breastfeeding twins/multiples -when breast milk takes longer to come in and how to boost your breast milk supply -allergies, fast let down, and other irritants to baby -medical reasons for low milk supply -components of a healthy microbiome and how to support your child's gut flora through nutrition and breastfeeding -how sleep training and stress affect breast milk supply -gastrointestinal issues and risks of breast milk substitutes You can find out more about Alicia over at http://peapodnutrition.org. Her book is titled "Boost Your Breast Milk" and can be purchased here: https://amzn.com/1615193464 RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE to the podcast! Become a PATRON to support our efforts and receive exclusive episodes not available to the public: www.patreon.com/raisingprimates Visit us at www.raisingprimates.com

Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, anthropologist and author of Mothers and Others and Mother Nature, and I sit down to talk all about Alloparenting (or Allomothering). Alloparenting describes the act of multiple caretakers (including grandmothers, fathers, aunts, cousins, older siblings, etc.) caring for a young child, in addition to the mother. Our species evolved to live and care for children in this manner, and alloparenting has immense developmental and psychological benefits for babies and their mothers. Sarah and I discuss: -the anthropological history of how our species came to practice alloparenting -The importance of alloparents in the development of our species, and its impact on socio-emotional development in children -The move from matrilineal to patrilineal societies after the dawn of agriculture, and how this impacted child care and the quality of children's lives -how our modern society has moved away from living near extended family and seeking alloparental help -ways that we can try to emulate our species' alloparenting heritage, by moving near family, recruiting friends/neighbors and fellow moms etc. -finding substitute care that is nurturing for our children The app we discuss is called Allo Community, it's a wonderful resource for parents looking for nearby families that can help out with a variety of tasks, including childcare, pet care, errands, etc. It was developed by Sarah's daughter-in-law, Catherine Hrdy, who recently gave birth to her first child. Check it out here: www.allocommunity.com This was an especially fun episode to record, as I brought my son to Sarah's walnut farm, Citrona (www.citrona.com), and interviewed her in person. You will hear plenty of Callum's vocalizations throughout the episode. He was exhausted after thoroughly inspecting all of Sarah's interesting and unique collectibles around the house. RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE to the podcast! Become a PATRON to support our efforts and receive exclusive episodes not available to the public: www.patreon.com/raisingprimates Visit us at www.raisingprimates.com

Laura Shanley, author of Unassisted Childbirth, and I sit down to talk about birth without intervention. We discuss: -history behind the cultural beliefs in the US that "birth is dangerous" -the 3 things that can cause problems during birth -how OB-GYNs, midwives, and other personnel can interfere with the process of natural birth and undermine a woman's ability to naturally birth her baby -the lack of informed consent at hospital births -tapping in to our intuition in order to trust our bodies and our babies in the birth process -the numerous benefits of physiological birth (birth without intervention) for moms, babies, and families -why you may consider having a low- to no-intervention birth Laura's website for more info: www.unassistedchildbirth.com RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE to the podcast! Become a PATRON to support our efforts and receive exclusive episodes not available to the public: www.patreon.com/raisingprimates Visit us at www.raisingprimates.com

Rachel Rainbolt, MFT and Sage Parenting (www.sageparenting.com) coach, and I sit down to discuss the Unschooling and Family Integrated Life as a natural extension of Attachment Parenting in the early years. Rachel and I discuss: -the history of institutionalized school in the US, including its original goals and teaching methods -the difference between traditional homeschooling and natural learning (or, "unschooling") -myths vs facts about unschooling -prioritizing connection - what that looks like with kids who are "school aged" and up -how an attachment parenting lifestyle, with its themes of connection and trust, can inspire parents to choose unschooling or democratic schools -overcoming fear/doubt in our parenting journey -setting boundaries and discussing AP/Unschooling with family/friends who disapprove or who are skeptical. Rachel's books can be found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sage-Parenting-Honored-Connected-1/dp/1530794803/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534612992&sr=8-1&keywords=rachel+rainbolt Become a PATREON to help support the podcast and get exclusive interviews that are only available to subscribers: www.patreon.com/attachment RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST! Visit www.attachmentparentingpodcast.com for more information

Cecilia Tomori, PhD, cultural and biological anthropologist, and I sit down to discuss the history and implications of solitary infant sleep and its effects on breastfeeding and sleep safety from an anthropological perspective. Cecilia and I discuss: -the cultural history of solitary infant sleep, and how it contrasts with our species' biological norm -how sleep and breastfeeding are intertwined -baby's sleeping location and proximity to caregiver as a factor in breastfeeding duration and infant sleep safety -why our culture touts solitary infant sleep as beneficial and the "preferred" way for babies to sleep -how cultural ideas such as solitary infant sleep get promoted, adopted by a generation, and ultimately, enforced as the "norm" to subsequent generations -how access to research-based and helpful information surrounding breastfeeding and infant sleep is ultimately an equity issue, with upper middle class values and customs influencing the bulk of recommendations from pediatricians/mainstream media Links to resources discussed can be found in the show notes on www.attachmentparentingpodcast.com RATE, REVIEW, & SUBSCRIBE to the podcast! Become a PATRON to support our efforts and receive exclusive episodes not available to the public: www.patreon.com/raisingprimates Visit us at www.raisingprimates.com