Ask the Author: Jennifer Harris
Answered Questions (14)
Jennifer Harris
My books would give every reader the ability to discern the motivation of the people in their life. To be able to understand if the people around them have their best interests at heart or if their motivation is more self-serving.
Jennifer Harris
Hi Hope. Thank you for the question. The NICU is a very intimidating place. Everyone seems to be able to hold your baby except you. You feel, I'm sure, as if everyone is making decisions for your child. You don't feel like a parent, and this is even worse if you are a first-time parent. You can't cuddle or bond or learn your baby's cues. That is why pumping is so important. Besides the obvious component of providing life-sustaining food, pumping serves a very important role. It gives the mom a job to do. This is the one thing the mom can do that is hers alone. By focusing every few hours on pumping, she is leaning into the rhythm that will be feeding times. She can proudly hand over milk that is tailor-made for her child alone. Although it is difficult to keep up a supply by pumping, usually as her supply starts to dwindle (What we refer to as a pump-slump), the baby is usually starting to spend some time at the breast. Seeing a mom express a few drops of her milk into her baby's mouth is so rewarding and often helps her continue. I always tried to reinforce breaks if she needed them, and just getting through the day. It is a long, long process and they need continuous support and encouragement and praise for sustaining their milk until baby can feed. Little feeds, called "lick and sniff" are meant to familiarize the baby to mom's smell, touch and taste and although they don't count for calories, their results are immeasurable for mom's sanity. Jennifer
Jennifer Harris
It would say "May cause you to feel compassion for someone you wouldn't normally think about" or "You may change your feelings towards abortion".Thanks for the interesting question. Jennifer
Jennifer Harris
Thank you Ledon. I am throwing around three separate ideas. Right now I am writing on Medium.com and Substack.com. You can find me there. I do have a solid idea on a book but struggling to figure out the why? the world may want or need it. Maybe I should throw it out to the group for input.Jennifer
Jennifer Harris
Thank you for seeing the value of this book. My hope was that it would find every parent that needed it. For that reason I have offered it and donated it to all the libraries across Canada. This way it is accessible to everyone. Thank-you for your wonderful review and comments. Jennifer
Jennifer Harris
I am happy to send it but it is a completely different book. It is on breastfeeding…everything you need to know. I am not sure if you would be interested still but if so just let me know. Jennifer
Jennifer Harris
Hello Willa, thank you for asking. My book is available on Amazon as a paperback and ebook but I can send you the computer document to read if you prefer. If so, please send me a brief note at jenniferharris8549@gmail.com with your email so I know where to send it. Thank you. Jennifer Harris. Please let me know your thoughts after you are done reading it.
Jennifer Harris
Hi Yale. Thank you for the wonderful review. My second book is on breastfeeding. I was a lactation consultant for thirty five years. It is practical advice for the new mom. I am not sure if you are asking for a pdf that you can read and review. I am new to this forum even though my books have been listed here now since the beginning. Let me know. Jennifer.
Jennifer Harris
If I can't think about the actual book, I try to learn something about the field. Maybe explore publishers out there, or read writers' tips. Maybe figure out something that can be used on the computer for writing. Pay attention when you first wake up, I find a lot of helpful ideas come in the morning when you first wake but haven't allowed the day's to-do list to creep in. Write them down for when you have a minute to attend to it.
Jennifer Harris
The best thing is fulfilling a lifetime dream of being an author. And being able to accomplish this in my own home, with my husband and dog by my side.
Jennifer Harris
My advice is to write. Write on a notebook, a grocery list, anything handy when a line or a thought hits you. When you wake and your brain is offering you ideas, jot them down. Devote a little time each day to do something towards your dream. I am not computer savvy, I know nothing about marketing, my experience is in health care. This will be and continues to be a unique learning experience for me. Find your tribe, people can help you with the areas you are weak in. You don't have to do it all alone. My daughter helped me with the computer aspects of writing.
Jennifer Harris
Right now I am writing a book about losing a child. I am encompassing all types of loss. Abortion, miscarriage, stillborn, death of a child, teenager, adult. I am also including the loss you feel when you lose access to your child through divorce and estrangement. I am trying to allow people to share their stories and to leave the reader with hope that though they have had to endure this terrible pain, others have shared this sorrow and are still able to have a life worth living. It will take time to write, and will have the respect given to the topic that it deserves. I am open to submissions if you want to contribute.
Jennifer Harris
Life experience brings us many lessons. If we can take those lessons, and learn from them, I feel we should share it with others so they can benefit. Knowledge not shared is wasted. We all have something we can teach to those who are willing to listen. I am a big believer that books in hard copy need to be written, especially in these digital times. So much has been learned about history from those who took the time to record it. I hope to leave something behind from my experiences in this lifetime.
Jennifer Harris
I have been a Registered Nurse/Lactation Consultant for 35 years. That's a fancy title for "breastfeeding support nurse". I have worked in the hospital setting, breastfeeding clinics, NICU, homes, and had a private practice. I have always wanted to write and worked on chapters of this book in downtime between patients. I was always hopeful I could pull it together and have it published into a book. The books out there seemed to be so daunting to a new tired mom. My goal was to provide a quick answer to their most pressing question. When the pandemic began, I chose this time to retire. I was able to concentrate on pulling the book together. I was fortunate I had good friends that allowed me to use their baby's photos for my book.
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