In March of this year, one of my respected colleagues and I published a short essay in Pediatrics in which we critiqued the use of “nature” in public health campaigns, specifically regarding breastfeeding promotion. The piece came out on the heels of the publication of my first book, which examines the “back-to-the-breast” movement and the… Read more →
Jessica Martucci
Jessica Martucci
Contributor
Blood and Tears in Orlando
On June 12 of this year, a lone gunman entered Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, FL, and carried out one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. The attack left 49 dead and 53 others badly injured. The wounded needed blood, and lots of it, which put a severe strain on an already… Read more →
Go Breast or Go Home: Natural Motherhood and Breastfeeding’s Return
As I stumble over piles of unpacked boxes in the dimly lit interior of our new home in Philadelphia, I hear the friendly voice of one of our new neighbors calling through our open door. Her name is Tiffany, she lives across the street with her husband James, and they have a three-day old baby… Read more →
Placentophagy Isn’t New, But It Has Changed
Over the last several years, placentophagy has slowly crept into that vicious public media arena known as “the Mommy Wars.” While placentophagy (the act of ingesting your own placenta after giving birth) has not provoked the same kind of mother-on-mother vitriol that say, breastfeeding has, it has elicited a rather swift and scientifically fueled smack-down… Read more →