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Tributes to Catherine Young
If you would like to send your tribute to Catherine Young, please send it vie email . Thank you! Page 4 Catherine Young - was an amazing lady.
She had a passion for her life, her children and a natural lifestyle, including
natural child birth, anti - immunization and breastfeeding( which is near and
dear to my heart), amongst other things. She has really blessed my life with her
humour, her wonderfully written stories, and her point of view. Although one
might not always agree with some of the articles that were published there
was caused to examine yourself , your point of view, and to test it out., always
leaving room for growth as a person. I was given my first issue of Compleat Mother by my midwife three years ago. It was a welcome support and source of
information and positive literature that I needed living in rural Renfrew
County. We had a homebirth, nursed for two years and practised natural parenting
methods as much as possible to the criticism of many. Reading Catharine's words
of wisdom kept me going through times of doubt. She was definitely a great asset
to Mothers and Children Blessed Be. I was so very sorry to hear of
Catherine's death. My heart goes out to her family and friends.
Catherine Young has had the most wonderful,
powerful and empowering impact on the breastfeeding and parenting of our three
children.
I found an issue of the Compleat
Mother at our local women's shelter where I volunteered back in 1994. I
was pregnant with our first at the time. Being a pediatric nurse for 3
years, I was already a pro- breastfeeder; but you never really know what
you're in for until you've got that babe in your arms. I kept the
magazine, became completely intrigued by the other issues commonly addressed
in each issue and immediately became a subscriber...
Four months after her birth too many bad
things happened all at once. Still having too much blind faith in the
medical system, I actually introduced cheerios and rice pablum to my
exclusively breastfed baby! HORRORS! She got constipated, miserable, cut
2 teeth, breastfeeding started to become what my husband referred to as
"the screaming feedings", and so I also introduced the
"soother".
Months of horror and screaming feedings
passed and I started going crazy with all my dead end searches for help.
I paid for lactation consultants, who said my breasts were too big.
So then I rented expensive pumps to try and reduce the flow.
I consulted my G.P. and even La Leche League leaders who both said ,"It's
always the babies of mom's who want to breastfeed, that decide to wean
early." I even spoke to a nutritionist who told me to stop being so hard
on myself and just buy formula. Her weight dropped a bit and
even my doctor suggested supplementing. My head pounds just recalling
those months.
The happy ending to this too typical a
story is that I kept reading my Mother...I felt in my heart that my baby was
not ready to wean, I just needed the right help, the right listener.
Well, I phoned C.Y. one Friday afternoon. I was nervous because she
seemed like a giant to me - I was almost relieved to get an answering machine.
I left my pathetic call for help and assumed this incredible person would
probably be too busy for little me. THE Catherine Young returned MY
call on a FRIDAY evening. She asked me some questions, she was calm
and sure, and she said she could tell I was determined and that I would
work through this. She told me to flush my soothers down the toilet!
"All 5 of them?", was my response. I explained we ONLY used
them for napping, bedtime, and miserable moments. Catherine explained to
me that babes can have a finite (fixed) amount of sucking time inherently.
If some of that time is wasted on sucking a soother, they can be just too
tired to want to suckle a breast for nourishment. The obvious is that
it's also easier to suck soothers and more work to suck breasts.
When I got off the phone, my husband said,
"Well?". I told him "no soothers" and his
response was something like "yeah, right... I guess you're going to
be up all night". I was up all night, BUT IT WORKED!! By
Sunday night she fell asleep on my breast like she did months before it all
started, and I cried of course.
2 more children later, and everything was
done so differently. 2 homebirths :) challenging, but beautiful,
exclusively breastfed for 1 year with full time breastfeeding for 3 years :)
no unnecessary vaccinations, of course they were all cloth diapered and family
bedded. All because of a little, most incredible magazine and a very
committed, most wonderful giant of a women. Me and my family will
forever be grateful . Thank You Catherine Young. Rose Sedore.
Clayton. Ontario.
Rose Sedore
[email protected] My first experience with "The
Mother" was shortly after my second hospital birth in and the birth of my
breast feeding experience.I was bound and determined to nurse my second child
due to the health problems in my first child as a result of artificial
feeding.The Mother got me through the rocky road of a nipple confused baby.
I cried when I read the
email. I never knew Catherine personally, but certainly felt that I did. It
must have been her gift in her amazing writing ability. I love the Compleat
Mother and I loved her book Stretch Marks. I offer my condolences to family
and friends. She will be sorely missed. However, she has definitely left a
remarkable impression upon the world with her campaign for breastfeeding. I
have and will continue to boycott Nestle!
ReNae Trebelhorn
Faribault, MN
I just heard tonight about Catherine
passing away. I cannot begin to tell you how devastated I feel.
Reading all of the letters from others
whose lives have been touched by this amazing woman makes me realize that I am
not alone. Once again the compleat mother comes through in that
regard... From the very beginning that is what her message has always been
about for me... that feeling of community love and support.
As others have said, her magazine changed
my life, her personal contact with me uplifted and empowered me, her words in
her books are something I carry with me in my heart. I always give
something of her to expectant and new moms I meet... be it a copy of the CM or
posters or a book.
I cannot believe she is gone. I
didn't think it was possible to lose her.
My condolences and love go out to you, her
friends and also to her children and other family...
Heather Fairley
Saskatoon, SK
Dear Family of Catherine, I send my deepest
sympathy on your loss. She was an amazing woman and her magazine helped so many
moms breastfed their babies, including my four who without her help would not of
been breastfed. They are all healthy and strong thanks to her.She was like a
MOTHER to us all and with tears in my eyes as I write this she will be sadly
missed by me so much. She taught me so much about breastfeeding and about life
that she will Thank you so much Catherine, you were an inspiration to us all. Love, Patricia Cavalieri |