Location: Washington

I am an educator working at University of Washington Bothell.  I am also a mother of fraternal twin boys, Maks and Sam.  I made the video I've uploaded to help other women who like myself may have trouble breastfeeding their kids.  Many of us balance childrearing and paid work, and may find this creates a conflict in the early months and years with successful breastfeeding.  I've watched a lot of women give up the struggle because the message we hear about breastfeeding is that you should do it exclusively.  While this is the best for your child, it may not be achievable by the mother.  I am afraid the breast is best message has led many women to feel that when they cannot do the very best, that they fail their children.  They struggle, and give up.  I think there is another path.  We should recognize that for many women, for many reasons, providing partial breastmilk is what they can achieve -- and that this is a terrific goal, better than not breastfeeding at all.  Such women need encouragement to do as much as they can, and to know that anything they can do COUNTS.

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Hi! I live in Seattle and I’ve been involved with Bridges to Understanding since 2004. After two years as a weekly volunteer classroom mentor with Bridges classrooms in Seattle, I joined the staff in 2006, and now serve as Program Director. Since joining Bridges I’ve taught in numerous digital storytelling workshops in Seattle as well as at our international sites in Guatemala, Peru and India. I also manage the Bridges web site and develop curriculum. I love teaching and working with youth to help them photograph, produce and share their stories.

I came to Bridges through photography: I am fascinated by the odd details and everyday beauty of the places in which we live, and I’m interested in telling stories of people and places through photographs.

I'm looking forward to being part of this community ! Thanks!