Part 15: You Asked. They Answered. TIME’s AP moms take your questions.
15. What advice would you share with a friend if they came to you and were considering becoming involved with a major media outlet for a story related to breastfeeding or attachment parenting?
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Jessica ____________________
Know that you are not in control of how a story is spun. Show up, be yourself and talk about what is important. Don’t take the bait on provocative questions. And pray they edit it graciously.
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Jamie ____________________
I would say beware. There is always risk assessment you have to do when having a major publication like this use your image (even if you feel everything is going in the direction you approve of). There are no guarantees; even when the risk that the final product will not look like what you envision is considerably low. Dr. Sears and our four families all took a risk and it didn’t work out the way we would have preferred. Just know that the outcome potentially may not be in your favor, but don’t let that stop you from making an educated decision to participate in something that will help a positive message come out.
Melinda ____________________
If it feels right, go for it. If I had anytime felt uncomfortable I would have declined. My family comes first.
Dionna ____________________
I’m not sure that any two experiences would be the same, but I would advise talking to the author/reporter about the tenor of the piece. My husband and I spent a lot of time talking about potential negative consequences – to our family, our child. We decided that the opportunity to normalize breastfeeding outweighed the potential negatives.
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