Bringing up Bebe Book Review….Quality of life matters

Bring up Bebe is written by Pamela Duckerman, American journalist who relocated to Paris, France who shares her insights on the wisdom of French parenting. She compares stark differences between American and French ideals. As a Canadian myself, I relate each American anecdote as an overall North American ideals. I was very interested in this book after learning that French children are known to be extremely well behaved, so of course I was immediately curious.

I’m writing this review, to show my followers and first time mothers how understood I felt after this read. I felt like there is a whole other country of people that understands how I felt, the decisions I made, and the values I held. I’ll be sharing some of the key topics, and how they related to my experience as a first time mother.

Breastfeeding

The most interesting tid-bit I gathered was that French women do not breastfeed for very long, in fact some don’t even nurse after the hospital, and it is the cultural norm to use formula. The French agree that formula is healthy and sufficient to support babies development. This is quite a contrast in the North American ideology that pushed “ Breast is Best” at one point.

The French believe that breastfeeding has its nutritional benefits, and it is definitely an amazing resource in developing nations. However, for the French, who have access to top quality formulas, and top rated health care systems, breastfeeding is not a necessity.

If you are a formula feeding mother, bottle-feeding mother, exclusively pumping mother or a supplementing mother, this chapter alone is for you. It’s nice to feel justified, and understood in a world force feeding breastfeeding, and internet influencers spreading mounds of breastfeeding narrative. French mothers love their children, and are bonded to their children as much as any other mother, that is the beauty of motherhood after all.

There are many other topics of epidurals, ‘Le Pause’ (sleep training), day care, introduction to solids that are controversial in the parenting world. But, I would say that if you are less of a traditionalist, then you may find comfort and solace in the French practices. I suggest giving the book a read to discover where you lie on these important topics. Simply reading their values helped me find my own.

The Down Side

This book was written in 2012, so some of the content hasn’t aged well. Primarily the body shaming post-partum. In 2012, the author expressed how the French body shame and push. restrictive eating ideologies from both men and women. I rolled my eyes every time this came up, and quite frankly it’s aged poorly. I am hopeful though that in 2023 this isn’t the case as a new generation of young mothers and fathers take the reins.

Overall

Overall, Bring up Bebe is going to land in the hearts of the non-traditionalists, and absolutely offend attachment parents. I am in no place to say what is right or wrong, because I do not believe there is a right or wrong, all methods lead to healthy and loving child rearing.

My take-away message from Bringing up Bebe is the belief that quality of life matters, and children can enrich a parent’s life, not anchor it down. Overall, an easy read, with some funny anecdotes and a look into French parenting culture/ beliefs.

Happy reading and parenting everybody! If you enjoyed this review please clap below and follow to help me get noticed on Medium. Very much appreciated, thank you!