Under One Sky: Intimate Encounters with Moms and Babies by a Breastfeeding Consultant and Nurse

"I am often approached by women who have become passionate about breastfeeding and want to become a lactation consultant to help others. Along with the other guidance I give, I’m also going to encourage them to read Under One Sky. This fabulous memoir is a poignant, humble, and joyous glimpse into what it means to be a breastfeeding support professional."

-Doraine Bailey, MA, IBCLC, RLC

"I wish that every student health worker, no matter what their discipline, would read this sparkling collection of real life poems, stories and vignettes about birth, breastfeeding, and families from over 77 countries."

-Nikki Lee RN, MS, ANLC, IBCLC

“Under One Sky is a unique account of years of lactation consults from the author Chris Auer. Using quotes, poetry, and experiences, Auer weaves together stories and experiences to illustrate the similarities of the human experience. Through her long career, she has had the opportunity to work with families of so many backgrounds and circumstances. Auer uses this book to teach about cultural and situational variations, practices, and connections. The stories told are easy to read and insightful.”

-Elizabeth Smith, MPH, ICCE, IBCLC, RLC

"I have always taught that there are two periods that are the natural initiation rites for all human beings: accompanying new life and accompanying life at the end. Chris Auer gets right to the heart of such wisdom--and even cross-culturally--in this sympathetic and compassionate set of accounts."

-Richard Rohr, Author of Falling Upward

Under One Sky recounts poignant encounters surrounding birth, breastfeeding, and the life circumstances of families from over 77 countries. As a lactation consultant, Chris Auer met with thousands of women as they began their mothering and breastfeeding journey, women from places as diverse as The Congo, Ecuador, Italy, and Nepal, as well as American women from all walks of life. The babies range from healthy, full-term to extremely premature. The mothers range from 12 to 52. Chris Auer has worked passionately to champion mothers on this segment of their life journey. In the retelling of their stories, we see the importance of meeting mothers where they are in the moment, with an accepting, listening presence. Under One Sky is beyond a memoir; it’s a mosaic of their stories and reveals a poignant picture of our connectedness.

Chris Auer is a registered nurse and lactation consultant who has worked in the world of mother-baby care at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for over 40 years, including 25 years as a board-certified lactation consultant. She has listened attentively to the stories of mothers and her fellow healthcare team. She conveys her insights into ways parenting is deeply influenced both consciously and unconsciously, by a mother's history, family, culture, and temperament.