Teresa Pitman majored in Chemistry at Trent University and subsequently graduated with a diploma in Magazine Journalism from Ryerson University. She has been a La Leche League Leader since 1978 and is also a certified childbirth educator with ICEA and a doula with DONA. She was the Executive Director of La Leche League Canada for three years.

Teresa has been writing for magazines and newspapers since 1980 and her work has appeared in Today’s Parent, Baby and Toddler, Pregnancy and Birth, Your Newborn, Chatelaine, Home and Country, Horse Canada, Family Fun, Woman’s World, West of the City, City Parent, Portico, Mothering, Nurturing, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, and other periodicals. She has written the Today’s Parent column “Steps and Stages” for more than 20 years and has written several long-running newspaper columns in the past for the Metroland chain of papers.

Teresa is also the author or co-author of twelve published books, all on parenting-related topics, and has contributed chapters to several others, including three from the Chicken Soup series. Her books include:

The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers (with Dr. Jack Newman), now in its second edition in the US and third edition in Canada.

The Latch and Other Keys to Breastfeeding Success (with Dr. Jack Newman)

Pregnancy and Birth: Making Decisions that are Right for You and Your Baby (now in its second edition - completely revised - with Dr. Joyce Barrett)

Teresa’s books have been translated into French, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese and Spanish.

In addition to her writing, Teresa speaks at conferences for parents and health care professionals. These range from small in-service workshops to larger events. In 2007, for example, among other speaking engagements, she was invited to speak for a full day to nurses, midwives and physicians in Nova Scotia; her main presentation was given in a Halifax hospital auditorium and was broadcast live to remote locations all around the province. In 2008, she was the keynote speaker at a national breastfeeding conference in New Zealand. Teresa is also frequently contacted and quoted by Canadian media as a breastfeeding and parenting expert.

In 2006, Teresa was named a “Woman of Distinction” for the City of Guelph for her work as a LLL Leader.

In 2008, Teresa was presented with that year’s “Award of Excellence” for support of breastfeeding at the Canadian National Breastfeeding conference.

She also continues to work with her local La Leche League Group and to see mothers with breastfeeding questions and problems as a volunteer. Teresa’s four children, now grown, were all breastfed. Her three grandchildren are also breastfed; one was shown breastfeeding on the Canadian national news program (“The National”) after the CBC television contacted Teresa about the introduction of the WHO Growth Standards.

Contact info: teresaannpitman@rogers.com • 519-829-2293