Contemplating non-fiction

One month into my maternity leave from work -and writing- I find my attention wandering away from Safe Word. It's in a state that still needs a lot of work and dedicated time to revise. So I'm not even considering touching in when I have a minute or 5 when I'm not looking after a newborn or entertaining a toddler.

Instead, I find my mind wandering on a couple of non-fiction topics that seem book worthy.

Idea #1

I'm fascinated by how the history of disease and health has shaped social behavior. Most recently, the outbreaks of Ebola in Africa prompted people to stop shaking hands. Through out history socially accepted behaviors have changed in response to disease. Take hand washing by doctors. NPR had a great piece on how hand washing was established in hospitals after it was discovered it could reduce pregnancy-related deaths. Going from cadaver work to obstetrics exams is a sure way of spreading potentially fatal infections.

Idea #2

Being throw back into the newborn stage means that I am once again nursing every 2-3 hours. I know far more about the techniques and mechanics of breastfeeding in an effort to cope with persistent pain -again. I've also read a number of articles about the different norms around breastfeeding throughout the ages. While breast milk is currently undergoing a resurgence in popularity, for many years breast milk was considered to be inferior to formula or solid food. I have no doubt there is a connection to the male-dominated medical industry that once strapped woman down and gassed them to give birth. It would be interesting to write a history of breastfeeding from the stone age to modern day.

PS. A quick Amazon search finds numerous books on idea #2 but not many on idea #1.

Coming up with an idea or two is the easy part. Research and writing are much more challenging. Who knows? Maybe it's just the distraction I need in my very limited free time when I should be sleeping.