When I said that I believe it is possible to be attached to your baby
without practicing AP, this is exactly what I'm getting at. I do
believe that you can be responsive to the baby's cues without
practicing all the tenets of AP (babywearing, co-sleeping, etc. etc.).
Responsiveness is but one of the practices, and I have observed that
most people who interested in breastfeeding, are somewhat open to
listening to their babies cues.

I also want to clarify that I, personally, did practice AP with two
out of three of my infants. I believe in it deeply. I do promote it
and advocate for it. I do believe constant physical contact with his
mother is a baby's birthright. That being said, I will help anyone who
wants to breastfeed their children regardless of their interest in
practicing AP, and I do not believe that I was detached from the child
I did not AP. But as I said earlier, it was impossible to nurse
through a nursing strike, and thus breastfeeding ended prematurely for
us.

I also believe that presenting breastfeeding as a package deal with AP
can be overwhelming and off-putting for many people. If people think
co-sleeping and babywearing are part of the breastfeeding package, I
think more people would choose to not even go down that path in the
first place. I find that just talking about breastfeeding and the
importance of listening to baby's cues and your own instincts
naturally leads many mothers to AP in the long run.

Also, attachment theory has absolutely nothing to do with AP. It has
to do with forming secure attachments to primary caregivers (I am
indexing a scholarly book on the very subject at this moment). Does AP
facilitate secure attachment? Of course! But is it strictly necessary
according to attachment theory? Nope.

Gina
www.safepassagebirth.com
>
> I would argue that the responsiveness aspect of AP is vital to the breastfeeding relationship.  If the mother does not respect the language of the baby, it is unlikely that the trust relationship that is so vital to breastfeeding can flourish.
>
> In many cultures in which breatfeeding, co-sleeping, and babywearing is the norm, parents also beat their children.  I know this first-hand from my time living in West Africa.  I bring this up to dispell the "holier than thou" aura surrounding AP practices.
>
> This brings me to a second question:  As breastfeeding advocates, are we BREASTMILK advocates or are we BABY advocates as well?  Or does that depend on the situation?
>

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