Winnie,

I agree with your point that women using a breastfeeding log might start to
focus more on the log than on the baby.

I also wonder if the use of a log might encourage women to focus on
breastfeeding as a way of delivering nutrition.  I know this is part of
breastfeeding, and that women will be interested in this -- but I wonder if
it is a *focus* which is beneficial to encourage? Receiving a tool from her
caregiver reinforces the view that the purpose of breastfeeding is simply to
feed the baby.  It would be interesting to assess the influence of this
viewpoint on the future course of women's breastfeeding.  My suspicion is
that women who focus on the 'product' rather than the 'process' would tend
to stop sooner.  Giving breastfeeding support which acknowledges and honours
the process might actually result in better quantitative outcomes of longer
duration of bf and greater proportion of exclusive breastfeeding -- oh, and
outcomes of women's satisfaction adn feeling of being in tune with the
process.  Certainly this is indicated in a study  by Dykes and Williams,
written up in Midwifery, December 1999.

If someone were to do an RCT of breastfeeding logs, then I would certainly
hope that there would be a qualitative study of their effects on the course
of breastfeeding -- and mothering.

Magda Sachs
Breastfeeding Supporter, BfN, UK

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