I missed the beginning of this thread, as I was no-mail (having a great time
at the Alaska Breastfeeding Coalition conference in Anchorage, Alaska, along
with Kay Hoover, who must have the world's largest collection of slides of
sore nipples!!) --
but I gather it was something about getting mothers to make a committment to
breastfeed for two years, and someone else wrote in and said 3-6 months was
more reasonable for a pregnant or new mom. I think if all women could be
encouraged to make a committment for 3 weeks even, you would see dramatic
increases in breastfeeding. Because most moms who give up, give up during
that first few days or weeks, before they really have a chance to be
successful.
My husband is always giving our daughter lectures about not "closing doors"
-- not making decisions that can't be undone, not making decisions that
close off options prematurely, etc. If a mother is unsure or reluctant
about the whole "breastfeeding thing" then even 3-6 months may seem like
forever. For a pregnant or brand-new mom, a serious committement to a goal
of three weeks will get her over many of the hurdles and difficulties, and
give her a good chance of continuing. After that, I would tell her to take
it one day at a time, and see what she thinks. Mothers should, of course,
be aware that the AAP recommends *at least* one year, and the WHO recommends
*at least* two years, but that however long she breastfeeds her baby will be
wonderful for the baby's health and development. While four years is better
than two, and two is better than one, and one is better than 6 months, let
us not forget that 6 months is better than 2 moths, and 2 months is better
than 2 weeks, and one week is better than one day, and one day is better
than not at all. There is no duration of breastfeeding that is so short as
to not make a significant difference to the baby. Even one day's worth of
colostrum is very valuable.
Talk to pregnant or brand-new moms about not closing off their options. If
she gets breastfeeding going for at least 3 weeks, she has gotten her baby
off to a great start, and has had a chance to see it working well, and have
those good maternal hormones flowing for those first trying weeks. Point
out that it'll help her uterus involute quicker, too. Then she can continue
if she wants, or she can stop. If she bottle-feeds from the first, then
she'll never know what it might have been like, whether or not she might
have enjoyed it -- and if her baby turns out in later months to be highly
allergic or have major health problems, it will be much more difficult to
relactate than it will be if she breastfed for the first three weeks.
Again, it's a way to preserve options, without requiring her to sign up for
what might seem to her like a long time.
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Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D. email: [log in to unmask]
Anthropology Department phone: (409) 845-5256
Texas A&M University fax: (409) 845-4070
College Station, TX 77843-4352
http://www.prairienet.org/laleche/dettwyler.html
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