And another article on guilt from Dr. Wight, our own, from the San Diego
Breastfeeding Coalition's great pages at
http://www.breastfeeding.org/articles/guilt.html.
Nancy E. Wight, MD, FAAP, IBCLC
Breastfeeding provides ideal nutrition, growth hormones and
infection-fighting factors which change over time as the growing infant and
child's needs change; provides it inexpensively, and with no harm to the
environment. Breastfed infants are healthier overall, and research is
indicating that the health benefits may continue into adulthood.
Yet despite this, disappointingly few women choose to breastfeed, and even
fewer choose to continue beyond six months. The issue of "choice" is the
logic artificial baby milk companies use to defend their products. Why
would a rational adult, when presented with the choice between health and
illness, choose illness?
The truth is, the "choice" between breast and bottle is really a sham, with
everything in our society pushing us towards bottle feeding. The
combination of calculated misinformation, aggressive marketing, medical
acquiescence (and in some cases misguided collusion) and the love of
consumer freedom has led women to believe that the choice between
artificial feeding and breastfeeding is merely a matter of personal
inclination. Constant comparison of artificial milks to breastmilk has
succeeded in reducing breastfeeding to the one dimensional level of
breastmilk substitutes. 1
The artificial milk companies are experts at the subtle undermining of a
woman's confidence in her own body's ability to provide what is needed to
nourish her infant. They also seek to increase market share by reinforcing
US cultural prejudices that breastfeeding is only for young infants,
breasts are sexual objects not feeding vessels, and that breastfeeding,
like sex, should only be done in private.2
The literature contains many studies of infant feeding choices. Many women
who choose bottle feeding admit they could have been persuaded to choose
breastfeeding if only someone had cared enough to tell them how important
breastfeeding is. 3 Despite the proven health benefits of breastfeeding for
both mother and infant, physicians have traditionally been reluctant to
take a stand for fear of making parents who choose to bottle feed feel
guilty. This is a dissimulation for two reasons.
Peggy Robin's book 4 to the contrary, research studies of breastfeeding
promotion programs note that women generally do not feel guilty for
choosing to bottle feed. The only individuals who ever mention guilt are
the older generation whose daughters are now choosing to breastfeed. "If
only she had known .... if only her doctor had told her ...." 3.
Second, is guilt bad? 5 As pediatricians we do not hesitate to make our
patient's parents feel guilty about having their children wear bicycle
helmets, using infant car seats and seat belts, obtaining immunizations and
fencing in pools. We use guilt to help adult patients lose weight, exercise
more, stop smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking drugs.
Breastfeeding is a health issue, not just a lifestyle choice. Why is this
health issue so different from the rest? As ethical, caring professionals
we owe our patients accurate information, appropriate guidance and
long-term support. Let us continue to promote what is best for infants and
let the guilt fall where it may!
References:
Baumslag N & Michels DL, Milk, Money and Madness (1995), Bergin and Garvey,
Westport, CN.
Stuart-MacAdam P & Dettwyler KA, Eds, Breastfeeding: Biocultural
Perspectives, 1995, Walter DeGruyter, Inc, Y, NY.
Lawrence, RA, Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession, 4th ed,
1994, Mosby Yearbook, Inc, St Louis, MO.
Robin P, Bottlefeeding without Guilt, 1996, Prima Publishing, Rocklin, CA.
Oski, F, In Defense of Guilt, Editorial, Contemporary Pediatrics 1995,
December, p 9.
Kathleen B. Bruce, BSN, IBCLC co-owner Lactnet
Independent Consultant
http://homepages.together.net/~kbruce/kbblact.html
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