Hi All,
Jaye Simpson, IBCLC here - lurking mostly, but had a few minutes and wanted
to respond to this...


Lisa writes: 


Nursing mom is a childcare provider to toddlers. She was told by the
counselor to one of the children's siblings that breastfeeding in front of
the children is traumatizing them and causing them grief because they are
young and experiencing their first separation from their mothers.  


My thoughts on this are:

Maybe the counselor has it backwards.  The children who are asking to nurse
or nursing their dolls may be re-familiarizing themselves with appropriate
attachment and normal mothering.  This may be a healthy thing for them,
rather than a traumatizing situation.  These children would be experiencing
grief anyway being young and separated from their mothers for the first time
regardless of the breastfeeding.  My question would be how are the children
reacting to the woman nursing her own child?  Are they reacting with fear,
crying, distress of any kind in her presence?  If not, perhaps it is the
counselor who has an issue with breastfeeding in front of children?  

If it is in fact causing a problem for these children, then what is this
woman supposed to do?  Nurse secretively? Wean for the sake of other
children and sacrifice her own?  What do the parents of the toddlers think?
If THEY feel there is an issue it is up to them to discuss options with the
nursing mom.  And is no option can be found that is agreeable for all, then
the children could be placed with someone else who is not nursing.  It
sounds, tho, that the parents are actively involved in their children's
emotional needs and paying attention to that.  

To me, I would think that the fact that the children are asking to nurse
again, and are being given breast time is a good thing.  They have a need,
it is being met - how awesome is that?  

Just some thoughts early on Friday morning...

Warmly,
Jaye

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