I remember the arguments years ago when epidurals and other medications, as well as cesareans where introduced into childbirth classes. Supposedly, women were going to need to know about them so they could make informed decisions. Today, I know fewer women than ever who make informed decisions in birth. IMO, introducing these practices into birth classes normalized them more than any concerted effort to do so might have done. While it may be the reality that many women feed their babies some kind of milk in bottles, I do not consider it part of my work to normalize that behavior. 

I do, however, consider it part of my work to support efforts that make it more possible for women to bf their babies. Breastfeeding is a highly political issue and to pretend that it is not is to ignore the driving forces that have normalized artificial feeding. When I coordinated a peer counseling program, I was instructed that we were to limit our conversations with mothers to breasts--I am serious!! From a purely physiological perspective that would have been absurd, but we all know that feeding babies is about everything that we are as individuals and as cultures. What the ubiquitous "they" really feared was empowerment--women demanding more than they had been given by the powers that be. My clients were poor women, with no medical insurance and often no voice in society. There are lots of folks who would have liked things to remain just that way, with just a little nudge in bf'ing rates, so they could look good. Of course, we ignored the insane directive and had the most unusual outcome--poor women--most of whom were in the highest risk groups for not breastfeeding--did indeed bf their babies--for long periods of time. 

I think advocacy is essential to normalize breastfeeding and I find it very helpful to understand the societal practices that make bf'ing more or less likely to occur from one country to another. The fact is that bf'ing failure is highly dependent upon public policy as it currently exists in the US (and anywhere else, for that matter where bfing has failed as the normative practice) and I would find is absurd to ignore this reality. In fact, US policy probably has more to do with bf'ing failure anywhere in the world than anything else might--as we have the greatest tendency to export our worst practices, even to the point of shoving them down the throats of other peoples. We are the biggest violators of the Code and the biggest government protectors of the industries that are responsible for hawking artificial baby milks (and pharmaceuticals). Unless we act at the level of public policy, all of our work will never bring the result we desire. I personally do not find that acceptable--paddling upstream is not my idea of life well spent.

Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
Intuitive Parenting Network LLC

 




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