Isn't it a shame that we have interpreted female liberation as being liberated to be a copy of a man instead of rejoicing in our femininity and uniqueness? I believe that God created each gender to fulfill a unique role that is complementary and supportive, and that much of the struggle I hear and see in myself and my clients is a call internally to that, with conflict provided by modern societal demands -whether that be to measure success with material goods or whatever. I just attended my daughter's wedding (first marriage at 36!) In preparation I dug out her baby book. I was so appalled to read how I fed her, following the guidelines of her doctor in 1971! Fortunately, I got smart on the second child and later, but I wonder how I can help women stand up to the pressures of society to have 3 cars or whatever and withdraw from their babies emotionally so they can go to the marketplace and work! Not that it's the drive for everyone, of course. But so much of our world is about monetary rewards and not about relationships! This is a little off-topic, of course, and it reminds me to keep aware as I help moms in an every day way, that we are shaping the future generation of mothers. I want to remember to tell them to listen to their innermost hearts and move into that call to motherhood that is most keenly heard when they breastfeed their babies!
-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Birth
Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 4:09 PM
Subject: re comic look at breastfeeding
I love what you wrote about breast pumps, Rachel. I feel the same way about ads for Tampax. The message is that you should continue your athletic endeavours ---tennis, swimming, etc even though you have your period and that menstruating is a bother that can be eliminated by a smart/modern product. Even though I have worked in the field of women's health for the past 30 years, it never dawned on me that there was something wrong with this message until I went through perimenopause in my 40s. I probably would now be another hysterectomy statistic except that I realized that my flooding periods could probably be minimized in the same way that a postpartum woman can minimize blood loss---going to bed and resting during the bleeding time.
I began to realize that the Tampax ads were all wrong. Young women should really be encouraged to go to the "Red Tent". In other words, pay attention to the wonderful monthly changes, moving in and out of society and the demands of everyday life as the moon rhythms dictate. Notice when you want to be sexual and notice when you don't. Seek the company of other women with the same ovulation pattern at certain times and be replenished rather than constantly giving or expending. Allow others to serve you and serve others in equal measure throughout the monthly cycle. The Tampax ads are the beginning of the female denial of the primal self (or maybe it starts with the Barbie doll ads, who knows). I do know that my generation tore around like crazy all month long without any recognition that our bodies were undergoing amazing monthly changes. I'm just happy that, eventually, I was able to hear myself lecturing new mothers about the importance of staying in bed and resting during the 14 days of lochia after birth. I'm lucky that I was able to take my own advice in perimenopause-I cancelled everything and went to bed when my period started and the flooding turned to normal flow) I still have my uterus in my body at 61 years old, no thanks to the folks that market Tampax.
Gloria Lemay, Vancouver BC
http://www.glorialemay.com/blog
<<
Liz Brooks pointed out in her talk at VELB that breast pumps are not cove= red by the WHO Code. That is no reason for us not to hold pump companies to = the same standards as what the Code sets: that marketing materials consist exclusively of facts, and that the products not be marketed aggressively = at consumers, as though every mother needs to purchase her own Freestyle or Symphony pump in order to breastfeed.
Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway
>>
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