As a Brit who has lived in the States for 22 years, I'd like to add my 2p to
this debate...

In England, as in Australia, the word "nursing" is used to mean caring for
either for someone who is ill or a young child. Thus, a woman might nurse a
neighbour's toddler by rocking it to sleep.

When I first arrived in the USA I thought that people used "nursing" instead
of "breastfeeding" because "breast" was not a word to be used in public. It
was only after I had had children and been exposed to LLL-style mothering
that I realized the semantic differences implied in American English by the
two words.  As I have come to understand it,"breastfeeding" is the act of
feeding a baby at his mother's breast, while "nursing" is a way of nurturing
through breastfeeding.

Words are such tricky things because they mean different things to different
people in different situations. I find it strange, now, to read in British
journals about "feedings." Is this because I've become used to American
English or because both my knowledge base and personal experiences have
expanded? Maybe both.

NB - I did not mean to imply (in a former posting) that breast pump
companies are *exclusively* responsible for depicting bf as an activity that
should only take place in private. I would certainly agree that ABM
manufacturers bear primary responsibility. What I would like to see are
posters of mothers nursing in everyday situations - in the mall, on the bus,
at a concert. I think I saw something like this at the LLLI Conference in
Chicago. Anyone have any info about where to get such items?


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Norma Ritter, IBCLC, LLLL    "If not now, when? If not us,who?
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Date: 10/21/95
Time: 11:37:05

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