Hi All,

Many people still don't equate "breastfeeding" with "eating." Our parents might have "breastfed" because it was a nice thing to do, comforting, etc. but also FED (my emphasis) their babies with something else because that's what they were told to do. Example: moms are often challenged with "when are you going to FEED that baby" even when the baby is obviously thriving on exclusive breastfeeding. The question hints at the incorrect notion that breastfeeding is ONLY for comfort, and the food must come from somewhere else. 

When the BF money was first allocated in WIC, it took lots of discussion before the notion was accepted that breastfeeding was actually providing FOOD for the baby. With other feeding behaviors, you can see the food and the process of feeding. With breastfeeding, we usually can't see the actual food - all that is visible is the process. Just today I got a call from a mom whose doctor wants her to pump so he can measure how much food the baby is taking. 

If you can't see and measure the food, how do you know it's getting into the baby? Of course, you weigh and measure the baby. Duh. But amazingly, not everyone has figured this out.

Linda Smith, Dayton OH