>a room full of mothers with lots of problems, and the
only one without problems is the one that is thinking of giving up...<

I can understand the frustration at this situation, and there have been some
interesting responses to this post.

For me it comes back to the tension between two reasons for supporting
breastfeeding -- as presented in a debate in the three most recent issues of
MIDIRS between H. Hulme-Hunter and Maureen Minchin.  On the one side is the
'empowerment' agenda -- we support what women want to do in a non-judgemental
and woman-centred way.  On the other side is the absolute knowledge of the
life-long health consequences for the baby of not exclusively breastfeeding.
How to balance the two???

Remember authoritarian regimes (e.g. Nazi Germany) have supported breastfeeding
because of their agenda for healthy citizens to serve the state, and the agenda
of keeping women socialised in certain roles.  On the other hand to say that
whatever a woman chosses to do -- 2 days exclusive bf, a few weeks mixed feeding
then the artificial milk -- is successful because that is what she wanted to do,
seems to me to be mealy-mouthed and dishonest.

So, I end up feeling like a contortionist balancing on a narrow point....

Magda Sachs
Breastfeeding Supporter, BfN, UK

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