Hmm, maybe dealing with one pain sets us up to be able to deal with 
another. My dentist didn't use novocaine when I was growing up, and my 
broken leg was set without any kind of pain relief at all. Perhaps 
that's why it wasn't such a stretch for me to have unmedicated labors? 
Not that I'm a martyr, I take pain relief when I really need it, but do 
tend to just try to soldier on or use natural methods instead if at all 
possible (a few minutes relaxing in a dark room for a headache, a warm 
or cold compress for joint pain, etc).

To bring this back to breastfeeding, some moms seem to have a lot of 
resilience, and can work through obstacles, others quit for the bf 
equivalent of a hangnail (a broken bit of nail at the nail fold). I 
wonder how much of this is due to experience in overcoming small 
obstacles in life, vs. a long history of learned helplessness? 
De-tachment parenting (leaving baby to cry) fosters learned 
helplessness. Early unrelieved pain seems to program the brain for more 
stress reactions around pain. It's obviously a complex equation, but I 
wonder if we can use this as a springboard to thinking about what sorts 
of interactions empower moms and improve their resilience in the face of 
bf challenges, as we encourage them to attachment parent their kids so 
they in turn will be more resilient.

For me personally, breastfeeding itself turned out to be incredibly 
empowering, and literally changed the course of my life.

Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  NYC

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