Norma,

I, too, have been conflicted with this double-talk for many years.
There seems to be good arguments on both sides. The issue of spending
money (for a conference, sitting at the exam, etc.) is strong for
those who are seeking to get their money's worth. Unfortunately, it
sharply clashes with the struggle toward the normalcy of breastfeeding
and the acceptance of nursing babies everywhere a mother has the right
to be.

In our efforts to make breastfeeding the norm, we have been ignoring
the canyon that exists between our biology and our artificial work
environment. The cerebral investment in today's work activities is
very different from the tilling of the field of our agricultural past.
In my efforts to explain today's dichotomy, I have come to the
conclusion that women's biology is a burden on our culture. I suspect
that oxytocin levels are undetectable during intellectual
activities ;-) Hence, the "irony" you mention below.

Given that we, lactation consultants, are at the forefront of the
movement toward breastfeeding as the norm, it behooves us to
understand and explain (through research?) why we use the same anti-
baby arguments as the corporate world. If my hunch is correct, biology
and culture do not blend harmoniously.

Nicole Bernshaw, MSc, IBCLC
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Thu, 27 May 2010 11:20:15 -0400
> From:    Norma Ritter <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: IBLCE exam and breastfeeding
>
> I find it interesting that the public perception of breastfeeding is
> that it
> is not a normal activity but a *special circumstance.*
>
> I find it even more interesting that this perception seems to be
> true even
> of the IBLCE, the examining body of lactation consultants.
>
> If our profession does not recognise the normality of a woman
> breastfeeding,
> how can we expect others to do so? This applies not only to sitting
> for
> exams, but also to conference attendance. Nursing mothers are
> effectively
> excluded from attending many breastfeeding conferences because their
> non-separating children are not welcomed. The argument is that *We
> paid good
> money for this conference and do not want to be distracted by babies.*
>
> Am I the only one who sees the irony in that?
>
> Norma Ritter, IBCLC, RLC
> Breastfeeding Matters in the Capital Region
> www.NormaRitter.com
>
> Join us on Facebook for the latest birthing and breastfeeding news and
> views:
> http://tinyurl.com/BMCRonFB
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> End of LACTNET Digest - 27 May 2010 - Special issue (#2010-432)
> ***************************************************************


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