In observance of World Breastfeeding Week, and recalling the many women who
breastfed their babies in the swimming pool at my former home, I'd like to
tell you about my soon to be 16 year old's rock band.

I began attending LLL meetings when he was a few months old, and became a
Leader when he was 4.  I volunteered with that wonderful organization for
almost 10 years.  During my heyday as a lone leader, I once took a record 17
calls in one day. My son called me "phone brain" because I did just about
everything with a phone practically attached to my head. Jason told me
repeatedly that "LLL is ruining my childhood" as I dragged him to meetings
and when countless breasts were exposed simultaneously around, and in, our
swimming pool during leader applicant meetings and toddler meetings, freaking
out his friends.  Not to mention the many women who needed help dropping by
at all hours of the day and night.

So fast forward: my son and his friends formed a rock band about a year ago.
They are very loud and their "music" is not pleasant to listen to.  Though
they have a dress code at school, where my son is an athlete and honor roll
student, their appearance on weekends and vacations is really shocking, to
say the least. They remind me of the kids I used to see at the mall and
wonder why their mothers let them out of the house dressed that way. They
call their group "Bottle of Cancer" and it has taken me a whole year to get
up the nerve to ask exactly why they chose that name.  So here is what I was
told:  "Its a political statement.  You know, formula fed babies are much
sicker than breastfed babies, and have a greater chance of developing all
kinds of diseases during their lives, including cancer. But still, women in
America mostly bottle feed, and big companies encourage them to use formula.
We researched it on the Internet." (Of course, they could have saved time and
just read a few things on my bookshelf.)

Motherhood is really something, isn't it?

Pat Sergi-Swinehart, MSN, APRN,BC, IBCLC

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