Saara wrote:
<<I can't seem to find what I'm looking for:  articles/ studies on how
class/
socio-economics affect breastfeeding rates in the States, as opposed to (or
in addition with) developing countries.>>

Saara,
I am interested in the effect of poverty on bf practices, so what you find
out about the effect of class and socio-economic status would interest me
greatly.

My impression is that poverty limits a women's available choices.  When
there
is NO affordable alternative to breastfeeding, then poverty would lead to
higher bf rates.  But when there is an alternative and the woman has some
resources she can spend on it, then poverty may push her away from
breastfeeding because she sees bottle-feeding as a way to free her time and
energy to use in ways that will benefit her and her family more, as in the
case of a woman who bottle-feeds so she can go to work and bring home an
income to provide food for all the children, not just for the baby.

Mothers are making choices all the time.  Each time the baby gives a signal
that it needs attention, its mother has to choose whether to give the
breast,
give some other attention, get someone else to attend the baby, or ignore
the
signal.  Once a mother sees that she can tend her baby with a pacifier or a
bottle and spare her own time and energy for the other things she needs to
do, breastfeeding has hit a major barrier.  I suspect that this is why "baby
was fussy," "baby was not satisfied," and "not enough milk" are prime
reasons
that WIC mothers in New Jersey stop breastfeeding: moms interpret the normal
signals of a normal breastfed baby as being too demanding on their time and
energy, and the longer "baby-free" time they get when they use formula
starts
to look pretty good to them.  These dozens of decision points in a mother's
daily life can be seen in economic terms as decisions she makes about where
to use (invest) her resources.  Our job as educators, then, is to help her
see that, while she may save a few minutes between feedings because her baby
sleeps longer with a belly full of formula, she may lose whole days in extra
doctor visits and sick baby care for ear infections, etc.  Still, she may
decide to chance it!

One of the two themes at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for
March 2002 is "Eradicating poverty, including through the empowerment of
women throughout their life cycle in a globalizing world." "Throughout the
life cycle" is, I believe, an opportunity for breastfeeding advocates to try
to insert language in support of breastfeeding."  So my interest is more
than
theoretical.  I'd like to look at some articles that explore the connection.

Chris Mulford, RN, IBCLC
Swarthmore  PA (eastern USA)

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