Sunday night I watched the 2 hour show "Neanderthal" on PBS not once but three separate times. The dramatization is based on anthropological theories derived from findings at various digging sites over Southern Europe. The "energy cost" of breastfeeding for 5 years was described as a heavy liability on the clan to feed the mother, especially as she would not be able to do her full part in the food gathering and other work, for the full 5 years, implied from the script! The mother was pictured sitting uncomfortably, awkwardly trying to push her baby's head toward her chest, the baby's legs up in the air interfering with drawing him close, and the baby fretting the whole while. In fact, I had my doubts that it was a real baby. Meanwhile the mother looked worriedly everywhere but at the baby, especially at the dominant female in the clan, who reached out and took the baby and walked silently back to the rear of the cave (near the rats and the carcasses shown earlier), and disappeared. This was apparently to tie it in with their conclusion that fossil evidence showed that the "problems for the clan" posed by childbearing and breastfeeding were often "cured" by infanticide. Any wonder they died out? So much for breastfeeding promotion! Kathy D., did you see it? I'd be curious to hear your reaction. Jean ********** K. Jean Cotterman RNC, IBCLC Dayton, Ohio USA *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html