I think that I have become more "enthusiastic" about promoting and helping
mothers breastfeed since my children have all weaned.
When my first baby was born, I thought (I am a bit ashamed to admit this)
that breastfeeding and bottlefeeding were not much different. I chose to
breastfeed in part because my mother had, and spoke highly of it, in part
because it was cheaper, and in part because I had heard there might be some
minor health benefits. I didn't do much to encourage others to breastfeed
because I figured that their "choices" were equally valid.
I felt the same way about my approach to parenting my children. The
"attachment/Continuum Concept" approach spoke to my heart, but I knew I was
making a leap of faith in deciding to carry my babies, sleep with them,
etc. I figured that the approaches other people were choosing would probably
be just as successful - in fact, I wasn't even sure my chosen way would
succeed.
By the time my youngest weaned, my oldest was twelve, and I'd had many years
of observing breastfed and non-breastfed children. The differences were
quite obvious to me, when taken as a group - the babies fed formula were
much sicker, much more often. They had more problems with allergies. They
needed orthodontic work more often, etc., etc. Most of the children in the
gifted programs were breastfed. Now it wasn't just theory, it was something
I had seen with my own eyes, something I had experienced.
So now I know how important breastfeeding is. I also know (as my children
are now 15, 19, 21 and 23) that the attachment parenting approach not only
"works" but helps you avoid lots of problems as your children grow. I'm glad
I took that leap of faith, but I also recognize how easily I might have been
persuaded otherwise - to bottlefeed and to raise my children quite
differently.
What I try to do today is share my experiences with parents and offer them
another way of looking at things, another option. I want them to know that
the benefits of breastfeeding are real, not theoretical, and that it is
worth the effort to overcome any challenges.
Teresa Pitman
Guelph, Ontario
***********************************************
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
|
