Karleen writes:
<<the question I was asking was not whether well
educated women are less likely to breastfeed because
they are not. But rather whether well
educated professional women who are used to
maintaining control over their lives might have
difficulty adjusting to 'going with the flow' of
breastfeeding and motherhood in general.  I have heard
that women who have experienced invasive infertility
treatments might also have the same issues in addition
to having experienced loss in
confidence in their body.

Karleen, I think I understand the question.  If you're
asking anecdotally, I can tell you I've observed this
myself, I've heard mothers discuss it at support
meetings, and (my personal favorite) I've had
countless grandmothers call me to report this
observation of their daughters & daughters-in-law.

The grandmothers are, of course, the most on target.
Apparently there is much wisdom to be gained in living
the course of your life fully.   :~)

The grandmothers say the women are worried, frantic,
impatient and need to relax & trust themselves.  They
also tell me they know they must stay out of it for
fear of making things worse.  Mothers at LLL meetings
say in their "other" professional lives they are told
they must think linearly or "like a man" to succeed.
As nursing mothers they feel more successful when they
follow their instincts and each other.  Some of them
call LLL their new "professional" organization.

The women who most fit the profile you describe are
least likely to attend a community meeting for nursing
mothers.  They will call me under my business name &
want an appt. or they will call me through LLL & ask
for an LC referral.  Often they are more interested in
giving me information than in receiving information.
(Not information to help me help them, a lactation
lecture!)  This takes tact because my gut feeling is
the caller is upset to be in the position of asking
for help.  She wants me to know she's done her
homework, she knows x,y, & z, she's consulted with
1,2,3, and no one has ever heard of her problem.  (Yet
her problem may simply be lack of understanding of
normal newborn nursing patterns or perceived
insufficient milk syndrome.)

I've also noticed that many expectant mothers who are
expecting as a result of intervention often expect
more intervention.  And they get it.  This is not true
of all, of course.  In fact, I'd like to think I'm
observing a new trend:  Mothers who take back their
bodies after achieving pregnancy.

Overall, it seems more women are breastfeeding here in
the US, and breastfeeding longer.  I would credit the
growth of the lactation profession but particularly
its LLL roots; the AAP statement; and the media for
picking up on the first two.

Susan Johnson  MFA, IBCLC

"Well-behaved women never made history."



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