And the ever popular article from Jack Newman MD, 1997, posted by Cindy
(our own) at www.breastfeedingonline.com: Kathleen
One of the most powerful arguments many health professionals, government
agencies and formula company manufacturers make for not promoting and
supporting breastfeeding is that we should "not make the mother feel guilty
for not breastfeeding". Even some strong breastfeeding advocates are
disarmed by this "not making mothers feel guilty" ploy.
Because, indeed, it is nothing more than a ploy. It is an argument which
deflects attention from the lack of knowledge and understanding of most
health professionals about breastfeeding. This allows them not to feel
guilty for their ignorance of how to help women overcome difficulties with
breastfeeding, which could have been overcome and usually which could have
been prevented in the first place if mothers were not so undermined in
their attempts to breastfeed. This argument also seems to allow formula
companies and health professionals to pass out formula company literature
and free samples of formula to pregnant women and new mothers without pangs
of guilt, though it has been well demonstrated that this literature and the
free samples decrease the rate and duration of breastfeeding.
Let's look at real life. If a pregnant woman went to her physician and
admitted she smoked a pack of cigarettes, is there not a strong chance that
she would leave the office feeling guilty for endangering her developing
baby? If she admitted to drinking a couple of beers every so often, is
there not a strong chance that she would leave the office feeling guilty?
If a mother admitted to sleeping in the same bed with her baby, would most
physicians not make her feel guilty for this even though it is the best
thing for her and the baby? If she went to the office with her one week old
baby and told the physician that she was feeding her baby homogenized milk,
what would be the reaction of her physician? Most would practically
collapse and have a fit. And they would have no problem at all making that
mother feel guilty for feeding her baby cow's milk, and then pressuring her
to feed the baby formula. (Not pressuring her to breastfeed, it should be
noted, because "you wouldn't want to make a woman feel guilty for not
breastfeeding".)
Why such indulgence for formula? The reason of course, is that the formula
companies have succeeded so brilliantly with their advertising to convince
most of the world that formula feeding is just about as good as
breastfeeding, and therefore there is no need to make such a big deal about
women not breastfeeding. As a vice president of Nestle here in Toronto was
quoted as saying "Obviously, advertising works". It is also a balm for the
consciences of many health professionals who, themselves, did not
breastfeed, or their wives did not breastfeed. "I will not make women feel
guilty for not breastfeeding, because I don't want to feel guilty for my
child not being breastfed".
Let's look at this a little more closely. Formula is certainly
theoretically more appropriate for babies than cow's milk. But, in fact,
there are no clinical studies which show that there is any difference
between babies fed cow's milk and those fed formula. Not one. Breastmilk,
and breastfeeding, which is not the same as breastmilk feeding, has many
more theoretical advantages over formula than formula has over cow's milk
(or other animal milk). And we are just learning about many of these
advantages. Almost every day there are more studies telling us about these
theoretical advantages. But there is also a wealth of clinical data showing
that, even in affluent societies, breastfed babies, and their mothers
incidentally, are much better off than formula fed babies. They have fewer
ear infections, fewer gut infections, a lesser chance of developing
juvenile diabetes and many other illnesses. The mother has a lesser chance
of developing breast and ovarian cancer, and is probably protected against
osteoporosis. And these are just a few examples.
So how should we approach support for breastfeeding? All pregnant women and
their families need to know the risks of formula feeding. All should be
encouraged to breastfeed, and all should get the best support available for
starting breastfeeding once the baby is born. Because all the good
intentions in the world will not help a mother who has developed terribly
sore nipples because of the baby's poor latch at the breast. Or a mother
who has been told, almost always inappropriately, that she must stop
breastfeeding because of some medication or illness in her or her baby. Or
a mother whose supply has not built up properly because she was given wrong
information. Make no mistake about it—health professionals' advice is often
the single most common reason for mothers' failing at breastfeeding!
If mothers get the information about the risks of formula feeding and
decide to formula feed, they will have made an informed decision. This
information must not come from the formula companies themselves, as it
often does. Their pamphlets give some advantages of breastfeeding and then
go on to imply that their formula is almost, actually just as good. If
mothers get the best help possible with breastfeeding, and find
breastfeeding is not for them, they will get no grief from me. It is
important to know that a woman can easily switch from breastfeeding to
bottle feeding. In the first days or weeks—no big problem. But the same is
not true for switching from bottle feeding to breastfeeding. It is often
very difficult or impossible, though not always.
Finally, who does feel guilty about breastfeeding? Not the women who make
an informed choice to bottle feed. It is the woman who wanted to
breastfeed, who tried, but was unable to breastfeed. In order to prevent
women feeling guilty about not breastfeeding what is required is not
avoiding promotion of breastfeeding, but promotion of breastfeeding coupled
with good, knowledgeable and skillful support. This is not happening in
most North American or European societies.
Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC August 1997
May be copied and distributed without further permission
http://www. BreastfeedingOnline.com
Kathleen B. Bruce, BSN, IBCLC co-owner Lactnet
Independent Consultant
http://homepages.together.net/~kbruce/kbblact.html
LACTNET Archives http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/lactnet.html
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