>
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>You need to write back and request answers to the following:
>
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>3.) Please detail the body of research supporting the fact that a mother's sense of comfort and confidence is critical to her ability to connect to her child and respond sensitively to her cues.
>
>4.) Please present any research you have that verifies that a baby reacts negatively to a mom that does not feel relaxed or confident while breastfeeding?
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>5.) Please present any research that shows that the factor that the mother is secure and confident in her daily interactions with baby, has a great impact on infant outcomes that proper infant nutrition and immunology development.
>
I found this post when I was flipping through digest on a busy day when
I should have been doing something else, but was feeling 'up' after a bf
support group meeting and not quite ready to go to sleep. Coming at it
in media res, I immediately thought the questions were being asked by an
ABM manufacturer! Woops! There are a lot of assumptions and conclusions
here. I think we need to be cautious about framing our questions this
way. Goodness knows, we do need to show these people why / how it is
that they are going about things the wrong way. (I'm assuming good
intent, despite some evidence to the contrary because, well, that's how
I choose to be.LOL) But I don't think these questions are the ones the
people designing the campaign need to be answering. Like a doctor who
suggests weaning without evidence, I think we should proceed not only on
the assumptions that all these things are true, but also on the evidence
we have from qualitative research (and, I imagine, quantitative research
I don't read as carefully these days) -- and ask them to provide
evidence to the contrary. That is, let them prove that a mother's sense
of comfort and confidence does *not* affect a mother's ability to read
her baby's cues. That, in fact, is the assumption they (they being some
powerful marketing forces) are acting on, without evidence. And, as far
as I've read, seen (and BTDT and lived to tell the tale) -- contrary to
the evidence that breast-nurturing matters.
In our support group tonight, we were talking about several of these
things as being 'real', part of evidence-based as well as anecdotal
experience. We talked about the increased confidence of breastfeeding
mothers, how it affects her relationship with her baby, how the hormones
of breastfeeding help relax a mother and give mom and a busy toddler a
time to cuddle together, how breastfeeding goes along with cuddling and
carrying, and this helps a baby's neurological system, etc. etc. Most of
all, we talked about the importance of breastfeeding and the
breastfeeding relationship. Reading this post, it seems that the
importance is, strangely and (obviously) inadvertentently being
questioned and undermined.
So I'm not sure what you're getting at -- are you suggesting there is no
evidence to support that a mother's sense of comfort and confidence is
*important* or just that mothers can survive without it? Isn't
well-being about thriving -- being confident and comfortable? There is
evidence that mothers who breastfeed have healthier body images and are
more confident. There is evidence that breastfeeding makes bonding
easier or deeper. There is evidence that breastfeeding mothers respond
to their baby's cues more readily. (Sorry, not Wiessingerizing here,
because I'm trying to keep to the language in the questions).
It seems to me that we only need to ask one question: Given the emphasis
that this organization is placing on a mother's confidence, a baby's
well-being, etc., wouldn't it be worthwhile for them to focus their
energy on encouraging mothers to make healthy choices based on evidence
-- not just biological, but psychological and pedagogical, as well?
You see, I'd be satisfied if they did that, because there just isn't
evidence to deny the importance of breastfeeding.
I'll go even farther and say that I do feel sorry for mothers who were
not able to breastfeed for one reason or another. I don't want to
undermine their confidence, either. They don't have as much as we
breastfeeders do, it seems. The best way we can help them understand
that it's worth it to try breastfeeding (again) with their next baby is
to give them confidence in their ability to make their lives work. Today
I did the 'every drop is better than one less drop' spiel. We always get
a few tears, some from women who stopped breastfeeding before they left
the hospital but have the courage to come to our meeting to see if they
can build up their inner resources to try again next time. I give them a
lot of credit. All women are worth supporting -- as the full human
beings they are, and for the best mother-selves that they can be.
Donning my flame-proof suit (not really, just knowing that my mothering
*is* important and *has* affected every aspect of my children's
well-being) --
Jo-Anne Elder-Gomes
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