I have come to the conclusion that pain is a cultural construct. In the 
US in particular we are taught that pain is to be avoided at all cost 
and we attach the concept of pain to anything that is not comfortable. 
Think about what women are taught about childbirth--how to cope with 
pain. Everything focuses on coping with pain--if this is the case, then 
the given is that tyhere will be pain. We are not taught the power of 
birth nor even the possibility that birth can be painless, even 
ecstatic. We are only taught fear, yet we all know that fear induces 
pain. The same is true of breastfeeding--how many women are afraid of 
the pain of breastfeeding? How much more painful is an injury when 
there is tension and fear? How much more painful is birth or 
breastfeeding when there is tension and fear? How much does our 
accptance of a situation inform our suffering?

In China, there ia an expression that "one must learn to eat bitter". 
There is such a different attitude toward "pain" or rather toward what 
causes pain. In the West, we see that which we perceive as difficult as 
suffering. Eckart Tolle, in his book "A New Earth" says that 
acceptance, joy or enthusiasm prevent suffering. How many women 
approach childbirth with acceptance, never mind joy or enthusiasm?

How many of us have breastfed a child who is 4 or 5 and felt no pain at 
all in the most awkward or positions? I don't think it is only because 
they are older, but because we have a different opinion of discomfort. 
I think birth and breastfeeding and our experience of them are the 
ultimate expression of the mind-body connection and if we really want 
to live in a breastfeeding culture, this is the aspect of ourselves 
that we must tend to.
Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA

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