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Date: | Sat, 25 Feb 2006 18:24:33 -0500 |
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I second Betsy's thoughts on encouraging moms to breastfeed the way that
they "want to". When we as lc's meet a mom where she is, we encourage her
as a mother. An encouraged mother is an empowered mother. All it takes is
one mom to tell her group of friends how great b/f is working for her and
a whole new circle is formed. Mothers are influenced by their culture, no
matter what the "experts" say. It is a delicate balance to make sure that
the mother is making an informed decision. Telling her about the hazards
of formula feeding but encouraging her where she is (even if she continues
to unnecessarily supplement or whatever) allows us to preserve our
relationship with her. She knows that we haven't lied to her, but by
accepting her decison we are not patronizing her or making her feel like
she doesn't measure up.I would rather tell a mom going back to work who
isn't going to pump that she can b/f when she and baby are together, and
support her in that effort, than to have her leave with the idea that b/f
is all or nothing. Usually that results in mom going to 100% formula. And
guess what, the formula marketers already know this! They don't want
mothers to be encouraged to "do both", and they are feeding the media
stories (those "surveys" of mother's perceptions of how they are treated
by the "other side" that are so popular) of rivalry between bottle-feeding
moms (selfish and guilty about it but defiant) vs. breastfeeding moms
(militant martyrs who judge mothering quality by feeding method). Our tact
and diplomacy in personal situations isn't selling out. We need to counter
the formula corporations spin-doctoring of "us" as inflexible and self-
righteous by compassionatly caring for mothers one at a time. Moms figure
out pretty quick that when the formula recall is announced, nobody gives a
damn if their baby is the one that got sick. When we stick to the facts in
a public response, such as letter to the editor, rather than get drawn
into the arguement (the whole choice thing)we can advocate for mothers,
babies, and our profession, and let our integrity speak for itself.
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