Margo wrote: "I find that interesting that senior citizen-aged males have
been the ones to offer me the validating comments in the store or in a
doctor's waiting room and it's the women who seem to become so offended by
it (at least in my own limited experience that's who it seems to be and in
talking with friends)."

According to research done by the PR firm that helped develop the US Health
& Human Services' National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign, women over the
age of 50 are the LEAST comfortable seeing mothers breastfeed, while men, of
any age, are MOST comfortable. Sorry, I can't put my fingers on the exact
statistics now (I have the information from Suzanne Haynes' PowerPoint slide
presentation, but I don't have PowerPoint this computer). A lactation
consultant I know locally who is nearing retirement age herself is known for
saying, "Once women my age die off, moms will have a much easier time with
breastfeeding." Several breastfeeding promotion campaigns, recognizing the
importance of winning over this demographic, have focused on helping
grandmas support their daughters who choose to breastfeed. Because so many
of that generation (including my own mom) think of bottle-feeding as a way
of bonding with baby, they are at a loss when confronted with a baby they
cannot nurture this way. When my group speaks with new moms about overcoming
cultural and social obstacles to breastfeeding, we suggest that they have
grandma who want to bond with "her" baby take a nap together (or let baby
sleep on her while she stays awake, if she's worried about co-sleeping),
change diapers, or just spend time loving baby. My mom, who initially
criticized me for co-sleeping, now always sleeps with my daughter (four
years old and out of the family bed, but usually has a parent lay down with
her at bedtime) when she visits. 

I too, have experienced the "kind elderly gentleman" phenomenom. One of the
most interesting conversations I had with a stranger about breastfeeding was
with man, I presume in his 70s, who told me that the literal meaning of the
Hebrew word for God, El Shaddai, means, "one with the nurturing breasts." He
also told me how pleased he is to see so many moms these days breastfeeding
at his church! 

Chris

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