Kristen,
Fantastic post! We as women have given away control of our bodies to the point where women can be threatened and forced into allowing themselves and their babies to be drugged in labor, to have cesareans and to allow their babies to be violated and fed AIM to get them out of medical control, We are at the point where the medical model controls much of their reproductive lives and the wisdom of our bodies, of our cellular memory and ways of knowing are lost completely. Making our milk and feeding babies at breast reclaims much or our power and sharing with other women is a way that the sisterhood between all mothers is validated and honored. Instead of running in fear, we should be finding a way to make it work. I agree with you Kristen, that is will be one more gift of mothering lost if we abdicate our milk to industry.

I have a fair number of clients who have used donor milk from other mothers--sometimes family members, sometimes not. They are intelligent women making choices they feel are best for their babies. There needs to be simple, reliable information available to women who wish to do this to make it safe and normal. The truth is that many women feel normal sharing milk and nursing one another's babies. I'd like to think that in our profession we would be validating this inherently loving behavior rather than allow it to be marginalized and even possibly criminalized. And Kristen is right--when industry stands to lose money from grassroots kinds of practices, those practices quickly become dangerous and illegal.


 


Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
Intuitive Parenting Network LLC




Susan has a big vision of health and breastfeeding which I=2C and I=92m sur=
e most of the people on this list share. But in the meantime what to do?  H=
uman milk feeding.  With deep respect to the women who have worked tireless=
ly to build milk banks=2C to whom I am truly grateful=85I believe we as lac=
tation professionals and as women and mothers need to rethink the paradigm.=
 Milk banks dispense milk with a prescription or hospital purchase order.  =
Why?  Human milk is a food not a medicine. Insurance companies use that fac=
t against us when they deny claims. Why should we as leaders of communities=
 of women continue to be beholden to the formula industry or even medicine =
as an institution (I am not referring to individual practitioners) when if =
you take a look they are no particular friends of ours (childbearing=2C lac=
tating women and our babies). Of course I fully appreciate the liability is=
sue=2C no one wants to be responsible for harming a baby=85but should that =
prevent us from raising the issue and exploring the possibilities? Why are =
we so quick to marginalize milk sharing?  It is possible that we have the t=
echnology to make it safe=2C affordable and feasible.  We all stand here sl=
ightly horrified as for profit companies step into the void (Medela=2C Prol=
acta).  Is that what we want to see happen on our watch? A for profit compa=
ny come in and take control of human milk feeding=2C jockey for position=2C=
 lobby for regulations that serve their interests? Because that is next. Mo=
ney is a very powerful motivator.  We in the US are watching as our institu=
tions are crumbling.  Now is the time to rethink some of our assumptions. W=
e as female human beings are in possession of an abundant=2C renewable and =
tremendously valuable resource...
Listen=2C I totally get that this is radical and annoying and there=92s lit=
tle demand for this=2C but there will be and we should at least be talking =
about it. Flame me all you want=2C ladies=2C I=92m going to China : )
Kristen Panzer=2C MS IBCLC




 


             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome