Norma,
This is also one of my bug bears (and it's much worse in the adoption world
where they should have more of a clue). I've overheard attendees complain
about the presence of children ("we have kids around us all day at work- we
should have a break at a conference" !!!) and also about noise and
distraction caused by children. It's that child-hostile culture that is part
of what makes breastfeeding so difficult for mothers. Those who get what
breastfeeding is about should also get that creating environments that allow
young children to be with their mothers is important. I'm always very glad
to see/hear children at conferences/seminars that I speak at or attend. I
think that conference organisers should be explicit about the reasons behind
allowing children at conferences and explain it in enrolment brochures etc
so that those considering attending know both that there will likely be
children present and also know why this is the case. There's no need to
apologise.
Karleen Gribble
Australia
----- Original Message -----
From: "Norma Ritter" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 4:00 AM
Subject: Time to step up to the plate?
Confession time: I am a breastfeeding conference junkie :)
I love learning more about my favourite subject and networking with
colleagues. Breastfeeding is my profession, my hobby and my passion.
Imagine my delight the other day when I opened a brochure to find a
conference that was both accessible in terms of distance and
intriguing in content.
The course objectives included:
* List evidence-based risks to the baby of not being exclusively
breastfed for 6 months
* Describe barriers mothers may face and how to overcome them
So far, so good.
But then I read,
>Babies and children will not be admitted to the teaching room (except for
>quietly nursing babies under three months of age.)<
Hmm...
So here we have a breastfeeding conference which teaches professionals
how to encourage mothers to breastfeed and overcome barriers, while
setting up it's own barriers by forbidding access to all but the
tiniest babies. There was not even mention of a room where mothers
could pump.
Does anyone else see the problem here?
This is not the first time I have seen this paradox. I have questioned
it for years. It is what kept me (and many other nursing mothers) from
attending many, MANY breastfeeding conferences, and, by extension,
from acquiring the CERPs necessary to sit the IBLCE exam.
The answer I usually get is that when people pay to hear a speaker,
they do appreciate baby noises interrupting their conversation.
Well, I can certainly relate to that! Conferences are expensive, and
everyone wants to get their money's worth.
The question is, at what expense?
- Children are deprived of their mothers' presence and access to their
breasts.
- Mothers are deprived of the presence of their children.
- Mothers with non-separating children are automatically excluded, a
form of discrimination.
- Attendees are denied the opportunity to see the normal course of
breastfeeding. This is an important consideration, because many of
those who work in hospital settings rarely see children nurse past the
first few days of life.
- It silently condones a paradigm in which mothers provide their milk
but not their presence.
Well, the very next day after that brochure arrived, I received
information about another professional breastfeeding conference.
What a difference in approach!
This conference brochure boldly stated:
>A pumping/breastfeeding room will be available on-site.<
AND
>Quiet babies are welcome. Please attend to your restless infant immediately
>as a courtesy to the other participants and for the comfort of your child.<
Yes, it IS possible to meet everyone's needs.
Conference organizers, please take note!
If you have any doubts, check out a local La Leche League conference
and watch how nursing mothers manage to attend to the needs of their
children whilst being considerate of the other attendees. They sit at
the back of the room, often on blankets on the floor, and take their
little ones outside if they cannot be immediately soothed. Sometimes
they bring another adult or teen to play with the younger ones outside
(or even in a specially designated playroom!), but they are always
available when needed.
Thank you, Morgan for putting it so well in your blog:
http://one-of-those-women.blogspot.com/
Saturday, 14 February 2009
The Dangers Of The "D" Word (Part 3
>Women are out of the back bedroom... BUT SO ARE OUR CHILDREN. We have
>brought them out into the light with us. We demand you accommodate us as a
>unit: a biological unit comprising two separate individuals: a dyad. You
>want us out in public, to spin your sexual fantasies upon, and to work in
>your economy? To mother our children and raise the doctors, lawyers,
>dentists, taxi drivers, police officers, refuse collectors, cooks and
>bottle washers who will care for you in your old age? You want us to raise
>children whilst being a full part of this world? Then accept our children
>are outside with us. Make room for them. Accommodate their need for us, and
>our need for them, in social and economic discourse. They are on our
>breast, in public spaces: deal with it.<
Norma Ritter, IBCLC, RLC
[log in to unmask]
www.NormaRitter.com
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