When I opened my emails yesterday, I was met with several emotional
responses to my short message on Lactnet, taking it in a way it was never
intended. It seems that short posts are open to being misconstrued.  I
didn't add all these other thoughts I had.  My error was writing quickly and
not expanding. Some later posts seem to have been written without reading
what I actually said. I'd like to reiterate that I at no time attacked any
individual or her situation and I certainly didn't attack Robyn's book -
indeed, since it appeared I've heard nothing but high praise for it. (At
least this correspondence has enabled Robyn to promote her book.)

It is not my style to attack. I thought I'd been on Lactnet long enough for
people to realise that.  Now, of course, the Lactnet archives will forever
have an interpretation that I attacked people.  Some posts, including
Jeanette's, Keleigh's and Karleen's, show that they did read what I said
(though I'd definitely never have used the adjective "barbaric" and I
wouldn't have picked on one particular country's military.)

One post directed at me was very personal. It read: ".denigrate. I am
saddened that the attitude espoused by Dr Thorley still exists", the
implication being that I set out to denigrate [someone? something?]. If it
had occurred to me to criticise (not "denigrate"), it would have been about
systems that allow the sort of pressure some of the posts describe. 

I have thought for a long, long time, that women who strive heroically hard
to do their best, despite the system they find themselves in, deserve a
special medal. I've often daydreamed what would be put on such a medal? If
there were such a medal, I'd include women who face physical or other
barriers to producing a full supply, but put heroic efforts into doing what
they can in their own particular situation. One such mother is my all-time
heroine (amazing woman!). Then, of course, there is always the matter of
where to draw the line for inclusion for any medal.  I guess a medal is just
a dream, a daydream.
 
Semantics (language) and definitions are important in order to measure and
change. They enable women's real, lived experiences to be described and
acknowledged. They give a baseline for future change and for research that
will help that. Some of us remember when studies did not define the
intensity of breastfeeding, with "ever breastfed" (even once) included with
every other degree of breastfeeding.  Then in 1990 and 1991 definitions were
devised by Miriam Labbok and by WHO so that like could be compared with
like. Even though "exclusive breastfeeding" (EBF) is rare in many of our
countries (and Australia has lamentably low rates of EBF, despite high
initiation rates), in lactation circles and public health circles we see it
as important to define and measure EBF. The majority of babies in the world
aren't exclusively breastfed to six months (or even to three months). No one
is suggesting that other degrees of breastfeeding are to be condemned or
thrown out. Nor are we giving up on the goal of EBF because it isn't what is
happening for the majority. We encourage the mothers, assuring them that
breastfeeding for even a few days is better than none, while keeping in mind
the public health goals.

I hope the above gives a better perspective of where I'm coming from. I know
I'm not as good as I'd like to be with words, and every week I strive to
improve my writing skills so that my meaning is clearer.  It is still a
learning process.  I am aware that the words coming from one person's brain
(by speech or writing) aren't always picked up with the exact same meaning
by another person's brain. People bring a lot of their personal feelings or
assumptions to what they hear or read. So it is a good rule to try to
reiterate as much as possible.

Virginia
In Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

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