There is a new storyline on All My Children (all right...all right...I'm
nailed. It's a guilty, secret vice of long standing.....) concerning a
teenage mother giving her newborn baby up for adoption. The baby, now a day
or two old, has been diagnosed as failure to thrive after being tried on and
"rejecting" several different formulas. The pediatrician gives the adoptive
parents two options. They can put him on an IV and hydrolysate formula or
they can ask the teenage birth mother to breastfeed him because, "breastmilk
is what he really needs". The adoptive parents decide to ask the birth mother
to breastfeed even though they are afraid that breastfeeding the baby will
lead to her bonding with him and changing her mind. In convincing the
unwilling teenager, the birth parents list the many benefits of breastmilk
(accurately)  and state that breastmilk has properties that are not
replicable in any formula. They also explain to her that it will be better
for her and will help her get back into shape faster. The adoptive father
even points out that breastfeeding has been the subject of some of the
world's most profound works of art! The teenager asks if it will hurt and the
adoptive couple explains that, although some women experience some "initial
tenderness", most women enjoy nursing their babies. The teenager decides to
breastfeed the baby in order  to save him and the adoptive mother, a medical
doctor, was last seen (on Monday)  preparing to help the teenager put the
baby to breast for the first time.  Stay tuned!

I am going to drop ABC a note and let them know that I appreciate this
accurate and thoughtful portrayal of breastfeeding.

Katie Allison Granju
University of TN College of Law
Knoxville, TN