Kathleen Bruce reminds me, and the list, of Jack Newman's article on guilt
http://www.erols.com/cindyrn/guilt.htm
Thanks Kathleen. It is worth reading or re-reading.
Who could disagree? Of course he's right that the 'guilt' argument is often
an excuse from health professionals for lousy support and maybe even
reflects unresolved personal issues surorunding their own bottle feeding.
And of course it plays into the hands of the ABM marketeers.
But - we have to be aware that there are ways of presenting good
information and offering proper practical and emotional support that don't
add to women's guilt if they don't bf, or if they quit. They may need help
to come to terms with a disappointing bf experience or with the fact they
missed out on support and quit before they wanted to. They won't ask for
that help if they think we're going to judge them. Understanding why an
experience went wrong can be the first step to having a better experience
with the next baby.
Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK