>I'm probably going to get slammed for this but here goes anyway...Does
>anyone agree/disgree that those of us who did/do not use ABM (thank
>goodness now I really know what this stands for!) can tend to sound (at
>least over e-mail) a bit superior and condescending towards those who
>have.

Well, my hope is that I have something to share as a mother who has already
done what the potential nursing mother hopes to do. I don't see myself as
being "superior" but as someone who can say "You want to breastfeed your
baby? I breastfed mine, and I'd be happy to share what I learned."

  I would hate to think that potential NM (nursing mothers) won't
>come to us for information or help because they feel intimidated and
>inferior, and that they aren't going to be good mothers anyway since
>they weren't planning on pre chewing their baby's meat (just my opinion
>but it would be very hard to enjoy a meal this way if I were the chewer
>or just a dinner guest, especially since this is definitely something
>you cannot do ahead) or making all of their baby mush from scratch (more
>power to those of us who have or make the time).

Has someone said that you're not a good mother if you don't pre-chew your
baby's food? Has someone said that all baby food must be made from scratch?
I haven't seen that.

I do think jars of baby food are very expensive. And, when babies start on
solid foods a bit later, preparing their food usually requires mashing it
with a fork so it isn't really a time-consuming procedure.

 Many moms nowadays,
>between raising their family and having to earn a living barely have
>time to spend a minute alone in the bathroom or even sit down to enjoy a
>meal.    I believe that the Inuit Eskimos living in igloos didn't have
>many "modern" conveniences, let alone grocery stores.   Unlike many moms
>who don't BF we are just fortunate that we have had the right
>information directed our way and were not ignorant as to where to go and
>get legitimate info.  I just hate to think that we may be part of or
>adding to what scares some moms away from BF.
>


I'm not quite sure what you are saying here. I know mothers are busy, but I
think that baby food companies and formula companies have pushed hard to
make us think that breastfeeding is inconvenient, time-consuming and
difficult, while their products will save lots of time and make our lives
easier. Frankly, I don't think it's true.

Maybe I'm just not understanding what you are saying here. How is the
example of a mother who has breastfed one or more babies - without using ABM
or commercial baby foods - scaring away a mother who wants to breastfeed?
Surely it's nice to know that it can be done?

Teresa Pitman
LLL Leader, Oakville, Ontario