In a message dated 5/30/99 11:05:56 PM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
<< his or her risk for electrolyte imbalance outweighs any desire on
the part of the mother to breastfeed. >>
<< a mother
who strongly desires to breastfeed her infant can probably do so with minimal
or no risk. " ...>>
This really bugs me. To say that women "desire" to breastfeed implies a
yearning, longing, lustful feeling. My 1963 (must have been a baby gift :-P)
dictionary says that of the synonyms: desire, wish, want, long, crave, and
covet, that the use of desire emphasizes strength of feeling; and that one
definition is "sexual attraction or appetite".
This frames breastfeeding as a question of lifestyle or inner leading rather
than a logical decision based on facts. I don't *desire* to wear my seatbelt
- I do it because I know it is important to my safety. When women really
*know* that bf is achievable (for them) and how important it is (not just
that it is "better") then they will choose to do it. Some women get a head
start because they have that inner leading, some women fall in love with how
"warm and fuzzy" it is. But most women can benefit from knowing that bf is a
smart, logical decision that careful analysis, good judgment, and common
sense support.
I've heard of women who just "desire" to breastfeed so much that they risk
their baby's health - but I haven't met any. I have met women who are
knowledgeable and confident enough to stand up to idiots who would "sacrifice
bf on the altar of ignorance." My guess is that they are the same women
viewed from two different lenses.
I will enjoy the warmth and intimacy of bf, and talk to women about that
important aspect. But when undereducated HCPs claim in an emotionally
neutral, coolly scientific way that artificial feeding is somehow safer, that
they are somehow more concerned for the child than his own (emotional) mother
- that isn't a time to talk about desire, it is a time to talk about (lack
of) professional competence and current scientific information.
Elaine Ziska
Jackson, MS
(dizzy from the height of my soapbox)
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