Valerie wrote:
>  I believe that a woman who pumps and
> provides her own milk for her infant(s) is breastfeeding.  Woman who do this
> for either short or long periods of time are breastfeeding.

I respectfully disagree here. I think for these kind of developments choosing
words carafully and consciensly is very important.  This will distuingish
between all the possibilities and be a help in the understanding that feeding
human milk from just someone is not the same as breastfeeding, nor is feeding
ones own milk in some other way.  It will show that on a scale where 0 is
non-human, artificial milk by a propped up bottle and 100 being mom's own
milk directly from mom's own breasts at baby's needs and pace, lots of
possibilities are open, but that all are substandard to the 100.
Producing milk is to lactate. Women who produce milk and remove the milk from
their breasts (be it by a baby or otherwise) are *lactating*. Feeding a baby
at the breast with the milk directly from the breast is *breastfeeding*.
Lactating is (or can be) a one party activity, breastfeeding takes two (or
more).
The baby can be fed at the breast, where the milk (mom's milk, other mom's
milk or artificial milk-like fluid) is not coming directly from the breast,
but through some device.  This will be *at breast feeding* by a lactating or
nonlactating mom (or even another person?).
Feeding milk from *a* human mother would be *human milk feeding* (donor milk)
or *breastmilk feeding* (own mom's milk).
It is up to the parents to choose what and how to feed their baby, but it is
up to *us* (all kind of hcp's and others surrounding pregnant and new
parents) to explain, to offer basic, complete and correct information on
*all* options and thir consequences.  One very important aspect of this
information is that breastfeedig goes beyond plain feeding and that is where
the at brast feeding vs non at breast feeding of mom's milk comes into the
picture, and the thoughts about how it can emotionally effect the baby if mom
is not wanting, willing or capable of freely offering herself to herchild.
In cases where for some reason direct breastfeeding (at a bf moms e-list I
read it is called *life breastfeeding*) I deeply respect mothers that
dedicate themselves to momths and even years of pumping and feeding
otherwise. The ones that do so *just* because the do not like the idea f a
baby at their breasts, well I do *accept* their choice and praise them for at
least providing the best possible food, but I do find it very difficult to
really *respect* that choice.  (Don't worry: I don't tell the mother!).
Well, it turned out to be a quit long post, but I really think naming things
is important. What's in a name? I think the name makes it to what it is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gonneke van Veldhuizen, IBCLC
MOM, LLLL, primary schoolteacher
Hiilensberg, Germany

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html