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Subject:
From:
Jennifer Tow <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 8 May 2000 15:24:59 EDT
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In a message dated 5/8/0 1:04:48 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:

<< Hearing this conversation made a huge impact on me. It was clear that this

mother - and I assume many others - saw formula feeding as normal and

breastfeeding as both difficult and resulting in a few fringe benefits. I

think that when we talk about the "advantages of breastfeeding" we are,

unwittingly, reinforcing this idea. >>

Teresa,
That's exactly the word I have been searching for to describe how so many
view bf--fringe benefits! Something nice, but not really necessary. Something
you could easily give up if they were too hard to get. Like a choice between
2 jobs and for the one with "fringe benefits" you need to travel and extra
hour each way. Well, it just may not be worth it, then. Or, to put it another
way, AF is no frills, but gets the job done. I believe more than ever that we
must turn the dialogue about this topic around, so that AF is thought of as a
risk, whenever and wherever it is mentioned.

<< The mother said: "It really doesn't make much

difference. Look, if the normal rate of ear infections is four per year, and

by breastfeeding you might reduce that to two per year, is it really worth

the inconvenience and effort of breastfeeding? Don't confuse 'optimal' with

being worth the effort. >>

We certainly have lowered our standards if we believe that 4, or even 2 ear
infections *per year* is normal! I would not consider that to be *normal* per
childhood! (I know some bf kids will have this happen, but *normal--or
average*!) To me, this speaks volumes about the hazards of AF.
Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA

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