Cathy Carothers wrote: "It is true that mothers tend to blame
themselves...perhaps that comes out of a desire to control what is
happening to her child...Cheryl's mom needs to receive a lot of support
that she *is* doing the best for her baby by breastfeeding him, and good
active listening skills will help her express her fears and frustrations
over what is happening to her child."
Well said, Cathy. I couldn't agree more. In my newest publication,
"Congenital Disorders in the Nursling," I wrote:
"Feelings of anger, guilt, and depression are experienced because of
challenges posed to beliefs related to the meaning of life, such as
capability, ethics, causality, order, fairness, potency, evaluation,
morals, and rewards. While these feelings are difficult to experience, they
assist in restructuring beliefs about the meaning of human existence, a
prerequisite for actively coping with the impact of a congenital
disorder....The need for empathic listening when working with a mother
whose child was born with special needs cannot be overstated."
Good Mojab, C. Congenital disorders in the nursling. Unit 5. Lactation
Consultant Series II. Schaumburg, IL: La Leche League International, 2002.
A much shorter article on this topic, "Congenital Disorders: Implications
for Breastfeeding," can also be read from the publications page of my
website: http://home.attbi.com/~ammawell.
Back from nomail for now,
Cynthia
Cynthia Good Mojab, MS Clinical Psychology
(Breastfeeding mother, advocate, independent [cross-cultural] researcher
and author; LLL Leader and Research Associate in the LLLI Publications
Department; and former psychotherapist currently busy nurturing her own
little one.)
Ammawell
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web site: http://home.attbi.com/~ammawell
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