>Phyllis asks:
>
><Why is it so many moms "can't get that close" to their babies?>
>
>Maybe because their moms didn't get that close to them???


There's a lot in what you say, Jean.

In antenatal classes, I am very careful how I express this undoubted 
truth that breastfeeding is a way of reflecting and expressing a 
mother's love.  I don't want to scare people or to be provocative to 
those who  think that somehow I am saying that formula feeding 
parents cannot/do not love their babies.
So when inviting discussion of the positives of breastfeeding, I say 
something about it helping mothers feel good - that 'growing' your 
baby on your milk, and helping him to feel responded to and 
comforted, all with your own body and its  production, can bring 
about a sense of personal achievement and pride (though I might not 
use those exact words).  I think that's about as far as I can go with 
this, at least in a group situation.

I too have heard mothers and others say that breastfeeding 'makes' a 
mother get 'too close' to her baby . Onwe of the saddest calls I ever 
had was from a community healthcare professional caring for a mother 
of 7 week old twins who wanted to know how to  'get' a mother to stop 
feeding one of the twins (the 'more demanding' one) because he was 
'becoming too dependent on his mother'. It has stuck in my mind for 
years.

Heather Welford Neil

NCT bfc, tutor, UK

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

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