Other examples where semantics are very sloppy indeed are:

1) "My [breastfed] baby isn't on milk yet", or  "When can I start her/him on milk?"
My response:  Sorry?  What's that s/he is growing so beautifully on?  Breastmilk is *milk* and it is just right for babies (etc, etc)." (I then talk about the current guidelines for exclusive breastfeeding and gradual intro of other foods while continuing to give breastfeed, tailoring it to the particular parents.)  Wouldn't it be great (in an ideal world) if the stuff in cartons in supermarkets which is labelled simply "milk" were always labelled "cow's milk", just as goat's milk is labelled "goat milk" and liquid soy (which definitely isn't a milk, anyway) is labelled "soy milk".

2) "My baby is using my breast as a dummy (pacifier)."  Whoa!!!  Lots of education is needed here about expectations and newborn feeding patterns!  Dummies are a deeply embedded cultural artifact here, and people simply don't "get" that they are a substitute for the breast, not the other way round.  I find this one a difficult one to turn round, requiring great tact.

Cheers
Virginia, in sunny Brisbane

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