Susan - how utterly disappointing indeed!  This is just another example of 
politically correct jargon which asserts that it's more important to take 
care of the mother's own comfort levels than it is to protect her baby's 
health.  Note too, how the words in the sentence, "the program aims to 
support and educate moms with the information they need to feel comfortable 
making what they believe is the right decision for them." manage to 
simultaneously convey a) the rightness of giving mothers information and 
support, so that b) they can make happy decisions,  c) glossing over even 
the existence of a baby, whose health will be profoundly affected by the 
mother's "decision".

Note too, how the mother's feelings are prioritized in the sentence which 
follows, "Feeding should be a time for bonding, nurturing and making baby 
feel safe, secure and loved.  Since babies pick up on and react to what 
their moms are feeling, it is essential that a mom feels comfortable 
relaxed and confident that she can meet the needs of her baby.  This 
requires that mom's feel secure in their choice of their method, whether 
breast, bottle or both."  This is the arrogance of privilege!

Something we may be missing in our advocacy is the point very well 
illustrated in this letter - that most women want to do the best for their 
babies that they can - if only they know what that is.  But it's our job to 
be clear.  The mother's comfort level is *not* the most important thing - 
the baby's health, survival and well-being are.  A mother who knows this 
will *not* be more comfortable bottle-feeding than breastfeeding, so the 
perennial argument about the mother needing to be happy with her decision 
becomes redundant.

In addition, our own writing efforts need to guard against inadvertently 
tapping into this kind of thing. When we write things like,  "Mothers who 
choose to breastfeed have lower rates of breast cancer, osteoporosis, 
stress ....(etc)" hidden among the benefits we're extolling we give a 
politically correct endorsement to a) the possibility that breastfeeding is 
just one of a number of suitable options,  (b) ie that it's normal and 
right to make a choice about something so crucial, and ultimately (c) it's 
just as normal and right to choose *not* to breastfeed at all - especially 
if that will make the mother feel in some way "more comfortable" (ie we 
elevate the mother's feelings above the health consequences for her 
baby).   But when we slip in the words "choose", "decide", "opt" "select" 
at every turn, in order to satisfy some kind of political correctness (who 
started this, I wonder?) it sends the clear message that what we're 
promoting is the choice, rather than the breastfeeding - why else would we 
be saying these things?  It's just as easy to write "Mothers who breastfeed 
....." and leave out the C word.

Happy World Breastfeeding Week to all.

Pamela Morrison IBCLC
Rustington, England
[log in to unmask]

At 02:53 02/08/2005, you wrote:
>Date:    Mon, 1 Aug 2005 19:21:56 -0400
>From:    Susan Burger <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Liz Lange
>
>How utterly disappointing. Guess it will be a cheery distribution of 
>flyers outside their store
>
>
>Hi Susan:
>Thank you for sharing your views with me in your recent correspondence.  And
>I am grateful that you are giving me the benefit of the doubt.
>
>I certainly understand how strongly women feel about the feeding-choice
>debate and we greately appreciate the importance of this issue.  It's in
>that context that the "Best for Mom/Best for Baby" initiative was developed.
>Simply put, the program aims to support and educate moms with the
>information they need to feel comfortable making what they believe is the
>right decision for them.
>
>Research has clearly demonstrated that breast milk is the best form of
>nourishment for babies.  But research has also clearly shown that it is
>critical for babies' healthy development that they form strong healthy
>attachments to their parents.
>
>Since so much of baby's earliest days and months are spent being fed, the
>quality of the feeding relationship between parent and child - how parent
>and child interact and connect during feeding -- is critical.  Feeding
>should be a time for bonding, nurturing and making baby feel safe, secure
>and loved.  Since babies pick up on and react to what their moms are
>feeling, it is essential that a mom feels comfortable relaxed and confident
>that she can meet the needs of her baby.  This requires that mom's feel
>secure in their choice of their method, whether breast, bottle or both.
>
>Sincerely,
>Liz

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