I lived in the midst of an Amish Settlementfor 10 years and have a tiny bit of insight. As a homebirthing mom of 6, La Leche League Leader, and a nurse I became known as the person to ask about such things. Occassionally a woman would show up at my door with a basket of fresh vegetables or a pie, and I'd invite her in so I could discover the "real" reason she had come to see me. Most of the time she wouldn't bring the baby with her, which would have been more helpful for me to figure out the problem, but she couldn't carry both baby and pie.

 

In my area, the good news is that mothers generally hire a helper for 6 weeks. This is usually an unmarried Amish gal in her late teens or early twenties who will do all the housework and child care while the mother simply rests and enjoy her new baby. (We should ALL have this service!) The bad news is that some women are so busy they find it easier to use bottles and have the baby's sibling feed the baby, not realizing that this leads to a sooner return of fertility and more babies to take  care of.  I was able to explain lactational amenorrhea to one Amish woman I was very friendly with (after she had been so surprised when she saw me nursing my 18-month-old!) Her next baby was breastfed for two years or more. Not only were her babies were spread further apart after that, but her closest friends also stopped having a baby every year! Each one teach one.



Sheila Stubbs 


 		 	   		  
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