I thought it was interesting that in the last Lactnet digest we had
discussion about breastfeeding being normal (rather than natural) and how it ISN'T
normal in our culture...but we are hoping that someday it will be. And within
a couple of posts was another about the "MilkScreen" test so that we can know
for sure that there is no alcohol in the breastmilk before we nurse the
baby....
Breastfeeding will never be a normal part of our lives if we can't live
normal lives while we are nursing our babies. As long as we have people that are
so concerned about a nursing mom having a glass of wine (or in Wheaton, the
margarita) that she has to screen for it (and presumably alcohol from cough
medicine will show up as well), then breastfeeding will never be normal. As
long as mothers are worried about eating spicy foods, garlic, broccoli,
cabbage, etc -- breastfeeding will never be normal. As long as mothers have to
have gadgets and gizmos in order to breastfeed, breastfeeding will never be
normal. As long as we are more concerned about how long and how often a baby
eats, breastfeeding will never be normal. As long as we are looking at growth
charts instead of babies, breastfeeding will never be normal.
Pardon me while I take you on a little journey that is a "blast from the
past." When I first started working in L&D, we used to stop labor by using IV
alcohol. You could tell who was in preterm labor as soon as you walked on the
unit. If the mother thought she was in labor, but wasn't sure, the tried
and true test was a warm bath and a glass of wine. If she was in real labor, a
glass of wine wouldn't stop it. If she wasn't, usually she'd get nice and
clean and have a good sleep.
Fast forward a few hundred years -- OK, a few decades. Moms not only can't
have that glass of wine, they can't drink coffee, eat sushi, shrimp, soft
cheese, tuna, or a whole host of other things. Pregnancy is no longer normal --
even if it progresses somewhat "normally" -- it isn't normal. We no longer
even rely on good old Nagel's rule for telling when a baby is due. It has to
be done by ultrasound. We have technologized everything from the moment
the mother becomes pregnant -- 'scuse me, before that, as we are getting tests
to see when ovulation occurs instead of just enjoying sex.
I just had a lovely couple in my office -- mom has really sore nipples --
first baby -- she's 41, conceived through in-vitro because, as she pointed out,
she is "old.". Her husband is from Bangladesh, and he was absolutely
wonderful. He was knowledgeable, helpful, totally in love with his wife and his
little boy. I finally asked him when he came to the US, and he said when he
was 18 -- so he knew a lot about breastfeeding -- much more than the average
American. "Of course everyone breastfeeds there -- it's "NORMAL" -- and they
breastfeed until the baby is at least 2."
I don't know that breastfeeding will ever be normal in the US. I've been
working as a lactation consultant for 22 years, and it is LESS normal than it
was 22 years ago, despite the fact that more women are breastfeeding.
There is more - but I'll save it for another day, another post, another rant.
Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC
_Lactation Education Consultants_
(http://www.lactationeducationconsultants.com/)
_My blog_ (http://www.motherofbridebyjan.blogspot.com/)
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