ruth said, " I see alot of grief in women about failed
breastfeeding experiences.  This grief is often
expressed in having to justify why the baby was given
the bottle as soon as they find out about my interest
in breastfeeding, lactation and bonding.  I have never
seen a mother justify why they breastfed when they
talk to a mother who bottle fed."

I see this all the time too, most recently it was
obvious when I was on the dr. phil show and talking to
the women who were there for potty training.
Sometimes women seem to be seeking absolution.  I wish
I could think of something to say to them, as a
non-professional, that recognises their grief and
acknowledges the lack of support they probably had.
I've been working on that for years, and of course it
depends on the woman and her situation, as presented
to me.  that's another problem- I wasn't there and
don't know what happened, but yet they often want a
diagnosis.  :-(  Recommending further reading for
their next baby might be a start.

I have justified why I'm breastfeeding, I guess
depending on the defensiveness of the mother, or how
old the baby is.  "It's easier", "my baby likes it and
it's sweet to snuggle with them", "I couldnt' handle
the organisation needed to bottle feed", "I never
thought of doing anything else".  I try to do it in a
way that emphasises the ease of breastfeeding, and
possibly the difficulty of not breastfeeding.  I hope
some little seeds sprout over time.

=====
Kate Hallberg,  http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~kolina/advantages-of-formula.html  Mom to Ursula (8), Sage (5.5) and Benno (2!)   Hey, Colorado mamas!-   http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ColoradoThriftyMamas/

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