LACTNET Archives

Lactation Information and Discussion

LACTNET@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Alice Martino Roddy <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 24 Sep 2006 16:21:57 -0400
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (120 lines)
For weeks I've been preparing. My task was to select items for the CD we 
would give attendees and then burn the CD's. Now it's over and I have that 
post-holiday feeling: "What do I look forward to now?" But I have wonderful 
memories. The event was James Akre's visit to Syracuse, during which he 
spoke to a class at Syracuse University, to the stalwarts who work in our 
local breastfeeding consortium, to a TV audience, and to many who serve 
young mothers through various services, to inspire us to look at 
breastfeeding with new eyes.



If you haven't the privilege of hearing Jim in person, you can read his 
book, The Problem with Breastfeeding: a personal reflection. That title 
caused an interesting situation with the first person to call in during the 
TV show. She couldn't be convinced that he is FOR breastfeeding, not against 
it. With the exception of another caller, an older woman who had doubtlessly 
had one of the bad experiences so typical of her generation, all the calls 
were very pro breastfeeding.



In preparation for his visit I read his book and I've seldom been so 
stimulated to rethink what I believe and what I do. He believes the "breast 
is best" mantra is totally passé, something we've discussed on this list but 
he surprised many when he said it's not really mothers who breastfeed after 
all and that breastmilk is not free.



What he has to say about the manufacturers of human milk substitutes may 
surprise many of you. It recalled for me something I learned from a business 
text: that if you sell what you make, you are likely to fail; to succeed you 
must make what sells. Companies can sell formula because people buy it and 
our true opponent is society-wide ignorance of the real importance of 
breastfeeding. He mentioned how ineffective the US 'War on Drugs' has been 
by attacking supply without reducing demand. And I recall the history of 
prohibition which made alcohol illegal without lessening its consumption.



Jim believes we can turn things around within a generation provided we make 
the right moves. However, he doesn't give us a step by step program. He 
invites us both to think globally about our common goal-more and longer 
breastfeeding-and to act locally to make our society support the biological 
norm.



One practical effect on me has been the rethinking that has gone into my new 
sig line, "Breastfeeding is the biological norm for infants. It is a 
relationship that provides food, connection, and protection from illness to 
the nursing baby and stress reducing hormones to the mother."



I have pretty much banished the phrase 'breastfeeding difficulties' and now 
speak of obstacles, hurdles, challenges and barriers. The word difficulty 
connotes something inherent in breastfeeding while obstacle, hurdle, 
challenge and barrier all suggest something external and most 'difficulties' 
result from ignorance.



I think one barrier in the US is the belief that breastfeeding is difficult 
to do, that most women are likely to fail, and that it is a burden upon 
those that succeed. Even those who understand the value of breastfeeding are 
reluctant to encourage it if they also believe that it will fail and the 
failure will be painful. When a mother confronts an obstacle, they think 
they are relieving her when they suggest weaning because they believe 
nursing is inherently difficult, painful, and tiring.



The unappreciated truth is that the things that life depends on feel good. 
Nature is efficient and would not set up a system that benefits a baby at 
the expense of its mother. That would be counterproductive because the baby 
will not thrive for long if the mother does not.



We don't point out often enough that nursing mothers get the benefit of 
prolactin, which aids in nurturing, and oxytocin, the pleasure hormone. One 
of our handouts was Medela's "Going Back to Work & Want to Continue to 
Breastfeed?" which lists among the reasons to breastfeed reduced risk of 
postpartum bleeding, ovarian cancer, premenopausal breast cancer, obesity 
and broken bones from osteoporosis but does not list the benefits of 
prolactin and oxytocin.



It's pretty much time to stop debating the merits of breastfeeding and to 
talk instead about removing barriers. If someone doubts the importance of 
breastfeeding, tell them to read the research, that there are over 13,000 
peer reviewed articles they can consult so that they will understand that 
breastfeeding is far more than a lifestyle choice.



I'm not finished but I will pause now,



Alice Roddy,

Breastfeeding is the biological norm for infants. It is a relationship that 
provides food, connection, and protection from illness to the nursing baby 
and stress reducing hormones to the mother.

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

ATOM RSS1 RSS2