Dear Angie,
I am always excited to read posts by students but was a little confused by
yours. It seems that you are at first asking about the decision process for
feeding choices by Moms and how are they best affected but then you go on to
comment on breastfeeding and guilt. This seems, am I wrong ?, to be an
admonishment of our role (LCs) in making a mother feel guilty? I was glad to
see that you had been perusing literature by Dr. Newman as he explores this
"phenomenom" further as do any number of other LC publications.  As for what
to say to a Mom prenatally, perhaps a better fdng related ?? might be "do you
have any questions about brfdng?" vs."breast or bottle", as the second
implies choices of "equal" value and the first encourages a Mom to voice her
concerns. While the majority of Moms make their feeding choices prenatally,
it is important to remember that this choice can be changed and this should
be reintroduced as a possibility at NUMEROUS points, up to and including the
pp home visit-my current area of practice. Many bottle feeding Moms that I
see can be encouraged to "try " breastfeeding at this point and I like to
reinforce the fact that
"as long as you have a drop of milk in your breast, you can still try". I
worry that because of the fear of somehow giving the mother guilt that we are
reticent to approach a woman who has made the bottle declaration. Often this
decision making process has been difficult for the Mom and exploring her
thought processes with her can clear up misperceptions or even bring about a
new way of thinking if done in a friendly, kind, loving manner. I don't know
if I would have chosen to brfd myself at 24 with my first baby if I hadn't
chosen to give birth with a midwife at a birth center and when asked "You
will breast feed?" my answer "I don't know if I can" , "Why, of course you
can!" said the midwife. Breastfeeding is the physiologic norm  and we need to
have a healthy amount of this "why , of course you will!" attitude rather
than shrinking away, afraid to "inflict" guilt.
Lynn Shea Rn,Bsn,Ibclc
Franklin,Massachusetts-where guilt is a part of my everday life-I'm a mother!

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