Nikki writes:  "When a mother asks me if a bottle of formula once a day is
alright, I still have an internal debate, and many conflicting thoughts.
"Well, if she  keeps breastfeeding, one bottle a day might not be too bad.
Better that than weaning. I don't want her to bail out on breastfeeding
altogether if I give her the 'wrong' response."  But, isn't the correct
answer to say:  "No, it isn't the best for you or your baby because formula
has so many health risks."?

I can even be fired, or officially suppressed (as happened to me from
MIDWIVES...yes, shouting!). When folks in charge don't want their clients to
know exactly what that OB/GYNs primary cesarean section currently is or that
artificial feeding has risks. "Don't want to upset clients" is another part
of this situation. My acts have consequences...and I need to earn money so I
don't want to be fired. Sure, let clients go on their merry, ill-fated
way...to discover their mistake for themselves. If breastfeeding is truly a
matter of life and death, and health and illness (and it is, according to
the WHO, and to Rogan and Chen, and many other researchers), why are we
still being nice...and dishonest?

I heard something about the ill-fated, oopherectized US Ad Campaign to
promote breastfeeding.  The folks that designed it said that having
breastfeeding experts design it wouldn't work. We are too nice to make an
impact in a promotion campaign. Too nice, in today's cutthroat toxic
capitalistic world, means we are at the mercy of those around us. I am ready
to start speaking truth more often, at the very least! I don't want to be
part of any cover-up."

 

Me speaking now:  Although I was born in the US, my parents were recent
immigrants at the time and my first language was Italian, as was my
upbringing and philosophy in life.  My parents were born at the turn of the
20th century.  They were simple honest peasants and worked hard all their
lives.  The thing I remember most about them is how they always stood up for
what was right, even if their friends, relatives, and neighbors did not like
it.  My father did not lose his job because of that but he was almost killed
for it. He still went on standing up for the truth and what was right.

Fortunately, I had the luxury of not being afraid of being fired when I
worked in the medical community, but I can sympathize with those who have to
be careful.  It is my luck that I could stand up to empower women, and
protect them and babies; however, it was often difficult because the status
quo was desirable to my colleagues and I was sometimes unpopular.  Like my
father, I continued to fight for what was right for the women and babies.
My mother was also the first liberated woman I was familiar with and that
was back in Italy in the 1920s. her spirit lives on in me today.  I have
always stood up for the underdog, especially the women and babies.

That is why I was upset when the US Breastfeeding Campaign was watered down
to the point of almost being useless (talk about being too nice; the people
who developed the campaign did not stand up to the powers that be. they
caved in to the pressure created by the ABM companies; THEY were too nice).
All that time, energy, and money was not very effective.  We needed to get
the word out that ABM is harmful and we did not.  In this country, we are
afraid to stand up for what is right when it comes to women and children.
They just don't matter enough.  We stood up to the tobacco companies as
individuals, communities, and as a nation; we did not stand up to the ABM
companies.  At every level, from the federal and state healthcare groups, to
the AAP, to the lactation community, we let the ABM companies win; we let
them get away with their pressure of holding out a few dollars to convince
some of those groups that they should play ball or they would lose the
money.  Oh, of course, we were nice about it; we did not put up a big stink,
we supported the nice people at the federal level who could not stand up to
their superiors.  They even tried to convince us at meetings that the
campaign was still pointing out the risks of ABM, which it was NOT.  Talk
about the story of THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES.  What happened to freedom of
speech, when I was silenced when trying to speak up about what was the
truth?

The same thing has happened with childbirth.  How is breastfeeding going to
occur without problems when women have to fight so hard to have a normal
birth?  Few people in the community are aware or care that it is so much
worse than it was 30 or 40 years ago.  If my father could stand up to the
MAFIA, surely we should be able to stand up to the medical community.  This
is one discouraged person speaking.  Your allowing me to vent is
appreciated.

Lee Galasso, MS, IBCLC, RLC

 

 


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