Dear Lactnetters,
I'm new to this group and, per instructions, would like to introduce myself
briefly and comment on a new thread: I'm a La Leche League leader in the
USA, though I'm currently on leave of absence due to a family illness, and I
hope to keep myself up-to-date through this forum. I have breastfed my two
children (they're 4 and nearly 2) and consider that choice one of the best
parenting decisions I've made. I am still amazed by how very much
breastfeeding offers children, from the scientific standpoint of what a
superior nourishment it is, and also how well it bonds a mother and child,
and a family, especially when done in as natural and open way as possible.
The thread on population has me intrigued: Thus far, all comments have been
basically supportive of the idea that world population must be controlled,
and I'm not sure I agree with that. Last fall, when demographers estimated
that the world's population had reached 6 million, there was all sorts of
publicity about how horrible that was. About that time, I read just one
article that took a different view of population. It stated that the
world's population (at 6 mil) could fit into the state of Texas with every
four people living on one-eighth of an acre. Granted, that doesn't take
into consideration usage of natural resources, etc., but I think it shows
that though some areas of the world are very heavily populated, other areas
are less so, and some are even sparsely populated.
From a political standpoint, I believe it should be up to individual
families to decide how many children they have. I haven't heard anyone here
state that governments should control family size, or anything like that,
but discussions of population control tend to make me think of that, because
there are many who believe that governmental controls are necessary.
I am currently expecting my third child, and have already encountered many
people who seem surprised that my husband and I would want such a "large"
family. It's as if anything beyond one or two children is considered
excessive. I just think that it's important to remember that many families
want several children, for many different reasons. Though breastfeeding has
an impact on fertility through LAM, the mothers who come to us for
breastfeeding help probably have many different views on their fertility and
the family size that they ultimately want. I've known moms who have fully
enjoyed spacing their babies with LAM, and I've known moms who have weaned
with the goal of getting pregnant again. Everybody has their own reasons.
I hope everyone understands that I offer this in the spirit of the
discussion, and in no way mean to disparage anyone.
Thanks,
Karen Urbec
LLL leader
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