I got this today and wanted to share. Ann Calandro, RNC, IBCLC > Breast Is Best --For All Our Babies > > > Courtland Milloy can be reached at (202) 334-7592 or by e-mail at > [log in to unmask] > > By Courtland Milloy > Wednesday, June 7, 2000; Page B01 > > > It is the picture of health: a mother breast-feeding her baby. Except that > it's not as common as it should be--especially among black women. What is > the problem? > > Several clues have emerged from research recently conducted by Inga > Tate-Spurlock, a graduate student in applied anthropology at the University > of Maryland. Among them: > > * Some mothers simply don't know how to get their infants to "latch on" to > the breast, so the women get frustrated and give bottles to their babies > instead. > > * Breast-feeding is no longer socially or culturally acceptable in the black > community, which somehow manages to tolerate other behaviors that are far > less healthy. > > To help remedy the situation, Tate-Spurlock wants to produce a promotional > video featuring black women who breast-feed, and she would like to include > some influential female celebrities. Her idea comes on the heels of an > urgent appeal by U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher that as many newborns as > possible be breast-fed. > > "Breast-feeding reduces the risk of asthma," Satcher said recently. > "Breast-feeding reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Breast-fed > children are also less likely to be obese later in life." > > Although 60 to 65 percent of white mothers breast-feed their babies, only 30 > to 35 percent of black mothers do. > > This behavioral difference, both Satcher and Tate-Spurlock say, is a > contributing factor to one of America's most disturbing racial disparities: > A black child is more than twice as likely to die during the first year of > life as a white child. > > "Breast milk has all of the mother's immune defenses in it," Tate-Spurlock > said. "You get protection from all of the bacterias, everything that your > mother already has been exposed to. It's like getting your first booster > shot from Heaven." > > For working mothers, especially, finding the time to breast-feed can be a > problem. But if we know that breast milk is, indeed, manna from Heaven, then > what could possibly be more important than feeding it to a newborn? > > "All working mothers should get time off to breast-feed," said > Tate-Spurlock, adding that legislation is pending in Congress to establish > "lactation stations" in the workplace so mothers can pump their milk and > save it for later feedings. > > Tate-Spurlock notes that some of the resistance to such progressive measures > stems from a lack of appreciation for the "feminine continuum," as she calls > it, meaning marriage, conception, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and > child-rearing. > > "We have become so caught up in a material culture, where performing our > jobs means everything, that we have forgotten the importance of performing > our natural roles as human beings," Tate-Spurlock said. > > "Women and children aren't being loved, respected and protected the way they > should be," she added. And that disrespect appears to be even greater for > today's young black women, whose loss of status is apparent in the merciless > way they are portrayed in certain rap lyrics and videos. > > Tate-Spurlock also notes that misinformation about breast-feeding abounds. > For example, some believe that it ruins a woman's body. Not so, she says. > > "When an infant is allowed to feed on demand, the sucking actually triggers > an internal mechanism that helps the uterus decrease back to its normal > size," Tate-Spurlock said. "Breast-feeding can also stimulate amenorrhea > [the suppression of menstruation], which can serve as a natural > contraceptive." > > The only caveat is that women with HIV should not breast-feed, she said. > > Tate-Spurlock's ideal video would include actress Jada Pinkett and singer > Lauryn Hill, both of whom are breast-feeding advocates. > > She also could include herself. > > "I breast-fed my third child on demand for 18 months," said Tate-Spurlock, > referring to her now 22-year-old daughter, the only one of her children who > was breast-fed. "She went from me to a cup and never touched a bottle. She > never had a childhood disease, either." > > All babies should be so blessed. > > > © 2000 The Washington Post Company > > ________________________________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com > *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html