Heidi Wald writes: "However, is it feasible that in our country and our culture women would breastfeed for two years to get the added reduction in breast cancer risk? I like the campaign idea that was proposed on Lactnet that brought this topic to my attention, but would women be willing to stick to it?" I would suggest that you become familiar with the literature describing the biological normalcy of nursing for longer than most people in Western cultures believe is appropriate and the roles that culture, politics, economics, etc. play in how breastfeeding happens in a given society. A basic understanding of these two topics is critical to understanding under what circumstances women are "enabled" to breastfeed their children in a way that matches the biologically based needs of mothers and children--circumstances we wouldn't even be discussing here if our culture wasn't actively *preventing* women from breastfeeding in a way that matches the biologically based needs of the mother-nursling pair. * Good Mojab, C. The cultural art of breastfeeding. Leaven, Vol. 36 No. 5, October-November 2000; pp. 87-91. (Full text can be read from the publications page of my website: http://home.attbi.com/~ammawell) * Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives, Edited by Patricia Stuart-Macadam and Kathryn Dettwyler * Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent by Meredith Small * Milk, Money, and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding by Naomi Baumslag and Dia Michels * Mothering Your Nursing Toddler by Norma Jane Bumgarner * Ourselves as Mothers: The Universal Experience of Motherhood by Sheila Kitzinger You also might find my July 2002 newspaper commentary, "The real breastfeeding issue goes far beyond mere guilt," of interest. It addresses breast cancer and infant feeding, how we tend to talk about breastfeeding's culturally created "benefits" instead of formula feeding's actual risks, and the many social forces that undermine women's efforts to breastfeed. (It can be read in full from the publications page of my website: http://home.attbi.com/~ammawell.) Remember: Culture is changeable. Hope this helps, Cynthia Cynthia Good Mojab, MS clinical psychology, IBCLC, RLC Ammawell Email: [log in to unmask] Web site: http://home.attbi.com/~ammawell *********************************************** 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(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html