Dear Fellow Lactnetters Last year our LLL group went through the group library and were getting rid of some of the older books to make way for new and updated material. I have the box of discarded books, and came across it last night and went through it to see what was there. I found the MOST interesting book. Most of you have probably read it, especially those of you that have been in the "business" for 20 years or better. I had not heard of it, although some of the material was familiar from classes I have taken. This wonderful book is, "The Politics of Breastfeeding" by Gabrielle Palmer. What I found so shocking was that this book, written in 1988, describes the very issues that we are dealing with almost 20 years later. Many things have slowly improved over the years, but there are things that are just as sadly prudent now as then. One of the things I discovered while reading, was the answer to the age old question of NIP. Why is it ok to walk through the mall with a slinky little slip of material that barely covers a woman's breast, and yet breastfeeding an infant is so shockingly appalling in some of the general public's eyes. Ms. Palmer answers with the following, "Until recently women have been able to feed babies in the most sexually repressive societies; women who dared not even show their faces could expose their breasts to feed a baby. In Victorian England, famous for it prudery, a respectable woman could feed openly in church, yet in contemporary industrialised society where women's bodies and particularly breasts are used to sell newspapers, cars and peanuts, public breastfeeding provokes cries of protest from both men and women. I believe the reaction comes from something more complex than the mere discomfort of unsatisfied sexual arousal....The feeding of a baby does provoke something far stronger than sexuality. It is a demonstration of a power that is exclusively female and it is unacceptable for a woman who has claimed some of the supposedly male power to show she can have both." This sounds of course highly feminist, but I can completely see what she means even today. How about women? Why are they so horrified at seeing the breastfeeding couple? Ms. Palmer explains, "Women who have not fed their own children, especially if they had wanted to, may feel terrible seeing a breastfeeding pair." (pg 95-97) I realize that some of this sounds quite obvious to some, but was quite an eye opener to me. I had never considered the information presented. The book goes on to discuss formula companies, their ugly beginnings and how the WHO Code came about. It was very in depth and I am glad to have this information. I read aloud much of the book to dh and he was shocked at the underhandedness of the formula companies. He understands completely now why I refuse any formula company gifts, both as a professional and as a mother. Why I do not buy Nestle products etc. etc. Another interesting parallel of the politics of "then and now" is in the recent thread in this group of which is more stressing to the preterm infant, breast or bottle. Ms. Palmer touched on that subject too, almost 20 years ago, "Recent research from the United States with healthy pre-term babies showed, through a set of physiological indicators, that babies were far less stressed by the act of breastfeeding than by bottle feeding, yet the rule in many hospitals is that a pre-term baby must not be allowed to breastfeed until it can take a bottle." (pg.38) I realize this book is "old" but I encourage anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to read it to find a copy and indulge. To those who read it long ago, it may be time for a refresher. I was, as I said before, shocked that the information was as pertinent today, as it was back then; and deeply saddened that it is still as pertinent. Renee Drake RN CLC *********************************************** 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(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html