Perhaps I am being overly picky about the terminology in this discussion.
Or maybe I'm just wrong!  :)  Wouldn't be the first time, that's for sure.

None-the-less, while I do agree that there are many problems with some day
care settings in the US, I also think that promoting or not promoting day
care is a separate issue from being breastfeeding friendly or not.  I don't
think having a child in day care necessarily HAS TO HAVE any impact at all
on the breastfeeding.  Now, you may not want to promote day care by having
the medical 'stamp of approval' implied by having advertising for day care
centers come in a hospital gift bag.  If you don't want to promote day cares
(and mother-baby separation) in general, for any reason, then I agree that's
a valid reason not to include day care info in the alternative hospital gift
bags.

I would argue, however, that the promotion of breastfeeding-friendly day
cares is not intrinsically un-breastfeeding-friendly.  These are two
separate issues.  So I don't really think you can argue against including
day care info on the basis of the idea that day care is intrinsically
un-breastfeeding friendly.  That's all I was saying.

And I think it would be helpful for mothers to find out -- from someone,
somewhere, during pregnancy or at delivery -- that it is perfectly possible
to combine work outside the home and continued breastfeeding.  That's all.

Kathy Dettwyler

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