Helen,
You wrote,
"Recent studies of infant feeding in Botswana, reported at the Barcelona =
HIV/AIDS conference 2002, confronted the possibility that women who =
planned to formula feed exclusively and were in that study arm might =
give some breastfeeds due to various social pressures (and of course the =
baby's urging.) =20
It was anticipated that they might under-report any breastfeeding, =
knowing that it deviated from what the researchers wanted. =20
So at each monthly visit from 2 to 6 months, hand expression was used to =
see if the breasts of the mothers, many of them multiparae who had =
breastfed before, were producing milk. =20

Since this is in regard to research on hiv/aids and breastfeeding, I can only
feel a deep sense of anger about this aspect of research.  It really gives
meaning to the words, "breastfeeding police."

While this may seem like a legitimate research question, I frankly find it
disturbing.  Particularly because some hiv positive women in developed
countries have been threatened with loss of their parental rights because of
breastfeeding.  How will this information be used?

The true kicker to me is the statement that these women planned to formula
feed.  Women who "plan" to formula feed cannot be trusted to follow through
on their plans?   Really?  Maybe the truth is that these women are being
psychologically coerced into formula feeding and thus cannot be trusted to
follow through with their stated committment to formula feeding.  This is
what happens when we destroy a breastfeeding culture. Valerie W. McClain,
IBCLC









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