Diane's post really brought the issue into focus with a wonderful analogy.
In fact I have to admit that I was having a hard time seeing the problem with
the original statements until I read Diane's post. But I would like to add
another important part to this analogy:
This Rolls Royce ad was written by your good friend, a well-known and
respected expert on Rolls Royces. The ad was paid for by Jaguar. Hm....
I think my difficulty in seeing the statements as "damning with faint
praise," is because I have seen so many horrible statements about
breastfeeding that it is difficult to find that upsetting. Well, until Diane
made the statements come alive for me. I am more use to seeing statements
like the following from the FDA (I know some of you have seen this before but
I thought I'd revisit this "wonderful" website called..."Breastfeeding Best
Bet for Baby" (yes choking and turning blue when saying wonderful)...Valerie
W. McClain, IBCLC
PS Actually in my opinion, it looks like the FDA is placing its bets with
infant formula. Maybe that is because the government has an investment in
recombinant human milk components....
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/895_brstfeed.html
"Possible ProblemsFor all its health benefits, breast-feeding does have some
disadvantages. In the early weeks, it can be painful. A woman's nipples may
become sore or cracked. She may experience engorgement more than a
bottle-feeding mother, when the breasts become so full of milk they're hard
and painful. Some nursing women also develop clogged milk ducts, which can
lead to mastitis, a painful infection of the breast. While most nursing
problems can be solved with home remedies, mastitis requires prompt medical
care (see accompanying article).Another possible disadvantage of nursing is
that it affects a woman's entire lifestyle. A nursing mother with baby-in-tow
must wear clothes that enable her to nurse anywhere, or she'll have to find a
private place to undress. She should eat a balanced diet and she might need
to avoid foods that irritate the baby. She also shouldn't smoke, which can
cause vomiting, diarrhea and restlessness in the baby, as well as decreased
milk production. Women who plan to go back to work soon after birth will have
to plan carefully if they want to breast-feed. If her job allows, a new
mother can pump her breast milk several times during the day and refrigerate
or freeze it for the baby to take in a bottle later. Or, some women alternate
nursing at night and on weekends with daytime bottles of formula. In either
case, a nursing mother is physically tied to her baby more than a
bottle-feeding mother. The baby needs her for nourishment, and she needs to
nurse regularly to avoid getting uncomfortably full breasts. But instead of
feeling it's a chore, nursing mothers often cite this close relationship as
one of the greatest joys of nursing. Besides, nursing mothers can get away
between feedings if they need a break. Finally, some women just don't feel
comfortable with the idea of nursing. They don't want to handle their
breasts, or they want to think of them as sexual, not functional. They may be
concerned about modesty and the possibility of having to nurse in public.
They may want a break from child care to let someone else feed the baby,
especially in the wee hours of the morning. "
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