Rachel said

> Remember, I live in a part of the world where breastfeeding really is the
> norm.

It is hard to remember something that is hard to imagine! Here in the U.S.
breastfeeding is not only not the norm, but it is NOT a "mainstream" thing
to do, still.

> The ones least likely to are actually
> the mothers with the least support and least education and least money.

This is actually what the 2 countries have in common

> About
> half of all children in Norway are born to married women, and half not.  It is
> SUCH a non-issue, except for the paperwork to be filled out at birth, which is
> slightly more cumbersome if parents are not married.  Nobody cares at all
> beyond the midwife who has to fill in the forms.  The figures are quite
> similar in all the Nordic countries.  There is no stigma attached to being a
> single mother.  We have had cabinet members who were single mothers, who gave
> birth during their terms in office, and nobody to this day knows the father's
> identity.  I repeat, and emphasize, no stigma.

In the U.S., especially in the last 30 years or so, "unwed mothers" have
been the scapegoat for just about every evil - from schoolyard shootings, to
rising crime in general, to unemployment..... (the new welfare (public
assistance) polcies may even eventually include marriage classes, as the
govt. is tired of "sponsoring illegitimacy", but I digress! ) there is no
evidence of course, but it is a handy scapegoat. To even HINT that
breastfeeding is something the dreaded "UNWED mothers of ILLEGITIMATE*
children"  do is really slinging mud for an American.

Michelle DePesa
unwed mother!!  ;^)

P.S. *two terms seen daily in the print media

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