> A backwards nod is not an
> attempt at revisionism, but a token of respect.
>

I find it useful in various ways to look at periods in which bf rates
were reportedly lower:
1) they remind us to look at research carefully, for things that it may
have missed
2) they encourage us to think about why and how bf mothers became the
exceptions
3) they help us to see how movements get started, and how they grow to
improve things
4) they motivate us to understand the conditions in which previous
generations of mothers lived, for the purposes of women's history but
also for the personal history of the mothers we work with
5) they help us to appreciate the progress we have made, which can seem
frustratingly now without this longer perspective
6) they reinforce the idea that the practice of breastfeeding is not
consistent across cultures and contexts, and that the idea of culture
and context is not consistent

I once wrote a post on another list in which I described the context in
which I started my long breastfeeding career, now coming to an end :-(
after twenty years (yes, there was a seven-year interruption in the
middle). In my circle of friends, we were all highly-educated,
career-oriented mothers. There were pockets of breastfeeders and
supporters all over the place, but society seemed largely bottle-driven.
My friends and I all breastfed; we all said we would breastfeed for four
months and we all breastfed longer than that, we all had babies in our
rooms but not in our beds, we all received great support for natural
birth but less for exclusive breastfeeding, we all started solids at 2-3
months (diluted apple juice first, then cereal) and we all gave
occasional bottles and planned to go back to work / study. I didn't mean
to present this as a "golden days" scenario, only to say that we were
convinced that we could combine occasional bottles and early separation
with successful breastfeeding experiences, and if not, we may not have
continued. Certainly, since I was going to end up as the breadwinner of
my family, it would have appeared difficult if it had been presented as
an all-or-nothing commitment.

I'm actually glad my breastfeeding history includes a somewhat sordid
past, because I don't think I would find it quite as easy to identify
with mothers who have different ideas about what attachment, bonding and
breastfeeding mean to them without having made what I now see as rather
unfortunate compromises. But, hey, I remember telling my dh that my
pediatrician insisted that I bf for a year because of allergies, and I
can't imagine needing a back-up dr to support my case now.

Different times -- and different dh :-)

Jo-Anne Elder-Gomes, PhD (women's studies) IBCLC

             ***********************************************

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(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html