> If women were to think of breastfeeding as a possible source of
>valuable life acheivement rather than as themselves as vessels for
>better-then-average milk, maybe things would be different. However,
>we continue to present breastfeeding as a health behaviour,
>discouraging women from considering its other meanings in their
>lives.
>Magda Sachs
I agree with you, Magda. Many women are aware that *of course*
breastfeeding (and not just 'breastmilk') has a health impact on
their children, but this does not account for the grief and sadness
they feel when they stop early, or when they decide it's not working
for them. Sometimes that grief is very secret. Sometimes grief is
too strong a word, but when a woman who starts bf then stops, I
think in most (not all) cases, there will be at least an element of
regret and disappointment.
Why are they sad?
Not because their babies might have a few more ear infections.
Not even because their child has a higher risk of diabetes, or
because they're gonna lose a few IQ points, maybe.
They are sad because of the loss of that relationship - which they
sense, even in a bottle feeding culture, is a valuable and unique one.
They believe that in the West, serious health effects caused directly
by formula feeding are rare (not as rare as they might think, but
even so....) and everyone will assure them that babies grow and
develop just fine on formula, anyway. So it's the experience of
physically nurturing someone they love that they're sad for.
The nurse who 'kinda misses breastfeeding' absolutely 'got it' - she
was right on the money!
And I think we should celebrate that!
Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK
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