Thanks to all the generous lactnetters who have shared their experiences and
expertise on this issue.  There is a story I would like to share about a
friend and client who chose not to breastfeed her wonderful children for as
related reason.  She was not sexually abused, at least not in the way we
generally have come to think of it.  When she was 12 years old and just
developing breasts, she developed a breast infection.  She was examined and
treated by male doctors.  Although she said nothing at the time, she was
shamed, miserable, and she felt violated.  She promised herself that no-one
else would ever intrude on or have control of that part of her body again.
She is now a remarkable woman - extremely competent and socially promenant
very active, and a wonderful mother, but her identity is tightly bound up
with this resolve.
        There are many threads here that we might follow.  I am most
impressed by subtle ways in which our culture shapes the ways we treat each
other and our children.

Judy