>Battle Of The Titans
To return the compliment: I have to say that I am extremely honored to be
placed on the same level as Kathy D, one of my all time favorite
breastfeeding gurus. I love the mind, the passion, the willingness to go
out on a limb and deal with dissension (such as all of us who go
tree-climbing will face, rightly so) intelligently, not confusing criticism
of what is written with criticism of the writer... And she's younger and
thinnner to boot! Go Kathy!
And I do think these discussions are important. A couple of clarifications:
Sorry Jay, I didn't mean to be hurtful. All posts are shorthand to some
degree. the ugh referred to repeated calculated deliberate use of the baby
for self-gratification, not acts by struggling women sorting things out as
best they can: it's great to have affirmed that regardless of our past, we
do retain those instincts of what is right and what is not and work our way
through pain to greater maturity. A little child shall lead them is one of
the things that springs to mind for those of use with a christian
background.
As for the lesbian remark: this is complicated. But I feel some part of why
breastfeeding is devalued is because men can't do it (easily, anyway). Many
lesbians choose to be with women and enjoy making love to a woman's body,
including her breasts. DO they experience conflict just as some men do,
seeing their partner's breasts as their territory, or do they adjust more
readily than men of similar SES and background to the dual purposes of body
parts that they too share, being women? do they choose to induce lactation
to share breastfeeding, as some men are reported as doing? What would this
mean immunologicvally and for teh baby's perception of who is mommy, as you
say. This is a lifestyle about which I have seen nothing written in
relation to BF. We have more knowledge about breastfeeding in remote tribes
than we do in community groups we mingle with every day, consciously or
not. I am simply curious. I am NOT trying to stereotype: homos are as
varied as heteros in my experience. But we can still ask questions, do
research, generalise from answers in research, without suggesting that
because some people do X, all people do. I can hypothesize ways in which
lesbians should be more affirming of breastfeeding and ways in which they
might be less so than straight women. Obviously IBCLC lesbians (and I do
know some) are as keen about BF as any other IBCLC. But what of all
lesbians? What are the facts? what are the variables determining the facts?
I know nothing. And it's not idle curiosity. The start of all research is
the generation of hypotheses. I'm happy to get private replies (and will
hold them confidential, needless to say) should the list seem too
threatening a place to share this sort of experience. But I am unhappy that
we just assume that lesbians will think the same as non-lesbians when the
commitment they are making to another woman is qualitiatively different,
and they have their reasons and feelings for what they do. How does that
affect BF? If the answer is not at all, I'd like to know. Just as I'd like
to know specifics about the Hmong lifestyle/culture impact on BF, or
whatever.
No more, I swear. Maureen
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