I have not read all the comments on LN about the AM/Today pieces. I
have read the AM article and seen the Today segment.
I think that considered, careful response is important. Hannah Rosin
has pointed out some things about ourselves that we do not always want
to see, and to which we sometimes respond somewhat defensively. Some
points I think we should consider:
1. As was pointed out in an email I received today: Breastfeeding has
become very medicalized and we are as guilty of this as anyone else.
We talk a lot about the immunologic benefits of bfing, the harmful
effects of formula. These things are true, but they are not all there
is to bfing. The warm, cuddly feelings that Hannah talked about on the
Today show are important and sometimes I think, in our desire for
credibility in our increasingly medicalized society, we downplay those
parts of breastfeeding.
2. I think it was pointed out on LN (Susan Burger's comments if I
remember correctly) that the article quotes the less easy to prove
"beyond a reasonable doubt" benefits of bfing such as obesity, IQ,
etc. and never quote statistics on the things we have knows about for
centuries, diarrhea, respiratory infections, ear infections, etc.
Don't we do the same? Obesity, intelligence, diabetes are all very
complicated things that involve social, genetic, cultural factors.
While bfing may play some role in these things, we do not and will
probably never know how much the affect is and how it is tied into
other factors. Because these things are complex, they are VERY
difficult to study and to come to any firm conclusions. Too many
confounding factors. We should be suspicious of study that claims one
factor gives a 7-9 pt increase in IQ, or a 40% drop in cholesterol (as
some claim about wine consumption; http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2009/03/16/should_you_drink/)
Real life and real human bodes are just too messy and complicated
and our tools of scientific research too primitive to be able to make
such claims.
OTOH, in Western countries diarrhea, respiratory infections, ear
infections are not seen as being as serious as diabetes and obesity.
After all, they are treatable with a round of antibiotics. The fact
that they are life threatening in Africa and Asia are not of terribly
great interest or relevance to US and European mothers in terms of
their own bf decisions. The fact that they can be life threatening
even in the West is a message that has not been effectively
communicated.
3. What do the AM/Today stories tell us about how bfing is seen in US
culture today? What do we want to change about that? How can we go
about changing it?
4. Hannah Rosin breastfed her three children for a lot longer than
most Americans. She is not the enemy. What did she say in her article
that was valid and of value? Our response should reflect those
strengths as well as its weaknesses.
5. Re: the lack of social support (as opposed to pressure) for
breastfeeding evident in Rosin's experience and attitude, though she
didn't really address it directly. Rosin was reflecting the society
that she is part of. While bfing is more common than it was, she
described the pressure many women feel to breastfeed. Our goal is to
make bfing the norm. We're not there yet. How is this article and the
broader sentiments it expresses contributing to making bf the norm?
How is it detracting from it? What are our next steps to move it in
the right direction?
My .02 this important topic early on a Monday morning.
Naomi
------------------------------------------
Naomi Bar-Yam Ph.D.
Executive Director
Mothers' Milk Bank of New England
[log in to unmask]
617-964-6676
www.milkbankne.org
------------------------------------------
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