I'd like to throw the pleas of the moms that I work with into this
discussion.  Because I see _normal_ moms as well as those having
problems my perspective is different.  And I see them for months as they
come back week after week to our Baby Clinic/Support Group.

Just about the commonest complaint around 4 months is:  "I'd like to go
somewhere without the baby.  Or even WITH the baby.  But with this kid,
feeding discreetly is a no-go.  I need this kid to take a bottle, but he
won't".  They're right.  They have babies who are curious and attentive
who pop on and off the breast in new situations.  And Baby Clinic, where
they've spent considerable time, is a new situation.  Forget blankets
over the head.  Little hats?  Oh, no, these are adventurers.  These moms
feel intensely uncomfortable with the degree of exposure they personally
get from breastfeeding in any public place.  

(Note that this is not an issue with some other moms, either because
they don't care or because their babies are less distractible.)

Add that the acceptability of non-bottle feeding methods is surpassingly
low.  Grandparents, dads, and even moms that I work have NO INTEREST in
cup and spoon feeding for these babies, no matter how persuasive I may
be.  And frankly I don't blame them.  At this  age (around 4 months) cup
and spoon feeding is too slow and too messy. (With newborns this is not
the case).  In any case, the BABIES don't like it either.  So, I work
with them on helping the munchkin to take a bottle.  My sticking point
is that I want it to be a bottle of breast milk and they know that.
It's far, far easier for these women to introduce a tiny amount of
breastmilk in a bottle early on.  I'm not saying it's what I think they
ought to do, but what would make life easier for them.  Since our
initiation rate is very high, and a large chunk of moms are still
"mostly" breastfeeding at six months, I'm pretty okay with this.

Now it would be very nice if we could persuade all moms that they should
just not be so self-centred and want time alone or time out and that
their substitute caregivers should just get used to the idea of not ever
using a bottle to feed the baby.  That, to me, is the surest way to push
them into exclusively formula-feeding.  

Judith

Judith Hayman, RN, IBCLC, BSc, BScN
Public Health Nurse & Lactation Consultant

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