I just want to add, as a ppdoula (spending up to 5hrs/day for
a week or two with mothers: you get into deep conversations
with the new mother) for many years, one reason (and there are many)
I have heard time and again; not just by mothers who were having
supply issues, was they felt pumping was:
—Disgusting
—Made the feel like cows
—Completely unnatural
And in one particular situation, a mom had been sexually abused. Breastfeeding
was fine, but pumping was ABSOLUTELY out of the question.
—Kathy
Katherine Koncelik, CPD, CLC
-------------------------------
Treasurer
Co-Founder
Long Island Doula Assoc., Inc.
A 501.c.3 Not-For-Profit Charitable Corporation
631.581.1066
> On Nov 6, 2015, at 4:30 AM, Pamela Morrison <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Sally
>
> What you describe - the mothers who "really want to breastfeed" but wont pump more than 3-4 times a day, sounds so familiar. It's sad. I think this is the outcome when breastfeeding has come to be undervalued by the mother herself, her peers, her family, in the hospital, in the community, by the healthcare system and especially as reflected in national policy. In other words, breastfeeding is great up to a point (if it's easy) but it's just not seen to be worth the effort past a certain point (if it's hard). Whereas formula-feeding is easy, and socially acceptable and often free (Healthy Start Vouchers).
>
> When I worked in an extremely breastfeeding-friendly environment in Zimbabwe, where babies were not discharged from the maternity unit until they were breastfeeding, there would be a few moms who would seem to struggle more than the situation warranted (nearly all expatriate moms I hate to say....) Eventually I'd ask them about their infant feeding goal - the answer would always be "I really want to breastfeed", but then they would just allow things to slide to the point where it failed. I had to conclude that actions speak louder than words.... I think it's worth being really straight with these women in a kind but very clear way......If you do x and x, then your milk supply will fail (technical explanation....) If that's what you want, then that's fine and of course it's your choice, but I want you to have all the information so that you can _choose_ not to breastfeed and not feel _forced_ to bottle-feed.... etc.
>
> I wonder - on the infant feeding surveys which appear to show that more women want to breastfeed than actually succeed - if many of the failing moms are the ones who are not prepared to put in the extra effort? If you google "breastfeeding help UK" you come up with over 17 million hits in half a second, yet mothers who are apparently struggling and then failing just don't pick up the phone to call us. This speaks to motivation.
>
> I think we need to look motivation squarely in the eye and stop kidding ourselves that our present gently-gently breastfeeding-promotion tactics are sufficient. IMHO what we need is more clear information about breast vs bottle from the top (think seat-belts....smoking.....) Actually I think the UK IS making quite a bit of progress in breastfeeding initiation after birth - it's later, in the community, that we lose so many mothers, because no-one who has any authority will actually say to them that their milk really _matters_ to their babies current and future health. And of course our media just keep printing this sensationalist mommy-war nonsense .... to reinforce the message that formula is FINE... and when it's too hard to breastfeed (pump more than 3-4 times/24 hours, perhaps?) then no-one should be made to feel guilty for not trying.... :-(
>
> In solidarity....
>
> Pamela Morrison IBCLC
> Rustington, England
> -------------------------------------------------------
> I agree with all your points Barbara. Even with this approach though I find very poor outcomes with the community I work with - these are mothers who all expected to breastfeed because that is part of their culture, but who find it incredibly difficult for a multitude of reasons to pump to establish their milk supply if anything happens to get in the way of breastfeeding getting off to a good start. I would love to find something that would give more success!
> Having said that, women who have breastfed previous babies invariably do well. I know this is partly because getting things going is easier second time around, but not only - they pump frequently, whatever it takes. My first time mums just don't pump more than 3- 4 times a day, no matter what I say to help make it do-able, or to impress how important it is, and no matter how much they want breastfeeding to work.
>
> Sally Etheridge IBCLC
>
>
> ---
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