Kathy Leeper tells us about being faced w/ this comment:

> "I know that you, and your primary doctor,
> and MilkWorks won't like me saying this, but your baby has received
> 99.9% of the benefits breastfeeding has to offer by 10 months of age,
> and if you continue nursing you are doing it for your own psychological
> benefit only."
>
I think it important that you call this physician on this comment --
physician to physician -- specifically ask for documentation.  Why 10 months?
 That's an odd time -- usually they will have a multiple of 3...you know, all
the benefits are gone by 3 - 6- 9 - or 12 months.  And, of course, we know
the breastmilk somehow turns to water on the 366th day of the baby's life!!
And I'd also ask about the baby's psychological benefit -- is there none for
the baby after 10 months?  It's ENTIRELY self-gratification on the mother's
part?

Y'know, it sort of reminds me of the old "sex only for procreation"
philosophy.  If you have it after you've had all your children, then it's
only for self-gratification (for the man, of course, not the woman who has to
tough it out and "do it for England.")  What about riding a bike on a lovely
day -- is that only for the exercise, or is there some psychological good to
it as well?  What about going outside on a starry night and gazing into the
heavens?  What about having your child snuggle on your lap in front of the
blazing fireplace on a winter evening and sharing a bowl of popcorn?  Aren't
those all bits of psychological gratification?

Aside from the fact that the person is dead wrong about 99.9% of all the
benefit is gone from breastfeeding at X months/years, there is the whole
implication that anything that we do that is psychologically beneficial is
*bad*.  Even the Puritans didn't take this stance.

Lots of scope for education here Kathy -- and I think I'd take this one by
the horns and simply say that "perhaps this mother misunderstood you, but
what she heard you say was......" and then go on to correct it -- AND ask for
documentation and why then would the AAP and WHO recommend breastfeeding for
at least a year and as long thereafter as mutually desire (in the case of the
AAP) and for at least 2 years (in the case of WHO).  Does this person really
think that women in Mali or Zimbabwe or India or Thailand or Venezula or (you
get my drift) are only breastfeeding for self-gratification after the age of
10 months????

Off my soapbox...I'm sure you'll get other responses in the same vein.  Good
luck -- and I'm SO glad you are there!!

Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC, RLC
Lactation Education Consultants
www.lactationeducationconsultants.com

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