It seems to me that it is less threatening to make positive statements like:
breastfed babies are healthier because they suffer less 
from.......infections, digestive problems etc in the first year
breastfed babies are healthier in later life because studies show that it 
protects them from....diabetes, obesity, hypertension.......

The problem with statements like: If you do not breastfeed, your baby has a 
higher percentage of  getting all these dire diseases is that if mothers 
stop breastfeeding sometimes for reasons beyond their control, this 
prediction of doom is really going to add to their stress.

Yesterday I made three home visits.  Two of the women had been in my 
antenatal course, I saw them in hospital and helped with positioning and now 
I needed to do another visit. One of them was not in a course but was 
determined to breastfeed and was now having problems two weeks later.
In each case, the hospital system had sabotaged the efforts of these women.
One had a totally natural birth but because she fainted after the birth (the 
placenta was already out) she was transferred to gynae instead of postnatal 
ward and did not get the baby for 24 hours - in which time bottles were 
given.
The second had a Caesarean and by the time she was reunited with the baby, 
bottles had been given. The baby lost more than 10% of the birth weight and 
she was persuaded to supplement with formula.
The third had a completely natural birth but was not aware at that time of 
the importance of early bf and was convinced by the nurses to give bottles 
"so that she could rest at night"
These three women are really struggling with babies who just do not want to 
make the effort to bf - while I was with them it took ages for the babies to 
latch on, one of them was frustrated and fought at the breast.  Each feed 
takes so much time that mother and baby are exhausted.
I am helping as much as I can with all the techniques and tips to help the 
mothers sit comfortably and help the babies get the milk more easily.
But if these mothers get to the limits of their patience and energy, it 
would not be surprising if they give up.  They are also expressing milk so 
that if the babies get bottles at least it is not formula, but as we all 
know, it is much harder to express sufficient milk if the baby does not also 
take from the breast because the hormone release is slower.
The nurses in these hospitals have all been to workshops and courses, they 
all say they support breastfeeding.
But until we stop seeing those bottles placed in every baby`s crib "just in 
case you don`t have enough" mother after mother is having her efforts 
destroyed, her confidence reduced to zero.
So how can we then say that she must persevere because if she doesn`t 
breastfeed her baby has a higher likelihood of getting XYZ diseases.
Wendy Blumfield
NCT NCT Tutor ANT/BFC
Israel Childbirth Education Centre
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Heather Shelley" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 4:22 AM
Subject: class


> So what do you (anyone) think about putting on cards statistics on NOT
> breastfeeding. You wouldn't need to mention the word formula but things 
> such
> as:
>
> If you don't breastfeed your baby has a ____% higher chance of XYZ.
>
> If you don't breastfeed a premature baby it has a ______% higher chance of
> NEC.
>
> Talking about how only breastmilk can properly prepare a baby's intestines
> for XYZ and how without mother's milk the baby's gut doesn't get this
> preparation or defense.
>
>
>
> So you're not mentioning formula feeding, just what happens when you don't
> breastfeed.
>
> This way it would turn the conversation to breastfeeding as normal and all
> other options as less, rather than breastfeeding as superior or as going
> above and beyond.
>
> What do you all think?
>
>
>
> Heather Shelley CD, LCCE
>
> Midwifery Student MCU
>
> <http://www.birthingyourway.com> www.birthingyourway.com
>
>
>
>
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