I am a working mom of 4 children. One of children had the good fortune of having me home for the first year of his life with only twice weekly minimal separation while I taught Lamaze classes. Never had a bottle. The last was born to me later in life and I had not accumulated sufficient paid time off to take a decent maternity leave. I returned 1/2 time at 5 weeks, and full time by 8 weeks. He had a severe tongue-tie, was jaundiced for 3 weeks and I took the IBCLC exam at 2 weeks. We breastfed for 3 1/2 years. There were no great pumps, no slings (I did have a snugli), and no great bottles. I remember sending 9 different nipples to the baby-sitter (they all looked alike to me, but he only liked a couple and I never figured out which one!). We breastfed night and day when I was home, I can't tell you how often. If it wasn't for nursing, he would have been stuck in a corner with a bottle while the other 3 children drove me crazy - a 16 year-old who was in a million things and unique, a 10 year old ADD with Tourrette's and a 7 year-old highly gifted with a mind of his own, all musicians. That child is 21 now - and thinks he's my favorite child (ha!) is very secure, very independent, totally self-supporting as a senior in college and works for an internet company as their specialist in 2 areas. He tells people he breastfed for several years and when his roommate acts stupid, says that's what you get when you don't get breastfed! Is he attached? You bet! Did he stay on my hip while I was home? You bet! He went to all the music lessons and concerts and chess games and absorbed. I, of course, promote SAHMothering, when possible. It just wasn't possible for me. It's like bottle-feeding - I don't promote what I had to do with my first (no pumps at all, not even formula when she was born). But she survived. And I like the post of the person who said - just because our older kids didn't have car seats, doesn't mean it was OK - it was the times! When we know better, we are responsible to do better!
-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jessica LaBaugh
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 9:42 AM
Subject: breastfeeding and AP for the working mom
I'm very excited by this dicussion and would love to keep it going. Here's another question:
How can we facillitate breastfeeding for working mothers in terms of promoting the kind of responsiveness that ensures the success of breastfeeding?
I am pretty much textbook AP according to both the API principles and Dr. Sears' doctrine (if I can call it that). I didn't start out with a preconceived notion of how to parent, I just did what felt natural and later found out that it had a name. BUT I also am privileged to have a supportive partner who also believes in AP and whose salary allows me to stay at home with the kids. I'm hyper-responsive (my husband says that I can hear my baby's eyes open from the other side of the house) in part because I'm lucky enough to be around my kids 24/7.
For moms who either choose to return to work or must return to work soon after giving birth, scheduling becomes a reality for everyone. Gotta pump, gotta shower, gotta go. A friend of mine probably spends a total of 2 hours a day with her baby because she works all day and the baby has been trained to sleep all night in a crib. She was using formula at 5 months because her baby "didn't want to nurse".
How responsive would I be if I had to work 9 hours a day?
Is an attached, breast-fed baby a prize only for those in an economic situation to afford one?
Jess
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