I'm sorry, I don't find this very funny at all....

> Heard on the radio recently  'You know you're codependent if when you =
> have a near death experience someone else's life flashes before your =
> eyes.'
>        How to make this about breastfeeding......most nursing
> relationships=
>  are not described this way.
>
But they could be, and I don't see where the problem is. Many mothers
have very strong, powerful dreams in which they can't tell if they are
the mother or the baby.
I think the mother - child relationship *is* about total empathy,
unconditional love -- the kind of relating that makes it hard to see
where your body ends and your baby's begins, at least in the early days
and weeks. I think that the bond can be that strong without it being
considered unhealthy. What is unhealthy, in my opinion, is our
preoccupation with fighting the impulse to be absolutely involved with
this relationship.
As the child grows, the mother sees that they are moving into the world,
at their own rhythm, both of them. The mother accompanies the baby /
toddler into that world, and the complete identification dissolves,
gradually, like sugar into water.
The mother - child relationship doesn't have anything to do with
co-dependent adult relationships, and confusing the two is dangerous for
breastfeeding. It makes us think that wanting to be with your baby 24 /
7, carry him around and sleep with him is wrong. It makes us think that
dependence is wrong. It makes us think that needing people is wrong.
Sorry. This is a rant, and filled with "I think" and "I feel". Perhaps
not appropriate for Lactnet, but if that is the case, that is sad too.
Jo-Anne, who is procrastinating getting ready for the next trip.

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