Attack back?..interesting choice of words...that presupposes an
attack...
Fire burning?...that sounds a little over the top to me...
I don't know what you are thinking I am thinking but I assure you
what I am thinking has nothing to do with fire and brimstone tirades....
If it's true that the ramifications of withholding the breast are
real and serious in nature...
and if it's true that women can be sufficiently educated that they
can make a reasonably informed decision,
then the question of whether or not to breastfeed is a moral question...
Rather than being afraid that women will make the wrong moral choice,
let's take the charitable view that most women,
when they see the decision to withhold breastfeeding in a moral
framework,
will make the right decision...
How can we expect women, especially young first-time mothers,
to translate "breast is best" into "I shouldn't deprive my baby of
breastfeeding",
if we, who know best of all about the ramifications of not
breastfeeding, don't put this issue into a moral framework?
Think of the picture of the mother nursing her healthy infant son and
bottlefeeding her dying daughter...
She wasn't given the opportunity to make an informed decision so she
is not morally culpable of the moral evil that befell her child,
but that is probably cold comfort to her...
One of the reasons her child died was that withholding the breast was
not seen as immoral...
The people who influenced her decision to withhold breastfeeding from
the girl had gotten the "breast is best" message- that is why they
told her to nurse the boy,
but they had not gotten the flip side of that message which is-
withholding the breast is bad...
From my experience the truth can be told in a loving way that does
not lead to defensiveness,
and that is why I recommend it...
I would say that when I have had the most positive influence over
mothers is precisely when I
have put the issue into a moral framework...
Mothers are hungry for the truth told in love...and when you give it
to them you almost have to be careful not to
develop a cult of personality...you have to remind them that this is
not your brilliant idea, its just the truth...
Jen O'Quinn IBCLC
On May 10, 2006, at 3:09 PM, Kathleen Bruce wrote:
> Jen, I would say that to use this phrase, calling formula feeding
> immoral,
> is a bit strident, and would not really serve the purpose of
> creating change
> in a positive direction. It would incite defensiveness and attack
> back, and
> it is not really at all useful to start this kind of fire burning.....
>
> Kathleen
>
>
> Kathleen Bruce RN IBCLC
> Independent consultant:
> Lactation Resources of Vermont, Medela, Inc. Listowner Lactnet
> listserv
> [log in to unmask]
> Archives: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/lactnet.html
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