http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/homework/default.aspx

This is the story of Katie Allison Granju's experience of not
breastfeeding her newest baby.

I am pretty sure KAG used to post on Lactnet. I also remember a great
article she wrote in Salon magazine.

With this latest baby, she has not been able to produce sufficient
milk and she is feeding her baby with formula.

Shortly before this baby was born she suffered the huge tragedy of
seeing her eldest son died in her arms, aged 18.

She speculates that this profound shock has changed her body's
ability to make milk.

I think there *are* links between not breastfeeding and grief (Google
Breasts in Mourning: How Bottle-Feeding Mimics Child Loss in Mothers'
Brains for psychologist Jesse Bering's speculation on this).  Could
it work in reverse - extreme grief in very late pregnancy putting
breasts into mourning?

Whatever. Her story is very moving, and throught-provoking. In a
different world, this little baby would have access to another
mother's breastmilk because it would be made easy for KAG to obtain
expressed breastmilk, but it certainly isn't easy (or even possible)
in today's world  - and that would not solve the heartbreak of not
being able to provide for her herself, anyway.

Heather Neil

(Ps The page where KAG's post appears on the babble blog has an
advert for formula milk on it, sadly)


--
http://www.heatherwelford.co.uk

http://heatherwelford.posterous.com

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