I agree very enthusiastically with what Jan has said! I began teaching
childbirth education classes and providing labour support for women some 21
years ago, and have been very discouraged by the current trends in births.
When I talk with pregnant women about breastfeeding, I make sure to let them
know about how birth interventions may affect breastfeeding. Usually I'm the
first person to mention this to them.

I also wanted to comment on the question of "mothers distancing themselves
from their babies." I remember reading something by either Burton White or
T. Berry Brazelton some ten or fifteen years ago on this topic. He had
noticed that when he saw pregnant women in his office they were often
already distancing themselves emotionally from the baby. Instead of the
happy anticipation of the baby and dreaming about motherhood, the women were
focused on finding good daycare and preparing to separate from the baby and
go back to work. He was very troubled by this - he felt that many women were
resisting becoming attached to their babies, even before birth, because they
knew they'd have to face leaving the baby in just a few weeks.

Teresa Pitman
Guelph, Ontario
(who is glad that mothers here get 12 months maternity leave but wishes it
could be longer)

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html