I think the thread on the new breed of mothers ties in quite nicely with the need for a study such as Marsha W suggests.  We have probably all noticed this "new breed of mothers" by now and this is the way I have sorted out the why's and wherefore's.  I will use a mother I know as an example.  I
posted about this woman about 3 years ago.  She had made derogatory statements about breastfeeding on the radio show she is on in the mornings.  At the time, she was rather newly married with no kids.  She replied quite rudely that I didn't have any business telling her about the benefits of
breastfeeding (just a brief list I sent along with all the initiatives globally to increase breastfeeding rates, all in an informative manner.  Hey, she was college-educated after all).  Well, she had her first child last summer and -lo and behold- when she came back to work, she talked about how
she was pumping and that her son didn't like formula!  So, I thought, 'good, we're doing our job'!  Somewhere during her prenatal days, she read, heard or was told, (or all 3) about the advantages of breastfeeding to the child she was now carrying and she took it to heart.  I considered that a huge
step forward for us.  This week, with the child close to a year, I've been hearing her talk about the tube surgery for ear infections her son just had and in the same conversation, she mentioned giving him a bottle, and I'm quite sure she is no longer providing her milk for her son at all.  I don't
know when that switch happened, but I'll bet it's been a while.  Today the talk was about her son's high fever in the aftermath of that surgery for which she rushed him back to the emergency room.  Every morning I have thought, "boy this just gets better and better" (actually worse and worse)!  So,
my point?

The word is out.  Breastfeeding is healthier.  There can be no doubt.  So we have lots more moms trying it.  That *is* a victory for breastfeeding advocates.  Now, we have to take the next step, which is further educating moms about the maximum benefits of breastfeeding, achieved over length of time
spent breastfeeding, not obtained by cursory nursing.  And about the *relationship* that is breastfeeding, which is way more than just a means of getting milk into a baby.  I don't think they are a new breed of mother so much as a relic of where we are in turning our cultures back into breastfeeding
cultures.  We aren't there yet, but we have made progress.  We're getting moms to try it.  Now we need to convince them to stick with it and provide the support they need to make that happen!  Marsha's proposal comes at the perfect time for us to begin to take the next step!


Marsha Glass RN, BSN, IBCLC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mothers have as powerful an influence over the welfare of future generations as all other earthly causes combined.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~John S. C. Abbot~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




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