Dear Françoise:
I do not have official data related to your question. But I do have more questions for you. If a mother has the mental ability to keep track of the amount and timing of formula feeding that her baby needs, then why wouldn't she have the ability to keep track of the frequency and nature of her baby's breastfeeding, voiding and stooling? If her mental ability is such that others are planning on bottle feeding the baby for her, then why couldn't they bring the baby to her to breastfeed whenever it needed feeding and stay with her while she did so? If the mother is moderately mentally disabled then by definition she has the capacity to learn and no doubt has learned a great many things in her life already. Why is she perceived as unable to learn to breastfeed? Who are the "others" who want to bottle feed the baby? Professionals with the specific training and experience to evaluate accurately this mother's capacity or health professionals or family without such training? Do these others have any knowledge and skill related to breastfeeding? Are they aware of the risks that formula feeding poses to the baby's potential intelligence? If not, perhaps an evaluation by a team of professionals who are skilled in all the areas related to this situation could be conducted to allay or find solutions to the concerns being expressed. Many, many women who are differently abled are capable of breastfeeding with a little creativity and/or assistance; prejudice and ignorance are the true barriers that prevent them from doing so.

Cynthia

Cynthia Good Mojab, MS Clinical Psychology
Ammawell
Email: [log in to unmask] 
Web site: http://home.attbi.com/~ammawell 

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