TongeLa,
Yes, you can help her, and she may yet again change her mind.
Yes, you absolutely should include her mother in the education as well.
These are some things that have worked for me, when educating mothers of
pregnant teens:
"I understand that your concern is to guarantee that your daughter finish
school. I would like to provide you with the following research - and discuss
with you some findings."
Including:
Adolescent mothers in the U.S. have relatively high rates of closely spaced
births (Martin and Wu, 1998; Namerow and Kalmuss, 1994; Mott, 1986).
Several studies indicate that close birth spacing can exacerbate the social
disadvantages of
adolescent mothers. Among women with a teen first birth in the United
States, closely spaced second births increase economic disadvantages (Polit and
Kahn, 1986), increase the likelihood of infant health problems (Jekel et al.,
1975), and apparently increase the chance that the children will be maltreated
(Flanagan et al., 1995; Zuravin, 1991). For these reasons, and because a
repeat pregnancy is such a visible event, repeat pregnancy rates are often used
to gauge the success of social programs for adolescent mothers (Balassone,
1988; examples include Maynard and Rangarajan, 1994; Erickson, 1994).
The contraceptive efficacy and contraceptive effects of breastfeeding
Breastfeeding protects women from a repeat pregnancy via at least two
biological
mechanisms (see McNeilly, 1993). First, breastfeeding delays the return of
ovulation and
menstruation after a birth. This interval of lactational amenorrhoea lasts
from a few months to a few years postpartum, depending on breastfeeding
intensity, a number of other factors, and
individual variation. During lactational amenorrhoea, a woman is almost
fully protected from a
repeat pregnancy, although the return of ovulation precedes the return of
menstrual bleeding for a majority of breastfeeding women. This small
contraceptive “gap” involving a first unprotected ovulation is normally offset by the
second contraceptive mechanism of breastfeeding – its disruptive effect on
the hormonal profile of the first ovulatory cycle. Regular breastfeeding also
affects the hormonal profiles of subsequent cycles, but not enough to provide
reliable contraceptive protection (Diaz et al., 1992)
In addition, by leaving the responsibility of infant feeding with the teen
mother, she becomes more mindful that this is HER baby, and the
responsibilities involved. This is also believed to reduce an early repeat pregnancy. While
teen mothers who do have this responsibility often leave the infant with
other caretakers and resume their lifestyles, and risky behaviors - ofetn
resulting in closely spaced second pregnancies.
Also:
Children breastfed for any significant time are very unlikely to be abused
or neglected. The special bonding and repeated close contact that takes place
with breastfeeding increases a mother's confidence and competency in caring
for and protecting her child. Research has shown that low income teen mothers
who breastfeed have a more mature response to their infant's cry and more
self-confidence and achievement. (Cunningham AS. Breastfeeding: Adaptive
Behavior for Child Health and Longevity, in Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives.
Stuart-Macadam P , Dettwyler KA, eds, Aldine de Gruyter, New York, NY, 1995 )
I hope this information along with Mary Kay's earlier post encourages you to
address this with your client again, and again, and again - every time you
see her.
Laura Wright, IBCLC
Mississippi
**************************************************************
My questions are how can I be more supportive for my expectant mother
when she wants to breastfeed but her mother discourages her from it so
that now she wants to bottle feed? How can I help her feel that her
feeding choice will be a wonderful and memorable experience for her that
she is hoping it to be? Also, do I need and would it help to educate the
daughter's mother too on breastfeeding to make her more aware and
supportive of breastfeeding even though she stongly favors bottle feeding?
Thank you,
TongeLa Zwanziger SN
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