> Kirsten, I totally agree. But I still would like to know why overweight or
> obesity reduce breastfeeding initiation and/or duration and/or
> succes? Is it
> difficulty in handling and latching the baby? And therefor not
> enough or not
> effective milkremoval and thus ineffective prolactine
> stimulation? Or could there
> really be a mechanisme in overweight/obese women that inhibits functional
> prolactin release? Or could there be a factor that easily leads to both
> overweight/obesity and ineffective prolactin function?
> I do know the fact of a link betweenmaternal weight and bf
> numbers do come up
> every now and then. In the netherlands there are big population statistics
> every so many years and in the last this connection did turn up as well.
> (Obesity, maternal smoking, low maternal educational level and
> low socio-economic
> status were associated with lower bf incidence/duration)
>
> Warmly greeting,
>
> Gonneke van Veldhuizen, IBCLC, LLLL
> Germany - The Netherlands
This study seems to miss a very important factor, among the many already
mentioned. I think it's very possible that obese women may have lower
self-esteem, and poorer body images, than the general population. As an
obese woman myself, who experienced no issues with low supply, but possibly
issues with oversupply, it took a lot of friendly support for me to overcome
a lot of fears I had about nursing in public and around unsupportive family
members. I had a wonderfully supportive husband backing me up the whole way,
which helped immensely when faced with criticism, and even ridicule, from
family members. Someone with a less supportive husband might not have fared
so well.
One thing that I've replayed over and over in my head was hearing a LLL
Leader say "I'm not concerned about showing my breast so much as hiding my
fat" and that is soooo true for me. Just hearing that put into words really
changed my feelings about nursing outside my home, and help me focus on what
my true fears were. After that, I never looked back, just made sure I could
hide my belly. LOL.
I've often heard how healing breastfeeding can be for poor body images, and
this has certainly been true for me. I wonder if the women who are
overweight/obese and have a reduced breastfeeding duration somehow miss that
experience and give up more because of the body issues they have.
Caroline Cameron
LLLL Tallahassee, FL
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