World Breastfeeding Week: August 1 - 7

Exclusive Breastfeeding: the Gold Standard Safe, Sound, Sustainable

Check back each day this week for world news, information, art, and inspiration in support of World Breastfeeding Week and noonie-mamas everywhere!

Update: Also blogging about World Breastfeeding Week 2004
Bag and Baggage
Starbellys
My Domestic Church
Marsupial Mom
Mungo's Mathoms
Curmudgeonry
House of the Chakram
Breastfeeding News Weblog

Posted by TulipGirl | 04:51 PM| TrackBack (0) | Words

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.tulipgirl.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/292

Comments

I always find it interesting that whenever some parenting/pregnancy magazine runs an article about how good breastfeeding is for babies someone always writes in complaining that they're making moms who bottle feed look bad. Formula companies spend lots of money trying to convince women that their formula is almost as good as breast milk. What I can never understand is, if breastfeeding is best for your baby (assuming there are no medical conditions that would prevent it) why would you chose anything else? And if you do chose something else why get upset at the folk who continue to point out that breastfeeding is the better option?

I also find it interesting that women who's only option for feeding their babies is breastfeeding always manage to figure it out.
Posted by: Samantha at August 2, 2004 05:23 PM

"if breastfeeding is best for your baby"
Rather, their concern is, if breastfeeding is best for themselves.

"why get upset at the folk who continue to point out that breastfeeding is the better option?"
People don't want to feel guilty. Same goes with homeschooling, etc.
Posted by: Carol at August 2, 2004 07:10 PM

As a teenager, I was around while my mother breastfed my two younger siblings. Got the laLeche league indocrination, and understood how important breastfeeding is to a young child.

When my wife was pregnant with our first child, we read and researched some more and decided that breastfeeding would be the route we would take.

Then after our first child came into the world, a short while later my wife had surgery (to remove her gall bladder) and lost any reserves of milk. I did feel guilty that for all reasonable intentions, my child would have to be bottle fed. She thrived, and grew, and is a normal healthy 9 year old.

Our second child came along, and breast-feeding was again the default option. Even through a long bout of colic and fussy baby, my wife breastfed for almost a year, and then we weaned to a bottle and then to real food.

Our third and fourth children were tougher, and moved to a bottle sooner, within about three months. My wife is capable of breastfeeding, but it is very difficult for her, for many various reasons, physical, mental. My mother, who used to be a big breat-feeding advocate admits that breastfeeding isn't for all mothers, and while breastfeeding is the best option, it isn't the only option.

Just my two cents, from a guy...

Posted by: Gator1 at August 3, 2004 04:59 PM

Hi, CrazyGator!

As a teenager, I was around while my mother breastfed my two younger siblings. Got the laLeche league indocrination, and understood how important breastfeeding is to a young child.

That's great! Personally, I think the best way to have breastfeeding be the norm, the default option as you put it, is for mothers to be comfortable breastfeeding around children. That's why I grew up pro-breastfeeding. And though I had my own share of problems (mostly related to misinformation), the assumption that breastfeeding was the way to feed our babies was there.

I'm sorry that your wife has had the struggles she's had with breastfeeding. I think it's great that she's had a supportive husband and knowledgeable mother-in-law to be supportive along the way.
Posted by: TulipGirl at August 10, 2004 03:25 AM

RSS RSS2 Atom

Creative Commons License

In My Garden