Breastfeeding Perceptions

 ByJill Lancaster RN BSN IBCLC
  (Originally written 11/29/2012)

A few months ago I was at a local mall in the eatery with my family. As I was leaving, I noticed a young mother with several family members beginning to breastfeed her baby under a cute cover-up. I couldn’t contain my approval, and I walked up to this cute mom to tell her so.





As I approached this young mother, I could see the faces of each grandmother turn leery. I think they fully expected me to chastise their daughter for breastfeeding in a public place. Instead, I simply told her how proud I was of her for breastfeeding her baby there. I wanted her to know how helpful it is for other breastfeeding moms to see. Thankfully each of their faces softened as I spoke to them, and I think my little talk was a good thing.

But I wonder how often breastfeeding moms get comments that are negative or hurtful.
The truth is the scientific evidence is overwhelming: breastfeeding is best for moms and babies. Breastfeeding also benefits our economy, and lowers the ever-increasing cost of health care. And yet our society and many medical professionals still have a level of discomfort with the whole idea of supporting breastfeeding. 

Several years ago, a popular baby magazine featured a breastfeeding mother on their cover. The public response was not good. They received many letters stating that the cover was “gross” or “inappropriate”. With this type of opinion surrounding breastfeeding, is it any wonder moms in the United States give up early? Is feeding a baby the way Mother Nature intended really gross?

Interestingly, this opinion is not shared by many other cultures outside of the United States. For instance, in Mongolia, breastfeeding is expected and celebrated by everyone in their society. Breastfeeding moms in this third world country are cheered on by every stranger they meet. Eyes are not averted when a mom breastfeeds her baby, instead they are given a loving smile of approval. When a breastfeeding mother enters a store, the owner offers a chair for the mom to feed in and encourages her to stay as long as she needs. The entire culture embraces every part of breastfeeding for as long as the mother feels comfortable.  

What would it be like in the United States if breastfeeding mothers where encouraged, supported, and even cheered on by the majority of society around her? Would this type of encouragement and support make a difference for you? 

In my perfect little lactation world I hope that one day our society will encourage and promote the success of each and every breastfeeding mother, whatever her idea of success is.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Most Important Risk of Tongue Tie Release by Dr Bobby Ghaheri

Image
Dr. Ghaheri writes: I’m often asked what the harm is in doing a tongue release. “I mean, it’s just a little snip, right?” is what people say. Let’s go over some generic risks - pain, bleeding, infection, reattachment, damage to surrounding structures (tongue muscle, sublingual gland, salivary ducts, ranula) and lack of breastfeeding improvement are the most common risks cited. Some of them can become quite severe; for instance, bleeding - if the cut is made too deeply or too far off to the sides, significant bleeding can ensue. But there’s one risk that can be extreme in its effect that must be addressed. Too many practitioners perform releases without even knowing that it’s a possible outcome - feeding/oral aversion. Oral aversion is a clinical scenario where the infant has extreme reactions to anything happening around their mouths. This can include feeding in extreme cases - when this happens, often the only option is to admit the baby to the hospital and place a nasogas...
Read more

"They told me I needed to start giving formula to my exclusively breastfed baby ??"

Image
Lately, I've been hearing a common theme from my  clients. They contact me frustrated and heartbroken because they were told during a well-child check that their exclusively breastfed baby was not gaining weight as is expected. And rather than referring the mother and baby to a Board Certified Lactation Consultant or "breastfeeding expert," their  pediatrician/NP/or family physicians   were recommending that these exclusively breastfed infants should be started on formula supplementation. Although these babies were petite, they were gaining weight at the typical rate of an exclusively breastfed baby. After my assessment of an entire feeding in their home, and assessment of each baby's developmental milestones (which were both excellent) I determined that we could help these babies gain a slightly higher percentage of weight, without the use of artificial baby milk (formula.) With some very minor changes in how these moms feed (maybe even a fun little trick or two that...
Read more

Some Common and Not So Common Causes of Low Milk Supply (with solutions that may be helpful)

Image
By Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC Is your milk supply really low? First of all, is your milk supply really low? Often, mothers think that their milk supply is low when it really isn't. If your baby is gaining weight well on breast milk alone, then you do not have a problem with milk supply. It's important to note that the feel of the breast, the behavior of your baby, the frequency of nursing, the sensation of let-down, or the amount you pump are not valid ways to determine if you have enough milk for your baby. What if you're not quite sure about baby's current weight gain (perhaps baby hasn't had a weight check lately)? If baby is having an adequate number of wet and dirty diapers then the following things do NOT mean that you have a low milk supply: Your baby nurses frequently . Breastmilk is digested quickly (usually in 1.5-2 hours), so breastfed babies need to eat more often than formula-fed babies. Many babies have a strong need to suck. Als...
Read more