What is a Breastfeeding Supporter?
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 Yesterday on twitter, I said:
Do you consider yourself a Canadian breastfeeding supporter? If so, speak up! I'm making a list.
— PhD in Parenting (@phdinparenting) January 16, 2013
Some people responded, "Yes, I believe in choice". Other people responded "No, I believe in choice". Other people responded with "what do you mean by support?". I asked the question because I do a lot of breastfeeding support and breastfeeding advocacy work and I wanted to ensure that I was following the right people and engaging the right people and I wanted to be a bit more organized about it.
Going into it, my thought was that being a "breastfeeding supporter" and what that means is very much self-defined. For me it means that I support a woman's right to choose how to feed her baby and I support a variety of potential societal, health care, policy and regulatory changes that would increase the chances of women meeting their own breastfeeding goals. I don't think we've gone far enough yet in creating an environment that is conducive to breastfeeding success, but I also think it is possible to go too far and end up placing unnecessary and unjust restrictions on women.
But what is enough? What is too much? I have my own opinions, which I've formed based on a combination of evidence and empathy. Now I want to know what you think.
If you consider yourself to be a breastfeeding supporter, what does that mean to you? I'd love it if you could take a moment to answer this brief survey (the survey is for anyone, not just Canadians).
If you don't consider yourself a breastfeeding supporter, I'd love to know why not and what "not supporting breastfeeding" means to you. Please leave a comment below.
Thank you!
Image credit: hugabub.com on flickr
Reader Comments (21)
I took the survey. I was SO HAPPY to see your questions about milk banks. I donated over 300 ounces of milk to our local milk bank while feeding my son and I fed both my own daughter and my niece with the milk I pumped. So often, those of us who pump, are just completely left out of the equation. Neither of my kids could latch for different reasons, and due to the pressures and anxieties of having a child facing several heart surgeries, pumping gave me the emotional release of nursing but on a schedule that worked within the context of a medical crisis, and I was able to help other children.
Anyway, I do have reservations about unregulated milk exchanges. I was blessed to be taught proper handling of breast milk and I had many tests ran on my blood and an mental assessment before I was allowed to donate blood. It would be a tragedy if a baby got a communicable disease because there were no checks or balances. That said, I did give milk to my sister to give my niece, but it was after I was an established donor and had been through the education and the screening.
sorry - donate milk - I was screened like a blood donor (actually they did the screening AT a blood bank). Typo apologies.
I was saddened but not completely surprised that some responded "no" because they are "pro-choice". Why do so many people take the position that supporting something means you're against something else? I support public education--that doesn't equate to me being against homeschooling, or worse, homeschoolers. I support efforts to improve boys' literacy; that doesn't mean I want girls' education to suffer. And so on.
Here's where I get confused. You say: "breastfeeding supporter” and what that means is very much self-defined. For me it means that I support a woman’s right to choose how to feed her baby and I support a variety of potential societal, health care, policy and regulatory changes that would increase the chances of women meeting their own breastfeeding goals.
Now on to the confused part: How is 'breastfeeding supporter' the same as supporting a woman's right to choose how to feed her baby?
It's not just semantics. I chose to formula feed. I was judged several times and I was supported several times. I did the research, I understand the value of BFing. That's not the point. Why do we need to segment women this way? We are doing what we need / want to do to feed our children. Isn't that enough? I support women and initiatives that help women who wish to breastfeed and I support women and initiatives that help women who wish to formula feed (or must due to circumstances).
I think that lumping "Breastfeeding supporter" with "a women's right to choose" creates the optics of eliminating a whole segment of women who might not choose breastfeeding from an important / valuable discussion. Women like me.
I absolutely support women who chose to breast feed their children BUT in my personal experience with "lactivists" and people who talk about supporting breast feeding, there's a lot of classism going on. There's, for example, the expectation that a new parent will have access to lactation consultants, a pump, lots of spare time and privacy to establish and foster a breast feeding relationship. There's talk of "nurse-ins" which take place in the middle of the day, when most people who work are at work. And there's very little talk about providing support for working class/poor women. I have friends who chose not to breast feed at all because they'd rather deal with engorgement issues during their 3 days of (unpaid) "maternity" leave instead of while at work at a job where they had absolutely no option of pumping because that is an option that does not exist for most women who work outside the home.
I really REALLY wish more people who advocated breast feeding were aware of the actual logistics of breast feeding while working and were working toward massive changes in corporate culture. Can you imagine the impact if fast food restaurants and factories and retail stores were able to provide a small private room and small fridge for nursing parents to pump and store their milk? Or if the USA (where I am) had any kind of realistic maternity leave program where new parents could care for their new babies and themselves instead of returning to work immediately?
I also do wish there was support for women who formula feed. I, like many of my friends, was unable to breast feed. I have a hormonal imbalance that I think impacted my supply (it never came in, I produced nothing; oddly, during/after a previous miscarriage I produced quite a bit of milk); I have a friend who had flashbacks to sexual assault when she tried to breast feed; I have a friend who could not deal with the lack of sleep from repeated cluster feeds and became suicidally depressed. All of us encountered really judgmental allegations that we were lazy, didn't try hard enough, etc; constant reminders that "breast is best!" and that GOOD MOMS can and do breast feed. This is energy that could be spent trying to make changes to a culture that is very negative toward women and parents in general and lactation specifically, but instead it's directed at... new parents who are already in need of help and support. Aces!
Chantal:
90% percent of women in Canada choose to breastfeed, but 68% of women don't meet their own breastfeeding goals.
When I say that I support a woman's right to choose that means:
- Women should be able to choose how to feed their babies
- Women should be supported in the choices that they make
The fact that 68% of women do not meet their own breastfeeding goals signals that there is a significant gap in supporting women who have chosen to breastfeed.
Our society tells women to breasteed, but then leaves them hanging. To be, being a breastfeeding supporter means doing things and supporting things that will help a larger number of mothers meet their own breastfeeding goals.
I do think it is too bad that moms are judged for formula feeding. They shouldn't be. And they should get support too on how to properly formula feed. But the barriers that they face to feeding their baby are simply not as high as the ones that breastfeeding moms face.
I'd like to say thank you, too, for including donated milk in the survey. A close friend pumps for us, and it has been absolutely necessary for the sake of my mental health. I am in the middle of blogging about my journey, but the difference between a well-educated lactation consultant and a busy nurse in the hospital was night and day. That distinction is not understood well, either. As usually, you hit the nail on the head.
Brigid:
Absolutely. Maternity leave and workplace support is critical.
That said, here in Canada where we have one year of (partially) paid maternity leave available to us, the vast majority of moms still don't meet their own breastfeeding goals. So those are issues that need to be addressed for sure, but it goes beyond that.
I also agree that there is no place for judgmental comments.
I took the survey - I'm interested to see the results. And I have the same ring sling in the photo, it was my fave! ;)
I am a new mom who is currently struggling through breastfeeding. I am producing enough milk but our little one is having difficulty putting on weight. We had thought everything was ok until she lost 14% of her birth weight. After working with our midwife, doula ($) & lactation consultant ($) we discovered she has some gum/mouth issues that might be causing the problem. So we went to a dental specialist to correct the problem ($) and an osteopath ($) to make sure any birth trauma that might causing feeding issues be corrected. I also continue to pump ($) and my husband helps to co-feed using a syringe in the evenings. If she does not get up to her birth weight soon I will look into buying an SNS ($).
I am lucky that we have a slush fund to be paying for all of this breatfeeding support. But I can understand how many people do not have the means to take all of these steps. I am blessed that I am able to produce as much milk as I am (and am donating my extra to a friend in need and will continue to do so). I am glad that no one has suggested formula yet, but we see our pediatrician next week and my fear is that will be a recommendation.
Breastfeeding needs to be more accessible. Needs to be dealt with early on and well supported by professionals who have the time to take with each mother and baby. After what we have gone through, my advice for new mothers-to-be who want to breastfeed is to save up and have that breastfeeding account in case they have difficulties and to see a lactation consultant, one that they've researched/interviewed before baby's arrival, as soon as that baby arrives to ensure that things are going well.
I feel like things are working now...but it is a slow journey and we are still trying to get her to gain.
PrincessDoubt:
I'm so sorry that you've been having so much difficulty. It is unacceptable within a public health care system that new moms should have to pay so much money out of pocket to get health care services in order to be able to feed their baby in the manner that (a) they want to and (b) the government recommends.
I agree that moms should be prepared to have to see a lactation consultant and have met with one ahead of time. If you don't need it, great. But knowing that it is there and that you have someone you like and are confident in is critical.
I had some breastfeeding difficulties with both of my children, but I can say that it was SO much easier the second time because I knew a lot more about breastfeeding and because I knew where to go for the best support. I knew which advice was good and which advice was dangerous. Knowledge and experience are powerful and can give you a lot of confidence.
If there is anything I can do to help, let me know.
Princessdoubt: best of luck, I hope it all works out. I also had major breastfeeding problems with my children - esp my second child, who had a tongue tie. I spent all that same kind of money that you did. What I want to tell you - and I hope it will be true for you too - is that in the end, my financial investment paid off. I breastfed both children for over a year, and what formula would have cost me for all that time is a lot more than all the financial outlay I initially made on breastfeeding.
It's very disturbing thinking about how women who can't pay all that money up front end up spending more in the long run, while I was able to put out money in the beginning which allowed me to eventually save money. But it was certainly comforting to me to feel like my money was so well spent. I hope yours will be too.
Breast-feeding supporter help mothers make proper choice for mother child bonding.
That gap is the crux of it for me. My goal as a breastfeeding supporter is to help mothers meet their own breastfeeding goals, whatever those are. Sadly, many mothers still struggle to do that. Sometimes, that can be avoided with appropriate information and support, which is still lacking in some quarters.
As a side note, on occasion my secondary goal has been to work with mothers when they weren't able to meet their goals, and to help them define new ones. I realize that not everyone is able to meet their goals, for a number of reasons. But like you, I think that more women could if they didn't face unnecessary obstacles and weren't given bad information.
I breastfed my daughter until she was 2.5. It came quite easily to us, despite her being in the NICU for 5 days and bottle fed expressed milk and some formula.
I'm a staunch breastfeeding supporter. To me that means offering positive encouragement and support to women who feed their babies, however they may choose to do so. Personally I bristle somewhat at the stridency that some (not all) breastfeeding advocates take against formula manufactures and formula feeding mothers.
In a perfect world, all babies would get human milk. But we live in an imperfect world, and to some degree, must accept the limitations that our bodies and our social structures put in place. For example, had I chosen to go back to work, I could not have avoided giving my child formula; even as a 1yo, she was nursing up to 8 times a day, and my milk has excess lipase. I would have had to pump round the clock, treat my milk immediately, and still I probably would have never been able to keep up with her demand, let alone get any work done. To that end, women who feed formula must be offered the same encouragement that women who breastfeed are offered. We BFing supporters should refrain from judging others' choices, whatever they are.
Stil, we have a long way to go in the normalising of breastfeeding. I live in Indonesia, a conservative, muslim country where many women wear head coverings, showing a bare shoulder is considered "sexy". Still, something like 98 percent of women breastfeed their babies. Until age 2. Because it's normal here. I frequently see women in headscarves and flowing robes sitting outside in full view of all, nursing their children. Many carry their babies in carriers, and nurse them on the go. No one bats an eye, no one thinks it's strange, gross, or "sexy" to see a bit of side boob, or a stray nipple.
How did this become the case? I guess by necessity? (typical income is about 100 USD / month and formula is expensive). This is a very traditional country, and most people put great value on doing things the way they've always been done (and babies have always been breastfed). Further, bodily functions (i.e. menstruation etc) are openly discussed here, and are not really considered shameful or gross. Perhaps this influences attitudes to all sorts of normal physiological phenomena like the production of human milk. Also there's a strong social network and tradition of alloparenting; mothers, aunties, and grandmothers are all on hand to offer support and help.
So I guess in Canada we just need more people to talke about breastfeeding. More people doing it in public. More doctors better educated about it. And more people offering friendly smiles when they see someone feeding their baby, whatever form that takes.
Great idea for a survey! We definitely need to have this conversation I am not sure that we can be truly supportive of breastfeeding until we frame breastfeeding as reproductive right. I say this because b'fing is described as a 'choice' women make without much attention being paid to the context within that choice is made.
I took the survey and am very interested in seeing your results.
I do consider myself a breastfeeding supporter. I was lucky enough to encounter a multitude of supportive women when my breastfeeding journey got a rocky start. I'm still nursing my 18-month old and I honestly don't think I'd be here if I didn't receive the support I did in the early weeks. I want to be a source of support for other women to, I don't know, pay forward? the support I was given.
Done. I'll be interested in seeing the results. Although I think it could be tricky to glean significant ideas from a survey unless users are able to say why they gave this or that score to particular questions....
[...] phdinparenting on January 21, 2013 Last week, I asked fellow Canadians on twitter if they support breastfeeding. A lot of people asked “what do you mean by support?”. I think the answer is different [...]
[...] with her kind permission). At the end you will find a link to her site to read more. Last week, I asked fellow Canadians on twitter if they support breastfeeding. A lot of people asked “what do you mean by support?”. I think the answer is different for each [...]
nice to read your article, it is true, if you feel any breast feeding problems, kindly go and consult with the doctors.