Jennifer Block Responds to "The Case Against Breastfeeding"

Hannah Rosin recently wrote a controversial article called The Case Against Breastfeeding. Here are some insightful exerpts from Jennifer Block's (speaking at the conference I'll be attending!) response:

We tell women that breast is best, we tell them to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months, we even tell them it will raise their kid's IQ (and we should give that a rest), and then we send them home with formula samples, or with a baby whose throat is too sore to suckle, or a mom whose milk is delayed because of surgery, and we don't teach technique, and we are offended when a woman breastfeeds in public, so we make her feel housebound, and we don't give a mother and her partner paid leave, and we send her to go back to a workplace without on-site childcare, and so her only alternative to formula is to plug her nipples into a machine, and if she's lucky she gets periodic breaks and a "non-bathroom lactation room" in which to pump, and if she's not she gets a toilet, and so on and so forth.

But it's not that these public health recommendations are grounded in some return-to-the-1950s conspiracy, as Rosin suggests; they're grounded in physiology. And science is validating the physiology of the mother-baby dyad — that is, both are healthier when they remain close to each other during the first several months postpartum. It's not simply the milk that's inimitable; it's the mothering. (Indeed, "We actually don't know if feeding infants human milk has the same benefits as breastfeeding," says Labbok.) And mothering is something that our culture does not value enough to support. It is this dissonance between physiology and culture that has women so frustrated, and feminists like Rosin grasping at the bottle as a proxy for equality.

Why did American feminism evolve in such a way that we think of biology as destiny, and that destiny as a prison? Why are we so willing to surrender the parts and processes that makes us female rather than demanding that society support them? We've broken down doors and cracked glass ceilings, when what we need to do is redesign the building.

Labbok, who's worked in some fifty countries, tells me the feminists in northern Europe have done this. "In northern Europe, women fight for the right to breastfeed," she says. There, feminism isn't just about "making women act more like men," the right of women to be full citizens and the right of babies to be given best possible care are not at odds. "There's an understanding of human rights outside the U.S. that includes the right of women to breastfeed. And that means women shouldn't be expected to do it unless everyone is fully supporting it — her family, her society, her workplace, everybody all the way down the line to her government."

Hello!!

Hello, faithful readers! Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. It's almost a little weird blogging about people whom I know read it.

Let's see, what's the latest....

I'm trying very hard to convince Micah to sleep through the night. Or at least to not be looking to nurse all night long. It means that neither of us get a good sleep. The last two nights have been a little bit better, with me managing to fend him off until 5:30am. So maybe one day (soon?!?) he'll decide it's not worth it to wake up and just sleep through.

We're starting to work into a little bit of a routine here which feels good. Also I am getting more exercise than I have in months which also feels good. I have been taking the kids to the grocery store and/or the park and for some reason they want to ride in the stroller! Giving me 70 lbs or so to push. I am glad for the workout!! I'm thinking of taking one of those exercise balls home and pairing that with some trampolining to get me into better shape. Mom has an exercise ball so theoretically I could try it out... theoretically... (as I avoid acknowledging that I can see it in my peripheral vision at this very moment).

I'm filling my days with as much visiting as possible, and shopping during most of the lulls. Tomorrow I will get an eye exam and then order my first new pair of glasses in at least five years!! I am extremely excited to have the option to go out in public in glasses again.

The Joy of Breastfeeding

I have always been glad that I chose to breastfeed my children. When exclusively breastfed Eva was about five weeks old it really hit me that she was alive and growing because of what my body was producing for her. I was awestruck.

Eva was a year old when I went back to work part time. She drank formula when she wasn't with me but still breastfed when she was. I chose formula rather than cow's milk because I was worried about the hormones and other substances in commercial, non-organic cow's milk (I had trouble finding organic milk). In retrospect I think I would choose natural over artificial despite those risks.

Over the next five months Eva weaned gently and gradually via the "don't offer, don't refuse" method. Her requests declined until at seventeen months she stopped asking. She still drank lots of milk for the next year and a half, but transferred her need from me to the sippy cup. There was a stretch of about a year when I had to always have at least two servings of milk on hand when we were away from the house because it was a matter of urgency for her- when she needed milk, she needed milk!!

We moved to Mexico while I was pregnant with Micah so the situation is quite different. I don't work outside the home and I don't have a lot of need or opportunity to go out in the evenings. It has been a blessing for our breastfeeding relationship. There has been no need to give him any other milk but breastmilk. He is still breastfed on demand. At 19 months this means morning, naptime and bedtime. He occasionally asks in between but usually gets distracted before he really settles in to nurse.

The other night I realized that I really LOVE nursing Micah. When we settle in together, he lights up and giggles with giddy anticipation. It is a source of incredible joy for him. It is also a source of comfort and closeness. It's special quiet snuggling time together, just the two of us.

I will nurse him as long as he wants.

The benefits aren't limited to joy and comfort. Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC at Kellymom.com says that "...breastfeeding continues to be a valuable source of nutrition and disease protection for as long as breastfeeding continues". She summarizes as follows: Nursing toddlers benefit nutritionally, are sick less often, have fewer allergies, are smart, are well adjusted socially, nursing a toddler is normal, and
mothers also benefit from nursing past infancy

I read somewhere that you won't hear a woman say she regrets breastfeeding her child as long as she did, but you may hear a woman say she regrets stopping when she did.