What a liar I've become. After my last off-topic blog I promised to not ramble on about anything other than Eli again (or at least not for a long time). Yet here I am, barely ten-days later... (Before I begin writing, simultaneously offending you due to my inability to speak my mind while still remaining sensitive, take a look at the facts for yourself.)
I have been following the Breast Feeding Awareness campaign fairly closely for the last week or so as it's been debated in the news. I think the campaign, and the television ads, are a great for one main reason: they will spark conversation, and hopefully awareness, about the issue. I know some people feel they are a little harsh, but it is my opinion the advocates are trying to make mothers-to-be mindful of the gravity of their decision to breastfeed or not. I understand that some women who can't (for medical reasons) breastfeed might feel bad when viewing one of these ads, but which is worse: hurt feelings, or an infant never given the chance to have the 'best' immune system s/he could have because his/her mom was never made aware that formula and breast milk aren't the same? Also, if said mom truly wanted to breastfeed before she found she was unable, she would know how beneficial it is for infants, so how could she disagree with the purpose of the ads?
I could go around and around about this all day long. In the end, it is a mother's choice to breastfeed or not. Period. Having said that, I do not understand how these ads can anger a woman who decided not to breastfeed for her own reasons (non-medical). If she feels strongly enough about choosing formula instead, I would hope she did some research about it before feeding it (exclusively for a while) to her brand new baby. If not, the ads are aimed at her....knowledge is power. The mothers that did their research and still decided not to breastfeed shouldn't be offended by the ads; if they believe(d) that strongly in their decision, they should stick by it and know it was the right one for them. Mothers who feel the ads are making them feel guilty for formula feeding might be missing the point of the campaign (to educate).
I'm not insinuating that riding a mechanical bull while pregnant is the same as not breastfeeding for six months. If you see one PSA, or read one article, and make a decision based solely on the information obtained there, you're not doing your homework. I think this campaign and the television ads will (hopefully) prompt moms-to-be to ask their doctors more questions, or to read up more about the benefits of breastfeeding, so they can make an informed decision. (I will add that I've yet to meet a mother who breastfed and regretted it. Most moms I have met tell me that they are/were so happy to provide for their child that way, and many wished they'd nursed longer than three or six or nine months.) Obviously, I feel strongly about awareness of this issue, since I know firsthand what a rewarding experience it can be, both emotionally and medically....sorry to ramble!
*For the record, I'm a 'normal' mom; I'm not going to breastfeed Eli until he steps into his kindergarten class, nor do I sanitize all of his toys. Eli is 10-months old and I can count on one hand the times he's had a fever, or illness of any kind. And of those three times, only one lasted longer than 4 hours. No antibiotics, no ear infections, no RSV, no croup, no flu.... This is not to say that all kids who are breastfed will be illness free, nor that those who drink formula will be in the doctor's office every week. Statistics show that breastfed babies get sick less; their odds are just better.
11 comments:
Same with Liam... such a hearty boy because of breast milk. I know it! He has been sick twice and it was minor, so minor. A baby can only escape a cold for so long when exposed to the virus.
I agree with your "rant" and only wish this campaign had been going on just a year longer... then maybe my own sister would have thought harder about depriving her child of the breast. Why can't women at LEAST do it a few weeks, give it a chance and then make the final decision? Trying is nothing to regret especially with the antibodies those first few weeks.
Good rant. I've been going back and forth on whether or not I think the campaign is too harsh. At first I did feel for those women who wanted to BF but couldn't. But it is so important that this is something that is discussed and the moms who wanted to but couldn't already know what the ad is saying. I just remember wanting a natural birth so badly and knowing how important it was to bond with the baby right after the birth. So then when I ended up with a Cesarean and not being able to have that time I didn't want to see any literature at all about the importance of bonding immediately. I knew the information but did not want to be reminded over and over because it felt like failure.
That said, whatever gets women to educate themselves on breastfeeding needs to happen. Sam has also been sick only once, even when we got very ill, and I know it is because of the BFing.
I am thinking this campaign & type of ads running are targeted towards those moms-to-be that need the "shock valued" wake up call, and thus will be effective for reaching "them." I think the more info out there, the better, rather than no info or support to breastfeed at all.
People can choose to be offended or hurt by it- that is their CHOICE! I think that the overall spectrum of it is meant for the positive.
That being said, I can only speak from positive breastfeeding experiences with all my children. I don't know what it is like to be on the other side, and would never want to discount a mother's feelings of inadequacy. I just hope those moms would be encouraged by the fact that they gave it their all in the 1st place, trying do the best for their babies that they possibly could, and not let it taint their opinion about breasfeeding as a whole.
i agree that there certainly needs to be more education and information for mothers who may not understand or simply do not know of the importance and benefit of breastfeeding. I do believe that the ads are meant with a positive intention. That being said, just want to give some insight on the other side of the fence. The ads could not have come at a more worse time for me. I breastfed my baby since he was born for several months with no problems however due to multiple reasons we have had to resort to bottle feeding(some pumped, some formula). I hate it everyday and want so badly to contiue nursing my baby. It is an ongoing internal struggle for me. While I know that the ads are meant for education to those who are ignorant of the importance of breastfeeding and not for people like me who is well aware of the benefits but are unable, it still hits a very vulnerable spot in my heart everytime i see the commercials. I think it is great that it is sparking conversation and encouraging some mothers to think again about their choices I do sometimes think it might be possible to do that in a less 'in your face" sort of way. And then I think you know what, I know what we are doing for my child is best right now and if these ads make other babies get to have the benefits of breastmilk then it's worth the lump it puts in my throat everytime I see them.
I freely admit it - I'm a boob nazi! I encourage all my friends to breastfeed their babies (so far 1 out of 3 has! ARGH!)and with Ashtabula 4 weeks away from her first birthday - She's cold free! It's been fantastic! Yes, at first it was difficult but it only took a week or two to get used to it. And now, I can't imagine any other way. It's so convienent - no bottles to sterilize, warm up, etc. Ashtabula is almost entirely weaned - she nursed 3 times a day and it is sad to let that bonding go. But I'm so proud of myself for giving Ash this headstart. She's had a great first year and all it took was me letting my body do it's job...How hard is that?
Yeah, but I can say the same thing about my son, who was exclusively formula-fed -- he is nearly 4, and the first time he got truly sick was this last Christmas, at the age of 3 1/2 -- after starting preschool this last year. Before that, he had had perhaps two fevers (one, I believe, brought on by vaccinations and not from an illness) and one or two runny noses. And that's it.
I agree with you 100% that people should be educated about the facts — but then they are free to make up their own mind.
Nice post.
Jen,
Thank you for your comment. I'm glad to hear that your son has been illness-free for so long. As I said in my blog, just because you breastfeed does not mean your child will never get sick, nor does feeding formula mean your child will always be sick. There are no absolutes with the studies done on breastfeeding; their intent is for women to breastfeed in order to give babies the best shot possible.
This has been a HOT topic, I tell you!!! I breastfed both my sons for 8-9 months and then switched to bottle for various reason. With Matthew he was distracted too easily and with Mark I battled a NASTY stomach flu that diminished my supply. I feel its a mother's choice and nothing should "guilt them" into a decision. I know of several moms that exclusivly breastfeed and they are fine with that. However, I know others that choose to formula-feed for whatever reasons and I cannot judge that either. Like I said on Stephanie's site: A mother's sanity and peace of mind is more important!! Whatever style of parenting a mother decides is THEIR'S and their's alone. As long as the child has shelter, food, clothing, and LOVE, that is all that matters.
Lori makes a GREAT point!
I almost completely agreed with your rant until I read that you are calling yourself a "normal" Mom b/c you will wean sooner than later. What is "normal"? When is there a cut-off date for being a normal Mom? I proudly & happily nursed Sophia until she was two & the week of her birthday she weaned herself. It was a peaceful weaning process for the both of us. Am I not a "normal" Mom b/c she nursed past the age of twelve months? AAP's newest statement regarding the length of nursing recommends "a minimum of twelve months".
I wanted to breastfeed. I knew it was best. I was looking forward to it. And then, for medical reasons, I could not do it.
It broke my heart. I felt like a crappy mother. Why couldn't I do this basic thing? Especially since I wanted to, so much?
But the thing that made it worse was, people who had no problems breastfeeding and didn't know that I had medical reasons for bottle feeding were quick to make insulting comments about my "choice". As if they knew that I was happily bottlefeeding, and didn't give a damn about my babies' health. I had more than one new "friend" stop speaking to me after seeing me bottlefeed in public.
I hope this campaign doesn't encourage women to treat each other that way. I hope that we, as women, can respect each other's privacy...because it's hard to have to defend yourself to people all the time, and hard to have to talk to people about embarassing, depressing medical problems just so they won't believe you're neglecting your beloved babies.
For the record, my kids are also quite healthy and haven't had a lot of infections or colds or what-have-you. They are now beyond breastfeeding age, and you'd think I'd be over it. But I still wish I could have breastfed them, and I still wish I could have told off those women who decided a bottlefeeding mom couldn't be their friend--and refused to consider that maybe it WAS NOT anything like a choice on my part.
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