May 01 2009
The Simple Truth, Breast is Not Best
Today I am going to shift a little and delve more in to why breast is not best, but normal. Below are excerpts from the essay written by Diane Weissinger published in the Journal of Human Lactation, Vol. 12, No. 1, 1996. You can view the essay in its entirety here. I don’t think she could have said it any better.
“The truth is, breastfeeding is nothing more than normal. Artificial feeding, which is neither the same nor superior, is therefore deficient, incomplete, and inferior. These are difficult words, but they have an appropriate place in our vocabulary.”
“Best possible, ideal, optimal, perfect. Are you the best possible parent? Is your home life ideal? Do you provide optimal meals? Of course not. Those are admirable goals, not minimum standards. Let’s rephrase. Is your parenting inadequate? Is your home life subnormal? Do you provide deficient meals? Now it hurts. You may not expect to be far above normal, but you certainly don’t want to be below normal. “
“Advantages. When we talk about the advantages of breastfeeding–the “lower rates” of cancer, the “reduced risk” of allergies, the “enhanced” bonding, the “stronger” immune system–we reinforce bottlefeeding yet again as the accepted, acceptable norm. “
“Health comparisons use a biological, not cultural, norm, whether the deviation is harmful or helpful. Smokers have higher rates of illness; increasing prenatal folic acid may reduce fetal defects. Because breastfeeding is the biological norm, breastfed babies are not “healthier;” artificially-fed babies are ill more often and more seriously. Breastfed babies do not “smell better;” artificial feeding results in an abnormal and unpleasant odor that reflects problems in an infant’s gut. We cannot expect to create a breastfeeding culture if we do not insist on a breastfeeding model of health in both our language and our literature. “
“We must not let inverted phrasing by the media and by our peers go unchallenged. When we fail to describe the hazards of artificial feeding, we deprive mothers of crucial decision-making information. The mother having difficulty with breastfeeding may not seek help just to achieve a “special bonus;” but she may clamor for help if she knows how much she and her baby stand to lose. She is less likely to use artificial milk just “to get him used to a bottle” if she knows that the contents of that bottle cause harm.”
“Special. “Breastfeeding is a special relationship.” “Set up a special nursing corner.” In or family, special meals take extra time. Special occasions mean extra work. Special is nice, but it is complicated, it is not an ongoing part of life, and it is not something we want to do very often. For most women, nursing must fit easily into a busy life–and, of course, it does. “Special” is weaning advice, not breastfeeding advice.”
“The mother who opts not to breastfeed, or who does not do so as long as she planned, is doing the best she can with the resources at hand. She may have had the standard “breast is best” spiel ……and she may have seen a few mothers nursing at the mall ….. That is clearly not enough information or training. But she may still feel guilty. She’s female.”
“Women …told me they would feel angry, betrayed, cheated. They would wish they could do it over with better information. They would feel regret for opportunities lost. Some of the women said they would feel guilty for not having sought out more opinions, for not having persevered in the absence of information and support. But gender-engendered guilt aside, we do not feel guilty about having been deprived of a pleasure. The mother who does not breastfeed impairs her own health, increases the difficulty and expense of infant and child rearing, an dismisses one of life’s most delightful relationships. She has lost something basic to her own well-being. What image of the satisfactions of breastfeeding do we convey when we use the word “guilt”?”
“Let’s rephrase, using the words women themselves gave me: “We don’t want to make bottlefeeding mothers feel angry. We don’t want to make them feel betrayed. We don’t want to make them feel cheated.” Peel back the layered implications of “we don’t want to make them feel guilty,” and you will find a system trying to cover its own tracks. It is not trying to protect her. It is trying to protect itself. Let’s level with mothers, support them when breastfeeding doesn’t work, and help them move beyond this inaccurate and ineffective word.”
”Pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages. Breastfeeding is a straight-forward health issue, not one of two equivlent choices. “One disadvantage of not smoking is that you are more likely to find secondhand smoke annoying. One advantage of smoking is that it can contribute to weight loss.” The real issue is differential morbidity and mortality. The rest–whether we are talking about tobacco or commercial baby milks–is just smoke.”
“It is the parents’ choice to make. True. But deliberately stepping out of the process implies that the “balanced” list was accurate. In a recent issue of Parenting magazine, a pediatrician comments, “When I first visit a new mother in the hospital, I ask, ‘Are you breastfeeding or bottlefeeding?’ If she says she is going to bottlefeed, I nod and move on to my next questions. Supporting new parents means supporting them in whatever choices they make; you don’t march in postpartum and tell someone she’s making a terrible mistake, depriving herself and her child.”
“Yet if a woman announced to her doctor, midway through a routine physical examination, that she took up smoking a few days earlier, the physician would make sure she understood the hazards, reasoning that now was the easiest time for her to change her mind. It is hypocritical and irresponsible to take a clear position on smoking and “let parents decide” about breastfeeding without first making sure of their information base. Life choices are always the individual’s to make. That does not mean his or her information sources should be mute, nor that the parents who opt for bottlefeeding should be denied information that might prompt a different decision with a subsequent child.”
As mothers I am surprised that we aren’t demanding change from the medical field to have provided us with adequate help & resources that may have salvaged a majority of our breastfeeding relationships. Instead we are at odds with each other split in to two groups: breastfeeding & bottle feeding. Each side never feeling validated and constantly fighting society which subsequently includes formula companies who contnue to stand to make billions off of our ignorance and non chalant acceptance of formula as a way to feed our babies.
We can only do so much with the information & support we have.
wow you even compare bottle feeding to smoking…. did they teach you all this while you were receiving your medical degree at hooters or is that just were you learned to be rude.
Quit writing condesending posts and maybe people will listen to you.
Believe it or not there are other women out there with brains, you dont have all the answers and you quite frankly are not in the position to judge.
And yes I will comment everytime today.com in poor taste throws one of you condesending, hurtful, nasty hatefilled articles on my screen.
Actually no I didn’t learn that from “hooters”.
I learned that while getting my education in lactation from the University of California San Diego.
Unfortunetly I cannot take credit for all that you just read.
And if you re-read the post you will see that these are excerpts from an essay posted in a MEDICAL JOURNAL. That medical journal being The Journal of Human Lactation Vol. 12 No. 1 1996
I believe Diane Weissinger, MS, IBCLC the author is more than qualified as a medical professional to know what she is talking about.
Here’s more about her http://lactspeak.com/speakers/DianeWiessinger/
Apparently you’re listening to me. I am writing whats true and what leaves me stupefied is the fact that you continue to defend formula. Why? We should be fighting for breastfeeding friendly hospitals, workplaces & the society in general! More education and resource availability for everyone!!
I hope you continue to comment. Maybe someday you can help me make a difference. I had no idea formula was as bad as it is. Lobbying from the formula companies who stand to make billions of off our insecurities & fears of incompetence has succeeded in making it a secret from women everyone.
I will not silently let it continue
I dont think formula is better then breast milk nor have I ever thought that or implied that… but i also dont think you are being helpful when you post hurtful natsy statements and comparisons on today.com
As for your university education… you took a two day crash course honey so get over yourself already.
And yes I realise that you did not in fact write the essay (i wasnt crediting you as the author) but you posted it and therefore are responsible for the content. I have no problem with anyone preaching the benefits of breastfeeding but there is a way to do it that is not condesending.
You come across as talking down to all other mothers in your posts… I have read them and you seem to consistently imply that we are uneducated and hurting our babies.
You do not know why people are bottle feeding their babies…. you do not have a medical degree, so you certainly have no right to imply that drugs during child birth cause children to have emotional defects (and yes before you bother to point out to stupid little me that you are not the author of the cartoon either let me tell you I know that)
I suggest that you pause before responding and look at your posts carefully and try to view them the way others do. I think your message is positive but is coming across as very negative and preachy. If you stopped trying to go for the shock factor and stopped talking down to other mothers you might actually really get heard rather then most mothers ignoring you, hating you or just becoming angry.
Can I just make a suggestion? It would be alright if you tried to truly “make a difference”, as you say, by encouraging breast feeding support. However, you are doing it in a very condescending and hateful way. Rather than putting people on the defensive constantly about their personal choices, (my body, my choice, my children) maybe you could just talk about your personal experiences with breast feeding. Apparently, you have had some pretty positive feelings about it, but I’m sure you have had struggles, too. Talk about that instead of constantly making people feel that they are horrible parents and our kids should just be taken away from us because of our so called poor choices. You may not think that is how you are coming across, but it really honestly is, and I’m sure you don’t mean to do that. I have already spoke my mind on some of your posts and I still don’t agree with your philosophy or your approach, but I’m in a completely different boat as some others. I did want to breastfeed, but unfortunately my body had other plans for me. I am still doing everything I can to provide a healthy lifestyle for them - I actually made my own baby food. So, please, just think of a different way to approach your ideas.
My “university education” was NOT a two day crash course. The amount of money I have spent on college can also tell you otherwise. I believe you are confusing it with something else. I am still currently pursuing my IBCLC since it does require quite a bit of hours before I can get THAT certification but completing those hours while caring for a little one and being a pre-med student is tough. I guess I’ll have to wait for my blog to be good enough for you when I have my MD after my name.
As for “getting over myself” ?? The lactation field certainly isn’t a lucrative one and apparently not a well liked one either. I am doing this to let women know that formula is NOT something to take lightly nor is the fact that we as women are hugely ignored in our determinations to breastfeed. I absolutely DETEST the fact that when one women successfully breastfeeds and the other doesn’t they are automatically at odds. One is feeling “guilty” and the other is “elitist”
Let’s get over the connotations already.
Over 99% of women can breastfeed successfully. According to a number of sources, only 1-3% of women truly can’t nurse. However, there are some instances where illness on the part of the mother or baby may prevent nursing. Or perhaps the mother may have had breast surgery that damaged the milk ducts. Again, checking with a breastfeeding specialist to make sure that you can’t nurse is ideal. ]Sometimes doctors may not be your best source of information when it comes to breastfeeding. A lot of women think they can’t nurse because of a failed earlier attempt. In many cases this is simply a lack of knowledge and proper support and encouragement. Unbelievably, medical schools barely touch on the subject of breastfeeding, so many doctors know very little about it and in fact, some end up perpetuating many of the myths that keep women from breastfeeding their babies.
So yes, UNBELIEVABLE as it may be many women lose out because of misinformation and the lack of education, when I say education I am referring to BREASTFEEDING EDUCATION.
What I write is NOT personal opinion but scientific fact & true statistics. So what? should I get over the science??
I dont feel guilty that my daughter wasnt a breast feed baby I have nothing to feel guilty I had no other choice, and my daughter is just fine.
I have nothing personally against lactation consultants as I have met with one who was a very kind woman. If your approach was similar I wouldnt find you offensive.
As for your blog I just wont come back you obviously cant see past your own judgements to understand why anyone is upset…. to you its just peoples guilt lashing out at you.
Ok, so you’re not going to take my previous advice and now you are throwing your education in our faces. Do you think that we are not educated? As a matter of fact, I have a Bachelor’s degree and working into a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education. Maybe I should start preaching on how advanced my children are - compared to yours - because I’m a teacher and I spent 4 + years of college learning the trade. Apparently just being a parent and knowing your children and just doing the best we can isn’t enough.
Oh, by the way, for the sake of your career, I hope you don’t carry this condescending attitude with you to work. That’s the last thing a new and emotional mother needs on her hands - a big fat attitude.
I also, will not be back to your blog. It’s sad that you’re losing visits before you even had a following. I, on the other hand, love all the people I have gotten to know. We have developed a nice little helpful and positive community of mothers (and some fathers, too)! Too bad you won’t be able to enjoy that.
I guess I didn’t see your blog as judgmental against other mothers, just critical of formula and formula companies. Breastfeeding is such a charged subject and there is so much judgment on both sides. I think I might write a bit about my experiences on my next post…