Tonya and PQBON's WebLog

campaign for breastfeeding

So the U.S. government is starting a campaign against bottle-feeding. Calling it as risky as smoking during pregnancy. I find this completely insulting. I agree that breast-feeding should be encouraged and that the benefits should be promoted, but to lump non-breastfeeding mothers in with women who choose to put their children at risk by smoking is disgusting.

More in extended

I tried for a month to breastfeed Katie but it just didn't work. After 2 weeks, she was still losing weight (by then she was supposed to be up to her birth weight, 7lb 7 ounces and she was only 6lbs 10 ounces) plus she was on the verge of dehydration. So supplementing with formula was required. For the next 3 weeks, I tried herbal supplements, an herbal tea, and pumping to increase my supply. Nothing helped. I was so sad that I couldn't breastfeed. It really bothered me. We had taken the breastfeeding class before she was born so I'd be prepared and they had made me feel so guilty about even feeding her breast milk in a bottle. Now to not breastfeed at all made me feel horrible.

When questioning my family it seems that a lot of women had problems breastfeeding. My mother had to stop with me for the same reason and with my brothers she had to be on anti-seizure meds so she wasn't allowed to breastfeed.

I think people assume that just because its a natural process, breastfeeding just happens. If someone doesn't breastfeed its because they made a decision not to. Thats not always true. While talking to other women, you find that a lot of us have problems with supply. We want to breastfeed but we just don't have enough. Then there are other women who can't because of complications like meds they have to be on or babies that are unable to feed normally. I think the fact that they have classes and books and groups and websites, ect........dedicated to breastfeeding should tell you that it's not all that easy. And to tell these women, who try but fail at breastfeeding, that they are putting their child at risk like a women who smokes during pregnancy is offensive and sad. Do we really need to make women feel more guilty about a decision they didn't even get to make? Believe me I feel guilty enough that Katie wasn't breastfed. I know all the benefits, not only to her, but for me also. I really don't need the government to tell me I'm a bad mother because my body doesn't seem to know how to produce milk.

Posted by Tonya at June 13, 2006 10:23 PM