Strollerderby : la leche league

Smackdown: Breastfeeding -- Why Not?

Brett Singer — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:15:00 GMT

Cole challenged me to a Smackdown on breastfeeding, and of course I said yes. I never back down from a challenge, at least not one as harmless as a blog face off. (In other words, don't challenge me to get in the ring with Mike Tyson. That, I will decline.)

Breastfeeding is a controversial subject, but it wasn't always. Back in the day (as in, black and white televisions, Uncle Milty, etc.) many women took a pill to dry up their milk ducts. They didn't feel guilty about it, and those children grew up to live happy lives despite being denied breast milk.

There was also a point in our history when women didn't have the right to vote. In other words, times change. We've learned a lot about human health, and there is definitely evidence that breast milk CAN be good for your kids. Is it conclusive? No. So what? If you are able to breastfeed, isn't it worth the potential benefits?

Now for some specifics:

1. The Guilt Factor: No disagreement here. It's wrong to bully a woman, especially a new mother. However, let us not ignore…

2. The Laziness Factor: There are a number of reasons why some women don't breastfeed their kids. I've heard at least one new mom who said that breastfeeding her child made her feel "gross"; she had no problems with her child latching on, she just didn't like having a baby suckling at her "teet." It made her, "feel like a mammal." When someone says that, I want to ask them a simple question: If you are able to do something that has potential health benefits for your child, why wouldn't you? If you can't breastfeed, you can't breastfeed. But if you tried once and just bailed, that seems like a cop-out. Some of the La Leche people may be a little nuts, but many lactation counselors are very good at what they do. If you have trouble with latching or other breastfeeding issues, it's worth trying a counselor just for the potential health benefits.

3. Expressed Milk in a Bottle: Cole, I love ya, but sometimes I wonder if you've been sipping from a different type of bottle. (A glass one. Filled with bourbon.) Who says that expressed breast milk is a bad thing? As I understand it, the debate is usually between breast milk and formula. And I have yet to see a study that says formula is undeniably better for the child. At best, some say that breast milk may not have the benefits that some claim. Which brings us to the next point:

4. "No Proof That Breast Feeding is Healthier": Is there proof that it's harmful? There is certainly evidence that breast milk is good for babies. Again, why not give it to your children if you can? There was a time when doctors said that smoking was healthy. Look at how that turned out.

5. Formulas Aren't Perfect Either: I haven’t done extensive research but I know that whenever there is a product that is mass-produced, there is the potential for problems. Remember the Chinese milk recall? Ever heard of a breast milk recall? I didn't think so.

There's a difference between "can't" and "won't." No one should be bullied into breastfeeding (sorry, La Leche). But if you won't even try because you just don't want to, or you feel like you want to "rebel" against the "breastfeeding nazis", maybe you should rethink your position. Cole is right -- you shouldn't do anything JUST because of peer pressure. But if everyone isn't jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, that doesn't mean you should. (Think about it for a minute, I'm pretty sure it makes sense.)

Read Cole's take on the matter here.

Read Madeline's take on the matter here. (And I didn't say that ALL women who don't breastfeed are lazy. I mean, c'mon.)

What do you think? I'm right and he's wrong, yes? (Even if you think I'm wrong, let us know in the comments.)

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Woman Arrested For Breast Feeding At A Bar

Brett Singer — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Allanah Earley went to a Durham, Connecticut bar to have a couple of drinks. Nothing wrong with that, right? But the 36-year-old brought her baby. Hey, lots of us think that's fine as well. Then she started breast-feeding the baby, who is seven weeks old.

Two new acronyms have popped up as a result – DWB (Drinking With Baby, from NBC Connecticut) and BWI (Breastfeeding While Intoxicated, from ParentDish). BWI works better, I think. The official charge is "risk of injury to a minor", which sounds pretty, um, minor. At the moment, Earley is free on $10,000 bail.

Imperfect Parent asks, "Wonder where the breastfeeding advocates stand on this issue." Well, it's generally thought that drinking alcohol while breast-feeding is a bad idea. Especially if you literally drink alcohol WHILE YOU ARE BREAST-FEEDING. Like, have a couple of drinks, feed the kid, have another shot, and so on. That's what Allanah Earley is accused of: The Middletown Press says that when police interviewed Earley, she was visibly drunk, and admitted to officers that she'd had seven drinks. I'm guessing even the strictest La Leche Leaguer would suggest formula in that situation.

Poor kid. Even without the breast-feeding, mom's got some problems.

One report says that bar patrons called the police when Earley left the bar and "wandered out into the cold" with the baby, eventually finding her way to a friend's house, where she kept on drinking and breast-feeding. (Ah, reminds me of my college days… sorry, not funny.) In other words, the "concerned customers" didn't make the call while Earley was at the bar.

Would you do something if you saw a mom drinking and breast-feeding her baby at a bar? It's trickier than it sounds, I think – one the one hand, she has a right to do what she wants as long as it's legal. But as she becomes more and more intoxicated, the baby could be in danger, right? I'm not sure what I would do. How would you handle it?

Source: wfsb.com, others

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Nation's First Breastfeeder Dead at 93

Madeline Holler — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:31:00 GMT

Fine, she wasn't the first breastfeeder in the U.S., but Edwina Froelich was one of the big pioneers of breastfeeding support and a founding member of that subversive group of nursing coercers, La Leche League. She died this week after suffering a stroke. She was 93.

Now, we can (and do) argue about nipple Nazism, sancti-nursers and cold, cold formula-feeding, but it's tough to argue that this woman DIDN'T make a big mark on how we parent -- and how we think about early parenting -- no matter what we feed our babies. At the very least, Froelich and the other founders of La Leche League helped to give moms choices, even though the option to breastfeed was always right there under our noses (actually, our necks, but whatever). Her nursing story started when, after having her first baby at 35, docs said she'd never make enough milk "at her age."

True American hero, all that. But here's what I'm actually thinking when I read her obit:

It says she is survived by her three sons (all of whom were breastfed) and nine grandchildren. Come on, aren't you wondering whether all nine were breastfed? And don't you pity the daughter-in-law who decided to go with Enfamil? Tension!

Photo: NYTimes.com

No Boobs for Baby: Why Love is Thicker than Breastmilk

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Tue, 20 May 2008 20:01:00 GMT

Aimee got cancer as a young woman and had both of her breasts removed. As she made ready to start a family she began to grieve the loss of her ability to breastfeed.

But when she looked for support from other mothers around which formulas worked best, she was asked instead to join the "breast is best" chorale.

It's easy to be on Aimee's side on this one. After all, she really had no choice about breastfeeding. But she's not satisfied with her "get out of jail free" card. She's creating an on-line community that will support parents who cannot or choose not to breastfeed their children, in order to provide the support she lacked. It will be called No Boobs for Baby and will be launching soon.

It will help dispel the myth that breastfeeding is the only option for loving parents and prove, once and for all, that love is far more important than breastmilk.

La Leche League Leader Accused of Fraud

Madeline Holler — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:09:00 GMT

Star Randolph, a La Leche League leader, was stripped of official duties after six members of her Portland-area group accused her of fraud.

Her crime? A cabinet full of Enfamil baby formula and about a dozen well-used Dr. Brown's Natural Flow bottles.

The half-dozen weekly attendees of Randolph's La Leche group meeting for nursing moms with newborns (0-6 months) filed a grievance with the LLL head offices after they discovered the formula. They're accusing Randolph of fraud and misrepresentation.

One of the moms at the meeting discovered Randolph's secret stash when she had gone into the kitchen for snacks.

From MedLaw:

"I opened the cabinet and the shelves were lined with cans of the stuff -- all of it. Soy, lacto-free, the stuff with the DH-whatever in it. I couldn't believe it!" Lana Wilson, Portland mother of an 8-week-old, said.

The women say they feel not only betrayed but misguided by Randolph, who they said was "never really that into it."

"I mean, she'd organize these meeting and send out countless reminders -- to where you felt totally obligated to go," said another of the complaintants who asked that her name not be used. "But she really couldn't help me with anything. I had sore nipples, she'd say 'fix the latch,' they'd still hurt, 'fix the latch.' I'm like, YOU fix the latch, Star, you fix it!"

In the deposition, the women claim La Leche League knowingly allowed Randolph to lead group meetings and offer advice, even though she was apparently less than dedicated to the womanly art. "I don't think I ever saw her nursing -- her baby was always 'upstairs napping.'"

Another LLL leader, who joined the nursing moms in the complaint, claimed she overheard Randolph at the statewide LLL meeting tell a convention hall organizer, "Breast is total bullshit."

LLL officials were unavailable for comment.