Masochistic Mommy

Given that breastfeeding is by nature a feminine act, some people might wonder how a man can be passionate and committed in this connection. Although I've written for years on the topic - what I describe as appropriate nurturing and nutrition for the young of our species - I have never set out to define in so many words the source of my passion and commitment. I will attempt to do so now. When I present at conferences, I often begin by emphasizing my three most important credentials, in order of significance: - I've been a mammal since 1944 - I've been a father since 1974 - I've been a grandfather since 2000 Oh, and before formally retiring in 2004, I also worked for 30 years in the field of international public health nutrition. Beyond that are elements like my life-long interest in human behavior and motivation; cultural cues and influences governing behavior in distinctly different environments where I have lived and worked for varying periods, for example the USA, T...

Fathers like to think they wield great influence over the success of their partners’ breastfeeding efforts – and they do. But even daddy can’t hold a candle to the almighty impact of a mother’s female peers. Be they friends, family or medical professionals, women have an ability to engage with one another on an intuitive level that is unique to their gender. The female brain is empathy-inclined and wired to thrive on expressive interaction. Indeed, the intimacy found amongst females often baffles their male contemporaries. In ignorant or insincere hands however, feminine kinship can lead to unfortunate outcomes. The following story illustrates a potent and timely fact: just as female solidarity can facilitate breastfeeding, it can equally impede it. “I grew up not really thinking a whole lot about parenting; As a child I played with baby dolls of course, but I never really considered parenting styles or options of parenting. Without even realizing it, somehow the feminist culture of ou...

Welcome to the climax in a trilogy of posts examining the cultural distortion and disintegration of breastfeeding. The stories you are about to read provide a snapshot of the widespread cultural trend to denormalise, and thus warp, our view of lactation. You can find part one here and part two here . Enticing target Whitehouse, New Jersey, USA, 11 November 2005. According to Health Products Research, pediatricians are the second-biggest promotional target (primary-care doctors are first) of top US drug firms, including GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott Laboratories and Pfizer. The study found that antibiotics known as cephalosporins, analeptics to treat Attention Deficit Disorder, and inhaled nasal steroids were the top three drug types being marketed to pediatricians, followed by other allergy medications, asthma therapies and infant formula. According to the research conducted by polling more than 2300 pediatricians, drug-company representatives made 2.9 million sales calls to pediatricians’ ...

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One in 10 babies are born with tongue-tie, a condition which can prevent them from breastfeeding effectively. Just a quick snip can solve the problem, so why is tongue-tie still being under-diagnosed? The truth is that midwives carried scissors in their kitbags to deal with tongue-tie until the 1940s, at which point bottle-feeding became more common and offered a practical solution to breast-feeding problems. From that moment onwards, midwives would need to be specifically trained to perform a tongue division. Certainly, the advent of formula has a lot to answer for. In the story you are about to read, the baby was born with severe tongue-tie which made breastfeeding painful and inefficient. Yet rather than snip the tie, medical professionals pushed the mother to give formula. Fortunately for the baby, she had a quick witted and conscientious mom. “By the third trimester of my pregnancy I had developed gestational diabetes and my baby was breech, so I was scheduled for a c-section. How...

Welcome to part two in a trilogy of posts examining the cultural distortion and disintegration of breastfeeding. The stories you are about to read provide a snapshot of the widespread cultural trend to denormalise, and thus warp, our view of lactation. You can find part one here . Infant formula as grand metaphor Sydney, Australia, 1 September 2005.  First, I read the headline: “ Infant formula makes the taxman whimper ”. Then I read the article. But nowhere is there any mention at all of infant formula or even of feeding babies. Instead, the article describes the results of new research by the Australian Federal Treasury showing that the tax and welfare changes introduced by Prime Minister John Howard and Treasurer Peter Costello have resulted in a jump in after-tax income by almost a third more than inflation in the first decade of the Howard Government. Using my powers of deductive reasoning, I conclude that all 20 of the hypothetical families featured in the Treasury study are ...

There is no need for a mother to stop breastfeeding if she returns to employment. A baby that is losing his mother’s presence need not lose her breast milk too. Just as the mother still has moral obligations to her baby, her employer has legal obligations to her. Choosing employment close to her baby or pumping milk while at work or requesting flexible hours are all options. Continuing to breastfeed will help to maintain the unique life-giving bond mom has created with her baby. You are about to read the story of a mother who returned to work full-time when her son was just seven weeks old. After the struggle she experienced to bring him into the world, she wasn’t going to let employment demands prevent her from giving him the milk he deserved. In her story, she provides handy hints on how to increase breastmilk supply and how to store and transport breast milk, as well as giving an honest account of the challenges. “On June 7th 2013 I marked one year of successful breastfeeding to my ...