A variety of baby and breastfeeding related links that have fallen into my lap in the last few days

[geminigirl]

Courtesy of aquariumgirl (note-registration required, but bugmenot.com usually has working logins for the Washington Post) HHS Toned Down Breast-Feeding Ads Formula Industry Urged Softer Campaign. Also available here from MSNBC.

And much more pleasantly....

Design your own onsie.

The next two, courtesy of rockstarbob:

Most popular baby names by decade from the 1880s to 2000s.-I found my name in the appropriate decade.

Also, The baby name wizard blog with some interesting articles. Do note that the words "vagina" and "penis" appear in entirely mundane context on the current first page of the blog.

I think it's time to go talk to my breakfast cereal, and see what my Rice Krispies inspire me to do today. Maybe they'll prompt me to answer the three e-mails in my inbox that I want to deal with.

Comments

[katishna.livejournal.com]

The article is interesting. I am a huge advocate of breastfeeding, I will stick my nose in the fight if I am ever witness to a situation where a mother is being told to stop doing so in public, whatever. I would breastfeed my own children if I could. But I have to agree with the formula companies in one respect - if you go on and on about how not breastfeeding is ZOMG DANGEROUS to the baby, you're going to make those of us who can't do it feel like absolute shit. And there's enough people trying to do that to new moms for a multitude of reasons that the government can very well keep its nose out of that activity.

The last thing the boob nazis need is more venom to spew at those of us who decide not to breastfeed, no matter what our reasons are.

[geminigirl]

I'm curious...for you, as someone who would like to but can't (and I'm not going to get into a discussion of your reasons unless you choose to; I'm aware of what they are, and I know that people have gotten on your case about it...for anyone here who is thinking of saying something, just don't...she's well informed and knows what's going on, and has valid and significant reasons for choosing not to breastfeed) where would the balance for you lie in encouraging breastfeeding for those who are able but choosing not to while not making those who can't for valid reasons feel guilty about that?

[katishna.livejournal.com]

Actually I'd be happy to tell my reasons for not. I suffered severe PPD after my first child, to the point that i eventually got to play outpatient crazy person at the local psych hospital. I had to quit breastfeeding so that I could go on (very toxic to babies) medication. This time around I am going directly to medication and formula, because I know that if I don't I will end up going inpatient at the psych hospital within a week. I NEED to have a good experience with this child, and the chance to raise her as a happy baby with a sane mom.

Anyway, on to your question. I think in general we should never make a woman feel guilty for her choices regarding her baby, as long as she's making safe choices. (There's a big difference to me between formula feeding and refusing to use a carseat "because it's my choice", for example.) I would instead focus on the convenience and cost benefits of breastfeeding, those pros that bring added value to the table without bringing guilt into it. I can understand that I would be saving time not having to make bottles and carry formula around and make sure i have a safe water supply and blah blah, and that formula feeding outright costs more than breastfeeding. That doesn't make me sad (other than my checkbook). I think there are ways to bring the point across that breast is better than bottle without beating it into women and telling them their child will be a fat asthmatic retard without breastmilk.

[entirelysonja.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I don't think I can agree with you -- it sounds like what you're saying is that breastfeeding and formula feeding should be portrayed as being equivalent choices, except in terms of practical issues.

No woman should feel guilty because she tried her best to breastfeed and it didn't work out, nor should she feel guilty because she made an informed decision that there were other issues in her life or that of her family that outweighed the potential adverse health consequences of formula feeding.

But portraying breastmilk and formula as being nutritionally equivalent is sort of like portraying a car with airbags and a car without them as equally safe. Most people who own cars without airbags realize that they would be safer in the event of a crash if they did have airbags, but if they've thought about it at all, have chosen not to upgrade to a newer car with airbags because they've decided that it's not worth the financial cost. That's a totally reasonable decision, and I would hope they didn't feel guilty about it (I have front airbags but not side airbags, and I don't feel at all guilty about it) -- just as I would hope that someone who made a well-reasoned decision not to breastfeed wouldn't feel guilty about it.

I'm honestly not sure I'm entirely comfortable with the advertising graphics in the original campaign myself (I suppose that was part of the point), though I liked the statistics. I think changes in the WIC program and changes in the way doctors talk to patients about breast vs. formula feeding would be useful ways to approach the issue. I found it sort of appalling that during my pregnancies and after the birth of my children, I was asked to fill out forms on which I checked whether I would be breastfeeding or formula feeding, after which point my doctors congratulated me on the choice to breastfeed -- but I doubt that they talked very much with the patients who chose formula feeding to ascertain why they wanted to use formula and educate them about breastfeeding.

[katishna.livejournal.com]

The thing is, I agree with you, I'm just an inarticulate git. :) I am firmly convinced that breastfeeding is better than formula. The thing is, I don't think the average advertising company can write a campaign that portrays that effectively without coming across as berating women who don't breastfeed. And I think in general you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. People who tell me my baby's going to die get ignored, while someone who can explain why breastfeeding would benefit *me* is going to get my ear.

I need to think on this more.

[bicrim.livejournal.com]

A good quote: "Women should not feel guilty if they are unable to breastfeed, but they should feel guilty if they are unwilling to do so, and they should be intellectually honest enough to know the difference."

[katishna.livejournal.com]

That more or less sums it up. I think I'd change it to "unwilling to *try*" though.

I just had a thought - in a society where women more or less are assumed to breastfeed, and women live closely in groups and help each other take care of the kids (the "it takes a village" philosophy), do women share breastfeeding duties too? How does the group deal with a woman who has PPD, or a baby who isn't thriving by mom's milk, or even something as simple as the lack of sleep that occurs when a baby needs to eat every hour for 2 weeks solid? Do they help each other by breastfeeding each others' children, or does the woman in trouble end up fending for herself with the baby possibly dying (when mom doesn't make milk to sustain it)?

[rdhdsnippet.livejournal.com]

They do, generally, nurse each other's babies. I have no cites to back this up at the moment, but I'm pretty sure that when breastfeeding is really the only option, women band(ed) together to help one another.

[entirelysonja.livejournal.com]

Absolutely.

And some women do this even in our society today, though most people today are a little weirded out by it.

Another fun naming link for you:

[rockstarbob.livejournal.com]

http://www.nymbler.com/

Re: Another fun naming link for you:

[geminigirl]

Thanks. I voted in your poll.

Re: Another fun naming link for you:

[rockstarbob.livejournal.com]

Yesssss!!! I saw that. You rule. :P

[vix.livejournal.com]

Very interesting article. It's profoundly disturbing how much lobbyists can hold sway over what does and doesn't get the green light in HHS, but with Tommy Thompson at the helm, I don't know why I ever thought anything good could come out of that unit. He was the governor in Wisconsin for a number of years and is a world-class moron.

That said, the context of the arguments presented here are fascinating to me. I overheard my brother telling my mom over the weekend how his third child (almost 3 weeks old) gave the best effort at trying to latch on but just couldn't do it (my SIL has inverted nipples). So she pumps and they bottle-feed him that way, and since she's a medical professional she is perhaps a bit less susceptible to those who would endeavour to make her feel guilty in any fashion for not spending every possibly second trying to get him to latch on. So long as he's getting the breastmilk one way or the other, that's all that really matters to her and to the child.

At any rate, thanks for the link and the discourse!