Breastfeeding is great. It’s healthy for the baby and it’s even proven to help Mom lose the baby weight. But it’s not always possible and the pressure on new Moms has to stop. Right. Now.
Last week was World Breastfeeding Week. Its mission: to spread the word that Mother’s milk is the healthiest way to feed an infant. Much of the mission of WBF is meant for developing nations but the pressure on Moms is applied here in North America as well. I’ve seen it first hand, and it hasn’t eased over the decades.
Instead of encouraging women to breastfeed, they are pressured to do it and it simply doesn’t come naturally to some women, nor can they force it. But they try. They shouldn’t feel like failures if they can’t do it, but that’s how some are treated. It’s assumed they aren’t trying hard enough or don’t care enough about their infants, which is crazy. Sometimes, they’re put on drugs to increase milk production.
If you ever hear of a woman on a medication called domperidone, please tell the user to question her doctor about it. Ask them to look into the health risks to the heart. I took this medication long-term for gastrointestinal issues and it changed my life. It’s also used for lactation. But it’s off the market in some countries now because of a potentially deadly side effect. Frankly, there’s perfectly good formula on the market that will give a baby all the nutrients he needs.
Breastfeeding is great but it shouldn’t be an agonizing chore, and for many women, it’s futile. I bristle at the wording from the World Health Organization and other influential bodies that claim it’s “the cornerstone of a child’s healthy development.” Meeting baby’s nutritional needs makes that cornerstone. Telling a Mom she isn’t doing all she can for her child because she can’t breastfeed isn’t good for anyone.
Right on Lisa. I agree with you 100%.