Breastfeeding Paper

 Hi guys. I hope that you all who celebrate it had a good Thanksgiving. I did. I am blessed beyond what I could have ever fantasized for myself. Seriously. And wow, did you see that I have 17 Google followers now? How did that happen? I must be famous. My facebook fan-page was, unbeknownst to me,  mysteriously "unpublished." It should be up and running now. "Like" me if you do. :)

Anyway, I'm writing a paper about >surprise<  breastfeeding. Among lots of other stuff, I am writing about the reasons mothers cite for weaning. There is an obvious trend of "I don't have enough milk," that we are all too familiar with, wheather in our work or among family and friends. So I'm trying to explain in my paper, in non-technical/ medical language about what we talk about in our field as perceived insufficient milk supply. Which is mostly culturally induced and the point of my paper.

Why am I sharing this with you? Well I found this really good post about the topic. It's from way back in 2009. What  a concept: something written almost three years ago is actually worthwhile. Is it because of the internet that we're obsessed with the latest, research/ evidence-based information? Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. You know, way back in, I don't know, 2004, I was totally fine with anything published in the last 20-30 years unless it was medical research or addressed something that had seriously shifted in our culture...So I found this and I'm not going to reinvent the wheel. I have no idea who this person is or what her credentials are. Whaaaaaa!!!!!??? I know. You can leave my blog now if you have lost all respect for me. Thanks for humoring me with your kind visit. Seriously, what she wrote resonates with me as true, and also holds up to what I have learned as a lactation consultant. I feel like I couldn't have written this better myself, so I will share it with you here.

My only issue, something that I have changed in recent years, is that she uses the phrase, feeding on demand, which I think makes babies sound like high-maintainence little tyrants. I would hope that my husband (by the way, today is our one year anniversary) wouldn't say that he has conversations with me on demand.* He has chosen to be my life partner and it is a basic need of mine, and it benefits him too. So...anyway, you get the idea; that's where I'm coming from on that. I prefer the expressions unrestricted access to nurse and feeding on cue. I'm not talking about my husband anymore. You know what I mean. I wouldn't be surprised if the author of this post has also changed her language since writing this, if she works with breastfeeding moms at all.

And anyway, here is the lovely, informative post, with citations and everything. Yowza lady, thanks for your hard work. :) 
thetruthaboutbreastfeeding.com

Update: the author is a scientist, a mama and a writer. Who knew? All I had to do was click on her ABOUT page to find out.

Thanks for caring to educate yourselves on this stuff. I really feel like better breastfeeding rates and respect for it in our culture will ulitmately bring us a more peaceful planet. I know, I know, don't bother commenting, "dirty hippie." I just trust my vibes. You are welcome to trust them or not. :) I hope that you at least trust your own!

So, Love! Love! Love! to you all. I'm so busy with school, I really miss being immersed in birth-y breastfeeding stuff. But I meditate a lot and have been thinking about all you parents, especially ya'll that are first-time parents whose babes are less than a year. It can be overwhelming, but you can do it! You are making a difference. For your baby and for our future. Ya'll, it's pure LOVE flowing from your breast to your baby. Yeah, it happens to nourish the baby, but oh my, no matter how much you make, or if you're able to "make enough," you are nuturing your baby. In love, with love. Doesn't that trump everything else? Our bodies are amazing and can bounce back from getting a little junk, just as babies' bodies can recover from recieving formula for a time if you struggle with supply.**Don't beat yourself up. It's not your fault. A lot of times you've been booby trapped. And please call or write someone for help with your supply. At least look at Kellymom.com  for suggestions. Don't give up. You can do it! Can you tell that I was a cheerleader?

*Yes, thanks KJ Rinke, RN, IBCLC, goat-cow-chicken farmer of Athens, Georgia who opened my eyes to what using the phrase, feeding on demand really implies.
**By the way, don't forget about donated breastmilk, via community milk-sharing and wet nursing, as an option before formula if your child needs to be supplemented. See EatsonFeets.org for more info on that.