Sustainable Life
with Bibi
In general, I'm a crunchy granola mom (sometimes read: hippie) with no specific philosophy on life. Our family makes it from month to month with my husband working full time as a teacher, and me staying home full time with our daughter, while taking in paid jobs as they come my way. The family budget is tight, but we try to do our part to clean up our lifestyle and our planet.
To learn more about Bibi, check out her profile on Work It, Mom! and her personal blog, Mamasense.
I just read an article from the April issue of Mothering Magazine that got me a little tickled. It’s no secret that I’m a huge supporter of breastfeeding, even though I think breastfeeding supporters get a bad rap sometimes. Just read the comments on this post if you don’t believe me.
Anyway, I very much enjoyed Leah’s coverage of the Atlantic article last month entitled “The Case Against Breast-feeding”, and I think that the Mothering Magazine is in some part in answer to the “breastfeeding and working is impossible” tone that it took.
“Nursing by Numbers: How Breastfeeding Boosts the National Economy” was definitely an encouraging read after the Atlantic artcle, that touts breastfeeding as a shackle to the days before parenting was a partnership. The focus was not on whether or not breastfeeding and working are an easy combination (I don’t think anyone would argue that it is), but that, economically speaking, it’s well worth the effort for both employees and employers to make breastfeeding a priority in the workplace, and on top of all of that, it could actually boost the national economy.
This is one of the parts of the article that really had a wow factor for me. “The AAP says each formula-fed infant costs the healthcare system between $331 and $475 more than a breastfed baby in its first year of life. The cost of treating respiratory viruses resulting from not breastfeeding is $225 million a year.” And that’s just one type of illness.
The article states that choosing to feed formula to babies is costing literally billions of dollars every year, and that this is only using data from three of the many illnesses that feeding infants formula contributes to. I happen to be on a breastfeeding mailing list, and the email that was sent around last month about the Atlantic article went something like this…”It’s really too bad that the author came to the conclusion that breastfeeding while working is impossible, when it obviously benefits so many families and society as a whole. However, it does highlight an important issue, namely that many work places do not meet the needs of a nursing mother.”
My take on the whole thing pretty much mirrors that of the breastfeeding mailing list. There is so much information out there about how important breastfeeding is as a public health issue, as a way for employers to keep their work force healthy (and not off taking care of sick kids), and now as a way to help our national economy. And that’s all well and good, but I do start to wonder how this information will and should get out to the public. I can only imagine that the audience for the “Nursing by Numbers” article is mostly one who already supports breastfeeding, and sees it as a part of daily life for the early months/years of parenting. So I wonder how does the information get out. I would tend to think by word of mouth, but I know I’m a chicken when it comes to this sort of thing. I don’t want my friends or acquaintances to think that I’m judging them for their decisions. Plus, parenting is very personal, and it seems intrusive to extrecate myself into someone else’s business. However, if someone asks me about breastfeeding…that’s a different story altogether.
A little proof of my chickenhood is in this little anecdote. One of the illnesses that the article cites as more common for formula fed infants is ear infections. A good friend of mine chose not to breastfeed her child, and several times she has talked to me about how she regrets the decision. Most recently, the pediatrician told her that her baby has ears that are prone to infection. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that breastfeeding lowers the risk, and might have saved her baby from a couple of those infections. She isn’t planning to have more kids, and it would feel like I was saying “I told you so” or some mean-mommy equivalent. On the other hand, I sometimes wonder if I should just find a nonjudgmental way to let her know. Who knows, it could be info that she passes on to another friend or relative.
Do you have a parenting issue that you are especially passionate about? Do you talk about it with others? And where do you draw the line about when and where to talk about it? Also, feel free to weigh in about either article.
Subscribe to blog via RSS
I don’t think you’re a chicken for not saying anything to your friend about ear infections and breast feeding. What would it have accomplished? As you note, she’s probably not going to have any more kids, so it would result only in guilt, not in action…and most moms have plenty of guilt already.
Besides, breast feeding really isn’t fail safe. I am a HUGE believer in it and breastfed my child for the recommended year. And you know what? She still has terrible allergies, both seasonal and food. Statistically, breastfed kids have less allergies, but it’s not totally preventative.
I think it’s important to note, too, that many women who appear to be choosing not to breastfeed actually have medical problems or take maintenance medications that don’t mix well with breastfeeding, and they are unlikely to share that information with all but their closest friends and family. For example, two of my sisters did not breastfeed; one produced no milk and the other took daily (and necessary) medicine that could leach into her milk.
I say, live and let live. If your friend becomes pregnant and seems receptive to a conversation about ear infections or breastfeeding, you could bring it up lovingly. Otherwise, I think you’re right to stay silent.
Just me | April 24th, 2009 at 9:47 am
I’m of the mind that if you want to breastfeed, and can, then great, but don’t shun other women because they’ve chosen not to, or can’t. There are a lot of breastfeeding advocates that shove it down women’s throats. I think mothers have enough worry and anxiety without having to worry about yet another “failure” When I had my daughter, I figured if I could, great. If not, oh well. I couldn’t, for various reasons, most beyond my control. My mother chose not to breastfeed my sister and I. We had no allergies, and did not get sick all that often. My daughter didn’t start getting sick until she was 2 1/2 and in daycare.
I wouldn’t say I’m passionate about any one parenting issue. I do have strong opinions on several things, but generally keep it to myself. Because 1) what works for me, doesn’t work for everyone else. and 2) I’ve had several opinions bite me in the butt. When I was pregnant, I swore my child would not have a pacifier. Just another bad habit to break. Well, that opinion flew out the window the week she came home from the hospital. : - ) And “people who put their babies on their tummies to sleep must not care about their child’s well being.” Of course my child would sleep only if she was on her tummy.
Erica | April 24th, 2009 at 11:17 pm