An article by Rita Rubin caught my eye, talking about a study from Scotland that basically said women in a study reported that exclusive breastfeeding for six months was too hard. What immediately jumped out at me when I looked at the Scottish study was that it was basing this article on talking to 36 women! I could certainly find 36 women to say just about anything.
To me, what's more worrisome, is that we're having a conversation about making the recommendations more lenient because of these women's opinions. That's right, skip the medical fact because 36 women are saying breastfeeding is hard.
Guess what? Breastfeeding can be hard, that doesn't make it not worth it. And some women don't have issues with breastfeeding and find it completely enjoyable. I love the quotes by Desirre Andrews, a doula from Colorado, in the article.
The real problem is that, rather than focusing on what is really wrong - the fact that we as a society do so much that makes breastfeeding much harder than in it has to be - we are simply looking for a way around it. Please, let's shift the discussion to topics like increased paid maternity leave, well educated practitioners on breastfeeding issues, and many of the other Booby Traps.
So, I'll ask you, what would help you or what did help you, breastfeed for six month exclusively?
Related:
Hoddinott, P; Craig, L; Britten, J; McInnes, R. A serial qualitative interview study of infant feeding experiences: idealism meets realism. BMJ Open 2012;2:e000504 doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000504.
Photo © Ariel Skelley/Getty Images
Is Exclusive Breastfeeding Too Hard? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Thursday, March 15th, 2012 at 11:56:43.
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