Letters to the Editor

• They were still born to breastfeed, they're just out of luck.

  [Read the article: Baby, we were born to breast-feed?]
  [Read more letters about this article: Here]

  I think there are many worse things that we could be railing against than that the government is actively acknowledging that breastfeeding is better for babies.

  This isn't a matter of debate, it's a no-brainer. Breastfeeding is better for mothers, better for babies, and better for mothers' pocketbooks than formula. Yes, there are women who cannot breastfeed becaus their employment makes it too difficult. There are also women who are exposed to toxic fumes in the course of their employment, and no one says that we should not point out that toxic fumes are bad for babies because it would make pregnant women who have to work with toxic fumes feel guilty.

  What we need is for breastfeeding to become a cultural norm. Although it is known to be best for babies, mothers and mothers' finances, the philosophy that it is simply one of two neutral choices is why store and restaurant owners feel free to tell mothers they cannot nurse in their establishments, why employers are not required by law to give women safe and sanitary places to pump, and why so few employers allow mothers to bring infants under the age of 6 months to work, despite the fact that a 6-month-and-under infant (who's not colicky, at least) will probably happily spend the entire day glommed onto mom's nipple or napping, and this wouldn't interfere with a woman making phone calls or doing computer work like the vast majority of white-collar work requires. If it was considered normal to breastfeed, and an aberration that women must work around if they have to bottlefeed, we would be able to put the kind of pressure on employers to *force* them to let women breastfeed at work, and then many of the financial issues would go away (although, admittedly, this would not help receptionists, cashiers, nurses, or women who work two jobs.)

  If the government is widely promoting breastfeeding as the best alternative for babies, it may be the least idiotic thing this particular administration has done so far. Since breasts are free and formula is made by megacorporations, it may also be the most "person-friendly" instead of "business-friendly" thing they have done. I feel sorry for women whose financial or health situations do not allow them to breastfeed, but that doesn't change the fact that, if it *were* possible for them to breastfeed, that would be better for their baby.

  If we run around saying that you can't say breastfeeding is better because that might make people feel guilty, what's next? You can't say that feeding your kids nothing but Mickey D's is bad because poor people who work two jobs have no time to feed their kids anything else, and so that might make them feel guilty? Sorry, but maybe if Americans stopped feeling guilty for social conditions that force them to do the wrong thing for their child, and started feeling angry instead, maybe they would make things change. "Guilt" should only come into play when you had a choice; if you didn't have a choice because society didn't give you one, get mad, not guilty. And no one should stop speaking the truth because it might make someone feel guilty or uncomfortable.

  Permalink Monday, December 19, 2005 09:31 AM