Number one, I love seeing men write about breastfeeding. Number two, really interesting article about breastfeeding. What do you think - is breast really best?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/opinion/23kristof.html?src=tp&smid=fb-share&_r=0
-
Wow. So sad.
-
I think it's a little unfair of this guy to make off like breastfeeding is the easiest thing in the world and everyone can do it if they try.
That being said, a lot of the examples seemed to mostly be a lack of knowledge. The thought that babies need water on a hot day for example or not feeding them colostrum. It's just sad if they are doing these things (or not doing things) because they don't know any better.
-
I think he brought up a good point about lack of understanding but he fell short of providing a call to action.
It's known that there is misunderstanding, what now? Provide education? Send in lactation consultants? What are you going to do to fix the problem?
-
I respect the author of the article, and I understand where his concerns are coming from. In these areas where he travels to there is a lack of education, and it's hard to change their ways. It takes money and resources to see an improvement, but that's not always available. Natural instinct says that as mothers, we should provide our children with breast milk to nourish them. Societal changes say otherwise, leading many mothers to believe water is necessary. A few months ago I saw a mother fill an empty ready to feed formula bottle with water to settle her daughter down. I wanted to go up to her and say something, but it wasn't my territory to do so.
I highly recommend the book and documentary Half the Sky. He co-wrote the book with his wife, and it is an eye opener of a documentary.
-
@yin: Great book & I love the documentary--it's on Netflix instant.
Nicholas Kristof is one of my favorite journalists. I would say there's a lot of education to be done--I didn't realize that even malnourished moms could still provide enough milk for their babies. Seems like it's not the breast cure that's needed necessarily, but more education about what babies need.
-
Wow....in countries where starvation and dirty water is certainly a risk, breastfeeding would be so helpful.
It definitely seems like education is the most important thing. My own mother asked me a few weeks ago (When E was ~10 weeks old) if she should give her water after a walk outside because it was hot!!!! People just don't know
-
@yin: Thanks for the rec on Half the Sky! I'll def. have to pick up a copy. One of my observations about life and certainly pregnancy is how much we are conditioned not to trust what our body can do or provide.
-
@mrsjazz: @blackbird: totally agree that there needs to be more education! There are so many existing maternal, newborn and child health programs in Africa that they could build off of and as far as public health issues go this one actually seems relatively straightforward, although changing social norms is always a challenge!
-
This is just so sad! I know formula companies don't currently go like they used to pushing formula telling the moms it's better than breastmilk but I think this is a perfect example how important it is the get the correct information right off the bat... Re-training is so difficult to do.
That doc suggested is on Netflix? I'll have to check it out!!!
I hope there can be proper education to these places making breastfeeding the STANDARD again... That is so many babies that could possibly still be alive!!
-
A nurse gave E water the day after he was born because he hadn't had a wet diaper yet. I didn't know any better, and obviously either did she. The pediatrician was angry that she had done it and obviously it's a school of thought that is still followed in older generations. We are lucky to have the resources to educate ourselves but when those resources aren't available, women rely on the older generation to show them the way. It's hard to change that kind of cycle.
-
"Even when the mother is herself malnourished, her body will normally provide enough milk for a baby, nutritionists say."
Except when they do everything under the sun and still can't. Meh.
-
@espion....honestly i'm not sure i buy that line, either. There's so much talk about how you have to eat enough, drink enough water, and not be stressed in order for your milk supply to not plummet, right? Well, I'd say that women in third world countries are probably at a severe disadvantage themselves in that regard! Just makes me wonder if the body is usually so sacrificial...we're not talking thirsty here, we're talking pretty extreme situations!
-
Honestly, if they are feeding dirty, contaminated water to these babies instead of BM that they can actually produce, I feel terribly sorry for those babies. My natural reaction to the mortality rate of these impoversished regions was thinking that the mothers were also too malnourished to even produce enough milk. But the inky Koran water or dirty puddle water makes me want to cry. I think the water thing is a major misconception - even my own parents are always trying to get me to give K water. AND they DID TRY to give it to her when I was gone for a little bit! I was so mad! But Dad said "she's so smart, she spit it out." They didn't see anything wrong with it, no matter how much I've tried to tell them not to.
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
13 comments