Week 166

May 2-8

Obtained from Google.com

So as I promised I am going to attempt to write a blog post about this controversial cover that will be released next week along with an article on attachment parenting.  I already started a discussion about this on FB that is only about 12 hours in and already getting pretty heated.  This is a sensitive topic for many moms so I just want to say that I'm not writing this article to offend anyone intentionally. I am merely discussing my opinion on this article and the impact it will have on the already warped perception society has about breast feeding. This personal opinion is coming from a mom of two young kids and also from a nurse working in todays crazy world of healthcare. When it comes to healthcare and budgets, America is in a state of crisis.  When it comes to young, immature, unintelligent people having (many, many babies) America is in a state of crisis. When it comes to childhood obesity caused by unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles America is in a state of crisis. If the government would take an active stance in supporting breast feeding, it just might lead to a feasible solution for these issues plaguing our society.

Let me start off by saying I am a breast feeding mom.  As you all know my baby (Abel) is nearly 8 months old and is solely breast fed for his main source of nutrition.  He has never had baby formula.  I have a personal bias against formula, although it is a necessary evil for many people.  In fact my first child (Jack) who is now 3 years old drank formula after only 4.5 months of breast feeding. When I went back to work I found myself struggling to maintain a routine pumping schedule.  The particular company I worked for was not very supportive.  Although I was never told I could not pump, I was not offered much help in figuring out how to work it into my schedule and adequately perform my tasks and duties at work.  I was not provided a place to pump, so oftentimes I would just have to create one wherever I could.

To make matters worse I was responsible for my patients during a 12 hour shift sometimes without a coworker available to report off to.  Even though I wasn't physically leaving the unit to pump, I still had to be available. I would constantly get interrupted and never get more than a few minutes to quickly pump. As a first time mom I was already uncomfortable pumping in the first place, add in all of the other factors and it was a recipe for failure.  This is ironic to me because I work in health care, in pediatrics.  This is where breast feeding support should start for many mothers.  If the hospital doesn't support its employees in this ongoing relationship, then how is the rest of corporate America supposed to follow suit?  Don't they know that it has been proven to be beneficial to support breast feeding mothers as they are less likely to call in sick for work since their baby is less likely to be sick?

Trust me, when I wasn't able to keep up with pumping at work I was devastated.  I did NOT want to buy formula.  Before I ever had children I worked as a Registered Nurse in a children's hospital.  Oftentimes parents would leave their tiny little sick babies in the hospital for days to be cared for by the staff. Personally something I would NEVER do, but that's a whole other post.  Obviously if they are left for days at a time these babies were maintained on a diet of baby formula.  I can remember shaking up the bottles, cracking them open, and catching a whiff of the stuff.  *gag*  I can seriously almost puke just thinking about it.  How did babies eat this stuff?  Was this why babies spit up so much?  When I had Jack and started breast feeding I realized breast milk does not have an odor.  Jack never spit up like I had seen other babies do so often.  Formula is a chemical compound.  What is in it?  Why would anyone want to feed it to their baby unless they had no other choice? Isn't it ironic that so many babies today are on medications for reflux?  It seems like every kid I see has reflux and is prescribed medication.  Coincidence?  I think not.

After having to give up breast feeding it really burned me when other moms (some acquaintances and others parents of patients at work) had babies and chose not to breast feed because they didn't feel like it.  What REALLY burned me was when these particular people could not afford formula and so instead signed up for W.I.C. so they could get it for free.  Seriously?  Talk about a waste of money.  I think that if you are on medicaid, food stamps, W.I.C., or any other government assistance then you should A) probably not have a kid because obviously you are not financially stable to support it and B) if you do happen to get pregnant you should have to breast feed your child unless you have a proven medical reason and a note from a doctor.  If I have to work to pay for your child's formula because you just don't feel like making the effort to bond with your child and breast feed then we have a problem.

To top it off these parents are the same ones who will make a full 12 oz bottle for a 2 week old baby, feed them 2-3 oz at a time, store the bottle in a diaper bag and lug it around with them in their car when it is 100 degrees outside. They will proceed to re-feed the newborn that same bottle that already has been contaminated with germs from their mouth and has been sitting in the heat.  Can you imagine how much bacteria has managed to multiply in that bottle?  I also see bottles that are not properly washed (if they even wash them at all) and they have mold growing in the nipples and in the bottom of the bottle.  THESE PEOPLE FEED THEIR KIDS OUT OF THESE DISGUSTING BOTTLES!!!!!  I don't know if they are just too lazy to wash them and sterilize them properly, or if they are just literally stupid and don't know any better.  At least if they breast fed they would eliminate the need for bottles altogether.

So this leads into my next rant.  The Time magazine cover really pisses me off because they are basically alienating society from breast feeding during a time when it is crucial to promote the topic.  They are turning it into something weird and cold and almost sexual. The cover features a young woman with her shirt pulled down and her breast just hanging out while her 3 year old child stands on a chair with her breast in his mouth. Okay, hold up.  I seriously doubt this is how they "breast feed" at home. It is not practical. This particular photo is gross to me.

I personally would not wish to breast feed my children into their teenage years like some people, but that is my choice.  I base it on the fact that there is not a necessity from a nutritional standpoint after the first year. Biologically a babies mouth is no longer required to suck in order to get food.  Toddlers have teeth to chew their food with. They are able to hold a cup and drink. I don't know, it just seems logical in my mind that these developmental milestones happen for a reason. I don't mind people who nurse past a year, but I believe that it is a personal family choice.  That being said, I'm sure that even those of you who are still breast feeding well past 1-2 years old are somewhat offended by the magazine cover as well since it obviously isn't portraying the topic in a positive light.

If you are going to highlight breast feeding on the cover of a magazine, do so in an appropriate way that actually exemplifies what breast feeding is about. For whatever reason our society is already warped causing people to freak out when a woman breast feeds her baby in public.  There would have been enough controversy caused if it was a picture of a regular mom feeding her less than 1 year old baby. I'm an advocate for breast feeding and the picture even freaked me out. I can't imagine breast feeding Jack. As far as attachment parenting, I think there are good points and bad points.  Most parents need to research a few different parenting methods and then pick and choose things from each that fit their lifestyle and comfort level.  I haven't read the article yet, but I have already seen reference to Dr. Sears so I'm sure it is entails bashing different theories of his such as co-sleeping and baby-wearing.  This is just going to further the alienation of breast feeding moms, because not all moms who breast feed their kids practice all of his theories.

Whether people choose to breast feed or not is something they have to live with.  If you look at the subject from a purely medical/healthy lifestyle point of view, the benefits of breast feeding until 12 months old significantly outweigh the risks involved with the alternative use of formula. There must be a significant link in the number of babies who are formula fed and the critical rise in childhood obesity--and subsequently the rise in juvenile diabetes, high cholesterol, and pediatric hypertension/cardiovascular disease.  Working in pediatrics I see kids with high blood pressures all the time.  I see 200-250 pound 12 year olds. It is sad. I just took my 3 year old to his well child visit and the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends checking a blood pressure and cholesterol level starting at the age of 2 years old. Seriously?  That is ridiculous. It is sad that a 2 year old could potentially have high cholesterol.

I would like to end on a positive note. I know some of my opinions are harsh, but it is probably just because I am so jaded after seeing some of the parents out there. It is really frustrating when you see children who are grossly obese because their parents don't care enough about them to make the right choices. I see them shoving a bottle in a babies mouth every time they cry in order to "shut them up." I see parents feeding their overweight kid with juvenile diabetes and a blood sugar of 450 a soda because "I don't want to deal with them."

Obtained from Google.com

Obtained from Google.com

Breast feeding is something that takes effort.  It is a job. A sacrifice. It is also a magical thing that bonds you to your baby. As a mother you are happy that you can provide for your child. I just get sad when I see parents who wouldn't do anything for their kids. I know breast feeding might not be for everyone, but if we could just support the ones who are willing to make the sacrifice, the world just might be a better place.