A letter to the World Heath Organisation
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to ask what (if any) promotion of breastfeeding is directed at
the medical profession.
Whereas in my experience midwives and health visitors have been excellent at
supporting and encouraging my choice to breastfeed, my experience (and that
of others) has been very different when in contact with doctors.
I tore badly when delivering my second child, and as a result had a
consultant check-up at 6 weeks post-partum. At this point she was horrified
to hear that I had not yet recommenced menstruating, and was surprised to
hear that I was breastfeeding.
When my daughter was 15 months old I developed mastitis. Both the emergency
GP I saw initially, and my own GP who followed up, put considerable pressure
on me to stop breastfeeding at that point.
A friend also developed mastitis when her daughter was over one. It was
suggested by her GP that she was still breastfeeding “for kicks”.
Another friend has been accused of “over-breastfeeding” by a consultant – her baby is 7 months old.
These negative attitudes do considerable damage. Although we are all
sufficiently convinced that we are taking/took sensible courses of action to
maintain our breastfeeding until we are/were ready to stop, it is very
undermining to have medical professionals directly contradicting WHO advice.
Clearly there may be situations where the hazards of breastfeeding outweigh
the benefits, in which case it may be appropriate for alternative feeding
methods to be used. However it is not acceptable for mothers to be made to
feel that they are behaving wrongly in following WHO guidelines.
Can anything be done to educate such doctors?
Thank you,
Anne Pettigrew
OK – Mary’s already given me a couple of tales of the idiocy of others when it comes to b/feeding – go on, add any others you may have to the comments…
seven comments:
Menstruating at 6 weeks!? I felt gypped that I started at 3 months after my second one, and with my first got about 9 months off! You’re right, the stupidest comment I’ve had (and since Elaine is 6, it has been a while) was from a med student, who thought that since I was still bf-ing at age two, the child wasn’t eating solid foods. And this was a fellow in school, who should have been learning the up-to-date stuff!Mary de B () (link) - 27 April '06 - 10:20
Good letter Anne ~ hugs honey xxxDenise () - 27 April '06 - 10:43
Fab letter! Will be interesting to see what attitudes are like when I have a sprog (long time in the future!). Did you see the news item recently about weight charts being re-worked out for breast-fed babies? Currently they use bottle-fed charts, which makes it look like breast-fed babies aren’t gaining weight fast enough!Daisy () (link) - 27 April '06 - 10:51
Whole-hearted support for you letter from this end!Big Ruth () - 27 April '06 - 18:14
It makes me sick to read tales like this. I live in a very breastfeeding-friendly country, but nevertheless have similar stories to share. Breastfeeding is such a wonderful gift – you have my full support -. It’s madness that a mother should have to defend her choice to breastfeed – it’s the most natural thing in the world.Marie () (link) - 27 April '06 - 20:08
I should introduce myself before I comment, as you don’t me. I am Ruth’s friend Louise and I occasionally peek at your blog. It’s a lovely one! I breastfed all four of my children, infact, I fell pregnant whilst still feeding. Twice. I support your letter wholeheartedly!Gemini () (link) - 28 April '06 - 21:16
Here in the U.S., it is just the opposite! You are treated terribly if you don’t breast feed your baby. I wasn’t able to breast feed because I was on some pretty harsh meds for blood clots during my pregnancy. I was treated like a child abuser because I was bottle feeding! I think just like anything else a woman should have the choice to breast feed or bottle feed and not be treated badly for her choice. Why when it comes to raising our children does everyone think they get a vote in the matter?Kate () (link) - 30 April '06 - 19:34
