...if you've ever had the desire to know everything there is to know about breastfeeding.
The Politics of Breastfeeding
It was out of print for a while, I got a copy on half.com. I read passages from it for a class last semester, but decided to do my final research paper on the relationship between breastfeeding and feminism so I bought my own copy. It is awe-inspiring. You will never want to buy Nestle products again. You will want to bust out your breasts (no pun intended) and feed your child in public as backlash against all of the cultural norms telling you how wrong it is to expose your "sexual" parts in public. I love the quote that jeans commercials show more breast than a woman feeding her child, but that's perfectly acceptable. You'll want to shun all that is wrong and backward in the world (regarding the hindrances to breastfeeding).
Did you know that last year 4 million babies died as a result of not being breastfed? (UNICEF). Did you know that formula companies went to developing nations, dressed as nurses, handed out samples, convinced poor women that they needed to bottlefeed because it was healthy and "Western", and then millions of babies died as mothers scrounged for formula and diluted what they found in an effort to keep their babies alive when their milk dried up? Did you know in most cultures breasts aren't even sexual, and some men just see them as baby bottles hanging off a woman's chest?
I did not know that the reason hospitals are designed with the babies on one end and the mothers on the other end was because formula companies donated money to some hospitals during building and convinced the architects that this was the ideal set-up. Although, many hospitals are getting more progressive (or is it regressive since technically it's the way it was always done before the multinational corporations stepped in...) with rooming-in and early initiation of breastfeeding.
My next book on the list is Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care. I hear it's a good one from many friends. I learned the other day that childbirth accounts for 66% of hospital revenue every year. And it's not even a disease. And most of the interventions are completely unnecessary. Elective c-sections? Pitocin because you are a day overdue? 95% epidural rate? I was watching this clip the other day from a new movie coming out, and it had this Swedish woman birthing at home (I think like 60% of women birth at home there) and she was like "painkillers? for childbirth? silly Americans..." And laying flat on the back?? A bunch of male OB/GYNs decided in the 1900s that the lithotomy position was ideal for birthing children, though you have gravity working against you, thus longer labor and more of a chance of tearing (bring out the knife for that episiotomy!).
* Before everyone jumps on me about individual circumstances, I am talking about a societal problem as a whole, not your personal experience with childbirth (though I do love learning about that as well). I'm saying these pervasive views regarding birthing and caring for children are not natural, and are very recent inventions of the past 50 years or so. Also, should we trust doctors so implicitly when it comes to our own bodies and their well-being when performing a very natural function? Dr. Hudson tells this great story about being forced to lie flat on her back, but just wanting to get up and squat during the labor of her first child. They let her get up, but forced her to squat ON THE BED. She said it was traumatic, and after that, every baby was born at home where she had complete control over the situation. And before you balk at the idea of having a baby away from a hospital, the statistics actually prove that home births have better outcomes (higher Apgar scores) than un-complicated hospital births, and as long as you are 15 minutes away from an equipped hospital, there is little risk of dying during the birth.
And if you were curious, yes, I plan on birthing my babies at home, barring any foreseen complications.
For further reading, I like these articles:
The NYT put out this last week. I think it's fairly unbiased.
And the Illegal Home birth story. This one cracks me up. I can imagine me being this person (what DO we do with the placenta?)
I love you for writing this. You are my hero and I hope to be able to do everything you said! Au natural, baby!
ReplyDeleteWhere's the anesthesiologist? I want my epidural!
ReplyDeletehaha i loved my epidural! lol anyway breast feeding is the way to go its SO MUCH CHEAPER! Gosh Jackie would nut nurse but i pumped its not that much more time out of your life so you should do it! But dont room in with your baby, just have them bring your baby to you when they need to eat because you need your rest after you have a baby! :) And our hopsiptal the nursery was in the middle and the rooms were all around :)
ReplyDeleteCaitlin I think if you want to deliver your babies at home naturally then go ahead. I agree with Lauren, I want to be drugged, and I did from the minute the really painful ones started. I know Grandma had nothing, but she had no choice! I do! I am too scared for the baby to deliver one at home with no doctor for him or her, but remember, Aidan was born not breathing. So for me, I think that is justified. Plus, I like laying there knowing that someone will bring me whatever I want and my insurance is paying for it! In my opinion, labor is a relaxing experience once your epidural kicks in and if it doesn`t wear off. I also think babies should be breastfed if it is possible, at least for the first four months. I know I have the legal right to nurse my baby where I please, and I will happily have the person who interferes fined. I refuse to pay for formula when I can nurse. But not everyone feels that way and that`s fine.
ReplyDeletePeople getting unnecessary C-sections and the like are why costs of health care and child birth in the hospital are so high. Yes, insurance pays for it, but you only see a fraction of the bill!
ReplyDeleteMy friend went into labor and I asked her why she had a c-section and she said "Oh I have no idea, my doctor told me that I had high blood pressure or something."
that just seems sketchy to me.
Home Births are awesome, but have a midwife! My sisters friend is a midwife and they are thinking of using her if and when they have kids. All so very exciting!
At my job we have a program called "first steps for mommy and me" and they encourage breast feeding since it forms such a strong bond between mom and baby. Even if it's only for the first 6 weeks or so. We have a bunch of cool articles on it around here by the professors I work with if you are looking for more sources!
Hooray for Breast feeding!