I was fortunate enough to exclusively nurse for my daughters first 6 months and she now eats a very balanced diet and is still nursing (15 mo.) BUT I have many friends who sincerely wanted to nurse but lacked support and weren't getting good information. I know two women who were told by 2 different doctors to stop nursing because they weren't producing enough! They weren't told to supplement with formula, that eating hydrogenated oils lowers your milkfat content and can diminish your milk supply, or that eating often (especially greens/veggies) is necessary. They were just told to stop trying! Another problem I see is that so many mommas are too worried about losing baby weight to eat the extra calories necessary for nursing. This just shouldn't be. You WILL lose more weight and be a healthier momma of a healthier baby if you can breastfeed successfully. Not all women can. I understand that. But as women, we need to stop focusing on things like weight and the nasty glances this article talks about and encourage each other toward better health.
We need to make sure that women are getting the info they need. We don't necessarily learn - like past generations - from our own mothers because many of our moms didn't nurse. Women must be encouraged and supported to succeed in nursing.
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I was fortunate enough to exclusively nurse for my daughters first 6 months and she now eats a very balanced diet and is still nursing (15 mo.) BUT I have many friends who sincerely wanted to nurse but lacked support and weren't getting good information. I know two women who were told by 2 different doctors to stop nursing because they weren't producing enough! They weren't told to supplement with formula, that eating hydrogenated oils lowers your milkfat content and can diminish your milk supply, or that eating often (especially greens/veggies) is necessary. They were just told to stop trying! Another problem I see is that so many mommas are too worried about losing baby weight to eat the extra calories necessary for nursing. This just shouldn't be. You WILL lose more weight and be a healthier momma of a healthier baby if you can breastfeed successfully. Not all women can. I understand that. But as women, we need to stop focusing on things like weight and the nasty glances this article talks about and encourage each other toward better health.
We need to make sure that women are getting the info they need. We don't necessarily learn - like past generations - from our own mothers because many of our moms didn't nurse. Women must be encouraged and supported to succeed in nursing.
August 30, 2011 - 7:36amThis Comment
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