Learning About The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
Kimberly Hancock
Redford Township MI USA
Report from 2001 LLLI Conference
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 18 No. 5, September-October 2001, p. 171
At La Leche League's 17th
lnternational Conference, I was able to celebrate my journey through
nursing motherhood and mark my graduation from a long period of doubt
into joy and fulfillment in my nursing relationship with my nine-month-old
son, Erik. My guidebook for that journey has been THE WOMANLY ART OF
BREASTFEEDING.
For me, the highlight of
the Conference was meeting the women who founded La Leche League International
and wrote THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING. I had them sign my memory-filled
copy and was eager to tell each one of them that La Leche League means
a great deal to me. My own shyness and the many women in line behind
me clutching their own treasured copies of THE WOMANLY ART didn't allow
me to elaborate.
During my teenage and college
years, I worked at a bookstore where THE WOMANLY ART OF BRFASTFFFDING
was sold. In My six years working there I became quite familiar with
the cover of the 1991 edition.
Occasionally, I would ring
one up for a glowing pregnant woman. Sometimes a harried new mother
with a crying baby in her arms would ask me in a desperate voice if
we carried the book.
Once or twice, while I dusted
or stocked shelves, I curiously flipped through its pages, pausing at
the pictures. I was certain that I would never be familiar with the
mysteries contained within that book. I had never so much as seen my
mother's breasts and I had certainly never seen a baby being fed this
way.
When I became pregnant 10
years later, I read everything I could get my hands on about pregnancy,
birth, and childcare. All of the books agreed: human milk is best. I
went in search of the paperback whose strange author, La Leche League,
I couldn't yet pronounce and became the owner of the 40th anniversary
edition of THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING. I read most of it during
my pregnancy, and I credit this preparation for the ease with which
Erik and I began breastfeeding.
I was sure to breastfeed
minutes after birth and to be conscious about good positioning and latch-on.
I am convinced that this good start is what has made breastfeeding free
of physical discomfort or "mechanical" problems for me and
my baby.
Still, I treated THE WOMANLY
ART as one book among many in my parenting library. I had no idea how
much I would eventually profit from my $15.95 investment.
Breastfeeding has been challenging
for me emotionally. I'd never known a woman who breastfed, and some
of the women closest to me attack my decision. I have heard everything
from, "He's not getting enough to eat" when my son was a few
days old to "He's too old for that" just a few weeks ago.
Since I had no friend or
relative to model my behavior after, I clung to the advice in THE WOMANLY
ART. I remember how reassuring it was to read paragraphs aloud to my
husband during the sleepless nights of continual nursing.
For months, I kept the book
right next to my favorite nursing chair for easy reference. Its advice
was invaluable when it was time to start solids or create a family bed,
vital when I needed to have emergency surgery that kept me away from
Erik for almost two days, and then when he started trying out his new
teeth while nursing. One by one, all of the other parenting books I
had purchased during my pregnancy fell by the wayside.
The absence of real-life
models often depressed me and made me wonder sometimes if breastfeeding
really was to blame for Erik's nightwaking, his fussiness during the
day, and my messy house.
It was lack of emotional
support that led me to go beyond what THE WOMANLY ART offers in print
by attending my local La Leche League meetings, beginning six months
ago. There I met experienced mothers of toddlers as well as mothers
even less experienced than I was. Most of them had the same difficulties
I had with burnout or family criticism. Some of them had problems I
feel lucky not to have experienced such as mastitis or an unsupportive
husband. One mother had successfully breastfed her son for two years
after having a single mastectomy. Their heartfelt stories, familiar
complaints, and useful advice inspired me to keep nursing.
So many women, like myself,
inherit a legacy from families and culture that isn't conducive to breastfeeding.
For them to breastfeed successfully takes determination and a strong
source of support.
Reading LLL publications,
attending Group meetings, and attending Area and International Conferences
have given me the information and emotional support I need to mother
my son through breastfeeding.
Thanks to La Leche League,
I have been transformed from a young woman who was mystified by the
contents of the mysterious paperback, into a confident mother who recently
breastfed her baby on a crowded elevator at the Hilton Chicago with
a new copy of MOTHERING YOUR NURSING TODDLER tucked inside her purse.
Last updated Friday, October 27, 2006 by njb.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:29:26 UTC 2007.
