What’s a Mother to Do?
Re “When Mother’s Milk Is Just Not Good Enough,” Opinion, June 26: I feel compelled to correct Charlotte Allen with a little lesson on basic physiology.
When the pancreas is just not good enough, people use insulin. It saves their lives. So, they don’t die of what amounts to starvation, as their bodies can then use the calories that their cells need to live. Insulin, to diabetics, is a lifesaving blessing, but it’s far from perfect. The effects of this inferior replacement of a functioning human organ manifest themselves in a number of pathologies. No one would seek an artificial pancreas secretion substitute for mere convenience, economic considerations or by choice.
Formula can also be a lifesaving blessing for babies denied access to breast milk. But the breast is also a functioning, complex human organ, which medical science is only beginning to understand. The costs over a lifetime of inappropriate mammary secretion substitutes are as far-reaching as any of the other acts of hubris in which my profession has been shamefully involved. We are seeing them now in epidemic proportions, including obesity, diabetes, breast cancer -- the ever-escalating health concerns of the developed world, and all related to a lack of breastfeeding.
Maybe these medical facts are going to make some women feel guilty -- and I feel sad about that. I’d much rather they felt angry at people who have no business writing articles when they are ignorant of physiology, and who perpetuate the many ways our culture is unhelpful in its support of breastfeeding. Our children are paying the price.
Alison Barrett MD
Hamilton, New Zealand
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When I was having difficulties nursing my first daughter, my La Leche League leader spent several hours helping me to learn to breastfeed. Thanks to her kind and generous support, I was able to achieve my goal. I began to attend league meetings, where I found support and information to help me through many mothering challenges.
And when I decided to wean, I got support and information for that too. All of this is available to any mother free of charge.
Allen does mothers and babies a disservice when she implies that La Leche League is “militant.” The league is an all-volunteer organization that supports breastfeeding by offering mother-to-mother support. Mothers are encouraged to educate and empower themselves to make the best choices for their families. How is that militant?
Talitha Sherman
Gardena
