Another circ derails breastfeeding... - Page 2

[baybee]

Here's another little gem to keep handy:


Circumcision Leads to Breastfeeding Complications

Need another reason to skip routine circumcision? For over twenty years, studies conducted by medical doctors and researchers have documented a connection between circumcision and breastfeeding complications. According to findings, the newly circumcised infant expresses noticeably decreased responses to a mother's attempts at engaging their attention. This "subdued" behavior has been linked by several researchers in separate studies to a subsequent struggle in the achievement of successful breastfeeding. Research has also demonstrated that following circumcision, infants suffer from "prolonged periods of non-REM sleep," a symptom that would further contribute to inactive and unreceptive tendencies.

Some of the infants observed in one study were supplemented with formula after circumcision—due either to frustration on the part of the mother from failed breastfeeding attempts or because doctors felt the infant was incapable of postoperative breastfeeding. Because infants usually leave the hospital seven to ten hours after the operation (many leave as early as three to six hours post-op) the long-term negative effects of circumcision on breastfeeding is more difficult to determine; however, "the observed deterioration in ability to breastfeed may potentially contribute to breastfeeding failure."

Despite the fact that "circumcision is a painful, stressful, exhausting, and traumatic experience for many infants," as many as 45% of doctors ignore the recommendation by medical authorities to use an anesthetic during the procedure. Because conclusive benefits of infant circumcision are not evident, there is no danger in refusing or delaying the procedure. The Work Group on Breastfeeding of the American Academy of Pediatrics officially discourages "stressful procedures" such as circumcision and promotes breastfeeding as "primary in achieving optimal infant and child health, growth, and development."

Source: Journal of Human Lactation 19(1), 2003.

[fruitful womb]

Originally Posted by savienu

Too bad she didn't have that kind of determination to protect her child from an unnecessary cosmetic procedure on her perfect newborn. :

I bet if she had the information we have, she wouldn't let this happen to him at all.

Oh and thank you for the link to the LLL site regarding the circumcision issue. It sucks their told they're not allowed to go into detail about it.

They should at least be required to say, "Circumcision isn't a medically necessary procedure and it will effect breastfeeding."
*Bolding is mine.

It would not be appropriate for the Leader to get into the pros and cons of an actual procedure because such a discussion is outside our roles as Leaders and can be construed as LLL endorsing or criticizing a particular medical choice or procedure. Instead, Leaders refer mothers to their health care provider who can explain the possible risks and benefits of the procedure as well as answer questions relating to recovery time, pain medications and so on. We need to keep our focus on what we do best-sharing information about breastfeeding. We do that all the time whether the surgery is a circumcision or tumor removal or broken clavicle (collarbone).

RANT: CIRCUMCISION ISN'T MEDICALLY NECESSARY, REMOVING A TUMOR IS!

On the bottom of that site, illustrates a dialog to equip leaders on how to handle those who might bring it up during the meeting. They can talk about how to recommend comfort to the hurting newborn after a circumcision but not allowed to discuss the complications circumcision poses on the breastfeeding relationship. Does that make sense? Or did I just completely take the entire thing out of context? Seems to me they're instructed to hush it up.

[savienu]

You're welcome. Yeah, I noticed that too. Once again it seems like people are allowed to give pro-circ information or information after the fact, but not anti-circ or information before the fact. Such UA violation.

[fruitful womb]

Originally Posted by savienu

It IS amazing, but I think that's a sign of how ingrained in our culture it is. I am the kind of person who researches EVERYTHING and I didn't give a second thought to circumcision at first, until I saw a thread about it on Livejournal. Granted, this was early in my pregnancy and I didn't know the gender yet, but the fact that I hadn't considered it at all as even something TO research before that point scares me, because I researched everything else. I thank God everyday that I saw that thread, or I don't know how things may have ended up for my son. :

I saw a thread late in my pregnancy (I really can't remember when) one post completely turned me off and I didn't revisit the issue until after the fact and when a dear friend who slowly conditioned me until I became rabid against it, and still am.

This one post was about a mother ranting against those who were too STUPID to do the research (implying to me) and she HATED absolutely HATED moms who allowed this to happened to their ds (I think this was after I had my ds1 because I felt she was referring to me). She used evil hatred words in her post like the words kill and all! It scared the hell out of me. Thank GOD that my friend who was lucky to save her first ds from this atrocity didn't give up on me. She saw that I knew there was something completely wrong about circ. she also saw that I was still trying to talk my dh out of not allowing this to happen to any of our future ds's. It took a good TWO years to get dh to see the light. And that long to build a back bone on a poor pathetic, NO confidence ME! I know I'm not alone. I'm rabbid about breastfeeding too and I got to convert a mirror image of who I once was and she is going on her 3rd yr bf her dd.

okay, I know - waaay OT.

Back to the regular program.

savienu, I'm so happy for you that you were lead down the right path. That is something to always rejoice about!

[cravenab00]

one of our LLL leaders told a bunch of people at one meeting "if you wait until baby is a week old, circumcision wont affect breastfeeding"

i havent been back since.

[savienu]

Originally Posted by cravenab00

one of our LLL leaders told a bunch of people at one meeting "if you wait until baby is a week old, circumcision wont affect breastfeeding"

i havent been back since.

:

[phatchristy]

Originally Posted by cravenab00

one of our LLL leaders told a bunch of people at one meeting "if you wait until baby is a week old, circumcision wont affect breastfeeding"

i havent been back since.

One of the leaders in the group I attend also stated this sort of thing at one point. It was REALLY obvious where she stood on it. We'd all seen her change her son actually, and she'd let him run around naked.

The thing that distubs me is that I know for a fact that one mom took what she stated as a statement from ALL la leche league. In fact, she said to me after admitting to me she'd had her son cut even amid the "controversy" was that she thought because "so and so had her son cut that ALL la leche leaders did that." Of course, I was SHOCKED. What sort of excuse is that to have it done to your child? That leader allowed her son to be cut because of her husband's jewish heritage. Incidentally every other leader has intact sons in that group, which I informed her of. There are something like 5 others. I don't even know if I know another LLL leader who has cut sons...: everytime I've brought up circ with the ones I know who were preggo with boys they all said they weren't circ'ing and agreed with me completely!

She was honestly really taken aback from our conversation. We got into the conversation because she'd found out that I kept our son intact--a fact that I was proud to tell her at the time, never even imagining that she'd had her son cut. She was so shocked because she considered me to be such an intelligent and well researched person...the fact that I made that choice and she respected my decisions and agreed with my parenting practices...it really shook her to the core.

She's all done having children. I wish that I had known what I did back then (her son was born several years before), I didn't. I wasn't the intactavist as I am today. I think what I experienced in that friendship let me never assume that anyone in a natural parenting circle *knew better* again.

[sophiekat]

Originally Posted by phatchristy

You're right, but it's it amazing how many women can research everything about childbirth, pregnancy, breastfeeding etc. but not circ? :

I think some women are more focused on what is going to happen "to them" rather than the baby.

Does that make sense, I hate to generalize, but I think not all pregnant women treat that baby as some "precious soul" that they were entrusted with to guard and protect and do the best for.

I always used to think that other parents wanted "the best" for their children...but honestly, it seems like my parents and the parents who I know that are like this are more like rare jewels. We're old fashioned it seems...sometimes I feel like I am motherhood returning to normal, where it should be. What these people do out there these days...it's just some wacky trend.

bolding mine -- i think that's the crux. on a mainstream board i'm on women will rant for pages about how terrible their episiotomies were but will then defend having their babies cut. :

[baybee]

Marion Thompson, one of the founding mothers of LLL, is an outspoken intactivist.

[veganf]

Originally Posted by philomom

I ran a new mother's support group for seven years when I lived in Atlanta. The majority of the mothers who "failed" at breastfeeding had boys (in a high circ area). It was so incredibly sad.

That's so interesting. Now that I think of it, in my group of mainstream friends, all of them had trouble breastfeeding their boys and gave up within the first week (and they all circ'd), whereas they breastfed their girls for most of the first year.
Whereas my boys had no trouble at all...gee, I wonder why??

[MamaRabbit]

Originally Posted by phatchristy

You're right, but it's it amazing how many women can research everything about childbirth, pregnancy, breastfeeding etc. but not circ? :

I think some women are more focused on what is going to happen "to them" rather than the baby.

Does that make sense, I hate to generalize, but I think not all pregnant women treat that baby as some "precious soul" that they were entrusted with to guard and protect and do the best for.

Why no circ research? If all a mom is going to read is mainstream pregnancy books, circ isn't even mentioned or is mentioned as assumed it will be done. I never ran across anything against circ until after my DS was born and already circed. I'd research a lot of other things but never circ because I'd never heard otherwise. Make sense?

And yes, for the most part, more worried about what's happening to the mom rather than baby. When I was expecting my twins, I told some people that the reason we did UC for them was because I didn't want to start off life for them recovering with a c-section. But what wasn't understood was they the babies would have to recover from a c-section too, in addition to me. Not an angle that most people get.

[serendipity22]

I told some people that the reason we did UC for them was because I didn't want to start off life for them recovering with a c-section.

Whats UC?

[MamaRabbit]

unassisted childbirth