[mrzmeg]

I'm visiting my parents and have come across a book that belonged to my mom (who nursed me for 18 mths): 'Nursing your Baby' by Karen Pryor, 1973 edition. A quote from the book that seemed particularly poignant:

Quote:

Apathy. Incredible apathy. this is the attitude of the medical profession in America toward breastfeeding. Almost all doctors will give lip service to the idea that breastfeeding is the best way to feed a baby. yet in their own practice most of them continue to discourage or prevent women from breastfeeding. Obstretricians ignore the need to prepare inexperienced mothers. Pediatricians order their favorite formulas for every patient whether the mother wishes to breastfeed or not.

This struck me so strongly---it could easily have been written today. Thirty years of lactivism...and yet so little has been accomplished

 

[DaryLLL]

Now, now, drs may still suck (hehe!) but we do have more LLL and LCs doing the good work than ever before. We also have Mother Nature on our side. 70% of US women bf at birth, with 30% still bfing at 6 mos (2002). Huge change from 1973, drs not-withstanding.

main kellymom link:

http://www.kellymom.com/writings/bf-numbers.html#Sweden

comparison chart (bfing rates by year):

http://www.kellymom.com/writings/ross-data.html

interesting UK report on changes in bfing rates and mothers' knowledge abt bfing:

http://www.doh.gov.uk/pdfs/infantreport2000.pdf