I just started volunteering at the Crisis Pregnancy Center. Very few of the moms breastfeed or even try to breastfeed (they get free formula.) Anyway, I know many of them just are not educated about breastfeeding.

My concern teaching this is that the class consists of pregnant and postpartum moms up to 6-8 weeks. I want to share all the benefits of breastfeeding, but I also do not want to make a new emotional mom guilty for not breastfeeding.

Any suggestions?

Well, I've talked to several new mom's at my church.. just asking if they were still BF? and they would tell me no, b/c it was an inconvienience once they started to work again.. and some would add that other than working again they would say that they just didn't have enough breastmilk..

I had a whole response all typed out and realized that it was way too emotional. I just can't do this subject without getting upset. :blush

It shouldn't be about guilt, it should be about making sure parents have true informed consent. If guilt comes into play once you know all the benefits of something and you don't choose to at least try it...perhaps the guilt is doing its' job.
(Ohh, she did NOT just say that!)
Now if a mom tries and can't; whether it is b/c the media and Corporte world have miseducated her or she doesn't have adequate support or she is one of the rare that truely can't...at that point, I sincerely offer my love and support of her decision. I would do what I could to minimize any feelings of failure she might have.

Ugg, I didn't answer your question at all did I. :doh

Louisiana has some low breastfeeding rates. 50% of moms "try" or say in the hospital they want to breastfeed. Only 20% are breastfeeding at 6 months and only 8% make it to a year.

I find this sad. I am going to teach, I don't feel badly about those that make the decision to use formula, I just feel bad about the brand new moms sitting there with a bottle in their newborns mouth. It's still not going to stop me, but I still feel badly. There isn't much breastfeeding education at all here, so we have to start somewhere.

Good for you! I know what you mean. Down here in Baton Rouge it isn't much better. Moms just don't have access to the info. and support groups are few and far between. Most of the breastfeeding moms I know are from another state! Best Wishes on an important endeavor!

I think what I would do is say upfront at the beginning of class "I know that some of the mothers here have chosen to formula feed, and this class is not intended to judge their choices. BUT the choice to breastfeed definitely takes some education and support so I am going to try and help all of you understand how and why breastfeeding is so important."

Also I often liken breastfeeding to cooking. Imagine if we had NEVER seen someone cook anything in person. We never saw someone use the stove or crack an egg. We would be horrible cooks!! And we would think cooking is SO HARD! Well breastfeeding is somewhat like this in that it is a learned skill that we learn from one another. Since most of us have not grown up watching women breastfeed, it can be a bit awkward at first. But it is extremely rewarding.

I can not post on this subject either, as it makes me very upset. Only for opposite reasons. I bottle fed both my kids, by choice. A decision that I made. I would hate to think any one would waste their precious time being sad that I made that choice. It was the choice that was emotionally right for me, and my family and ultimately my baby. A happy mom is a happy kid. A few people made comments..and I didn't feel feel guilty, I just pretty much said, " its not your problem why do you feel its your right to comment" This was to the ministors wife of the church I went to at the time. Needless to say her judgemental comments turned me off religion and I have not stepped foot in a church for 16 years!! ( but thats way off topic)

I believe in meeting woman where they are at, that is my goal as their doula. I give them all the info, what is best etc etc. But not all women are there. For whatever reason. Breatfeeding brings up a ton of emotional issues that some women just can not deal with at this point in their lives. I know from my own personal experience.

I also work for the health unit. I run a successful mothers support program. I work with lots of young moms who struggle with all kinds of issues.

I think whenever we teach anyone anything we need to do it with compassion and understanding. I don't believe in teaching using guilt, fear or scare tactics. Until we live in the shoes of someone else, all we can do is provide them with lots of information, lots of support and understanding. The understanding is the hard part. i work with moms with kids who have been in foster care, have FAS, and all kinds of crazy things. I am learning to let my judgements go, and focus on teaching with compassion, and where she is at now in her life, not where I would like to see her.

But that is all just my 2 cents on how I feel and how I teach. I deal with more than just women who don't want to breastfeed though... I have moms who drink, smoke, live with people involved in drugs.

Michele

I just reread your post..and realised mine is way off topic! But i will leave it anyway, becasue that is still how I teach. Plus there is the old saying ' you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink".

I think what I would do is say upfront at the beginning of class "I know that some of the mothers here have chosen to formula feed, and this class is not intended to judge their choices. BUT the choice to breastfeed definitely takes some education and support so I am going to try and help all of you understand how and why breastfeeding is so important."

Also I often liken breastfeeding to cooking. Imagine if we had NEVER seen someone cook anything in person. We never saw someone use the stove or crack an egg. We would be horrible cooks!! And we would think cooking is SO HARD! Well breastfeeding is somewhat like this in that it is a learned skill that we learn from one another. Since most of us have not grown up watching women breastfeed, it can be a bit awkward at first. But it is extremely rewarding.

:yeahthat I love this response!!!

Let us know how it goes. And to encourage you, in Sacramento we had very low bf rates 10 years ago. Now 84% of new moms leave the hospital bf!!!

This is kind of what I was thinking too. Like a pre-class disclaimer. I know breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding is a personal decision and I don't want to guilt anyone into breastfeeding, but I also think the public needs to know more about breastfeeding. If they don't know how or why, they won't do it.

I have met moms who once they've been around other breastfeeding moms have felt guilty about not breastfeeding, and that is something I want to avoid, if possible.

It's not good vs. bad, it's making the best choice for you and your baby, and sometimes that is bottle feeding.

I wouldn't worry too much about the guilt thing. I mean you can't MAKE someone feel guilty. Like Michele said, bottlefeeding was her personal choice, period. There is nothing to feel guilty about if you are making a conscious decision. However, I think many women feel that guilt because somewhere in their hearts they really would have liked to, and once they learn a little more about breastfeeding they realize maybe they could have done it.

This is why education is so important, because if you don't have the knowledge to begin with, then you really DON'T have much of a choice. You just do whatever you can.

I think I am reading your post correctly when I say the actual class will have both pregnant and new moms? Is there any way you can separate them for this part of the discussion. I get exactly what you mean about giving the pregnant moms information without seeming judgemental of the ladies that have already given birth and made the decisions you will be discussin.

If you cannot separate them maybe when you talk about the benefits of breastfeeding you could mention to bottle feeding moms how to most closely mimic these things. Like holding babies close when feeding them and not proping bottles etc. Maybe some of the stuff they hear in your class might influence them to try breasfeeding future children...

Yes, Christy, there are pregnant and brand new moms with babies up to 6-8 weeks. I haven't picked a week to teach breasfeeding yet, I'm not quite prepared.

Everyweek there are totally different women there, so it's hard to plan. What I want to do is focus on the how and why's of breastfeeding. I am not going to go into negatives of bottle feeding.

If they weren't such brand new moms, I wouldn't really feel so concerned about the emotional aspect. I feel pretty good about preparing a little disclaimer to support any bottle feeders and move on to the topic. I think it will be good for the whole group to learn some things about breastfeeding anyway.

Not a month goes by here without someone getting kicked out from somewhere for breastfeeding (NIP) I'm not talking whipping it out either, discreetly nursing. One mom got asked to leave the maternity waiting room:omy !

What?! That's just insane!!! That's like the time the Mother's of Multiples club president called me to tell me I wasn't nursing my twins discretely enough. Now, how the hell can you have like 36GG boobs and nurse 2 babies at the same time discretely? Ahhhhh!!!

Forget about the guilt. Teach them what no one has ever bothered to teach them.
If they chose not to BF this time maybe they will remember you and consider it next time.

Don't waste too much time teaching the problems of breastfeeding. Just make sure they know whats normal and were to get help if they need it. You and lots of other resourses.

Do teach the benefits of breastfeed, especially for high risk communities.

Teach the moms how much FUN it is and how it makes them FEEL GOOD. And that its EASY. And how it sucks the fat right off your thighs!

I learned so much by listening to a Lamaze Conference tape and through my training. You can look them up online at lamaze.org

What?! That's just insane!!! That's like the time the Mother's of Multiples club president called me to tell me I wasn't nursing my twins discretely enough. Now, how the hell can you have like 36GG boobs and nurse 2 babies at the same time discretely? Ahhhhh!!!


:rofl :rofl

Forget about the guilt. Teach them what no one has ever bothered to teach them.
If they chose not to BF this time maybe they will remember you and consider it next time.

Don't waste too much time teaching the problems of breastfeeding. Just make sure they know whats normal and were to get help if they need it. You and lots of other resourses.

Do teach the benefits of breastfeed, especially for high risk communities.

Teach the moms how much FUN it is and how it makes them FEEL GOOD. And that its EASY. And how it sucks the fat right off your thighs!

I learned so much by listening to a Lamaze Conference tape and through my training. You can look them up online at lamaze.org

Anne (capandcradle) who works with mostly teen and low income moms, has said this before as well. You should focus a lot on the benefits for the mom even more than the benefits for baby. They will respond more to the idea of breastfeeding helping them to get back into shape and the like more than the fact that baby will be more healthy.

[QUOTE=mothermedoula]Forget about the guilt. Teach them what no one has ever bothered to teach them.
If they chose not to BF this time maybe they will remember you and consider it next time.

Don't waste too much time teaching the problems of breastfeeding. Just make sure they know whats normal and were to get help if they need it. You and lots of other resourses.

Do teach the benefits of breastfeed, especially for high risk communities.

Teach the moms how much FUN it is and how it makes them FEEL GOOD. And that its EASY. And how it sucks the fat right off your thighs!

[QUOTE]

Thank you for saying so consisely what I was too emotional to say. :notworthy