The topic I chose to explore was breastfeeding. This topic never seemed like a controversial one until I had my own child and I realized how important it really was for both the mother and the child. Before I had my daughter, I felt it did not matter; that formula and breast milk were one in the same, just a different source. I was very mistaken that is for sure! After doing much research, I found how much they really differ. It was because of these differences that I chose to breastfeed my daughter. However, I did have to cut the breastfeeding time short because of the lack of family policy in this country. Because I was only allowed three months off, I could only nurse for those three months. I did try to pump, however, it was extremely difficult with the type of job I had at the time. I was with children for much of my day and it was almost near impossible to find time to pump, let alone find a private place in the school to do so. Even if this was not the case, physiologically, pumping was difficult for me. I could not seem to pump enough milk to nourish my daughter while I was away and nurse her when I returned home from work. I just was not producing milk quickly enough. It was extremely frustrating and certainly not ideal for me and my daughter.
It was very interesting to research this topic! To my surprise, breastfeeding in the U.S. is actually on the rise, which is great to hear. A very interesting statistic from the CDC stated that breastfeeding rates among higher income families were higher than among lower income families. This could be due to a lack of education on breastfeeding importance; however, wouldn’t it make more sense for lower income families to breastfeed. Formula is EXPENSIVE!
One difference I found between breastfeeding in the U.S. and in other countries is the acceptance level. It seems as though breastfeeding is often frowned upon in public in many areas of the U.S., where many other countries are comfortable with it and expect it from mother’s. Formula was originally used for mother’s to use when it was not medically possible to nurse. There is a higher percentage of people in the U.S. who go right to formula, as opposed to other countries and I believe that over time, this trend has made people in this country uncomfortable with breastfeeding.
I agree, seems like breastfeeding would be appealing to low income families. But as long as the formula is provided free through programs like WIC, this will continue. Another perspective is that low income workers often employed by fast food chains etc. have fluctuating work schedules and do not have the same benefits as someone employed in white collar positions.
ReplyDeleteMelanie,
ReplyDeleteI chose breastfeeding as my blog topic as well. It was very interesting to learn how breastfeeding is expected of mothers. There is no shame regarding women breast in public and in most countries women were not required to cover up. However here in the U.S. mothers must be very discreet. I was happy to read in my research how the World Health Organization is promotely breastfeeding up to six months. I had a similar situation with my children that I nursed for a limited time due to work. Thanks for sharing.
Vanessa B.