Set up to Fail?

Here's a refreshing bit of news.  There's an organization called Best for Babes that strives to  promote breastfeeding but not at the cost of guilting new moms who decide it doesn't work for them.  Rather than excoriating mothers for not breastfeeding, this organization is seeking to reveal the "booby traps" inherent in our healthcare system that prevent the kind of support new moms need in order to breastfeed successfully.  In other words, they're going to the root cause of the problem.  if you think you've heard it before, you have.  I've blogged about it on these pages several times before.  But I don't have a pre-conceived notion as to what you, as a new mom, should or shouldn't do.  It doesn't matter to me.  Having the right to choose what's best for your family without being made to feel bad one way or another is what's important.

What's refreshing is that this organization, which is run by two seemingly very smart women who both breastfed, is tackling the real issue: our healthcare system. They quote a woman named Melissa Bartick who's a doctor and chair of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition, and also a member of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. According to Bartick, "Physicians aren't always trained in lactation management or may not refer mothers to lactation specialists--who are frequently not covered by health insurance."

The government needs to put its money where its mouth is.  If it wants breastfeeding rates to increase several things need to happen:

1) Let's mandate paid maternity leaves

2) Let's lengthen paid maternity leaves like thay have in Europe

3) Let's make sure inrance companies cover the cost of lactation consulants

4) Let's make sure all doctors are up to speed on lactation training or have someone in their office who is

There's a lot to do before we get breastfeeding rates up to the standard the CDC wants.  But these are a start.  Let's get these on the books and grow from there.