Hot Topics in Breastfeeding and Mothering
I’ll be giving three presentations at La Leche League of Oregon’s Conference for Families and Health Care Professionals on November 11-13, 2006, at the Hilton-Eugene in Eugene, Oregon. In my presentation, “Postpartum Depression: The Most Common Complication of Birth,” I will give an overview of postpartum depression, how breastfeeding and postpartum depression interact, how and why to screen and refer breastfeeding mothers for treatment, and how to protect breastfeeding in the context of treatment for postpartum depression. In “The Hot Topic of Infant Feeding Rhetoric: Risks or Benefits?” I will explore the multidisciplinary evidence base that provides guidelines on identifying and using effective and ethical language when communicating about infant feeding, particularly whether to speak of the “benefits of breastfeeding” or the “risks of formula feeding.” In “Pioneer Mothering” I will talk about the challenges that many contemporary women courageously face as they mother in a markedly different way than has been done in recent generations, for example by being the first mother for generations in her family to breastfeed. The conference is geared to meet the needs of families, health care providers, and mental health practitioners. Health care professionals can earn continuing education credits for attending two of my presentations, as well as for attending many other presentations at the conference. For more information about my private practice, speaking engagements, and publications, see my website at http://www.lifecirclecc.com. For general conference and registration information, see the conference website http://www.llloregon.org, call 503-824-5533, or email info@llloregon.org.
Birth
Last night I participated in The Birth Tour in Portland, Oregon (http://www.thinairmedia.org/birthtour.html). What a gathering it was! Perhaps 20 or 25 adults, mostly women–and a few men as well as several babies and young children. The smaller size perhaps contributed to the ability of participants to share in a more vulnerable and genuine way than is commonly found among strangers.
We did not feel like strangers for long. When the gathering was over, most of us felt like we could have talked for several more hours. The topic of birth is compelling. Whether we yearn to give birth, grieve the loss of a stillborn child, celebrate a well-supported home birth, struggle to come to terms with a traumatic birth, or choose not to give birth–we all are united by the ordinary and extraordinary experience of being born. No one is untouched by birth.
In many circumstances, the topic of birth is taboo–birth as it really is, with all the soul-nourishing empowerment and soul-crushing disempowerment that different birth experiences can entail. However, given the right setting–one in which we truly feel heard and respected–many of us feel the urge to tell our stories. We seem to have a human need to celebrate with others the joy of birth and to also grieve its sorrows. We need others to bear witness, to laugh with us and to cry with us, and, perhaps more imporantly, to just to be with us while we laugh and cry. With the acceptance and validation that can come with such companionship we seem better able to find and create meaning and healing in a way that we cannot do alone. This companionship is not always easy to find–especially when we are grieving the loss of an expected birth experience. “Focus on the baby,” we are told, “That’s all that really matters.” But any sorrow and anger that a woman may feel in regard to her birth experience do not in any way negate her love and gratitude for her baby. Just as the baby matters, so does a woman’s experience of birth. I hope that one day all women will have the companionship and support that they need and deserve as they experience the life-altering experiences of pregnancy, labor, and birth.
Cynthia Good Mojab, MS, IBCLC, RLC, CATSM
