Breast Envy

“Breastfeeding is considered to be a child’s first immunization,” says UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman.

October 1st to 7th 2006 is World Breastfeeding Week in Canada. I've been seeing lots of information about this everytime I go to the Hospital, or to my Doctor's office. Cambridge also had it's second annual breastfeeding challenge on Tuesday. I wonder how many women showed up for the challenge, I tried to google it, but I couldn't find anything. It might have been interesting to participate, but really it's pretty much an accepted thing to breastfeed your child in public. It's legal for women to go topless in public anyway (in Ontario), even if your breast is nowhere near a child's mouth. :P

There is an International Code for the marketing of breast milk substitutes. The main points are that there should be no advertising of breastmilk substitutes to the public, no promotion through the health care system, and infant formula must not be portrayed as equally healthy as breastmilk. Studies have shown that formula-fed babies are at increased risk of childhood cancer, asthma, ear and respiratory infections, allergies, diabetes and gastrointestinal infections; score lower on intelligence and vocabulary tests, and as adults, are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and obesity. In many countries, woman are brainwashed into thinking that formula is better, easier, or more liberated. Many women see a stigma attached to breastfeeding, believing that only poor women do it, and they only do it because they have to. (i.e. can't afford formula)

Although the International Code was ratified by the World Health Assembly, it has not been passed into law by the United States or Canada. I find it completely ironic, that we haven't included it in our laws. We are a first world Nation, with a Universal Health Care system, and yet, we don't feel the need to support breastfeeding. I guess it's the Big Business influence. Formula, baby food, diapers, and all things "baby" are HUGE moneymakers. It seems all you have to do is instill the fear in parents that if they don't get some specified "product" that they are a bad parent or giving their child substandard care. In general they are equating the amount of money you spend with how much you love your children. I see formula ads in parenting magazines, and advertising everywhere they can. Companies like Playtex, actively try to recruit parents through places like Welcome Wagon, Maternity clothing stores, sears Portrait studio packages, everywhere new parents are trying to find their way. Although they do limit themselves to promoting their product, and compare it only to other formulas, and never claim that it is better than breastmilk. I am almost the last of my group of friends to have a child, and yet, I am the first person to decide to breastfeed. The only exception is a friend that is now expecting her third, who is planning to breastfeed as well. I honestly don't understand why you would not breastfeed your child if you were capable. That is kind of my fear right now, that I won't be capable. Nothing so far indicates that I'll have a problem, but it isn't always something you can tell in advance.

Hopefully this won't be the first time in my life that I experience Breast Envy.