breast milk and other lies

With 2 days to go before my due date/parasite extraction, breastfeeding has been on my mind.

In an ideal world, I would be able to use a combination of pumping and straight breastfeeding to provide fats, carbs and protein to my child. This would continue until she is 6 months old, then we would begin introducing solid foods. At 12 months we could consider adding cows milk to her diet and gradually weaning her off breastfeeds at around 18-24 months. This is the position of the Canadian Pediatric Society, the Aussie one and the American group too.

The arguments from the pro-breastfeeding teams include statements like, "Breast milk is the natural way to feed your child" and "Breastfeeding is the cheapest, easiest option for you and your baby".

Don't get me wrong. I am not anti-breastfeeding.

I am against the idea that if you cannot breast feed, choose not to breastfeed or choose to supplement your breast milk with formula, that you will be harming your child.

I am backed up in my position by my (new) pediatrician who met with me JUST to talk about breastfeeding. She didn't use the term "Nazis" but her tone was clear when she explained that, despite what a lactation consultant will tell you, there have been NO randomized double-blinded controlled studies that actually demonstrate the superiority of breast milk over formula.

This is partially due to the nature of the intervention (can you trick a mother into not knowing whether she's breast or bottle feeding? No). It also relates to the fact that if you can't physically breastfeed, you can't fake it.

The recent Fraser Health "breastfeeding contract" demonstrates how much power the pro-breastfeeding lobby has. They are actually asking women to sign a document saying that they will choose to breastfeed (with a list of benefits) or not (with a list of weakly researched drawbacks). They are asking women to declare something that they may have no control over in the days after the birth of a child.

The other major red flag of the contract is the idea that breastfeeding is the cheapest option. This veers into a whole other world that assumes that a woman's time is worth nothing and that she contributes nothing to the economy (breastfeeding 8 times in 24 hours does slow ones productivity slightly).

For myself, I already know that the "ideal" situation will not be happening. I will attempt to breastfeed during my 6 months of maternity leave. If it goes well, great! If not, formula feeding is on the horizon!

However, when I return to work, it is highly unlikely that I will be able to continue to pump/maintain my milk supply. In theory, hospitals are lactation-friendly environments, but in reality, if you have a crashing patient you will not be able to step away from the bedside for a 20 minute "expression" session. I rarely eat or pee during my ER shifts so I cannot imagine being able to take time to sit back, relax (as this affects milk flow), pump, package my milk, chill it and then get back to work.

Yes, I have the option to take a longer mat leave. However, I have already been out of the workforce for about 6 months and cannot imagine being away for much longer. For financial reasons, for professional reasons and most importantly, for my mental health.

I was a doctor long before I got knocked up. I will be long after this kid is weaned and eating smushed peas.

I hope that women aren't bullied into feeling bad about the choices and realities of raising their kids the way they want to. Alas, to quote my erudite & lovely husband, "There are 100 ways to raise a child, and all of them are wrong in the eyes of someone."