Let Down
It has always felt cruel to me, the way we tell parents that breastfeeding is so important, but then fail (as a society) to provide them with the support and skilled care they need to be successful – even piling on shame and judgement in some cases when formula is ultimately used.
While on the surface, there is a push to breastfeed, that can in itself can come across as pressure, many parents find they are at one point or another faced with even more pressure to formula feed. This usually comes from a well-meaning place of wanting to see them have an easier time, but it totally dismisses the desire to breastfeed and that we should be able to access appropriate support to do so. The way formula is suggested as a solution for a huge range of problems from a wakeful baby to a sleepy one, and every other possible baby related scenario you can think of, is indicative of a society that:
Doesn’t support mothers in general, and downplays their goals
Doesn’t provide adequate lactation training to professionals
Has lost “The village” that should be holding parents up and looking after them as they transition into family life
And you know, this impacts everyone, however they feed their baby. All of this pressure one way or another, alongside lack of meaningful support, leads to increased levels of depression, guilt, shame and isolation. And THAT is a recipe for *everybody* feeling attacked or judged.
I don’t have a nice, neat ending to this post. I don’t have a call to action for you... except, I guess, be genuinely kind to everyone because we’re ALL being let down.