Week Two: Breastfeeding in Other Cultures

I chose to discuss breastfeeding in other cultures for my blog topic this week.  I feel, as a teacher and someone who would very much like to have children of my own, it is important to know how breastfeeding is experienced within our own culture, as well as in others.  I was able to find an article that discussed breastfeeding, that attachment that forms, and how other cultures experience it.

In most Western countries, breastfeeding is discouraged in many ways.  During the first thirty minutes following birth, the sucking reflex of an infant is at its strongest.  Most Western doctors separate infants from their mothers during this time for many reasons.  This separation can disrupt the process of breastfeeding and the attachment benefits that follow.  In addition to this initial separation, breastfeeding is widely unaccepted in public and the workplace, which does not allow mothers to share the bonding time that breastfeeding allows them.  

In non-Western countries, mothers will breastfeed their children throughout the day and night, without supplementing their milk with artificial milk, or that from another species; unlike Western culture.  This is believed to be because children are expected to be independent at a young age in Western culture, whereas they are thought to be "naturally dependent" in non-Western culture.

I discovered a website that provided a discussion board for Africans to post their experiences with breastfeeding.  In Kenya, Africa, breastfeeding is considered "normal" and is often done publicly.  A woman who does not breastfeed is "frowned upon" for depriving her child of that bond as well as from the nutritional benefits.  According to the website, many countries in Africa promote breastfeeding as the number one source of nutrition for their infants.  They see this as a privilege; a time to bond with your baby and assist them in healthy development.  There have been studies done that show that breastfeeding is beneficial not only to health, but to brain development as well.  Babies that are breastfed generally have a higher IQ.

I found it interesting to read about how acceptable it is for women to breastfeed in public in other countries.  It seems that Western culture has deemed breasts as merely sexual in nature; their function is so much greater.  Learning more about this topic has opened my eyes to the importance of breastfeeding, as well as to develop a greater understanding of women who choose to breastfeed in public.  These women are not putting on a sexual display meant to be distracting, they are merely trying to feed their babies and bond with them.

I feel that this newly acquired information will help me to better understand my students who struggle with developmental needs and attachment issues.  This may be a direct result of breastfeeding, or lack there of.  I wonder if this is information that should be given to childcare providers?  One thing is for sure, this information has impacted how I will feed my future children.

References:

http://www.attachmentacrosscultures.org/beliefs/bfeed_culture.pdf

http://www.007b.com/public-breastfeeding-world.php