Apparently, This is Controversial

Hmmm...

Well, I'm glad that there's some big-time, mainstream coverage of breastfeeding; this time by way of Angelina Jolie pictured nursing one of the twins on the cover of W magazine.

But, several of the articles about these photos are already framing the "story" as yet another stir-causing move by the apparently controversial Jolie-Pitt family.

Associated Press' article, "Jolie apparently breastfeeding on W magazine cover" is a bit sensational...but at least they do attempt to breakdown popular reactions to images of breastfeeding.

All in all, I'm pleased. We need to see a lot more pictures of mothers nursing their babies. People need to see this as a normal, healthy, and loving way to feed our children.

"You Know? That's Nice"

Big Bird said these words to Buffy Sainte-Marie in a 1977 (or so) Sesame Street segment about breastfeeding. In the clip, Sainte-Marie is seen nursing her son, Cody, while Big Bird asks her about it. In what seems impossible for children's television programming today, Sainte-Marie tells Big Bird, "I am feeding the baby. See, he is drinking from my breast."



I recently emailed Buffy Sainte-Marie about this segment to inquire how it was conceived and received.

Buffy first recounted how she came to be a semi-regular cast member on Sesame Street. Originally approached by the show to do a typical celebrity spot, Buffy declined but not before asking whether they had ever done any Native American programming. Sesame Street was instantly intrigued and so began their partnership.

When Buffy became pregnant, however, she assumed that Sesame Street may no longer be willing to have her on the show but, in fact, they were excited to feature a family and a baby. From then on, segments that included Buffy's son, Cody, were commonplace.

The breastfeeding segment idea was initially proposed by Buffy.

I proposed to Sesame Street that we do a segment about breastfeeding. I thought they might think it too controversial, but they were all for it. They were always eager for real input from people who knew stuff first hand. ...They were just tops. [Buffy Sainte-Marie via email, October 7, 2008]

Part of her motivation to propose the idea was her own breastfeeding experience. She recalls waking up in the hospital after giving birth to Cody and saw a big basket of infant formula and other gift items. "My doctor knew a world about formulas, but he'd never studied breast feeding in med school" recalls Buffy.

Since the Sesame Street segment seemed so progressive to me, I was very curious to learn if any backlash occurred once it aired. In further emails with Buffy, she informed me that she received very good feedback..and continues to receive great feedback from parents everywhere.

Reactions to the breastfeeding segment were very mild. Throughout the years I've received lots of nice comments, especially from parents. I didn't receive negative mail and the only weird comment I ever saw was quite recently when somebody online mentioned it in a tilillation sense. Takes all kinds, I guess. [Buffy Sainte-Marie via email, October 8, 2008]

I am struck by my own reactions to the segment. I can not imagine any contemporary children's program that would air a segment on breastfeeding, and I am dismayed that I find Buffy's Sesame Street segment so unbelievable.

Are there enough images of babies nursing these days? Do young children get a normalized view of breastfeeding in books and videos geared towards them? Are children and teens exposed to non-stigmatized, non-sexualized images of breastfeeding? Do they learn this in sex ed?

I searched the classic video section of Sesame Street's current website but did not find the Buffy breastfeeding video among their archives. I have since sent an email to Sesame Workshop - the non-profit educational organization behind Sesame Street - to learn what their current perspective on that segment is and wondered whether they would air something like this again. Should I hear back, I will post a new entry by way of update.

Until then, I'd suggest contacting the producers of children's programming that you and the children in your lives watch with suggestions to include breastfeeding as a normal, healthy, and loving way to feed our children.

Peace!

UNICEF/WHO Statement on Tainted Baby Formula

In the face of the tainted baby formula scandal in China, the World Health Organization (WHO)'s and UNICEF's joint statement unequivocally states the benefits and necessity of breastmilk and breastfeeding.

The joint WHO/UNICEF statement reiterates that "Global health authorities agree that breastmilk is unquestionably better for infant feeding than any infant formula." Furthermore, the statement reminds us that, "ideally, all infants should be fed exclusively with breastmilk for the first six months of life."

Organizations such as the WHO and UNICEF tirelessly repeat this mantra with sound research and statistics and yet, the numbers are still not at the recommended levels [reference]. That a disaster of such devastating proportions should be the catalyst for renewed media and popular interest into the reasons for the decline in Chinese mothers choosing to breastfeed is saddening.

UNICEF's Childinfo, whose mandate is to monitor the situation of children and women, states the following with respect to breastfeeding rates in developing countries:

Current breastfeeding patterns, while improving significantly over the past 10 years, are still far from the recommended levels. Only 38 per cent of all infants born in the developing world are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, and less than 60 per cent receive complementary foods when they should. Although global levels of continued breastfeeding are relatively high at one year of age (76 per cent), less than half of infants are still breastfeeding at two years of age (40 per cent). [quote]

An examination of the numbers in China as reported in the International Breastfeeding Journal's 2006, 1:22 issue conclude that breastfeeding rates at one month fell significantly in 2003-2004, when compared to 1994-1996. Furthermore, the national targets for both study periods were not met. [source]

I am in the middle of reading quite a large number of articles and research reports about breastfeeding rates in China and will likely include additional posts on this particular topic. As you can imagine, there is currently a lot of media coverage about the rates of formula use in China and, increasingly, analysis about the reasons for the ongoing drop in infant breastfeeding rates. In the meantime, I felt it was important to share the WHO/UNICEF statement.