DiamondAir

> From: "Eileen M." <ravensegg@...>
>The same type of
> sweeping generality, for instance, would be that all
> children benefit from breast feeding in their infancy

Ummmm, sorry but I don't understand why this "generality" would be a
problem. I mean, we're mammals! It isn't a "sweeping generality" to say that
any other mammal should be breastfed - that's how babies of all mammals get
food and survive.
It's not so much a question of human babies "benefitting" by breastfeeding -
breastfeeding is what the human body is designed for and breastmilk is the
food that the human body is supposed to have (biologically speaking).

Sorry, just couldn't resist this particular soapbox... :-), getting off
now....

Blue Skies!
-Robin-
Mom to Mackenzie (8/28/96) who has a best friend named "Eiznekcam"
and Asa (10/5/99) the girl who climbs everything!
http://www.geocities.com/the_clevengers Flying Clevenger Family

Eileen M.

Yes, under normal circumstances, breast milk is
designed for babies, and the female human breast is
designed to deliver that milk. But for many reasons
some babies do not thrive on breast milk. They may be
(as my son was) lactose intolerant *and* allergic to
milk. Their mother may be eating something to which
they are allergic. They may be severely hypoglycemic
(again, as my son was) and the milk simply doesn't
have enough sugars in it to keep them alive. They may
be too weak to suck. Their mothers may be unable, due
to stress, nutritional problems etc, to provide
sufficient breastmilk. They may need a different
balance of nutrients for a variety of health reasons
than breast milk can provide. They may be too
underdeveloped to process breastmilk.

The majority of babies in the NICU my son was in could
not use breastmilk for one reason or another. And
most babies will refuse the breast once they are
initiated on a bottle... the bottle provides faster
service with less work.

One may accurately say that the female human body was
designed to breastfeed, and that biologically and
otherwise *most* babies benefit from breast feeding.
But it is a sweeping generality to say that *all*
children benefit from breast feeding in infancy. Some
babies would die or fail to thrive from breast
feeding, so it is not factually the case that all
children benefit from breast feeding in infancy.

Need a lift back onto the soapbox?

Eileen


--- DiamondAir <diamondair@...> wrote:
> > From: "Eileen M." <ravensegg@...>
> >The same type of
> > sweeping generality, for instance, would be that
> all
> > children benefit from breast feeding in their
> infancy
>
> Ummmm, sorry but I don't understand why this
> "generality" would be a
> problem. I mean, we're mammals! It isn't a "sweeping
> generality" to say that
> any other mammal should be breastfed - that's how
> babies of all mammals get
> food and survive.
> It's not so much a question of human babies
> "benefitting" by breastfeeding -
> breastfeeding is what the human body is designed for
> and breastmilk is the
> food that the human body is supposed to have
> (biologically speaking).
>

> Sorry, just couldn't resist this particular
> soapbox... :-), getting off
> now....
>
> Blue Skies!
> -Robin-
>

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices
http://auctions.yahoo.com/