[I still care]

It is much less expensive to breast feed, but one of the issues the article does not address is that women who are poor may simply be unable to manage their time effectively to breast feed. I have lived wealthy AND poor and I know when you have no money sometimes just managing life gets beyond your control. I remember not being able to pay my bills on time so I had to drive around the day they were due to pay them in person. The upshot is, it is much easier to nurse when you are not working, than when you are working two jobs and your kid is in daycare. (A terrible situation, and yes, maybe they shouldn't have had the child in the first place but they do.)

When LaLeche league suggests pumping as an alternative you just want to scream - you don't have time to breathe sometimes, how do you find time to pump? And yes, many women are just selfish but my experience is often poor women are just totally overwhelmed with just getting through life day by day. That is why so many of them have kids, to give them some modicum of comfort and love, but they should really just get a cat.

[chance33_98]

Thanks for the viewpoint, certainly worth considering. Especially the part about the cat :)

[krb]

my experience is often poor women are just totally overwhelmed with just getting through life day by day.

I think you are confusing the working poor (most of whom are destined to work their way into the middle class because that's how it used to work in our country) with the poor hand-out slobs who bitch and moan for their free formula coupons at WIC offices around the nation.

[TheFilter]

I think you have excellent points.

Most "poorer women" probably do work versus being wholly state-supported, and the sorts of jobs they have don't allow for a lot of time flexibility, as opposed to being, say someone who owns her own business and can take any time she needs to breast-feed.

[Mr. Bird]

Your comments are spot on. One of my staff had a baby last year and was committed to breastfeeding. She and her husband are in a situation which her salary is important to the family's making ends meet. It is not gravy. Anyway, we work in an environment that fortunately can allow the flexibility required for pumping. Most are not that lucky.

[FITZ]

That is why so many of them have kids, to give them some modicum of comfort and love, but they should really just get a cat.

Many have kids to get the government freebies too. I've lived near a lot of poor and I know some do that ---they even space their children so they can receive WIC and other welfare forever. If WIC quit giving out so much formula, you would see more breastfeeding among the poor. Same with food stamps --if they were restricted to real food ---beans, rice, vegetable and couldn't be used to buy cookies, sodas, candy, cakes, pastries etc you'd see a decline in obesity.