Pioneer Mom

by Maura Folsom

In 1970, when I was born, breastfeeding was at its lowest point. My mother got no support from the hospital staff and practically had to hide the fact that she was nursing. There were no books, no lactation consultants, no breast pads, no lansinoh, no pumps. She couldn't even ask her mom for help- my grandmother had not nursed my mother or my aunt (in the late 1940's and early 1950's), because her doctors were modern and 'progressive' and bought into the 'formula being better because of science' myth. She was even starved (600 calories/day) during one pregnancy because they thought it would be good for her (!). It's a testament to my family's hardiness that my mom and my aunt turned out as well as they did, given all of the Frankensteinian medical mistakes.

My mother remembers HATING her bottles. She had problems during childhood that could probably have been prevented by being breastfed (chronic tonsillitis, resulting in tonsillectomy, among other things). She was determined to breastfeed me, despite the enormous obstacles, just because she felt it would be better.

It wasn't easy. Despite our relatively welcoming location (Northern California), she encountered both disapproval and lecherous responses to nursing in public. She had to figure out what to do for leaks, how to feed me and keep 'decent', what to do for chapped nipples, etcetera. She cut up maxi pads and stuffed them in her bra, wore large shawls everywhere, used her own lip balm on her nipples, and ignored the negative atmosphere.

She was lucky, in both her pioneering spirit and the fact that her grandmother was still around to help and support her. My great grandmother (we called her Mamaw) had nursed eight children, and had been an assistant to her mother-in-law, who was an accomplished midwife. Mamaw was practically a pro, and had all the old answers and passed them along to my mother. Many of the things my mother learned were passed along to me, and are still held to be true. She was there when mother needed advice on breast care, weight gain, feeding frequency, diapers, weaning, finger foods, whether to use a bottle or a cup when I wanted to drink on my own (I had a cup), the list goes on and on.

My mom may have had to rediscover a lost art, but I don't think it was completely lost. I suspect that a lot of what was rediscovered was remembered by people like my great grandmother. At least mom had her!