Breast is Best

As the fifty percent of the population who don't actually have their own to play with would aver almost to a man.

So why do I find myself prescribing milk powder to a 13 week old infant this afternoon? The answer is complex and small "p" political but here we go...

Society increasingly expects women to play a full part in working as well as domestic life. Indeed for most couples there is a need for both partners to work simply to service the silly prices we pay for our accommodation and chosen lifestyles. Furthermore we define women still as much, if not more, by how they look rather than by their other capabilities. Then, when they have children we worthily spout on about how important it is that they breast feed and devote all their time to baby as though all the other stuff ceases to be important.

In my limited experience this is not a universally popular message. Some women are denied the option as their milk production fails to establish properly, but the vast majority are so denied either because of financial necessity or through personal choice, to preserve their shape,or to resume their other roles in society. Thus in our "enlightened" society of "equal opportunity" far too many babies are rapidly put on powdered milk.

It's logistically much easier to cart about bottles of formula than to breast feed on the hoof as it were. This is partly because our climate here in blighty is seldom conducive, but mostly because society still tends to go all "Benny Hill" around breast feeding women, instead of giving them the help and support to make it easier to do.

Then there's the whole "getting single mothers back to work" thing. This leaves many younger less experienced mums feeling pressured to return to employment far sooner that is right for them or their children.

Ah say the "Guardian Readers", they could always express milk to give in a bottle if they wanted to continue to feed naturally and work. Any mum who has tried this will regale you with horror stories about "milking machines" and awkward damp patches in best blouses etc... It might be a short term expedient for some, but is hardly a sensible life choice.

So we come back to poor little George. I don't know exactly why his mum was unable to breast feed, and now it hardly matters since that option is now lost to him anyhow. After a few weeks on ordinary formula feeds he was increasingly fractious and difficult. His health visitor advised mum to try switching to soya milk and he improved dramatically. So it seems he may be lactose intolerant (as indeed was his mum). But soya milk, used for lactose intolerance, becomes a medicine as well as a food, and so is prescribable.

So there you have it.