The Milky Way

Jennifer narrating: ACCORDING TO ANCIENT GREEK MYTH,

ZEUS HAS A SON NAMED HERACLES, BORN OF A MORTAL WOMAN.

ZEUS IS VERY FOND OF HERACLES AND WANTS HIM TO BECOME DIVINE.

HE THEREFORE PLACES THE CHILD ON THE BREAST OF HIS WIFE,

THE GODDESS HERA AS SHE LAY SLEEPING

SO THE BABY COULD NURSE FROM HER SACRED MILK.

HERA WAKES TO FIND AN UNKNOWN INFANT

SUCKLING AT HER BREAST.

SURPRISED, SHE UNLATCHES THE BABY,

SPRAYING HER MILK ACROSS THE HEAVENS,

CREATING THE MILKY WAY.

YOU'RE USING THIS REAL NATURAL KIND OF MATURE HOLD.

THEY CALL IT THE MADONNA HOLD OR THE CRADLE HOLD.

UH-HUH, RIGHT.

WHEN SHE GETS ON AND YOU FEEL THAT'S A GOOD LATCH,

THEN JUST KIND OF DO A HEAD-TO-TOE ASSESSMENT

TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY PART OF YOUR BODY

- IS RELAXED. - OKAY.

Jennifer narrating: EACH MOTHER HAS A COMPLETELY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE.

EVERY MOTHER HAS A STORY.

I'VE BEEN WORKING IN PEDIATRICS FOR 30 YEARS.

MY FIRST TEN YEARS WAS AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

WORKING IN AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE WARD.

I STUDIED CHILD DEVELOPMENT AS A BACKGROUND PRIOR TO THAT.

THEN I JOINED A PRACTICE WITH DR. JAY GORDON,

WHERE I AM THE NURSE THERE, AND FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS,

I'VE BEEN ALSO THEIR LACTATION CONSULTANT.

OUR PEDIATRIC PRACTICE IS A BREASTFEEDING PRACTICE.

IT'S A WELL-BABY PRACTICE.

THE HEART OF PEDIATRICS SHOULD BE NUTRITION,

AND THE FOUNDATION FOR GOOD NUTRITION IS BREASTFEEDING.

IN THE LAST TEN YEARS AS A LACTATION CONSULTANT,

WHAT I HAVE SEEN OVER AND OVER IS HOW MANY WOMEN

HAVE SO MUCH MISINFORMATION

ABOUT WHAT IT IS TO BE AT EASE WITH BREASTFEEDING.

IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S BECOME THE MOST COMPLICATED,

DIFFICULT THING, WHEN IT SHOULDN'T BE.

BABIES HAVE BEEN BORN,

PUT ON THE MOTHER'S CHEST AT BIRTH.

BABIES DID A NATURAL CRAWL UP TO THE BREAST

AND BREASTFED ALL BY THEMSELVES.

WHY HAVE WE COMPLICATED THIS SO MUCH?

Nancy Williams: SINCE ADAM AND EVE, SINCE THE FIRST CAVEMEN,

SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING OF WHAT WE KNOW,

BABIES HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF IN A CERTAIN WAY.

Jennifer narrating: THROUGHOUT HISTORY, ARTISTS DEPICTED

THE MOTHER AND CHILD BREASTFEEDING,

MOTHERING ALL OVER THE WORLD.

THE NURSING MOTHER WAS SIGNIFICANT.

WE CAN SINGLE OUT VERY FAMOUS ARTISTS

WHO REPRESENTED THE THEME FROM LEONARDO DA VINCI

TO EL GRECO AND LATER EXAMPLES

BY PEOPLE LIKE MARIE CASSATT AND PABLO PICASSO.

Jennifer narrating: IN LESS THAN ONE CENTURY,

THE ICONOGRAPHY OF THE NURSING MOTHER FADED AWAY.

THE FIRST COMMERCIAL MILK PASTEURIZERS

WERE PRODUCED IN 1882.

IN THE LATE 1800s,

WHEN PASTEURIZATION BECAME MUCH MORE AVAILABLE

AND EASY TO DO, CERTAIN COMPANIES LIKE NESTLE

AND CARNATION DECIDED THEY WOULD COME UP

WITH A FORMULA THAT WOULD SUBSTITUTE FOR BREAST MILK.

Male announcer: SOMEDAY, THE NEW BABY WILL PLAY

WITH BIG BROTHER'S TOYS,

MIGHT EVEN INHERIT THAT PRECIOUS BASEBALL GLOVE.

BUT THE FORMULA HE GROWS ON MUST BE HIS OWN EXCLUSIVELY.

ALL BABIES ARE DIFFERENT.

THAT'S WHY HOSPITALS SEND MORE BABIES HOME

ON FORMULAS MADE WITH PET EVAPORATED MILK

THAN ON ANY OTHER FORM OF MILK.

WE'LL COME UP WITH A VERY SPECIAL FORMULA

FOR YOUR SPECIAL BABY, YOUR UNIQUE BABY.

NO BABY GETS THE SAME THING. THAT'S HOW IT GOT ITS NAME.

BECAUSE THE DOCTORS WOULD COME UP

WITH THE SPECIAL INGREDIENTS FOR YOUR BABY.

SO THEY WERE ABLE TO CONVINCE WOMEN THAT THIS WAS MUCH BETTER

THAN THEIR BREAST MILK.

Jennifer narrating: IN 1945, AT THE END OF WORLD WAR II,

MOST BABIES WERE BOTTLE-FED.

HERE'S MOMMY, DARLING! DON'T CRY!

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PROMPTED THIS WAS THE WAR,

THE GREAT WAR, AND WOMEN WERE GOING TO WORK

AS ROSIE THE RIVETER.

MY GRANDMOTHER WAS ONE OF THOSE,

AND MY MOTHER WAS BOTTLE FED, CONSEQUENTLY.

BUT THAT WAS THE NEW THING BECAUSE IT FREED UP WOMEN.

Jennifer narrating: BY 1956,

U.S. BREASTFEEDING RATES HAD DROPPED TO 20%.

IN THE '50s, WE AS CULTURE, THE WESTERN CULTURE,

WE START SELLING THINGS

THAT WERE TOTALLY UNRELATED TO BREASTS,

SUCH AS BEER, CARS, CIGARETTES, WITH LARGE BREASTS,

WOMEN WITH LARGE BREASTS EXPOSING THEMSELVES

STANDING THERE, SELLING MERCHANDISE,

AND VOILA, IT WAS SOLD.

Jennifer narrating: BY THE LATE 1950s,

PREDOMINANT ATTITUDES WERE THAT NURSING WAS DISGUSTING

AND FOR THE UNEDUCATED AND LOWER CLASSES.

DOCTORS OPENLY DISCOURAGED IT.

I ASKED MY DOCTOR, MY GYNECOLOGIST

ABOUT BREASTFEEDING.

I WANTED TO BE PREPARED.

AND HE LOOKED AT ME AS IF I WAS CRAZY AND SAID,

"BREASTFEEDING? WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT?

YOU'RE NOT A COW." I DIDN'T QUESTION ANYTHING.

I DIDN'T QUESTION IT.

Jennifer narrating: BY THE 1960s,

FORMULA COMPANIES INCREASED THEIR MARKETING CAMPAIGNS,

ESPECIALLY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.

IN 1977, THE NESTLE BOYCOTT BEGAN.

WOULD YOU AGREE WITH ME THAT YOUR PRODUCT

SHOULD NOT BE USE WHERE THERE IS IMPURE WATER?

- WE GIVE ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS-- - JUST ANSWER.

- WHAT WOULD YOU-- - OF COURSE NOT, BUT WE CANNOT COPE WITH THAT.

AS I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAY IS WHERE THERE'S IMPURE WATER,

- IT SHOULD NOT BE USED. - YES.

WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE SO POOR THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING

TO REALISTICALLY BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO PURCHASE IT,

WHICH IS GOING TO MEAN THAT THEY'RE GOING TO DILUTE IT

TO A POINT, WHICH IS GOING TO ENDANGER THE HEALTH--

- THAT IT SHOULD NOT BE USED? - YES.

DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAVE ANY RESPONSIBILITY?

WE CAN'T HAVE THAT RESPONSIBILITY, SIR.

MAY I MAKE A REFERENCE TO--

- YOU CAN'T HAVE THAT RESPONSIBILITY? - ( echoing ) NO.

Jennifer narrating: MEANWHILE, THE WOMEN'S LIBERATION MOVEMENT

WAS IN FULL SWING.

Crowd: WOMEN'S LIBERATION NOW!

I LOOK AT BREASTFEEDING AS A VERY FEMINIST ISSUE,

AND MANY OF THE FEMINISTS HAVE IGNORED IT

BECAUSE THEY LOOK AT THE FIGHT THAT WENT ON

IN THE EARLY '70s OF BEING ABLE TO PUT ASIDE THE FACT

THAT WE GET PREGNANT AND THAT WE HAVE BABIES

AND BREASTFEED, AND THAT INTERRUPTS WORK.

AND WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING TO SAY, "WE'RE JUST AS GOOD AS MEN.

DON'T CONSIDER US WEAK OR LESS THAN."

SO THEY LOOK AT BREASTFEEDING AS BIO-ESSENTIALISM.

AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS JUST THAT SINCE YOU CAN HAVE BABIES,

YOU MUST HAVE BABIES, BUT MY VIEW IS THAT, YEAH,

WE'RE DIFFERENT. WE NEED TO LOOK AT OUR DIFFERENCES,

AND RATHER THAN TRYING TO SQUEEZE US INTO THIS

ESTABLISHED MALE MODEL, LET'S CHANGE THE MODEL.

Nancy: WE HAVE PERFORMED A GREAT SOCIAL EXPERIMENT.

WE DON'T BIRTH THE SAME WAY ANYMORE,

AND WE DON'T FEED BABIES THE SAME WAY ANYMORE,

AND WE DON'T RELATE AND CARE FOR BABIES THE WAY WE USED TO.

A LOT OF THE MESSAGES YOU HAVE HAVE A COMMERCIAL INTENT.

AND THE COMMERCIAL INTENT IS "YOU'RE NOT ADEQUATE

UNTIL YOU BUY X, Y, Z

OR WEAR THIS OR CONSUME THAT,"

AND THERE'S A PROFIT MOTIVE.

THERE'S A REASON WHY THIS MESSAGE KEEPS BEING SENT OUT.

AND I THINK, I THINK THAT WE HAVE-- IN AMERICA--

MIGHT HAVE STOPPED QUESTIONING THAT MOTIVE.

BREASTFEEDING IS SYMBOLIC, IN A WAY,

TO ALL SORTS OF OTHER THINGS THAT CREATE THE ATTACHMENT

OF HUMAN BEINGS, THE BONDING OF HUMAN BEINGS

WHICH IN ITSELF IS THE BASIS OF CULTURE.

IF YOU DON'T GET THAT RIGHT, THE CULTURE BEGINS TO FRAGMENT.

Chantal: IT'S THE CONNECTION, THE PHYSICAL CONNECTION

AS WELL AS AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE CLEAR

IS THAT WOMEN CAN TRUST THEMSELVES.

THEY CAN TRUST THEIR BODY AND THEY CAN TRUST THEIR BABIES.

Jennifer narrating: CHANTAL IS MY MENTOR AND MY BEST FRIEND.

WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR OVER 30 YEARS.

TOGETHER, CHANTAL AND I WANT TO NORMALIZE

BREASTFEEDING IN AMERICA.

WE WANT TO SEE A CULTURAL SHIFT

AND RESTORE THE NURSING MOTHER TO A PLACE OF HONOR.

WE'VE DEVELOPED A UNIQUE WAY OF WORKING WITH MOTHERS.

OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE A MOTHER IS CONFIDENT

WITH THE TOOLS AND KNOWLEDGE SHE NEEDS

TO TRUST HERSELF AND HER BABY.

WHY IS AMERICA'S BREASTFEEDING SUCCESS RATE SO LOW?

AND WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO TO SOLVE THIS GROWING CRISIS?

WE NEED SOME ANSWERS, AND WE NEED TO TURN THIS AROUND.

Jennifer narrating: SO WHAT ARE THE ISSUES?

- FIRST OF ALL-- - Crowd: OOH!

Jennifer narrating: WHAT ARE BREASTS REALLY FOR?

Man: * LOOK AT 'EM, SO SOFT, SO JUICY *

* GROWTH SPURT SMOOTH AND GIMME THEM BOOBIES *

* I INSTINCTIVE

* NEVER BITE HARD WHEN I'M DIGGIN' MY TEETH IN *

* TEETHIN', GOT ME SLEEPING LIKE A BABY, SAFELY *

* ALL I THINK ABOUT LATELY

* IS YOUR LOVE, I NEED IT... *

WOMEN SEE THEIR OWN BREASTS AS SEXUAL FEATURES

OF THEIR BODY, BUT SO ARE LIPS.

YOU USE THOSE FOR KISSING AND EATING.

AND SO ALL SORTS OF OTHER PARTS OF OUR BODIES

CAN BE MULTI-FUNCTIONAL.

THERE'S SO MUCH PRESSURE ON ME, AND I THINK ON WOMEN IN GENERAL

TO HAVE SEXUALITY BE THE FOREFRONT OF WHAT I PRESENT.

AND THE QUESTION WAS BEGGED, WHO WOULD I BE WITHOUT THAT?

Black: THAT IMAGE, THAT POSITIVE IMAGE

OF THE NURSING MOTHER

HAS DROPPED OUT OF OUR VISUAL WORLD.

WE SEE LOTS OF IMAGES OF SEXUALIZED BREASTS ON TV,

ON THE INTERNET, BUT THE IMAGE