A blog like this can not fail to pay tribute, gratitude and admiration to this pioneer: Edwina Froehlich (1915-2008) who in 1956 and along with six American women met in a park to share information on how to breastfeed their babies.
Thanks to that impromptu meeting and the boldness of those mothers that challenged the professionals and public opinion of the time that totally undervalued breastfeeding, the most influential breastfeeding advocacy organization in the world was born: the International Milk League. They currently have groups of mothers in 68 countries.
Edwina has passed away at 93 years of age and she can feel absolutely proud because she has left this world better than she found it and because her life has been very useful for future generations.
As the pioneers tend to be in all fields, from his biography I emphasize that he decided to give birth at home instead of in the hospital and that in 1963 he wrote “The feminine art of breastfeeding,” a book that has sold more than two millions of copies since then and that has been translated into eight languages, in addition to the Braille language.
In the 50s only 18% of mothers breastfed. According to these founders, the main obstacles were: doctors, hospitals and social pressure. What has changed half a century later?
In Spain, about 80% of mothers start breastfeeding but in two months this percentage drops sharply. Long before the end of maternity leave, that is, the causes are different.
And that is why the role, knowledge and help given by all volunteer mothers in breastfeeding support groups is still essential because they are the missing link that we collect the first time mothers that we have never seen in our environment to breastfeed, that we do not usually know how to do it and that we find numerous social strides and constant discouragements of the damned “opinologists”.
Hopefully one day not too far the groups of the League of Milk are not necessary because breastfeeding again occupy the rightful place in society¡
