Navigating the early years of parenthood is often filled with unexpected moments. One such moment occurred when I was handed a questionnaire at my daughter Willow’s two-year check-up, assessing her risk factors for high cholesterol. The notion of a two-year-old needing cholesterol screening seemed absurd at first. Yet, it served as a stark reminder of broader health concerns, from the concerningly low rates of exclusive breastfeeding to the growing childhood obesity epidemic. It sparked a moment of reflection, intensified by the impactful documentary, Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare, which I had seen the night before.
A wave of frustration washed over me. Why wasn’t there a greater emphasis on maternal and child health, a cornerstone for preventing future health crises? Why wasn’t our society prioritizing these foundational aspects of well-being? Amidst these swirling thoughts, Willow’s joyful expressions in the waiting room’s colorful fish mirror brought a sense of calm and immense gratitude for her health and vitality.
This personal experience resonates with the insights shared by Kittie Frantz, RN, CPNP-PC, Clinical Instructor in Pediatrics at the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine and Coordinator of Lactation Education for the Los Angeles County, University of Southern California Medical Center. A dedicated Breastfeeding Champion, Kittie Frantz has devoted over four decades to maternal and child health. My conversation with her, anticipating validation of my frustrations with contemporary birth and breastfeeding practices, took an unexpected turn. Instead of dwelling on the negative, she illuminated the remarkable progress that has been made in nurturing maternal infant attachment. Her extensive experience witnessing the evolution of this crucial bond provides invaluable guidance for both mothers and healthcare professionals.
While my concerns about our reactive healthcare system persist, Frantz’s unwavering dedication and ability to drive positive change are truly inspiring.
Reflecting on her early experiences in the 1960s, Frantz recalls a starkly different attitude towards breastfeeding, one bordering on distaste. “You want to do that?” she recounts her postpartum nurse’s reaction, a nurse with a towering beehive hairdo who seemed to guard the infant possessively. This nurse promptly declared Frantz too young to produce milk and offered a six-pack of formula.
“But remember, I’m breastfeeding,” Frantz insisted.
“Don’t you starve your baby,” the nurse retorted sharply.
I was struck by Frantz’s courage in advocating for herself in such a tense environment.
“She angered me so much, I was determined to succeed no matter what,” she explained. “It was probably a good thing.”
This dismissive attitude was commonplace; assistance with attachment was non-existent, Frantz elaborated. Infants were tightly swaddled and kept wrapped to prevent “contamination.”
Despite her strong resolve to breastfeed, Frantz encountered challenges. Lacking support from healthcare professionals or family, she found solace and guidance in La Leche League (LLL) meetings.
Sharing this observation, I mentioned to Frantz how LLL seems to be a recurring source of inspiration for many Our Milky Way interviewees. She affirmed its significance.
For her generation, LLL was the sole source of support.
“We clung to each other like sisters on an iceberg,” Frantz vividly described.
Today, while LLL’s prominence has lessened, Frantz offers a crucial perspective: “Can you imagine being a young mother without an internet connection?” she poses rhetorically. She’s right. In today’s world of constant connectivity, it’s easy to forget the isolation mothers faced without readily available online resources. If modern mothers lacked internet access, it’s likely we’d be seeking refuge and solidarity on that LLL iceberg once more.
Frantz is not only a mother of three but also a foster mother to five, grandmother to seven, and foster grandmother to at least eight. Her family opened their doors to pregnant teenagers at a time when, as Frantz notes, few were willing to do so.
“They would have their babies, and I would be there in labor with them, helping them to breastfeed,” she recounts. “That was incredibly rewarding.”
Frantz ensured these young mothers were enrolled in schools in neighboring towns that allowed them to bring their babies. She would sit with these young mother-baby pairs through the night, supporting them with nursing. (A level of support, it’s worth noting, that some partners don’t even provide.)
“It’s about opening your home and living your values,” Frantz says of her foster parenting journey.
Throughout her distinguished career, Frantz meticulously observed maternal infant attachment, tailoring her approaches to meet the unique needs of both mother and baby. As a nurse practitioner, these observations became particularly insightful during well-child visits.
“I noticed mothers who weren’t experiencing nipple soreness held their babies differently,” she observed among breastfeeding mothers. “I started applying what I saw, and it worked.”
However, she acknowledges that her work on positioning and latch inadvertently led the lactation community to perceive attachment as a rigid, step-by-step process.
“We made it too complicated,” she admits. “It just made me uneasy.”
Subsequently, Frantz collaborated with Dr. Christina M. Smillie, MD, who offered a simpler, more intuitive perspective on attachment: “let the baby lead.” In their collaborative work, Baby-Led Breastfeeding…The Mother Baby Dance, mothers are guided to breastfeed by allowing their babies to instinctively show them how. This “dance” emphasizes the natural, innate abilities of both mother and child in the breastfeeding relationship, highlighting the inherent connection and responsiveness in their colorful dance of attachment skin.
In the same spirit of recognizing neonatal competence, Frantz developed The Baby’s Perspective, a course designed for those experienced with newborns who wish to understand breastfeeding from the infant’s point of view.
Adopting the baby’s perspective on early attachment offers profound benefits for mothers as well. When infants are given the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities, mothers experience a surge of self-assurance. However, contemporary healthcare practices, with increasing technological interventions, can sometimes hinder a mother’s ability to trust her own instincts.
Frantz identifies helping mothers cultivate self-confidence as the most challenging aspect of her work.
From pregnancy onwards, mothers are bombarded with messages that can undermine their breastfeeding confidence, whether through baby shower gifts filled with bottles and artificial nipples or the negative narratives shared by other mothers about their challenging breastfeeding journeys.
Frantz expresses deep concern about the latter.
“Women are not kind to women,” she states. “Why do we perpetuate stories about how awful birth is and how terrible breastfeeding is? What is it in our nature that makes us feel the need to make it harder for other women?”
Lactation professionals play a crucial role in fostering supportive environments where mothers and babies can bond. Frantz advocates initiating every consultation with skin-to-skin contact, as this practice serves both diagnostic purposes and bolsters maternal confidence. Utilizing educational DVDs, like those Frantz has created, is an effective way to visually demonstrate the power of skin-to-skin contact.
Recognizing the unrealistic expectations placed on postpartum mothers in our culture, Frantz also advises lactation professionals to equip mothers with practical strategies for maintaining their well-being. For example, suggesting designated visiting hours, such as 4 to 6 p.m., allows mothers to reserve the majority of the day for crucial bonding time with their infants.
Finally, Frantz recalls the wise words of her colleague Dr. Joan Hogman: “Remember that breastfeeding is fun.”
“It’s a beautiful system,” Frantz affirms about breastfeeding. “The system works. I say let’s give it a chance.”
The responsibility for creating nurturing environments for mothers and babies extends beyond lactation staff.
Frantz spearheaded the 20-hour staff training program for Los Angeles County University of Southern California Medical Center on the new 4-D Pathway. This comprehensive training encompassed nurses, aides, clerks, residents, and other hospital staff, equipping the entire team with the knowledge and tools to support breastfeeding dyads. Frantz notes that a significant number of mothers continue breastfeeding after discharge, a testament to the confidence instilled by the supportive hospital environment.
“Positive support from staff is key to long-term breastfeeding success,” Frantz emphasizes.
She continues, “Robust support is essential after discharge. The pediatric physician residents carry this knowledge and supportive approach to the continuity clinic, where they provide well-child care within our medical center…Support continues in an ‘atta girl’ format.”
Frantz’s Geddes Productions, LLC Breastfeeding Techniques That Work ™ offers a diverse range of educational resources for both mothers and healthcare professionals, including Delivery Self Attachment and a breastfeeding techniques series. Many of these informative films are accessible through a pay-per-view platform.
For further information about Kittie Frantz’s impactful work and her product line, please visit http://www.geddesproduction.com/kittie-frantz.php.
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