Television's Portrayal of Breastfeeding

I stumbled upon an interesting story today based upon a recent study that was published in the journal Health Communication titled, "That's Not a Beer Bong, It's a Breast Pump!" Representations of Breastfeeding in Prime-Time Fictional Television."  The author of the study recognizes that "although most people are aware of the benefits, many women do not breastfeed their babies past the first few months. These low rates can be partially explained by negative cultural attitudes toward breastfeeding, which have been reinforced by media messages."

The author found that "breastfeeding depictions are generally positive, but limited in scope to educated, older, Caucasian women breastfeeding newborns, with little discussion about how to overcome problems. Extended breastfeeding and nursing in public were conveyed as socially unacceptable, making other characters uncomfortable, often within the same storylines that sexualized breasts. While the frequency of representations in recent years was encouraging, the narrow definition of the "normal" nursing experience excluded many types of women and breastfeeding experiences. And, by failing to address breastfeeding challenges and conveying that extended breastfeeding or nursing in public is abnormal or obscene, these depictions reinforce myths about the ease of breastfeeding and may discourage women from breastfeeding past the newborn phase, and outside the privacy of their homes. These portrayals may help explain why breastfeeding has not been "normalized," despite an international consensus that it is the best health choice for babies."

I would have to agree with the author of this study.  Before I became I mother, I had no idea the challenges that face breastfeeding mothers.  I didn't know about the commitment and sacrifice that it takes to exclusively breastfeed a child for the first six months of their life and to continue to at least a year as recommended by guidelines.  Most of the general public's "experience" with breastfeeding is through television.  In television, you never see a baby past a few months old breastfeeding.  As a result, many people feel uncomfortable seeing older children breastfeed.  I have been told that I need to "stop" breastfeeding my child because he was too "old" (even though he was not even a year old).

If television shows do not begin to more accurately portray breastfeeding, people are going to continue believing the stereotypes that they see.  I have a co-worker who is originally from Africa and he cannot understand the "hang up" Americans have about breastfeeding.  It is a natural thing and it is what is best for babies.  Unfortunately, since many Americans are driven by what they see on television, producers of shows need to change the way in which breastfeeding is portrayed for it to become more "acceptable" to the "mainstream."

My 2-Year Old Does Not Watch Television

Another topic that I have been wanting to address is television use by children under 2 and beyond.  I do not let my child watch television and I don't intend to in the near future.  He just turned two and I don't think it is necessary or a good thing to have him "entertained" by a television or other electronic media at his age (he'll have the rest of his life to do that).  I have heard many comments from well-intentioned people telling me that I am "depriving" my child of television when it is "educational."  I do agree that television can be educational but there is a time and place for that.  A child as young as my little one does not need the constant stimulation.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated their policy statement addressing media use in children in October 2011.  "The AAP discourages media use by children younger than 2 years.  Unstructured playtime is more valuable for the developing brain than any electronic media exposure. If a parent is not able to actively play with a child, that child should have solo playtime with an adult nearby. Even for infants as young as 4 months of age, solo play allows a child to think creatively, problem-solve, and accomplish tasks with minimal parent interaction. The parent can also learn something in the process of giving the child an opportunity to entertain himself or herself while remaining nearby."  A television or other electronic media is not a substitute for the interaction between a parent and child.  

A study published in 2007 in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that "By 3 months of age, about 40% of children regularly watched television, DVDs, or videos. By 24 months, this proportion rose to 90%. The median age at which regular media exposure was introduced was 9 months. Among those who watched, the average viewing time per day rose from 1 hour per day for children younger than 12 months to more than 1.5 hours per day by 24 months. Parents watched with their children more than half of the time. Parents gave education, entertainment, and babysitting as major reasons for media exposure in their children younger than 2 years."


I find these statistics astounding considering that it has not been proven that watching television or engaging in any form of electronic media in children under 2 has had any educational benefit.  Heavy media use has been "associated with obesity, sleep issues, aggressive behaviors, and attention issues in preschool- and school-aged children."  It may also cause eye strain if a child sits too close to the television (which I know many young children do).   

I admit that my husband and I both have our vices.  He likes to watch his baseball games on television and I am highly addicted to the Internet.  It's not easy to cut ourselves off completely but we make a conscious effort to interact with him rather than rely on electronic media to be a "babysitter."  I think the benefits are well worth it.  When we need him to be "distracted" while we do laundry or cook dinner, he will entertain himself by sitting in a corner with a book or will play by himself with his lego blocks building things and creatively exploring the world around him.  Since he's never known television, he doesn't "need" to have it.  In today's society, I know our time of him being "media-free" is rapidly closing as he gets older.  This will be a challenge to go as long without media exposure for baby #2 but we're going to try.  Our children may not yet know the theme song to Sesame Street or know who Yo Gabba Gabba is but they can figure it out when they're older or they can read about it in a good book.