[Nathan]

Breastfeeding and the Sexual Abuse Survivor by Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD, from Breastfeeding Abstracts, May 1998, Volume 17, Number 4, pp. 27-28.
http://www.lalecheleague.org/ba/May98.html

Breastfeeding and the Sexual Abuse Survivor by Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD, from Leaven, Vol. 33 No. 2, April-May 1997, p. 27.
http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleade...rMay97p27.html

Thoughts on how sexual abuse affects breastfeeding by Kathy Kuhn, IBCLC
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv...d/?msg=16538.1

The Impact of Past Sexual Abuse on Breastfeeding by L. Halliday-Sumner and Deborah Kozlick
http://breakingthesilence.com/breast.html

The Long Shadow: Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse by Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, Ph.D., IBCLC. Chapter from: The hidden feelings of motherhood: Coping with mothering stress, depression and burnout. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger, 2001.
http://www.granitescientific.com/thelongshadowHFM.pdf

[pattiewrites]

How sad. I found the study in the first article interesting, which showed that women who suffered from abuse had a higher intent to breastfeed their babies. Maybe taking back control of their bodies? I think the interpersonal relationship and avoidance issues would require therapy, with or without breastfeeding to prevent attachment difficulties between mother and child. The media and society have made breasts more sexual, making it difficult for people to see them in the way they were intended, to feed babies. This is why people get so freaked out by a mom nursing her baby in public. Little girls don't grow up seeing breasts as a means to feed a baby, but as sexual. I would like to see that connection broken.

[MJ7]

Pattie, I agree. And I see how a woman that's been abused sexually would want (subconciously) to have that control of her body to help someone. I think breast feeding is a beautiful thing between a mom and baby. I do appreciate it when women chose to retain modesty of their breasts in public while feeding because there are those out there that do look at a breat more than for feeding.