Joanne,

Thanks for your views, I wanted to explore the prenatal nutrition programs
because I am not sure I really understand them.

> From: Joanne Roulston <[log in to unmask]>

> - This separation is also counter-productive to population health
> goals.  To have a healthy baby, a woman must be adequately nourished
> when she conceives.  Good nutrition that begins after pregnancy is
> detected is a help, but nowhere near as good as beginning one's
> pregnancy in good health.

Right, but all the programs concerned with healthy outcomes never do
anything about the fact that many people do not have enough money to buy
food.  So again based on David's view, does that not imply values?
>
> - Feeding poor women when they are pregnant, then cutting them off once
> they have passed the lactation stage is a fairly explicit expression of
> misogyny in public policy that recognizes women as baby-producers, not
> citizens with rights of their own to adequate food and some dignity.

I have never seem any outcome data for these programs, they all point to
the Montreal Diet Dispensary, but it was a much different program with a
much different population.  So if we truly believe that these programs work
and pregnancy is only 10 months long and we have thousands of these
programs across the country then we should have these great outcomes to
talk about.

Our local program kicks women off if they are not breast feeding at 3 mos,
if they are breast feeding then at 6 months.  Again, duhh, how does this
make sense, I breastfed my son for three years, course he did start solids
at around 6 months, but did not attempt cow's milk until he was around 12
months.

Right in this country we are willing to see pregnant women and children be
fed, but that is it.  Both levels of government are willing to see child
feeding programs expand.

Again, what are the assumptions and values and is this what we should be
doing?

I had toyed with the idea of having a poor women run CLF funded project
that worked to unsure that mothers had breakie food in their houses, I was
fascinated that the grocery industry gives 70% discounts to these programs,
boy could the women in my community do something with this.  We have often
talked about buying clubs and co-ops, but there seems to be no money that
can go to poor people themselves to undertake this kind of solutions to
their problems.  There is also no health money for poor people to on their
own undertake any advocacy with governments.

Oh well,

S
> Surely we can raise the standard a little higher, at least to the point
> where the poorest family can feed itself adequately?
>
> Statistics Canada's most recent Survey of Consumer Finances showed a
> very clear move from 1995 to 1996 in the gap between the richest fifth
> of the population and the poorest.  This sort of gap cannot be filled
> with a nutritious breakfast.
>
> Let's keep this discussion up.
>
> regards,
>
> Joanne