You say, “New York Yankees,” and I say, “Go Team!” You say, “Boston Red Sox,” and I say, “Boo!” Or ask me about BBQ (I’m talking about shredded pork, not a cookout) and I’ll tell you the best possible BBQ comes from Eastern North Carolina and is dripping with a tangy, vinegar-based sauce. And if you want to argue with me about any of these things, I’ll just go ahead and tell you not to waste your breath. There’s not a thing in the world you could say to me that would change my mind on either of those.
You want to know why?
It’s not because I’ve done extensive research on the various styles of BBQ throughout the state of North Carolina and the country as a whole. I have not held randomized, double-blind, controlled studies to compare them. And I honestly don’t know stat for stat, who comes out on top – the Yankees or the Red Sox (we have won way more World Series, though, just sayin’).
No, I hold these beliefs because of a little something called “implicit bias.” Ever heard of it?
Implicit bias refers to judgments and beliefs that we form not through any conscious choice of our own. For many of us, our implicit biases can be traced back to the way we were raised – things our families did, traditions we adhered to growing up. Implicit biases help form our attitudes and choices on a subconscious level. They help form our “in-groups” – the social groups that we personally identify with.
Why are the Yankees my favorite team? They just are. Dig a little deeper, and that was the team my dad rooted for, and his dad before him.
So what does this have to do with feeding choices? Quite a lot actually.
Ask an expecting parent if they are going to breast or bottle feed and you’re certain to get an answer.
How we feed our babies is not something we just shrug our shoulders at. No, we care deeply about this issue. But why?
Putting aside the whole we-have- to-feed- our-babies- so-they- will-thrive- and-grow fact, many of us care deeply about feeding choices because of our own implicit biases. Did your mother breastfeed? You quite possibly grew up thinking you would breastfeed too. Or maybe your mother-in-law formula fed all of her children. This will probably shape her opinions on how you feed her grandchild.
The more we understand implicit biases, the more we can understand why feeding choices can become such a hot-button topic and also why feeding choices mean so much to new parents. Sometimes these choices are just ingrained.
I mean, have you asked a Yankees fan recently to root for Boston? Not gonna happen.
As a Certified Infant Feeding Specialist, I am well-versed in implicit and explicit biases (the explicit biases are a whole other blog topic).
When I ask expectant parents how they plan to feed their new baby, I want to know more than whether or not we need to get some bottles ready. I want to understand where that choice comes from so that I can build an Individualized Feeding Plan for them that takes into account the how and they why.
Because the why can be key to understanding the deeply rooted beliefs and feelings our clients have around feeding choices.
And the more we know about the why, the better prepared we are as Infant Feeding Specialists to offer support, guidance, and a change of plans when necessary.
This is just one of the many things that makes the Infant Feeding Specialist unique. We understand that the choices parents make are influenced by many things, implicit bias being just one of them.
Kelly Rutan is the co-owner of Doulas of Raleigh (www.doulasofraleigh.com), a full-service doula agency
serving the Raleigh, North Carolina area. She is also a ProDoula Certified Infant Feeding Specialist (IFS) and Postpartum & Infant Care Doula (P&ICD), as well as a ProDoula IFS and P&ICD Trainer.
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