Title makes you a bit squeamish? That’s okay—I experienced a similar reaction when first reading about WBF on Kristen’s blog, This Classical Life.
Today I began leaving a comment on her first blog post this week and I realized it really should be posted on my own space in the WWW. So here ’tis:
I was a breasted baby and grew up around people who breastfed, so honestly I didn’t understand the important of WBF—until now. I recently heard a statistic that went something like this: a majority of the American public thinks it is inappropriate to breastfeed in public and an even larger percentage (71%?) think breastfeeding is indecent when shown on tv. Now, I’m just repeating what I’ve heard/read and I don’t have the proof in front of me, nor do I know what the actual survey stated, but still, the notions behind these statistics are absurd! Breastfeeding is GOOD and DECENT (when a bit of discretion is used, of course) and is a GOD-GIVEN way to feed babies. I find it hard to believe that it’s considered appropriate to show breasts in sexually suggestive ways on television but not as a way of feeding a child (you know, the same child that was carried in the same woman’s womb for nine months). Also, I wonder if the “public” is aware of how often a newborn infant eats…. To say it’s inappropriate for a woman to breastfeed her child in public is like saying this same woman doesn’t deserve to live outside her home for more than an hour or two at a time. Ridiculous.
I will never be a militant supporter of breastfeeding and I do believe some women go overboard in their methods to support it. I do wish that well-intentioned people would quit asking me if I’ve heard about breastfeeding adopted babies (for the record, yes, I have) and I do wish that breastfeeding and bottle-feeding mamas alike would support one another’s choices. There’s way too much judgment flying around women in this arena and it only serves to make someone feel guilty about the choices they’ve made.
Still, I find it hard to believe how uncomfortable the general public is with breastfeeding. I’d be more blunt with my thoughts here, but well, I’m trying to keep this blog rated G. Or, maybe PG-13.
3 Comments
Anne Aug 2, 2006 8:32 AM
“There’s way too much judgment flying around women in this arena and it only serves to make someone feel guilty about the choices they’ve made.”
That’s a good point.
Even though I have no children of my own, I enjoy reading parenting columnist John Rosemond. His common-sense approach to parenting is really refreshing. Your point is very similar to a point he made one day; he said that many parents today are afraid to do anything “wrong,” because they think that one bad decision can royally screw up their child for life. They shy away from doing anything that makes their child unhappy because they think their kid will hate them or will have psychological problems later in life.
I agree that supporting parents instead of judging them would be nice.
TulipGirl Aug 2, 2006 7:37 PM
Like you, I grew up with breastfeeding being “normal.” That’s what I’d like to see–that breastfeeding is the “normal” route, and encouraged. And that it is the exception when mothers don’t breastfeed, for whatever health/situational/personal reasons.
I personally believe that when breastfeeding is normalize, that there will tend to be less judgement–from any direction–about feeding choices mothers make.
Jacinda Aug 9, 2006 12:44 AM
Aw, I’m sad I didn’t know about this! I was in Nashville when you posted this…and my trip would have been a lot more “fun” had I not had to secure myself to a private area with an electric outlet every 4-5 hours because I’ve got a 9 month old baby who has had no formula. Her big brother nursed at least part of the time until 18 months…but no, formula is not evil! I am lucky and consider myself blessed to have been able to do that for my children but I am in no position to judge what other people do. We are fortunate to have such a wide range of quality formulas for infants these days.
I like John Rosemond too! :)