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Friday, August 5, 2011

Breastfeeding Controversies



What Are Breasts For?

Written by NPN Guest

Breasts in papers line the shops,
Breasts on billboards, skimpy tops,
Breasts on beaches out on show,
What are breasts for? do you know?
I think that some perhaps forgot,
(The formula companies helped a lot)
Monkeys, cats and even camels,
Are all like us and we’re called Mammals.
Mammal means that milk we make,
On instant tap for babe to take,
So why then now in modern age,
Is bottle feeding all the rage?
Did women’s breasts break over time?
Did breastmilk become less sublime?
Did something better come along?
Maybe nature got it wrong!
Alas the answer’s sadly not,
Nothings changed, not a jot,
At least in terms of women’s breasts,
And doing what they do the best.
The other a poor substitute,
Which evidence does not refute,
Increasing risk of death, disease,
Cancers, cot death, being obese.
For this the parents have to pay,
A pound or two, but every day!
It then needs making, every feed,
At 3am not what you need!
With babies dying every day,
I really think its time we say,
Give women the support they need,
To feed their babies AND succeed!
( borrowed from:  http://naturalparentsnetwork.com/what-are-breasts-for/  )

Obviously, this post is keeping in line with this being World Breastfeeding Week.  I was sent this poem a couple of days ago and wanted to make sure to share it with all of you!  I also wanted to talk about a doll that is out that mimics breast feeding.  Here is the link to the article on this doll:


Ok, so I would like to know what you all think about this doll.  I have asked several of my BBC groups about it and in most circles, it has been very well received.  Notice in the comments on the article, though, not so much.  It just astounds me that in our country we only view breasts as a sex object and not as a source of food for our children.  The original reason for breasts was, and still is, to produce milk to feed our young.  Somehow, over the years, it has become taboo to breastfeed your child.  Heaven forbid you do it in public!  I understand being modest while breastfeeding and covering up, but what's the big issue of not covering up??  It's a breast...it's there to feed your child!  People in Europe breastfeed in public and it is a world wide (other than in the U.S.) accepted practice.  They even have wet nurses (other women that are hired specifically to breastfeed your child) in England and Europe.  So why do we see it as such a taboo practice?  Honestly, I believe it all has to do with most men viewing our breasts as sex objects and the film/photography/advertising industries promoting that point of view.  Why sexualize something that is so natural and good?  It honestly makes me mad that this sort of mentality has become the norm!

In this article, they quote several "experts" that say that this doll is exposing children to things they aren't quite ready for and that it may cause children to think that it's OK to get pregnant at an early age.  REALLY??  I want to know how THIS doll is any different from the dolls that pee, poop, cry, crawl, talk, eat, drink, etc?  So, just because this doll does what any baby would do to eat if the mother wasn't formula feeding, it tells children that it's alright to get pregnant at an early age???  What about these other dolls?  Wouldn't they do the same thing if that were true??  If this doll exposes them to things they aren't quite ready for, wouldn't those other dolls, too??  What child that plays with dolls is ready to have a pooping, peeing, crying, eating, crawling baby???  None that I know of, yet it's OK for them to have those kinds of dolls!  This is honestly just a way to further discriminate against breastfeeding if you ask me.  It has nothing to do with all the things those "experts" say.  It's just a way to make men, and now some women, too, feel better about their insecurities with the female body!  Now, don't get me wrong...I understand some people NEED to formula feed...and you know what, that's OK.  It's up to the mother to decide how she will feed her child.  I wonder, though, how all these experts would have felt back before they had formula when your only option was to breastfeed your child??  That might prove to be interesting!

So, my friends, please, do what you can to help promote World Breastfeeding Week and breastfeeding awareness.  Please don't be ugly to those that don't choose to breastfeed as you may not know their circumstances.  Let's try to change the way this country looks at breastfeeding and help more women know that it is more than alright for them to choose to do so...even in public!!

I'd love to hear your views on the subject!!  Please feel free to comment, but please, let's all be nice about it!

10 DPO and hoping I have the opportunity to breastfeed again really soon!!

1 comment:

  1. When my daughter was three, she surprised me by taking one of her baby dolls to her chest, made suckling sounds, and smiled at me saying, "I give my baby noony!"

    I just laughed. I had breast fed her, so she did what came natural for her dolly.

    Children use dolls for pretending. They will use their imaginations and mimic what they've seen. This is a healthy part of the developmental process.

    Ethically, it is ok for the breastfeeding population to promote what we do. For those who are uncomfortable, don't do it!

    ReplyDelete