Breastfeeding: Burden or Blessing?
March 24, 2009 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under advantages of breastfeeding, health of the mother, mothering
Myth: Breastfeeding chains mothers to a nursing chair for endless hours and smothers them with the weight of a nursing pillow and a needy baby. It’s a burden, a sacrifice made by martyr mothers for the health of their babies (and the health of the mothers, if that is even recognized at all). Reality: Let me tell you what appears to be a well-kept secret. How can I put this? Oh yeah. Breastfeeding is awesome! Sure the health benefits for baby and mother are great, and the secondary benefit of being able to soothe a tired, cranky, or hungry baby is great too. The little-celebrated additional benefit is that breastfeeding also gives mothers the freedom to do activities that they enjoy!
Right from the start I learned that breastfeeding gave me the freedom to walk out the door without a care for when the baby last fed and when she would need to eat again. I do not mean to minimize any early challenges of breastfeeding or of nursing in public. I know that new mothers sometimes feel like the baby wants to nurse “all the time” (think growth spurt!) or that some mothers worry about breastfeeding in public. I do, however, mean to celebrate the freedom that comes when breastfeeding has been mastered, and mastered to the point the mother feels comfortable venturing out and about. For some women, that happens surprisingly quickly, and it only gets easier and easier.
Take today for example. My baby had played in every room, had eaten two meals, had taken two naps, and frankly, had become bored with everything I had on hand to offer. We were going stir crazy by 2 p.m.! So, I put on the ring sling, grabbed my keys, my cell phone, and a spare diaper liner, and set off on a hike — a four-mile hike that took us an hour and 45 minutes! Imagine attempting such a hike while carrying ice packs and bottles of formula!
We smelled the fresh air and the lilacs in bloom. On the trails, we saw squirrels, horses, and even three llamas. Far from being tied to home, with breastfeeding we were free to roam!
It would be quite a shift if people were to start thinking of pregnancy as just part one of three. Next is attached lactation, during which mamas have a baby attached (with diaper-changing breaks.. maybe) to the outside of of the body instead of the inside, and the third and final part would be detached lactation and weaning. All of this corresponds to the development of a sense of self by the nursling, separate and distinct from mama. It is a 3-4 year process for ushering a new little person into the world: gestation, lactation, and gradual separation.
Wow, I love what the above poster wrote.
Great post. I totally agree. At five months postpartum, I am still not TOTALLY comfortable nursing in public, but it’s gotten much easier and I do it anyway. I no longer give a hoot if someone sees my hoo-has, I just don’t want to make people uncomfortable. But if we bred a society that was more at ease with nursing, which should be the natural and first option!, this wouldn’t be the case.
Thanks!
I never had a problem breastfeeding in public. I bought a hooter hider and I didn’t have to worry that my goodies were going to be exposed to the world. It is a natural thing to do and if someone is uncomfortable then they don’t need to look. I’ve breastfeed and pumped everywhere and never been embarrased (except for the time I pumped in an airport bathroom). Americans need to get on board with the rest of the world and see breastfeeding as a normal, everyday event between a mother and baby.