Replies to '10/07 The Latest Debates'

Quote From: jensensmom

     Clearly there is an epidemic in our society that is causing us to view public breast-feeding as wrong, disgusting and inappropriate. It is undoubtedly due to the commercialization of infant formula feeding, an industry which spends countless dollars every year to bombard us with commercial and print ads advocating the use of their formula. This is not surprising nor should it necessarily be suppressed. This is a corporation in the business of making money. However, if we want society’s views on breast-feeding to change so must the culture in which it is suppressed.
    There are two ways in which we can alter our culture’s views on breast-feeding. The first is education. Every ad that exists for formula should be matched by an ad that supports breast-feeding. Media plays a huge part in shaping the views of our society and if we want to change our culture then the media’s view on infant feeding needs to no longer be one sided. There simply do not exist any mainstream ads for breast-feeding. Meanwhile, formula companies are making claims that formula is “as close to breast milk as you can get” which are misleading at best. You simply cannot achieve the benefits of human milk by substituting it with cow’s milk that has been enhanced with vitamins and the like. People need to understand that our children are human babies, not calves which have four stomachs. Breast milk was the designed as the perfect nutrient for infants. Further more, the stigmatization in our society of those who breast-feed for an extended period of time is appalling. The APA recommends breast-feeding for a minimum of one year, the World Health Organization (WHO) says two. Yet, despite this fact, when a child is approaching his/her first birthday and still breast-feeding regularly, the mother is stigmatized for her decision. If she chooses to breast-feeding beyond the first year and comply with the WHO’s recommendations she is ostracized even further. Clearly more education is needed surrounding the benefits of breast-feeding and the implications of not.
    The other key piece of changing society’s views is exposure. We live in a culture that fears the unknown. It is not surprising that when we see a woman breast-feeding our gaze is naturally drawn to it. It is unfamiliar, unknown territory to many Americans. It defies everything the media teaches us about the breast, namely that they serve the sole purpose of being objects of sexuality. If public breast-feeding became common place again than breast-feeding rates would rise tremendously. The APA guidelines for breast-feeding clearly state that one of the current major road blocks to reaching ideal breast-feeding rates is the lack of public approval.
    It is astonishing that formula feeding is so condoned by our society despite the fact that the APA explicitly states that breast-feeding is the preferred method of feeding our infants. If a mother decided not to comply with other APA guidelines she would be counseled by her child’s pediatrician to change her views. Instead, our doctors and hospitals are handing out formula to those who do not wish to breast-feed.
    As a mother I have not only a right but a duty to feed my child when he is hungry and I simply refuse to do that in a restroom. Maybe if restrooms provided a couch or a chair where I could privately breast-feed my child the circumstances would be different but I simply refuse to sit on the toilet or the ground of a dirty restroom to feed my child. What message does that send to my child about the importance of his nutrition? Would you even allow your child to eat his sandwich in the bathroom? Would even consider eating in the bathroom? Somehow our culture has become more comfortable with seeing a 15 month old baby eating french fries and a soda than they are with seeing a 9 month old breast-feeding. I just don’t understand.
    Most mothers are rather discrete in their breast-feeding habits. I have yet to meet a mother who takes off her shirt to expose more than is necessary to feed her child. We often tell mothers to “cover up” with a blanket or a throw. But have you ever tried to eat under a blanket? It is hot, uncomfortable and difficult to breathe. Not to mention the fact that it is terribly rude to the child. We need to remember that infants are little human beings with rights and feelings. To force a child to hide under a blanket or in the bathroom sends the message that there is something inherently wrong with what they are doing. The only way that our society will change is through education and exposure, one mother at a time.

Quote From: jensensmom

     Clearly there is an epidemic in our society that is causing us to view public breast-feeding as wrong, disgusting and inappropriate. It is undoubtedly due to the commercialization of infant formula feeding, an industry which spends countless dollars every year to bombard us with commercial and print ads advocating the use of their formula. This is not surprising nor should it necessarily be suppressed. This is a corporation in the business of making money. However, if we want society’s views on breast-feeding to change so must the culture in which it is suppressed.
    There are two ways in which we can alter our culture’s views on breast-feeding. The first is education. Every ad that exists for formula should be matched by an ad that supports breast-feeding. Media plays a huge part in shaping the views of our society and if we want to change our culture then the media’s view on infant feeding needs to no longer be one sided. There simply do not exist any mainstream ads for breast-feeding. Meanwhile, formula companies are making claims that formula is “as close to breast milk as you can get” which are misleading at best. You simply cannot achieve the benefits of human milk by substituting it with cow’s milk that has been enhanced with vitamins and the like. People need to understand that our children are human babies, not calves which have four stomachs. Breast milk was the designed as the perfect nutrient for infants. Further more, the stigmatization in our society of those who breast-feed for an extended period of time is appalling. The APA recommends breast-feeding for a minimum of one year, the World Health Organization (WHO) says two. Yet, despite this fact, when a child is approaching his/her first birthday and still breast-feeding regularly, the mother is stigmatized for her decision. If she chooses to breast-feeding beyond the first year and comply with the WHO’s recommendations she is ostracized even further. Clearly more education is needed surrounding the benefits of breast-feeding and the implications of not.
    The other key piece of changing society’s views is exposure. We live in a culture that fears the unknown. It is not surprising that when we see a woman breast-feeding our gaze is naturally drawn to it. It is unfamiliar, unknown territory to many Americans. It defies everything the media teaches us about the breast, namely that they serve the sole purpose of being objects of sexuality. If public breast-feeding became common place again than breast-feeding rates would rise tremendously. The APA guidelines for breast-feeding clearly state that one of the current major road blocks to reaching ideal breast-feeding rates is the lack of public approval.
    It is astonishing that formula feeding is so condoned by our society despite the fact that the APA explicitly states that breast-feeding is the preferred method of feeding our infants. If a mother decided not to comply with other APA guidelines she would be counseled by her child’s pediatrician to change her views. Instead, our doctors and hospitals are handing out formula to those who do not wish to breast-feed.
    As a mother I have not only a right but a duty to feed my child when he is hungry and I simply refuse to do that in a restroom. Maybe if restrooms provided a couch or a chair where I could privately breast-feed my child the circumstances would be different but I simply refuse to sit on the toilet or the ground of a dirty restroom to feed my child. What message does that send to my child about the importance of his nutrition? Would you even allow your child to eat his sandwich in the bathroom? Would even consider eating in the bathroom? Somehow our culture has become more comfortable with seeing a 15 month old baby eating french fries and a soda than they are with seeing a 9 month old breast-feeding. I just don’t understand.
    Most mothers are rather discrete in their breast-feeding habits. I have yet to meet a mother who takes off her shirt to expose more than is necessary to feed her child. We often tell mothers to “cover up” with a blanket or a throw. But have you ever tried to eat under a blanket? It is hot, uncomfortable and difficult to breathe. Not to mention the fact that it is terribly rude to the child. We need to remember that infants are little human beings with rights and feelings. To force a child to hide under a blanket or in the bathroom sends the message that there is something inherently wrong with what they are doing. The only way that our society will change is through education and exposure, one mother at a time.