National Breastfeeding Week: Thoughts on the Stigma

My little man nursing at just a few days old.

This week is National Breastfeeding Week. It's a subject near and dear to my heart as regular readers will know.  I'm a bit of a strange one, because I'm one of the few who biologically cannot exclusively breastfeed... but did anyways!  I thought I'd write a bit about my feelings on the stigma of breastfeeding in Ireland and the prevailing view on breasts as a sexual object versus a functional biological one.

I love that we have a week highlighting this beautiful act of motherhood, but it's a lifelong battle in Ireland which never ceases to baffle me.

Just looking at some of the reactions of people on twitter says a lot about Irish culture and the way women are really viewed.  If boobs are seen purely as a sexual thing, what does it say for us? For a culture who is rapidly rejecting religion and all the backwards theories that comes with it and finally backing science and natural selection, it's amazing to me that we can be so close minded about this.  I wonder where people think the human race evolved from if it wasn't for boobs. Formula wasn't even an option 200 years ago, yet somehow we managed to survive.

I would urge every woman to examine her feelings on this issue and wonder why and where those feelings evolved. If boobs are only for our partners to play with, what does that say about us? What does that say about our view of the role of women? Where did such views come from? Whether you choose to breastfeed or not, you really need to think about this. Why should women be made feel uncomfortable or in extreme cases shunned for doing something their bodies were made to do? Why is it ok for women to flaunt their assets in the media or out on a Friday night but not to use them how they were actually meant to be used?  Why is it that educated women feel this way? Why is it that 50 Shades of shite is so popular among women? Why is it that we are our own worst enemies?  Yes, Christianity has a lot to answer for shaming women and their bodies, but even in some of the most oppressive countries towards women today breastfeeding is a non-issue. Nursing burqas are big business I tell you! :)

All of this bears thinking about and pondering... above are just some of my thoughts and there are many more where that came from but I will spare you!  Check back tomorrow for my new favourite cake recipe... Grapefruit! Yes, it's worth it!

Check out Mama.ie for the rest of the posts on this special week.

Oh and now... a competition for the week that's in it!



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Hey Facebook: Breastfeeding is Normal!

As some of you may be aware, Facebook has been removing pictures of women breastfeeding their children on a regular basis and in some cases, even banning these women's accounts.  In most cases they are beautiful tasteful photos with very little skin and/or nipple exposed.

Regardless of your choice to breastfeed, no one can dispute the scientific evidence that it is the best choice for your baby and the biological fact that it is indeed what our boobs were made for, despite what the porn/TV/film/advertising industry would have you believe.

The benefits of breastfeeding are undisputed, not just for an individual child, but for society as a whole.  Breastfed children grow up to be smarter and healthier than their formula fed counterparts making for a more productive society. Mothers who are allowed and encouraged to breastfeed will inevitably miss less work because of sick children and employers are beginning to realise this.

Whether or not you personally choose to breastfeed is beside the point here, the point is everyone should be given that choice and supported if they make it.  It is against the law in Ireland to discriminate against a breastfeeding woman, yet looking at the bigoted, misinformed and plain idiotic comments on this Journal post, it is clearly evident that the public at large are uneducated and clearly not supportive.  We must support mothers no matter what choice they make and even more so when they are making the best and normal choice.

If you are nursing or have nursed or just support the cause, consider coming out to the protest next Monday at the Facebook Headquarters in Dublin.  It is a chance to tell the media, the public and the censors at Facebook that not only is breastfeeding the healthy and optimal choice for society, but it's utterly and completely normal!  If you can't make it, consider changing your Facebook picture on the day and leaving a message of support for the girls!

The details are here.