Breastfeeding Friendly World

Breastfeeding news: “Mothers are being kicked out of airplanes with their breastfed babies and toddlers”…”Mama bloggers are being banned from blog networks for posting discreet nursing pictures”… “Nursing moms are facing harassment in restaurants and other public places and shops”… Reading these news reports would make us believe that breastfeeding mothers and their kids will never become worldwide accepted. Will we ever have a breastfeeding friendly society?

Several experts agree that breastfeeding is one of the most important things that mothers can do to give our babies and ourselves the best chance for optimal health. Every year scientists discover more about the benefits of breastfeeding for mother, child and even our environment. But what can we do to support breastfeeding? The aim of breastfeeding advocacy is not to make mothers feel guilty for their choices, but at the same time we cannot be dishonest and hide the truth. Healthcare providers have an obligation to let expectant and new mothers know that the choice not to breastfeed will have its risks. One way to support breastfeeding is to pay attention to how we share our message with others, especially with moms. We should consider that everyone comes from a different place and a different understanding. Even people who are supportive of breastfeeding differ disagree in some points. For example, some women who breastfed their babies for years are still uncomfortable with nursing in public. Also, for some moms breastfeeding was the number one choice but because of poor support or information, they weren’t able to make a success of it. And so they harbor guilt or pain which comes out as criticism of breastfeeding. It’s very important to keep good communication skills, particularly with family members and close friends who are not aware of the benefits of breastfeeding. It’s a good idea for parents to talk about their parenting decisions with close family members who may be spending time with their new baby. Setting good boundaries regarding parenting choices will help extended family to respect mom’s choice to breastfeed. The same for friends and strangers. In place of using sarcasm to answer someone who expresses disagree to the fact you’re nursing in public, try diplomacy and kindness. You will contribute much to normalize breastfeeding by showing respect and kindness for others, while continue nursing with dignity. Women often make the decision to breastfeed or not long before they become pregnant, some make this choice even as young girls or teenagers. So a good way to contribute to create a breastfeeding friendly world is to help our own children see breastfeeding as normal and the biologically appropriate way to feed an infant. Children who observe their mother nursing a sibling are going to see breastfeeding as normal and the appropriate way to feed an infant. We can also read stories featuring pictures of nursing mothers and mammals to our kids, and can even find dolls that breastfeed. But don’t think the news are all bad: “most mothers find that the majority of the time, no one is bothered by their breastfeeding in public”, and “the world average age of weaning is 4.2 years” (not bad!)…. The fact is that many times nursing mothers do get encouragement and positive comments from other parents or people aware of the benefits of breastfeeding.  So go ahead and give a good comment every time you see a mom nursing her baby or toddler!