Breastfeeding Photo Controversy

Today a local morning radio show decided to join in on the breastfeeding controversy by sharing their thoughts on a mother who shared a photo of herself feeding her child at her college graduation. Of course most of the talk show hosts were on the opposing side and one who has a history of being disrespectfully opposed to breastfeeding is even a mother herself (it is okay to be opposed, but not disrespectful).

Shame. Shame. 

I follow many breastfeeding networks and pages so I frequently see recent debates and arguments just about every day.

Every day I learn of yet another woman who is being criticized for sharing a photo of nursing her child.

Why? 

When will the breastfeeding debate end?

It has to stop people. We idolize celebrities all day long who bare nipples in sheer tops and who pose nude on magazine covers, yet we show hatred and disgust at a mother using her breasts for their sole purpose.

This doesn't even make sense. 

It is 100% your right not to breastfeed and it is also your right to even think of it as being "odd," but why put down others who work so hard at it? Why show disgust at the mother who cried tears of joy the night before because her baby finally latched on after weeks and weeks of trying? Why make a mother go to her car to feed her child when her child is hungry now? No one made you starve, so why make an innocent, helpless child starve?

I hate to say this, but I have come to my own conclusion. Those fellow mothers who openly show disgust and disrespect towards breastfeeding or breastfeeding in public, are living somewhere with their own personal guilt. Perhaps breastfeeding didn't work out for them, perhaps they just didn't want to or perhaps they never had the balls to nurse in public. I frequently feel this is why other mothers bash on breastfeeding mothers. Let go of your guilt, we're all doing a fantastic job as moms breast milk or not. Let's not show hatred towards the mothers who bust their hump trying to get just another ounce of "liquid gold." 

And those men and young women (who aren't even mothers yet) who openly say breastfeeding is all of the negative things that they say, are just immature pigs.

That's right, pigs.

They are people who live in an over sexualized world where breasts are made to be sexy. A world where breasts are made to be pleasurable and where breasts are made to be an item to lust after. They live in a branded world and they are trapped in a close mind. 

I read a lot of negativity all day long about breastfeeding. And while I get that some support breastfeeding but aren't fans of nursing in public, the bottom line is that this is a part of life. If you can feed a baby a bottle in public, then you can feed a baby by the way God intended in public. Decades ago a breastfeeding photo wouldn't have been an issue. And while I don't just share photos (even those I frequently snap a nursing selfie), these photos that other mamas share are meant to be inspirational and beautiful. They are meant to say,

"hey look, we've finally gotten the hang of breastfeeding."

Or

"hey mamas, breastfeeding is wonderful so give it a try."

And often times these photos are shared to a small circle of friends or even to a breastfeeding support group -- it's the one idiot out there that shares it to make it go viral. 

God didn't invent bottles and formula; man kind did during the war to help with those mothers who were spending more time away from their babies. Bottles and formula were not made to replace the way a child was meant to eat, it was made to help women be able to have a higher place in society by providing them with a means to feed their child while working out of the home. It is only because of commercialization and an oversexualized society that bottles and formula even became a way to replace the way a child ate. There's nothing wrong with a woman who works full time and just doesn't have the drive to attempt breastfeeding for the sake of adding more to her work load.

That is each mother's prerogative. 

What is not okay is the bashing and hatred that goes out to the breastfeeding mothers out there. Formula mothers are so quick to say that they feel like breastfeeding mothers judge them, and while there are some "breast is best" die hard mamas out there, more often it is the breastfeeding mother in the news. In fact, I've never seen an article showing disgust at a mother publicly feeding her child a bottle. Yet I see an article nearly every day that shows disgust and disrespect towards the mother nursing her child. 

People, it has to stop. Get over it.

Learn to accept that breasts were created for the sole purpose of feeding a child.

And you know what, if a mother feels beautiful nursing her child and wants to share that with the world than so be it. I feel the most beautiful when I nurse my child and that is the truth.

Why not share it?

If you don't like it, scroll through your feed and move on. 

Don't take the time to hurt the mother who has tried so desperately hard to breastfeed even if it was only for six weeks or six months. Breastfeeding is hard work. I don't put down your job, so don't put down mine. 

Thanks for reading, Sasha