Getting Real with Kira Hazledine
Today is the last official day of World Breastfeeding Week!
Let’s go over what we’ve learned, as well as a few lessons that you can take with you.
- Someone else’s boobs are none of your business. Boobs are not sexual objects.
- Nipples aren’t going to hurt you or scar your children. Everybody has them.
- Breastfeeding is totally natural!
- It’s completely acceptable to choose other methods of nourishment as long as your baby is fed. The goal is to acknowledge that many women worldwide do not have formula as an option and lack the education to successfully breastfeed.
- Breastfeeding benefits both infants AND toddlers.
- You can be pregnant and safely breastfeed at the same time.
- It is now legal in ALL 50 states to breastfeed in public where ever you are legally allowed to be.
- The average age worldwide of weaning a breastfed child is age 4.
- The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until at least age 2.
- Women have legal rights in most developed countries that allow them to pump breastmilk for their babies at work.
Even though breastfeeding is natural, it’s a lot of work. The choice to breastfeed or not is a hard one, and education is a must. Women everywhere deserve access to information that will help them feed their babies. The discomfort or personal feelings of another have no relevance on a breastfeeding relationship between a mother and her baby.
So, if you’re only going to take away one thing from World Breastfeeding Week, it’s this:
Breastfeeding has killed no one. In fact, breastfeeding has supported the survival of millions of human beings since the beginning of time. If you have an issue, get a grip. Women have every right to feed their babies, whether it’s a boob or a bottle, and it’s not up to you.
