N is for Nursing

I am going to try not to get all ranty with this one, but it is something about which I feel very strongly.  I just attended a "Breastfeeding for Working Moms" class this morning, so it's on my mind.  

I have always known I was going to breastfeed my children.  My brother, sister, and I were all breastfed.  I remember when my sister was born.  I remember my Mom nursing her.  I grew up knowing that breastfeeding is just how moms nourish their children.  I have never even considered giving Macy formula.  

In addition to the fact that it costs, well, almost nothing to breastfeed, there are so many other benefits.  Babies are born with fragile immune systems.  They come out with Mom's immunity, but they don't maintain that immunity without breastmilk.  Breastfeeding lets Mom continue to pass on her immunity to Baby.  Breastmilk is tailored to Baby's needs.  It changes throughout Baby's life so that it always meets Baby's nutritional needs.  It can reduce the chances of allergies later in life.  Also, very very few babies are actually allergic to breastmilk.  They can be allergic to certain proteins in the breastmilk, like from dairy or soy, but an actual breastmilk allergy is very rare--this is not true of formula, and God forbid your baby needs the special formula that costs $90 per can.  Yes, I said PER CAN.  Breastfeeding is easy--you don't have to warm the milk, or mix the milk, or wash your nipples when you are finished.  It's such a no-brainer for me!

I have always thought that most of this was common knowledge.  Lately, I'm running into lots of women who either don't know how good it is to breastfeed, or they just don't care.  I work with a lot of pregnant women. A.LOT.  Many of them are young.  Most of them are first-time moms.  I was reading a book at work one day--The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by Gwen Gotsch and Judy Torgus.  I actually had another expectant mommy--who is my age, and already has one child--tell me that it grossed her out to even think about breastfeeding.

What?  I don't get it.  I understand that some women can't breastfeed.  Some women can't pump milk when they go back to work.  Some women work jobs where they are not permitted to pump.  Some women never establish a good enough milk supply to meet Baby's needs.  I completely understand those situations.  I hope that I am fortunate enough to have a good milk supply, and have the ability to pump so I can go back to work.  But to refuse to even attempt because "it grosses me out"--even for the first few days so your baby can at least get the colostrum that is SOOO good for her?  I think that is one of the most selfish things I have ever heard.  By the way, it's not all about YOU anymore.  You're having a baby.  There are a lot of things parents have to do that aren't fun or pleasant.  There are a lot of things about being a parent that don't smell good or look pretty.  Deal with it.

There are plenty of things that gross me out about being having a baby.  Pick up any pregnancy book and read the chapter about the first 6 weeks postpartum.  That chapter is even grosser than the one about labor itself.  Giving birth is messy and traumatic to delicate tissues and just, in general, disgusting.  Do I get a choice as to whether or not I have to go through that part?  Absolutely not.  I have to do it.  

I don't think there is anything gross about breastfeeding.  It's natural, and it's probably the best thing I can do for Macy in the first year of her life.  I wish that society didn't have to make such a big deal about it.  I wish that state and federal governments didn't have to pass laws that say I am allowed to feed my child wherever I please so that people would stop throwing a fit about it.  I wish that people didn't steer their kids away from mothers who breastfeed in public and give them "that look."  Maybe they could simply explain to their kids, "That's how mommies feed their babies."  I'll cover myself because I'm a modest person, and I feel it is considerate to do so.  I will NOT go to the bathroom to breastfeed my child in a stall because you are uncomfortable being honest with your child and explaining a natural bodily process to them.  Would you eat lunch in a public restroom?  I didn't think so.  Macy isn't going to either--and there's nothing you can do about it.

See?  Only a little bit ranty today.