On My Soap Box About....arguments against breastfeeding.

  

So you may or may not know that I'm pretty active on the Facebook. I spend a lot of time there. I try to stay away from all FB drama but the recent "outcry" about the guardswomen breastfeeding really stuck in my craw.

Yes, I just said that. I told you I'm a southern girl.

Anyways, here's one the pictures.

I thought it was  very sweet. Two mommies giving both our country and their babies the very best they have to offer. It's a powerful image that says so much about the strength of a woman.

But many people seem to think it is offensive as well as being disrespectful to the uniform.  The Guard issued a statement saying that using the uniform to further an agenda while in uniform is against their regulations.  Agenda?  Hmmmm.....

But moving right along, I commented on how I felt on a friend's page and someone else commented and we kinda went back and forth a bit.  It seemed this FB friend has more of an issue with breastfeeding in general as opposed to this picture.  He actually pulled out the Breastfeeding Asinine Argument Trifecta.  He compared breastfeeding to pooping, peeing, and sex.

Really? People are still using those arguments?  Sigh.  Let me dispel them, as many before me have.

Ridiculousness #1:  "I know breastfeeding is natural.  Pooping/peeing are natural, too, but I don't do that in the middle of a restaurant."

Breastfeeding is eating.  Let me repeat that: breastfeeding is eating.  I'll say it louder: BREASTFEEDING IS EATING. Nourishment is being taken into the bdoy.  Capiche?

Defecation and urination are excretory functions.  Waste is going out of the body. Again, capiche?

So you can't compare breastfeeding to pooping or peeing. They are opposites and have nothing in common, other than being bodily functions.  That's the epitome of apples to oranges.  You can compare public diaper changes to pooping/peeing-that's apples to apples. Can we put this particular justification to rest?

Ridiculousness #2: "Sex is natural, too, but you don't do it in front of everyone."


Okay, this one really bothers me. I think it is terrifying, as a parent. How is breastfeeding anything like sex?  The kind of person with this line of thinking is not the person I want flipping through my albums. Most of my pics are of my children.

My current status is:
PSA:                                                                                                                                           
If you truly feel like breastfeeding has some sort of sexual connotation, please take the following actions: 
1. Delete me as a friend.                                                                                                                
2. Stay away from ALL children.                                                                                                      
3. Seek professional mental health services.                                                                                      
 
 I mean seriously, how do you feel when you see a child eat a banana? There really is something wrong     with you, and I mean that in the most honest way possible.                                                                

I'm done. **steps off soapbox**

BTW, I breastfed in a government office, at my kids' school, and at a restaurant today.

Day 36: AP-gotta say my piece

By now, I'm sure you've seen this:

It is for a piece on attachment parenting from next week's Times.  

What's Attachment Parenting?

Attachment parenting is a phrase coined by Dr. Sears that describes a parenting philosophy.  Basically, it means that you practice a child-led sort of parenting that focuses on making sure the child feels safe and secure.  Instead of reinventing the wheel, I'm just going to cut and paste the 8 principals of AP from Wikipedia:

1. Preparation for Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting
2. Feed with Love and Respect
3. Respond with Sensitivity
4. Use Nurturing Touch
5. Ensure Safe Sleep, Physically and Emotionally
6. Provide Consistent Loving Care
7. Practice Positive Discipline
8. Strive for Balance in Personal and Family Life

That is what guides attachment parents. How they interpret it is up to that family.  It can also change over time as the family changes.   Here is what AP can look like:

• co-sleeping/bed sharing/family bed
• breastfeeding 
• baby wearing
• cloth diapering
• homeschooling/unshcooling
• homeopathy/herbal remedies
• non-circumcision
• natural childbirth/home birth
• organic/local food
• non-vax
• etc

This doesn't mean all APs do all of these thigns.  I highlighted the ones I practice or have practiced.  The focus isn't on the practices, though. It's the guiding philosophy.  Again, the focus is the baby/child. There is no checklist or set of rules to being an AP


My Parenting
I subscribe to AP because of my beliefs about parenting.  God gave me these perfect little people.  He entrusted me with their care so I do my very best for them. Their needs are simple, though they can be confusing due to the communication barrier-I don't speak cry-so I have to listen to their non-verbal cues.  My kids come first to me.  I was an AP before I knew what AP was.  It is the simplest, most primal form of parenting. I keep them close and care for them the way that feels natural to me.. I protect them from harm, environmental or otherwise. I didn't hear the term until about 2 or 3 years ago, on Cafe Mom, but it described what I did to a T.


The Cover
I'm not a big fan of the cover as a picture but I understand the purposed. The woman is standing in an empowered posed.  It's meant to be provocative and to encourage dialogue, and by golly I did!  The same people finding issue with extended breastfeeding have no issue with those icky Hardee's commercials or beer commercials or any other exploitation of women's bodies.  I think the most interesting thing about attachment parents is that (in my experience) don't judge other parents. We parent the way that is right for our kids, our families.  We aren't telling other mamas what to do, yet many people feel it necessary to vocalize their utter disdain.  Then if we counter criticism with criticism, they get angry. If we counter criticism with research, they get angry. If we counter criticism by ignoring them, they get angry.


 I was interviewed by our local NBC affiliate. Here is a link to the article and the video clip is below.  In the clip, I am actually breastfeeding Popcorn at one point, but you'll miss it if you blink.  You can see Side Salad playing on a backhoe, too.