Breastfeeding is awesome. There, I said it. You know you can't just go around saying that these days. People will think you're weird, like you have some warped reason for thinking that breastfeeding is awesome. What better gift could God have given us mothers than specially formulated, uniquely balanced, perfectly warmed, readily available liquid gold? There's nothing better than nursing for soothing a fussy baby. It heals all wounds (physical and emotional), and nourishes perfectly. It's the most natural thing for a baby to do, and the best first thing for him to do after emerging and taking his first breath.
Given all of this, I find it more and more annoying all the time that the general public thinks of breastfeeding as a taboo thing to do in front of anyone. Babies don't just need to eat when they're at home, and moms can't be homebound for months just in order to feed their infants in private. If I'm out, say at the grocery store, and my baby needs to eat, darn it, I'm going to feed him. I will find a bench as much out of the way as possible, turn myself away from the bulk of the flow of people, toss a blanket over my shoulder, and fill that baby's tummy. And you know what? It's o.k. to make eye contact with me if you see me doing this. You aren't going to freak me out, and nothing is going to jump out and offend your sensitive eyes, I promise. Trust me, this is a much better solution than the whole store listening to him scream, and me having to leave my cart full of groceries to go feed him in a cold car (and don't even get me started on nursing in a public bathroom).
Now, what I am not for, is the woman who sits on a bench in the center of the most active hub at the zoo, pins the hem of her shirt with her chin, cups her enormous breast with her hand, and struggles to latch a newborn on. (Yes, I did witness this.) Now come on Lady, you're giving the rest of us a bad name! A little modesty goes a long way.
A friend who is expecting her first baby came over to visit yesterday. We started talking about her upcoming shower, and I told her I was happy to see the breastfeeding equipment and supplies on her registry, again, trying not to sound like the weird girl who's obsessed with nursing. It got me to thinking about how you can't just talk however you want with just anyone, and then it hit me: That's what blogs are for! So why in the heck do I have a blog if I can't get all opinionated on it? And that's what I'm thinking about today.
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