Today I am thankful for breastfeeding. I love feeding Israel. It is the best part of my day. I love the bond we share. I love the immunity and strength it gives him. I love that I have to sit on the couch while I do it. I love that it is causing controversy at the moment....cause then hopefully more people will give it a bit more thought. I love the way he looks at me when he feeds. I love the way it fixes anything that is wrong.
Bottlefeeding angers me! I do not pass judgement on the mother, rather our society that makes bottlefeeding seem like the better option. I have heard of people giving up and losing confidence in their breastmilk because their baby had lost 100gr in a week. Excuse me 100gr? The size of a rissole?? What is wrong with our health system which allows and often promotes an artificial method of feeding over a natural one? I feel so deeply upset for impressionable mothers who get advised to feed their baby formula, in my opinion they are missing out on so much. Believe me, I do agree that formula does have its place, but it is a place that should not be promoted by large multinational companies or our own healthcare system. I also do understand that some women can't breastfeed. I also believe that the number of these women is SIGNIFICANTLY lower than what many people claim.
A horrific statistic which I stumbled upon on a friends blog is this.....WHO estimates 1.5 million infants worldwide die each year because they are not breastfed. That makes me even more thankful for breastfeeding! And if anyone is looking for a cause to support checkout
http://www.babymilkaction.org/resources/boycott/nestlefree.html
PS.....facebook suck on this! Breastfeeding is NOT obscene
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL pic Buzz. Unfortunately, I was one of those mothers who were not able to breast feed their child sufficiently and it broke my heart. But that is not to say that I will not try again with our future children. I understand the benefits of babies being breastfed hence why I persisted for so long......weekly visits with a lactation consultant, dietary changes and even medication that is supposed to increase your supply, but alas low supply and a lazy baby equalled the inevitable decision to put Alex on Formula. I will say however, that even though I was not able to breast feed Alex, the bond between us was no less due to bottle feeding and in fact we both enjoyed feeding times alot more and subsequently Alex thrived - I had the lovely, happy, FULL, baby that I always hoped I would have. In saying all this however, I do congratulate you for standing up for what you believe in and I agree that this is a worthy cause and something that needs to be addressed. Pip -xxx-
ReplyDeleteLove the post, love the pic, love breastfeeding. Well said Buzz xx
ReplyDeleteLove it Buzz!
ReplyDeleteI am feeling quite sad after weaning Noah in the last month. I went into breastfeeding not really knowing what an amazing experience it would be.
Breastfeeding needs more champions to help promote and support all mothers in this area. It is a difficult beginning, and it has many challenges. If society was more open and accepting of this natural option, I feel it would be easier for all.
I hated that sometimes I felt I was doing something wrong because I was breastfeeding and I had to cover up. After a few months, I thought "Stuff you! This is a natural thing! Deal with it!"
I also love that now Noah is weaned, he still crawls into my lap, assumes the breastfeeding position and just stares into my eyes for a cuddle. That bond is a gift from God.
Go Buzz...love Dad.
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