August is national breastfeeding month! How did you celebrate? Eating breast milk ice cream? How about some breast milk cheese amongst friends? Or, the more obvious, nurse a baby, preferably your own, but you know, to each his own- who am I to judge? In fact, if ya got it, and you can help someone in need? by all means! Just ask Salma Hayek...
I am amazed that this was controversial. Before having Mathilda, I naively thought that all women breast-fed unless there was some reason that they couldn't. I was always perplexed when seeing mothers, especially those in low income areas (like certain grocery stores in DC, for example) purchasing formula. Formula is expensive! Why buy it when you can get it for free?
I was further astounded to learn that breastfeeding in public is controversial, apparently more so in the US than other countries, but controversial nonetheless.
A woman in Pittsburgh is designing an interactive real life art project called the Milk Truck to bring attention to public places where women have been scorned in some way for nursing in public. I was absolutely shocked to read some of the comments on the internet in response to this project. One man wrote to a local news station covering the project that men are arrested for lewdness or indecent exposure if they pee in public and therefore women should not be allowed to nurse. WHAT?? And the comments only got better from there with many references to whipping out a tit or not wanting to see some tits, and especially about not wanting children to see it. So to clarify, apparently this is ok for children:
and this is totally fine and not at all too sexual for public display:
but WHOA! Don't expose my precious eyes to something as sexual and inappropriate as THIS!!!
come on now!
The facts are quite interesting. For one, it is legal to breastfeed anywhere. U.S. Public Law 106-58 Sec. 647, states, "A woman may breastfeed her child at any location in a Federal building or on Federal property, if the woman and her child are otherwise authorized to be present at the location.
For the last 5 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (disclosure- employer of my dear hubby) has been publishing breastfeeding report cards. In the US, only 5% of babies are born in hospitals that specifically support breastfeeding, and only 35% of babies are exclusively breastfed at 3 months. A state by state comparison is more illuminating:
This map represents % of babies born in breast-feeding support/"baby friendly" hospitals. Looks like in Alaska you can see Putin from the window of your baby friendly birthing room! I would bet that you could overlay a map of poverty rates nicely on this map.
Internationally, there are some nursing all-star countries. When looking at percent of babies ever initiated to breast feeding, the Czech-Republic comes in at 92%, Norway at 99% (no surprise there!), Poland at 93%, Haiti at 96% (woohoo!), Thailand at 97%, Bahrain at 97%, Ghana 99%. The US? a sad 70%.
There are racial differences of breastfeeding rates in the US. Black women are the least likely group to breastfeed, and the only racial group in the US whose rates of breastfeeding are actually declining. I'm sure studies are being done, but I don't have an answer as to why this is.
In support of World Breastfeeding Week (first week in August) (and ok, to try to win some prizes and eat good food!) Reggie, Mathilda and I attended The Big Latch On at a local maternity store. We were trying, along with other latch on events, to break the record of number of women simultaneously nursing. It was a neat event to see so many nursing moms and babes with supportive partners and children in one place.
Sadly, though, we did notice, there were very few non-white women (with Asian-including Indian- women the next best represented group). Of course, this is Pittsburgh and not the most diverse town, but Mathilda's little brown face was quite obvious in the crowd. I was really proud that Reggie was enthusiastic about showing his support.
To be honest, I can be a bit shy about nursing in public, mostly because I don't like to expose my ugly, misshapen, stretched out and stretch marked belly. But I will be damned if I sit on a toilet in a cramped stall of a restaurant when Mathilda is hungry! I have a lightweight nursing cover ("the tent" as we call it) which allows me to still see her, but cover my unsightly belly, and prevent any accidental nipple shots when she un-latches as she so often does. But in the summer heat, I can't subject her to eating with a blanket over her head, and I can't subject myself to the sweat that results from holding a warm infant covered by said blanket! In that case I say, get over it, and don't stare if you don't want to see!
In closing I have to say, everyone has the right to nurse or not to nurse. Some people physiologically can't and should not be shamed. Nor should those who choose not to for other personal reasons. But society could stand to lighten up a bit about the public nursing. That, or eat your filet while standing at the urinal, and we'll call it even.
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