lifewithmalakai:Over the past few days in Australia, there has been a lot of media attention regar
lifewithmalakai: Over the past few days in Australia, there has been a lot of media attention regarding a media personality making a comment regarding women breastfeeding in public. I have seen all of the debates before, I have heard all of the comments before and each time I hear them, I am never less amazed by peoples ignorance and lack of education. Women have boobs. Guess what they were made for? Lactating. Feeding a baby. Making milk. Shocking hey? Not really. But apparently so. I have always breastfed in public. I have never once used any type of wrap or cover. Do I do it to be some kind of breastfeeding warrior or some womanly hero? Nope, the thought never crossed my mind. I do it because my baby is hungry and I don’t feel the need to cover him up while he eats. I don’t think I am doing anything that needs to be covered. If women feel more comfortable covering then that is their decision and I respect that. But when other people- and other women- come out and bash women who do decide to breastfeed in public, without a cover (GASP!) then there becomes a problem. There seems to be this notion that women who do not breastfeed ‘discreetly’ in public are just some crazy ass women who LOVE getting their boobs out in public. You know, when Kai is hungry, the last thing I am thinking is “MAN, I really LOVE getting my boobs out in public! Hey, everyone, wanna see?”. Honestly, all I am thinking is that my baby is hungry and he wants food. Then I often see or hear comments about how the baby can wait or you can go somewhere “private” or some other ignorant opinion. Number one, how do you feel when you’re hungry? Crappy? Irritable? Cranky? Yep, me too. Guess who else? Babies! And they don’t understand the notion of waiting. If they’re hungry- they’re hungry and that’s that. Number two, do you honestly think YOU would enjoy eating your lunch in a dirty bathroom with other people coming in and out to use the toilet or change their babies dirty nappies? I know I sure as hell don’t and I don’t expect my son to, either. I have tried, over and over again, to understand WHAT exactly it is that makes people so uncomfortable with the notion of women breastfeeding in public. Is it because people only see boobs as sexual? And the fact a baby is attached to this sexual notion makes people feel uneasy? Is it just because they’re total morons who don’t realise that you can see more breast at a trip to the beach or even on most television ads? I really, honestly do not know. People need to stop with the whole “BUT WHAT DO I TELL MY KID!?”. I mean, honestly, if you cannot honestly turn around to your child and say “she is feeding her baby!” then we have really gone wrong somewhere as a society. We have gone wrong somewhere. People and WOMEN need to stop. Stop insulting. Stop saying “I support breastfeeding IF or BUT…” or “Is it really that hard to cover up!?!?”. You know what? No, it isn’t. I am sure the actual task of getting something to cover me up isn’t hard. But I damn well shouldn’t have to. And neither should any woman who doesn’t want to. Maybe you could eat underneath a blanket? Or maybe you could just walk around public with a blanket over your head? We honestly need to stop, as a society, and reflect upon WHY people think this way and why women’s breasts are sexualised in the way they are. We need to stop insulting and start understanding. We need to stop calling women “breastfeeding warriors” when we stand up against these things and just understand that all we want is respect and equality. No, we do not think we are better than women who chose not to breastfeed because we fight for these rights. No, it is not “feminism gone wrong”. It is our right. It is our babies right. -- source link
#breastfeeding