“I Wish I Would Have Known.”
I have not been posting much about breastfeeding because most of the topics of late I have no opinion on and all though I am still nursing the bebe I am no longer exclusively giving her breast-milk. I am also pretty sure no one wants to hear that while we still nurse at night she now grinds her teeth - yes, teeth. It hurts and if she did not insist on nursing I would have thrown in the towel a few months ago. But since, she still wants it, well...
As I was browsing today's contributors to the hop, I read Jen's (here) and it suddenly dawned on me what I wish I would have know before I started breastfeeding - people who think they are superior or are just ignorant to breastfeeding in general are stupid. And mean. And selfish. This can be changed. But, like addiction they have to want to change.
I am the first to admit that I am one of the exceptions to the rules: I did not have an issue with breastfeeding, not one issue, it was easy for me (but time consuming) and I the only judgement I encountered with nursing in public came from a close(ish) family member. Unless you count the whole grinding teeth thing, but I kept nursing even as I cried when she latched on for about a week. That is why they make neosporin, right?
I was blissfully unaware that the general public feels uncomfortable that tits are used for something other then getting their rocks off and I was certainly oblivious to the cult of super boobs that insist that the only option is to breastfeed.
I fall somewhere in between.
I can admire a nice rack (I have mostly male friends and then there was this time in band camp...) and I truly, deeply feel that women are designed to breastfeed and they should at least try. If it does not work, then at least you can say you tried but I believe *gasp* formula is a necessity. I do not believe it should be big business.
I also do not believe that the mommy wars help our cause... if one mommy thinks their way of breastfeeding is the only way it completely defeats our unity. There is no one way that is better. There can't be because way to many people would be wrong. Including everyone who had children in the 70's.
Breastfeed, exclusively pump, pump by day & nurse by night, formula... We are all just trying to do right by our children. The first thing should be to set a better example for the next generation.
I am not trying to change the world, just make it a little nicer.
