In many western countries there has been a growing concern for our babies and the so called ‘choice' of whether mothers should breast feed or not. Please note that I said choice as we can choose to get up in the night to heat bottles instead of staying in bed and feeding naturally. We can bottle feed babies if there is a problem with nutritional content of a mothers milk supply, we can save babies more often than not if they arrive a bit prematurely, we can express milk using pumps and sterilizing units are available at the chemists, why is it that breast feeding causes such an explosive reaction among people. What is it that makes us feel uncomfortable?
The benefits to a mother and a child are enormous. Everyone knows that breastfed babies have more immunity from infections, they tend to be less insecure and they develop faster. So it is not a question of breast versus bottle but more a question about why there an attitude about mothers feeding. Could there be a lack of municipal facilities that cater to breast feeding mothers?
At our local mall there is a ‘parent's room' and it has two smaller rooms that can be screened off with a curtain so you can breast feed in private but you can also take care of your other children if you have any. These are small tokens but life is easier to handle when things don't go according to plan and you get caught out and you have to feed the baby. There is a real need in our society for these facilities. We need to cater for babies, children, mothers and fathers, people who make contribution to our society. There is more that can be done to accommodate our mothers and parents, to make them feel better about the challenges they face when the children become little monsters and they need a hand or a place to go and get sorted.
It is far easier to breastfeed except for when you live in a city where you are not allowed to breastfeed in public or at restaurants and you are treated like some lactating cow. How rude I say!
