Thursday, April 18, 2013

Promoting Acceptance of Long-Term Breastfeeding

I'd like to start a dialog on this blog. I'm putting this book together to support nursing mothers, but it won't be published until the middle of next year or so. In the meantime, let's talk about long-term nursing, full-term breastfeeding, or whatever you want to call it.

Let's start with a very important question, a question that gets at the root of why we need a book to support us in the first place.

What do you think we as mothers can do to help promote acceptance of extended nursing among society and our families and friends?

Is it all about nursing in public or supporting each other in private? Do we need to take it one step at a time or do we need to make a giant push? What can we learn from other groups that have worked to get their needs and rights respected? Unfortunately, our babies and children are not in a position to fight for their own rights, so we must often do it for them.

What should we do?

4 comments:

  1. I think the most important thing to do is NOT to hide that we're nursing our toddlers and preschoolers. No, I don't nurse in public very often, anymore, but I'm still willing, even though my daughter is 4. A couple weeks ago, she asked to nurse in church. So, she did. I am proud of the fact that I'm allowing my daughter to wean at her own speed. No, I don't shout it to the rooftops, but I do post information about full term breastfeeding and recommend it to other moms. If my daughter wants to nurse at family gatherings, she can. I don't go into another room to do it, either. I don't cover up.

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    1. I think that's hard for a lot of mothers; it may feel like the right thing to do, but there is an underlying fear of not just derision but reprisal (would someone call social services?). I hope that by getting the word out and giving mothers support, we can lessen the fear and derision on both sides.

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  2. My son is just a little over 12 months old & I already get comments from people about how he could have or should have stopped nursing by now. They seem really confused as to why I'm still doing it & some act like it's psychologically harmful to my child in some way. We night weaned recently, but he's still nursing 4-5 times a day. He LOVES nursing & at this point doesn't seem like he's ready to give it up any time soon. I don't see why nursing is seen as something that kids are "too old for" but people are less concerned with pacifiers & diapers being used until they're 4 or so. It needs to stop being viewed as something sexual in any way & that will probably only happen if people have plenty of appropriate exposure to it. I'm not talking about whipping out our boobs dramatically & making a big deal of it... Just doing it when you need/want to, but not hiding it.

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    1. Thanks for your input, Erica. It can be a mystery how something so natural and beneficial is so misunderstood.

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