Amen, and Amen!!

Good point, it seems that tolerance is lacking on both sides. Although breast may be best, modesty and discretion are still indispensable.

I agree, it’s like that working mom vs. SAHM thing. We’re all moms and expect acceptance for the parenting choices we make, but are often loathe to extend acceptance for others in turn.

There are a couple issues that can really get people riled up, I guess breastfeeding is one of them. Another is immunizations.

I am new to your site. I love it though. I am very sensitive when it comes to this subject. I have three children. All girls, all huge miracles and blessings in our lives. We thought that after five years of trying to conceive and not being able to, that we would adopt. We were lucky enough to be chosen one month after we turned in our paperwork. During that time I also found out I was pregnant. We got our lovely daughter #1 from Ogden and of course I couldn’t breastfeed. When I had daughter number two 4 months later I tried to breastfeed but with complications from a c-section and 37 hours of labor later I ended up with congestive heart failure and I had to be on heavy duty water pills to pull water away from my heart. It completely dried me out, even when I tried pumping afterward to see if I could get started back up it was to no avail. I had number three 4 months ago and the exact same thing happened. I got a good 2 weeks in and that was it. I had congestive heart failure again and went through the same thing. I do believe breast milk is best. I want the best for my baby, but unfortunately my body can’t do it. So, all my girls are bottle fed. They are healthy, beautiful, smart girls. I do not feel bad that I can’t breast feed. I do not beat myself over it. Either way our children are being well fed and nourished and loved. What else is there?

All I can say is Amen. To your post and to the comments that follow.

I’m sorry to hear that you’ve seen comments bashing bottle-feeders as part of this. To me, whether or not someone breast- or bottle-fed is completely irrelevant here. The importance of the campaign *for me* is to condemn the supposed sexualization of breastfeeding. However you or anyone here fed your children, it is a simple fact that breasts were created to nourish babies, not to titillate. Whether or not a given mother used hers for that purpose is irrelevant is not the issue. For a site (or a society!) to deem pictures of scantily-dressed barely pubescent women as acceptable while disallowing a picture of a mother feeding her baby (what could possibly be more wholesome than that) is absolutely inappropriate and should not be tolerated. We do ourselves as women a disservice when we allow society to get their sexual kicks off of our breasts while making us feel that something as basic and normal as breastfeeding is something to be hidden away or ashamed of.

Robin
“The importance of the campaign *for me* is to condemn the supposed sexualization of breastfeeding.”

Thanks for your words. I hadn’t seen that as a motivation for the protest, so thanks for enlightening me. I agree that it is tragic that many societies see breasts as being only sexual in nature and that is something that needs to change.

Oddly enough, I bottle fed my daughter, (you know Summer, as we had a lot in common in some posts we wrote,) but I’m also a supporter of breastfeeding rights. I didn’t plan on bottle feeding, but I ended up doing it, and we’re all just fine.

Luckily for me, most of the people I’ve met or encountered on the internet who do/did breastfeed have been very accepting of either way you choose to feed a baby, which is awesome.

I totally support any mother, whether she breastfeeds, bottle feeds, works, stays home, whatever- as long as she’s doing what’s best for her and the baby. I can’t judge what’s best for someone else, only they can.

Anyway, to make a short comment long, breastfeeding in public should be taken no more notice of than bottle feeding, or feeding solids. It should be totally okay to feed a baby in any way you choose without being made to feel obscene. Because it’s not sexy, it’s not porn. (Yet we accept semi-pornographic images on tv and in magazines without a second glance! Just make sure there’s no baby attached and it’s just dandy to show 99% of your body.)

The site that I really like, as far as breasfeeding advocacy goes, is http://www.leagueofmaternaljustice.com, where they state, “So not to exclude our non-breastfeeding friends, you can participate by writing a post - even a blurb will do - about why you support women’s right to nourish their children whenever and whatever and in whatever manner they wish. We love your boobs too!”

That made my day, because that’s totally how I feel. Whatever you decide to do with your breasts, I’d help a mom any way I can!

Summer, you totally inspired me. Sorry for the long comment above, so I took it to my blog. I’m feeling like giving everyone a hug tonight and it’s all cause of you!

http://sunnyandstormy.blogspot.com/2007/09/do-whatcha-like-i-love-ya-either-way.html

Excellent post! I’m sorry if anyone has used the whole Facebook thing as an opportunity to bash mothers who use the bottle. That’s ridiculous!

Amen and amen! Why can’t everyone just be more tolerant and respectful? Can’t people seem to realize that we don’t all think alike?

you’ve an award on my blog. it’s it’s a repeat ignore it. ;)

Amen!

as a mother who bottle fed her first baby and breast fed her second, I see nothing wrong with either. It pisses me off though that people get offended if a woman nurses her baby in public. What are we supose to do starve our child? There are ways though that breastfeeding mothers can nurse and make it look like aren’t or, they can cover up. Here is a perfect expample of me nursing my baby, in public at a school.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v413/samanthasmommy/Family/Dsc01339.jpg